Plum Advance Leader category, Page 51
Plum police detective becomes department’s first public information officer
A Plum detective has been named the police department’s first public information officer. Joseph Little took the weeklong FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association class in Pleasant Hills to take on the role. “I provide the community with the most accurate, up-to-date information,” he said. “As you would imagine, during...
Plum police, Rotary Club present donations to Meals on Wheels
Some fuzzy faces in Plum’s police department are helping making Christmas brighter for people getting help from Meals on Wheels. Police Chief Lanny Conley presented a $1,340 check Tuesday to Samantha Lamorte, manager of the Meals on Wheels program at the Plum Community Center. The money came from the department’s...
Democrats express interest in Tony DeLuca’s state House seat
Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese and school board president Erin Vecchio have put their names in the hat for the Democratic nomination for the state House District 32 seat. The 32nd District has been represented by Tony DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, for nearly 40 years. He died Oct. 9, 2022, at...
Founder’s daughter takes over as managing partner at Plum restaurant
Zen Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Plum has undergone an ownership change, although the faces around the restaurant may not change as far as the regulars are concerned. Victoria Weng, 24-year-old daughter of previous owner Mei Liu, is now one of the youngest managing partners of a restaurant in the...
Plum, Oakmont area briefs, week of Dec. 5, 2022
‘Road to Bethlehem’ A “Road to Bethlehem” experience is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 at Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek, 550 Center New Texas Road. The journey of approximately 20 minutes will start in the church and continue outside, chronicling the story of the birth...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Dec. 4, 2022
Chalfant Jamie Lynn Kelly sold property at 220 Wilkins Ave. to Loran and Yolanda Dehonney for $107,000. Churchill A & O Homes LLC sold property at 2511 Collins Road to Jens Danielsen and Hannah Wilkinson for $174,900. Rushi Homes LLC sold property at 2505 Greensburg Pike to Joseph Chilcott and...
Plum hosts Santa, ‘Christmas at Plum Creek’ at new municipal center
Two-year-old Olivia Sikina calls Santa “Ho-Ho,” but her father wasn’t sure how she was going to react to seeing him. “We’ll see if she screams or cries. She seemed very excited at the house,” said Rick Sikina of Plum. “Last year, it didn’t go very well. I think she’s starting...
Plum elementary students gain school board recognition
Plum Borough School Board honored numerous kindergartners through fourth-graders who were chosen based on recommendations by their teachers. The recognition by the Plum Mustang Foundation relates to the Rachel’s Challenge initiative put in place to help combat mental health issues in the community and promote a more positive environment. Students...
Ethical Hope: Plum resident helps world’s artisans sell products
Extreme poverty can lead to extreme measures for many of the world’s mothers. “It’s easier to sell your child for money than it is to raise your child. That’s a heartbreaking reality,” Meredith Hedeen said. “And that happens in the U.S., too.” From her home in Plum, Hedeen seeks to...
Kiski Area, A-K Valley Class 3A teams look to add to wrestling trophy cases
The road will be a bit different, but the goal remains the same for Kiski Area wrestling. It wants to be competitive, have a solid bond within the team and win another section title. It’ll be a smaller roster than normal because of graduation and a few non-wrestling-related injuries, but...
6th annual ‘Christmas at Plum Creek’ moves to new borough building
Plum’s annual “Christmas at Plum Creek” is moving this year, but Santa will know where to find it and all the boys and girls eager to tell him what’s on their lists. The event, in its sixth year, will be the first to be held at the borough’s new building...
New coach aims to make game fun again for Plum boys basketball
Justin Walther, a familiar face around WPIAL circles, is the new coach of the Plum boys basketball team. Walther was hired at the end of June and replaces Mark Marino, who went 23-25 in three seasons as the Mustangs coach. Walther graduated from Central Catholic in 1995 as the second-leading...
Expectations rising for Plum girls basketball
Expectations have been raised for the second year of the Rich Mull coaching tenure at Plum. “I was hired at the end of last summer, so we really didn’t have an offseason to put things in place,” Mull said. “We should be more prepared with everyone knowing their roles. “We...
Plum alumna crowned Miss Duquesne
Plum Senior High School alumna Cassie Wiles didn’t plan on being a pageant winner. In fact, she signed up for the Miss Duquesne pageant expecting to lose, but her friends encouraged her to compete. Those expectations proved to be unfounded as Wiles was awarded the crown by a panel of...
Plum planning to draw down reserves, not increase property tax in 2023
Plum is not increasing real estate taxes, but would draw down its reserves by about 42% under the proposed budget for 2023. The entire proposed budget for all borough funds is about $23 million, Finance Director Michael Whitico said. That’s an increase of $3.42 million — or about 17.5% —...
Happenings in Plum-Oakmont area, week of Nov. 21, 2022
New home for Christmas at Plum Creek Christmas at Plum Creek is scheduled from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1 at the new Plum Municipal Complex, 2000 Old Mine Road. The event will feature Santa’s arrival, live reindeer, holiday music, free hot chocolate, food trucks, a Santa Shoppe, and crafts...
After 4 years of success, Plum senior soccer players cap careers in PIAA playoffs
Only one team had scored a goal against the Moon girls soccer team before the Tigers faced Plum in a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal Nov. 12 at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. The Mustangs were up for the challenge and put the first goal on the board within the...
East suburban real estate transactions, week of Nov. 20, 2022
Chalfant Michael Kolesar sold property at 258 Brighton St. to Jennifer Marcoz for $150,000. Good Neighbor Properties LLC sold property at 141 North Ave. to Steel Town Properties USA LLC for $18,000. Churchill Aris Tsouris sold property at 1524 Williamsburg Pl to Chris Tsouris Panos for $120,000. Edgewood Denis Newman...
Council meeting christens new municipal building in Plum
Plum Borough Council held its first meeting at the new municipal building on Nov. 14. The $12 million building is still partly under construction, and not all tenants have moved in yet, but it will be the site for council meetings going forward. “Welcome to Plum’s new home,” borough manager...
Plum’s Beninati twins achieve ‘commended’ status in National Merit Scholarship competition
Amy and Jim Beninati raised their twins, Carly and Nathaniel, to value education. “We always thought it was important to do museums and science centers,” Amy Beninati said. “Play activities revolved around learning experiences in a fun way. They always enjoyed it, too. They seemed to have an affinity for...
Plum priest acquitted in 1998 sex abuse charges
A Plum priest accused of sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy in 1998 was found not guilty of all the charges against him on Monday. A jury deliberated for less than four hours before reaching its verdict in the case against the Rev. Robert Cedolia, 71. Cedolia was found not guilty...
Plum, Oakmont area happenings, week of Nov. 14, 2022
‘Pack the Rink’ food drive Plum Hockey is holding a “Pack the Rink” food drive, collecting canned goods and other nonperishable items for the Plum Food Pantry. The drop-off location is at Pittsburgh Ice Arena, 700 Craigdell Road, New Kensington. A collection box is in the lobby. The drive will...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Plum’s Ben Pittman
The Plum boys soccer team has had a lot of success this season, winning a section title and punching a ticket to the PIAA tournament for the first time in 17 years. Contributing greatly to the team’s success is senior center midfielder Ben Pittman. “It feels good for sure that...
Riverview runners finish 5th at PIAA championships
The WPIAL represented itself well in the PIAA Class A boys cross country championship meet in Hershey on Nov. 5. All four qualifying teams, including Riverview, were near the top of the standings. Winchester Thurston was third, followed by Eden Christian, the Raiders in fifth, and Our Lady of the...
After capturing 4 section titles, Plum seniors cap high school careers in PIAA playoffs
For the first time in 17 years, the Plum varsity boys soccer team played in a PIAA tournament game. Mustangs coach Raf Kolankowski said his players gave great effort against District 10 champion Cathedral Prep, but the homestanding Ramblers made enough plays to defeat Plum, 2-0, in the PIAA Class...
