Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 104
Excavation continues at Plum municipal site along Old Mine RoadVideo
Excavation continues along Old Mine Road in Plum for the borough’s new municipal center project. Massaro Construction Management Services is overseeing Rycon Construction crews at the site, which is next to the Renton Volunteer Fire Department and Plum EMS stations. Digging began in January and is expected to continue through...
Oakmont plans to construct a pump track through state purchasing program
Oakmont officials plan to skip the traditional project bidding process in favor of a state-approved contractor to create a pump track in Creekside Park. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said council is expected to hire American Ramp Co. through the state Department of General Services’ COSTARS program at its March 15...
Penn Hills School District officials tap Oakmont company to replace boilers
Penn Hills School District officials have contracted with an Oakmont-based company to solve boiler issues at the elementary and high schools. District plant manager Bora Caliskan said in August that two of five boilers at the high school and one of three boilers at the elementary school are not working....
Plum’s Tyler Jaecke sworn in as new Oakmont officer
Oakmont police has a new full-time officer. Mayor Christopher Whaley swore in patrolman Tyler Jaecke, 29, of Plum at Tuesday night’s meeting. “I like the area. I like the community,” Jaecke said. “I’d really like to work here. I knew some of the guys that worked here already, and they...
Dozens of Pine-Richland parents rally for more in-person learningVideo
Pine-Richland School District officials plan to gather more parental data as they work to offer five-day in-person learning to more grade levels in the next several weeks. A survey is will be posted today asking parents of students in grades 4-12 if they want full online learning, five-day in-person instruction...
Plum volunteers to bring back drive-thru Easter celebration in early April
Plum families will have a chance to socially distance with the Easter Bunny in a few weeks. A Drive-Thru Eggstravaganza is set for April 3 at the public works facility along Old Mine Road. It is organized by Plum Rotary president Mona Costanza and her volunteers. The idea for the...
Plum creates online proclamation application to help honor more residents
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel believes the best part about his job as an elected official is honoring residents. “Our community is really great. People step up and do things. I try to get as much out as I can,” the mayor said. Trouble is, it can be difficult to recognize...
Several officials and business owners rally against a proposed PennDOT I-79 bridge tollVideo
A proposed toll to pay for a bridge widening project along I-79 in the South Fayette area is unnecessary and would cause undo hardship to motorists, as well as residents and business owners of several nearby communities, according to state and local officials. “This toll is a tax,” state Sen....
Remembering Bob Bagans, former Sewickley Valley YMCA program director, Key Club administrator
Bob Bagans may not have had relatives living in Sewickley, but many considered him as close as family. “He was a very dear friend,” said Bob Kluz, a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club of Sewickley with Bagans. “Bob was a big part of this community, and this community took...
Certain grade levels at Plum School District allowed to return to full-time, in-school classes
Plum School District students in select grades were able to return to full-time, in-person instruction the last week of February. The district operated on a hybrid model for most of the school year due to the covid pandemic. Students were split into two groups with each one in classrooms two...
Penn Hills marketplace helps specialty vendors, crafters thrive during covid pandemic
An indoor marketplace where specialty vendors and crafters can sell their wares sits atop a small hillside overlooking a major roadway in Penn Hills. Some motorists along Rodi Road might not realize what they’re passing because it’s located on the second floor of Penn Hills Lawn and Garden at the...
Penn Hills School District changes graduation requirements for incoming freshmen
Penn Hills School District officials have adjusted graduation requirements to help make future high schoolers more well-rounded learners. The school directors unanimously voted Feb. 24 to increase the graduation requirements from 23 to 24 credits. They must include at least one online class and community service through the Penn Hills...
Plum School District hires social workers to help with students’ mental health
Plum School District officials plan to bring in social workers to help bolster their students’ mental health resources. The board approved a memorandum of understanding Feb. 23 with the teachers union to have three social worker positions added to the collective bargaining agreement. It also hired two of the three...
Sewickley’s Edgeworth Club keeps duckpin bowling tradition rollingVideo
Joe Sawyer dampens his right hand with a wet green cloth, grabs his ball and lines a shot slightly right of center, much like he has done for about 33 years. The Sewickley resident winds up, takes a few steps and lets the ball go with an underhanded toss down...
Police: Ambridge double homicide suspect in custody
A woman is charged with shooting her daughters to death in Ambridge, WPXI-TV reported late Monday. Krisinda Bright, 48, is being charged with two counts of homicide, according to the Beaver County District Attorney’s office, the TV station reported. Police found two people shot to death inside a home along...
Plum Rotary partners with Pittsburgh area charity to collect socks for the homeless
Plum Rotary partnered with a Pittsburgh nonprofit to procure new socks for the city’s homeless population. The borough’s inaugural sock drive is slated for March 1 through April 5. It is in support of Socks with a Mission (SWAM), a charity founded last February by Amy Wetterau and her daughter,...
North Hills teen shot in Pittsburgh’s Strip District Sunday dies Monday morning
A recent North Hills High School graduate died after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Officials said Ahmir Tuli, 18, was shot in the head shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday along the 2700 block of Penn Avenue outside of Preeti’s Pitt restaurant. He was taken to a hospital in critical...
Oakmont officials seek Allegheny County grant to pay for stormwater improvements
Oakmont officials hope to make several stormwater infrastructure upgrades with Allegheny County grant funding. Council recently approved applying for about $238,000 in Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund money. The program is administered through the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. Oakmont’s application is through the Allegheny Valley North Council of Governments....
Police say Stowe Township man killed brother, brother’s girlfriend in their home
Allegheny County Police have arrested a Stowe Township man accused of killing his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. Timothy Gumm, 60, was arrested Thursday night and charged with two counts of homicide and a gun charge. His alleged victims, his brother Christopher Gumm, 55, of Stowe; and the victim’s girlfriend,...
Ash Wednesday was a little different for Holy Family Parish members in Plum, OakmontVideo
Mary Kitchener of Plum had prepared herself for Mass and to receive ashes on her forehead much like she had done for the past six decades. However, due to the pandemic, this start of Lent would be different. The Holy Family Parish member stood before the Rev. Kevin Poecking as...
Riverview, Springdale high school students collecting canned goods for ‘Souper Bowl’
Students at Riverview High School in Oakmont and their rivals across the Allegheny River at Springdale Junior-Senior High School are competing to collect canned goods for their respective food banks. The “Souper Bowl” kicked off Feb. 16. Riverview’s student council and Students Against Destructive Decisions group have a donation box...
Penn Hills school officials say more needs to be done after passing 2021-22 preliminary budget with nearly an 8% tax hike
Penn Hills School District officials have passed a preliminary budget for next school year that includes a tax hike of nearly 8%. District Business Manager Eileen Navish assured those who attended the Feb. 17 special school board meeting that having a proposed spending plan approved in mid-February is just part...
Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church in Plum begins Lenten fish fry season
Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church in Plum opened its Lenten fish fry season on Ash Wednesday. It is takeout only due to the covid pandemic. Volunteers serve patrons in a drive-thru format with a group taking orders near the main entrance and other volunteers downstairs in the kitchen filling...
No new Plum High School distinguished alumni class due to covid restrictions
An annual tradition of recognizing Plum High School graduates who have made their mark in the world has been postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. There will be no 2021 class of distinguished alumni, committee president Margie Evans announced. Reasons for not inducting a new class include travel and indoor...
Baldwin’s Blessed Trinity Parish holding food distribution instead of Lenten fish fry
Blessed Trinity Parish will host a food distribution at its Baldwin church this month in lieu of its traditional Lenten fish fry. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 outside St. Albert the Great Church, 3198 Schieck St. The parish partnered with the Greater...
