Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 113
Retired Sewickley arborist Edson’s legacy will live on through new bur oak treeVideo
Sewickley officials have ensured the legacy of retired borough arborist Jim Edson will last for centuries to come. Current and former members of the Shade Tree Commission, as well as other elected leaders and administrators, took part in a special tree-planting ceremony in Edson’s honor earlier this month. A bur...
Oakmont Bakery closes its indoor dining, modifies hours due to rising covid cases
Oakmont Bakery officials have closed the bakery’s indoor dining areas and reduced operational hours due to rising covid-19 cases, according to the shop’s website. The bakery will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The cafe will be...
Plum School District to remain in hybrid model, no full-time in-person option yet
Plum School District will remain in the hybrid model with students split into groups coming to class two or three days a week and remote learning on off days until at least February, unless otherwise directed. The board voted 7-2 at it’s Tuesday night’s combined workshop and voting session to...
Verona officials advertise 2021 budget, no tax increase included
Verona officials hope to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s budget. Council unanimously voted earlier this month to advertise its 2021 spending plan, which maintains the current tax rate at 7.8 mills. The borough has not raised real estate taxes in at least 10 years. Borough...
Oakmont food drive collected goods for hundreds of families
An Oakmont family’s food drive has collected enough goods to support hundreds of people in the borough and surrounding towns. The fifth annual Thanksgiving drive by the Hummel family concluded Tuesday at their business, Rev 22 Juice & Wellness Bar powered by Salud Juicery. It is in the former Oakmont...
Gill Hall VFC’s still undecided in Jefferson Hills
After a marathon Jefferson Hills council meeting Monday night, the issue of Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Co. still isn’t decided. After much debate, questions about who has the authority to reinstate the fire department and the departure of several council members, officials deadlocked 2-2 on whether to fully reinstate the...
Plum students who attended a parent-sponsored homecoming party Saturday should not come to school
Plum School District officials are asking students who participated in a non-district homecoming dance to stay home from school Tuesday after it was learned one of the students at the dance tested positive for coronavirus. A high school student with the virus attended a Class of 2021 Senior Parent Committee’s...
Verona officials add new vehicle, 3 officers to its police department, cameras to come
Verona officials recently hired three part-time officers and added a new vehicle to the police department. The additions bring the borough force to three full-timers, including Chief Ron McLemore, and six part-time officers. “They’re good assets to this department,” McLemore said. “We’re excited to have them.” The new hires include...
Pittsburgh Public Safety: 6 police officers have recently tested positive for covid-19
Six Pittsburgh police officers have recently tested positive for covid-19, a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman reported Friday. Other officers are also in isolation or quarantining due to possible exposure. Spokesman Chris Togneri said the department continues to take steps to safeguard against the spread of the virus. Those measures include...
Competition between Plum, TJ, Pine Richland high school students to be televised Saturday
Three Plum High School seniors represented the district in a competition against Thomas Jefferson and Pine Richland students. Joey Panichella, Lily Klucinec and Erica Taylor took part in KDKA’s Hometown High-Q contest earlier this month. It is scheduled to air at 11 a.m. Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 21....
Riverview high school teacher selected as Secondary Teacher of the Year
Ken Kubistek is no stranger to making history. He has been teaching the subject at Riverview High School for the past 23 years. The social studies chairman founded the school’s history club two decades ago with retired teacher Janeice Calfe. Both were among 100 teachers honored in March 2004 by...
Overnight Turnpike work tonight may slow traffic between Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh (Monroeville) exits
Motorists may want to allocate extra time when driving along the Turnpike between the Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh exists tonight and tomorrow. Officials said travelers may experience delays due to intermittent, 15-minute traffic paces in both directions from 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday as crews work to run...
Sewickley officials approve new police services contract with Glen Osborne Borough
Sewickley officials have finalized a new police services contract with Glen Osborne Borough. Council unanimously approved a five-year contract on Nov. 10. Glen Osborne signed off on the deal last month. Sewickley officers have patrolled their neighboring community’s streets for about a decade. The current five-year deal was set to...
Plum Community Center closed to the public, most programs moved online
Plum Community Center may be closed to visitors, but its programs are still very much open to the public. Center Executive Director Karen Hochberg said her facility, which serves between 70 to 80 seniors a week, has been closed since mid-March due to the covid-19 pandemic. That means no cafeteria,...
Plum School District celebrated Veterans Day with a virtual program, various activities
With not having guests in buildings due to covid-19, Plum School District students found different ways to honor the military’s men and women on Veterans Day. The high school honored veterans throughout the day on Nov. 11 via virtual ceremony. Principal Joe Fishell and cadets from the Plum Air Force...
Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie DelRosso claims victory in race to unseat Frank Dermody
Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie Lewis DelRosso claimed victory Tuesday night in her race to unseat state House Minority Leader Frank Dermody. DelRosso, a Republican, had collected 51.5% of the votes counted compared with Dermody’s 48.5%, a margin of 923 votes, according to unofficial results from the Pennsylvania Department of State. “I’m...
Sewickley officials plan to hold the line on taxes in 2021 budget
Sewickley officials want to hold the line on real estate taxes with the 2021 budget. Council unanimously approved next year’s preliminary spending plan on Nov. 10. The millage rate is expected to stay at 6.25 mills. “I think that the budget is solid,” council President Jeff Neff said. “I would...
Sewickley Public Library’s $1.3 million repair project clears another hurdle
A roof and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning repair project at the Sewickley Public Library has cleared another hurdle. Borough council unanimously voted Tuesday night to approve a “certificate of appropriateness” for the HVAC portion of the work at 500 Thorn St. It granted the certificate for the roof...
Riverview School District welcomes students back in second 9-weeks hybrid model
The Riverview School District has switched to a hybrid learning model this grading period with most students back in school a couple days a week. The switch this month from all online learning to a mix of in-person student groups and continued at-home education was was welcomed by Verona parent...
Volunteers are wanted for Plum’s annual holiday extravaganza in December
Volunteers are wanted for the fifth annual Christmas at Plum Creek. The borough event is scheduled for 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 3 in Plum Creek Park along New Texas Road. There will be a tree lighting ceremony with a likely visit from Santa, food trucks and caroling. Plum...
No tax increased proposed for Plum’s 2021 budget, paving and park upgrades planned
Plum council plans to hold the line on taxes for the fourth straight year. Borough officials unanimously approved advertising the 2021 spending plan and real estate tax ordinance Nov. 9. They plan on adopting the final budget at council’s Dec. 14 voting session and maintaining the millage rate at 4.78...
Steel City Con in Monroeville rescheduled to April because of covid-19 concerns
Steel City Con, one of the largest conventions in the nation and exclusive to the Monroeville Convention Center, has been postponed again due to covid-19 safety concerns. Organizers were hoping to have pop culture and comic book enthusiasts return to 209 Mall Blvd. in December after having to cancel their...
Pittsburgh Diocese: Sacred Heart volleyball team moved to online learning due to covid-19
Sacred Heart Elementary School volleyball team will learn online for two weeks due to someone testing positive for covid-19, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials announced. Diocese spokesman Bob DeWitt said Wednesday that someone associated with the team tested positive for the virus, and 19 people involved with the team must...
New Goodwill store and donation center opens in Penn Hills
The new Goodwill store and donation center in the Penn Hills Shopping Center is now open. A grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremnony took place Nov. 5. There was a DJ, and people were dancing as part of the celebration. “We’re excited to be in Penn Hills,” said assistant manager...
Pittsburgh police: Man shot while driving in Homewood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh on Thursday evening. Officers responded to 911 calls for a person shot just before 5:45 p.m. along the 6900 block of Penn Avenue. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said the victim told police he was shot a while...
