Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 116
Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Co. in Jefferson Hills not being dispatched despite being reinstated
Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company in Jefferson Hills has not been dispatched on calls for months despite being reinstated as a borough fire department. Fire company officials claim the problem is the borough has not formally notified Allegheny County dispatch to put the company back in its run cards, while...
Police log: Monroeville police charges filed from Oct. 7-15
Monroeville police filed the following charges Oct. 7 to 15 in District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst’s office. Charges were filed by Monroeville police unless otherwise noted: • Andrew Hampton, 26, of Pitcairn with three counts of possession of controlled substances. Charges were filed Oct. 7 in connection with an incident...
Oakmont council adopts ordinance permitting off-leash dogs, cycling in Dark Hollow Woods
Bicyclists and off-leash dog walkers can rejoice, as Oakmont Council has adopted an ordinance permitting both activities in Dark Hollow Woods. The borough-owned park near Crystal Drive was split into two sections in June 2019 as part of a test requested by the recreation board. Off-leash times were from dawn...
Penn Hills Goodwill set to open, hiring event Tuesday
Goodwill officials have planned a hiring event and announced the opening date of their new Penn Hills location. The store and donation center in the Penn Hills Shopping Center off Rodi Road is set to open Oct. 30. A hiring event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday...
News briefs: Penn Hills announces 14-member homecoming court
Penn Hills School District recently presented its 2020 homecoming court. Students selected include Taniya Jett, Irene Bowser, Tamaya Wolford, Saxson McKissick, Jayla Golden, Faith Crawford, Kayla Bowser, Eddie Daniels, Jonah Silverman, Noel Roach, Royce Hearn, Isaiah Williams, Alain Tamo Noche and Jesse Lomax. Donations received Penn Hills School District officials...
News briefs: Greek Food To-Go event on tap; leaf collection set; food drive scheduled
The Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave. in Oakmont is having a Greek Food To-Go event from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. There will be a limited menu with gyros and pastries. More information is available at dormitionpgh.org or by calling 412-828-4144....
Oakmont’s Monday night council meeting to have limited seating, broadcast on YouTube
An upcoming Oakmont Council meeting, at which council will consider an ordinance allowing bicycling and off-leash dogs in Dark Hollow Woods, will be live-streamed and have limited seating. Seating at council chambers Monday night will be limited to only 13 members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis as...
Holiday Park VFD in Plum hosts fall fish fry
Volunteers at a Plum fire department hope a fall fish fry will help recoup some funds lost due to the covid-19 pandemic. A new kitchen was revealed in February at Holiday Park fire hall along Old Abers Creek Road. Volunteers said the remodeling was done primarily to double the hall’s...
Monroeville shooting suspect turns himself in to police
A Braddock man accused of fatally shooting a Monroeville Mall worker outside the retail hub was taken into custody Friday. Lawrence Murphy, 20, turned himself in to Allegheny County Police, according to Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole. An Allegheny County Police spokesman said that occurred around 5 p.m. Murphy is...
Portion of Route 66 closed due to tractor trailer crash, power knocked out for a short while
A tractor-trailer truck knocked down a utility pole in Oklahoma Borough along Route 66 near Naser Foods on Friday night, knocking out power for a short time. Westmoreland County dispatchers said no injuries were reported in connection with the crash around 8:15 p.m. The road closed from Sheridan Road to...
Police recover money scammed from senior citizen in Plum’s Holiday Park neighborhood
Plum police want to remind residents to be wary of scams after they were able to recover money swindled from a senior citizen in Holiday Park. A woman was contacted via email by scammers Sept. 16 seeking a $199 renewal of firewall protection for her computer, Plum Police Officer Jake...
Army Corps of Engineers gives tour of Emsworth Locks and Dams in advance of major rehabilitation projectVideo
Army Corps of Engineers officials are inspecting the Emsworth Locks and Dams’ primary lock chamber as part of a major project at the 99-year-old site along the Ohio River. The 110-foot-wide and 600-foot-long chamber was recently dewatered, meaning about 14 million gallons of water was pumped out into the river...
Larry Mills Park in Plum to host a free drive-in Halloween movie night Oct. 24
Plum plans to have a Halloween drive-in movie night a week before the holiday. Movie night is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24 at Larry Mills Park. The borough presents “The Addams Family,” the 2019 animated version from directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan. It is based on the characters created...
Police investigating abduction of 2 girls from Penn Hills, juveniles safely returned
The two teenaged girls abducted at gunpoint in Penn Hills on Oct. 14 and found later that evening were not targeted randomly, Allegheny County police said. After the girls, both age 17, were found unharmed in Brighton Heights around 5 p.m., a car was found in Oakland by University of...
Plum officials approve ‘town center’ plans, need state permit before seeking contract bids
Plum officials are seeking developers for a proposed municipal center. The so-called town center would house a police station, municipal offices, gym, a plaza and a community center — essentially an all-in-one government service center — near the public works and EMS buildings along Old Mine Road. The current Plum...
Plum High School remains open after 2 students test positive for covid-19
Plum High School remains open in a hybrid learning model despite two students testing positive for covid-19. District officials said they were notified Wednesday of two students from the same family at the high school having positive cases. Principal Joe Fishell said via letter that the district’s conducted contact tracing...
Pine-Richland High School blood drive going virtual due to the pandemic
A Pine-Richland High School student-driven blood drive is going virtual this year due to the covid-19 pandemic. The school usually hosts three to four drives a year for the Central Blood Bank in Pittsburgh. Its latest effort is scheduled for Oct. 25 through Nov. 8. Senior Max Romano, one of...
$1.3 million in exterior repairs proposed for Sewickley Public Library
A $1.3 million repair project has been proposed for the Sewickley Public Library. Library development associate Michelle Cleary said renovations are needed to the exterior of the original 1923 portion of the library along Thorn Street. They include a new roof, new windows and a new HVAC system for a...
Streetscape project underway along Brownsville Road in Brentwood
A beautification project in Brentwood is underway. Crews from Monaca-based CTM Construction began excavating Brownsville Road on Monday as part of a three-phase $321,000 streetscape initiative. The borough received a $155,855 Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority grant for the project in the central business district. This is part of Brentwood’s continual...
Police: Man shot in Penn Hills in ‘drug deal gone bad’
A man is recovering in a hospital after being shot three times in Penn Hills on Tuesday. Police Chief Howard Burton said the victim, a white man in his 20s, made his way to the GetGo gas station near Frankstown and Coal Hollow roads around 3 p.m. He was shot...
Line painting planned for next year as part of Oakmont’s pedestrian safety improvements
An Oakmont pedestrian safety project, inspired by a traffic study and a borough Girl Scout, is planned for next year. Borough officials earmarked $40,000 in the 2021 budget for line painting for crosswalks along Allegheny River Boulevard and Allegheny Avenue. It is unclear how much painting could be done with...
Assault, drug cases among those recently handled in Judge Zucco’s Plum court
Plum District Court Judge Linda Zucco handled these cases recently. Defendants will have court dates set in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Paul McClain, 39, of Strabane on charges of false imprisonment, aggravated assault, unlawful...
Oakmont officials discuss next year’s budget; trying for no tax increase
Oakmont officials hope to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s spending plan. Council had its first 2021 budget meeting Monday night at the borough building. Discussions focused on the general fund with expenses and revenues estimated at $4.8 million, about $100,000 less compared to the current...
More technology becoming available for Penn Hills students
Penn Hills School District has computers available for students. About 2,900 computers have made it to the district’s estimated 3,180 students’ hands so far this year, district technology director Russ Seibert said. The district ordered electronic devices in May, June and July. However, delivery was delayed due to many other...
Oakmont Chamber of Commerce to host Halloween event Oct. 29
Oakmont Chamber of Commerce and borough businesses want to do their part to ensure children have a safe and spooky Halloween. The chamber is hosting a trick-or-treat event from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 29 along Allegheny River Boulevard. Many shops from College to Pennsylvania avenues will have candy for children, and...
