Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 55
Verona officials, Oakmont firefighters to use state funds for equipment moves
Verona officials and the Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department plan to use state funding to make way for new vehicles and equipment. Both boroughs are getting a piece of nearly $400,000 in funds though the Commonwealth Financing Authority and Department of Economic Community Development. Verona will get $158,625 and the fire...
Penn Hills middle schoolers to perform ‘Moana’
Penn Hills middle schoolers have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming musical, “Moana.” It is an adaptation of Disney’s animated movie and follows Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her village and discover the truth about her heritage. The students are led by director...
Memory of Rep. Tony DeLuca recognized with new award at Rosedale Beach Club
Rosedale Beach Club officials have created an award in memory of a longtime public servant. The Tony DeLuca Community Impact Award was announced this month. It grants a free family membership to the Verona pool and swim club to “a person who dedicates their time to serving the community without...
Oakmont to use state grant for pedestrian upgrades
Oakmont officials plan to use state funds to make pedestrian safety upgrades near Tenth Street Elementary School. The borough is one of several communities to receive a part of nearly $400,000 in grants through the Commonwealth Financing Authority and Department of Economic and Community Development, state officials announced this month....
Fox Chapel to update borough code to remove derogatory term for Native Americans
An outdated and derogatory term for a Native American woman will be removed from Fox Chapel’s borough code where it appeared as part of names for some streets, geographical fixtures and other items. Fox Chapel Council approved the change Monday March 20. About 15 sections of the borough code will...
Perella retires from Jefferson Hills police force
Jefferson Hills police officer Anthony Perella has turned in his badge and gun after a 25-year career with the borough force. A former Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, officer, Perella was hired by Jefferson Hills in February 1998. He worked for Sewickley Police prior to coming to Jefferson Hills....
Volunteers wanted for Earth Day cleanup in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg officials hope volunteers do their part to beautify the borough on Earth Day. The borough’s annual cleanup event is set from 9 a.m. to noon on April 22. Volunteers can pick up safety vests, gloves and trash bags at the borough building, 1611 Main St. Coffee and donuts will...
Man accused of shooting at state Attorney General agents arrested in Penn Hills
A Pittsburgh man accused of shooting at state agents and a McKees Rocks police officer was apprehended in Penn Hills on Thursday. Allegheny County Police announced the arrest of 25-year-old Eric Durah Jr., who is charged with multiple crimes stemming from a shooting incident in Stowe on Feb. 27. Police...
Bag+Barre kickboxing/fitness studio opens in Sewickley
A Sewickley couple has launched a new business in the borough designed to help people reach their fitness goals and kick butt doing it. The kickboxing studio Bag+Barre, owned by Mackenzie and Spencer Te’o, recently opened at 551 Beaver St. near the Verizon store. The couple have lived in town...
Blawnox Easter Egg hunt set for April 2
Blawnox families looking for some outdoor fun can find it in abundance at the sixth annual Easter Egg hunt. Presented by Best of Blawnox in partnership with Howard Hannah Fox Chapel office, festivities begin at noon on April 1 at the community park, 500 Center Ave. About 100 children took...
Fox Chapel Area School District deputy superintendent gets new 4-year deal
Fox Chapel Area School District officials approved a new contract with its deputy superintendent despite pushback from several residents and board members. David P. McCommons sat quietly through the March 13 school board meeting in which school directors voted 6-3 in favor of a four-year deal with the him. Board...
Sewickley cleanup day returns after pandemic hiatus, volunteers wanted
Sewickley officials hope volunteers turn out in droves for the return of the borough’s Earth Day cleanup. The annual beautification was canceled the past few years due to the pandemic. Details were announced at the March 14 council meeting. The cleanup is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon April 22....
Sewickley fire safety event will kick off free smoke detector program
Having a working smoke detector in a home could be the difference between life or death, according to Sewickley fire officials. “Having that early alert of a smoke detector, it’s going to save your life or it’s going to give you the benefit of the doubt and the time to...
North Hills Community Outreach to bring food program back to Blawnox
North Hills Community Outreach brings its free food distribution program back to Blawnox starting next month. NHCO staff and volunteers are expected to set up shop from 2-3 p.m. April 21 outside the borough building, This will be the third year for the outreach’s On the Go mobile pantry and...
Monroeville church’s fish fry tradition continues
There are just a few weeks left for folks to tell their priest, deacon or fire chief their fish sandwich could use some extra tartar sauce. The last Lenten fish fry at St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville is on Good Friday. Dozens of volunteers put in countless hours...
Oakmont church serves tradition, life lessons for youths with fish fry
Lenten fish fries provide more than just food and drink for supporters of local churches and fire departments. They also give an opportunity for young people to learn about traditions and serve their community, and such is the case at Holy Family Parish’s St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Oakmont. Several...
Sewickley Academy likely to preserve ‘Blacksmith’s House’ in Edgeworth
Sewickley Academy officials have no plans to demolish what is known as the Blacksmith’s House in Edgeworth. Head of School Ashley Birtwell addressed those concerns, as well as rumors of the nearly one-acre lot at 627 Beaver Road being repurposed as a parking lot, at a borough planning commission meeting...
Pittsburgh police say missing 12-year-old boy has been found
Pittsburgh police say a 12-year-old boy who had been missing has been found safe. Omari Howard, 12, was last seen in Carrick on Monday, Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz reported. Pittsburgh police announced late Friday that he was found and safe....
Plum High School students prepare for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Plum High School’s upcoming spring musical brings a strong feeling of nostalgia for alum Bethany Loy. The 2004 grad played trombone in the orchestra her sophomore year for “Fiddler on the Roof.” A little more than 20 years later, now the pit director, Loy prepares instrumental students to perform those...
Student stabbed during incident at Penn Hills High School
A Penn Hills High School student stabbed a classmate with a pair of scissors on Thursday, officials said. Superintendent Nancy Hines said two students got into an argument inside a classroom shortly before afternoon dismissal. One of the students grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed the other in the...
Sewickley Academy officials discuss scaled back plans for Nichols Field with Edgeworth residents
Sewickley Academy officials have scaled back their recreation plans of the Nichols Field property along Beaver Road in Edgeworth. Original plans unveiled in September called for the removal of the tennis courts for larger synthetic turf soccer and lacrosse fields. An artificial turf baseball field would replace the current grass...
Aspinwall seeks state grant to help with recreation upgrades
Aspinwall officials hope to add pickleball courts and other sports upgrades to the borough’s recreation area through a state grant. Council voted 6-0 March 8 to apply for $100,000 in state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources funds. Newly appointed Vice President Lara Voytko was absent. Borough Manager Melissa O’Malley...
Edgeworth adds 2 full-time officers to its police force
Edgeworth officials welcomed some familiar faces as their new full-time police officers — William Och and Brian Tice Jr. were recently sworn in to their positions. Council unanimously approved the hiring at its Feb. 21 meeting. Och, 51, of Cranberry Township, is very familiar with the borough. “It’s one of...
Pro wrestling returns to Springdale with fundraiser for high school marching band
Pro wrestling fans looking for nonstop action and to support a local group of performers have just one place to be Friday night. It’s not PPG Paints Arena in Downtown Pittsburgh for WWE Smackdown. The venue is the Donald C. McGhee Fieldhouse for Keystone State Wrestling Alliance’s Springdale Slam 4....
Oakmont officials select Parkview EMS as borough’s new ambulance service
Oakmont has a new ambulance service provider. Council unanimously voted at a special meeting Tuesday night to part ways with Lower Valley Ambulance Service in favor of O’Hara-based Parkview EMS. Oakmont will pay Parkview $50,000 annually for services and allocate an additional $50,000 annually toward ambulance purchases, which are expected...
