Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 106
Plum elementary student writes his 1st horror book, hopes to make a series
A national writing contest and love of horror has inspired a Holiday Park Elementary student to pen his first book. Josh Ingram, 11, of Plum recently released “Light: A Forgotten Monster.” The self-published book tells a story about a group of juveniles at a sleepover. A friend of the main...
Oakmont code enforcement job to be open, garbage hauler vows to address complaints
Oakmont officials will soon need a new code enforcement officer and building inspector. Both services have been handled the past few years by Code Enforcement Agency, a private municipal inspection company out of Jefferson Hills. Borough Manager Scot Fodi informed council at Monday night’s workshop meeting that CEA has decided...
Month in review: A look at the top stories from the Verona area in JanuaryVideo
Here is a look at what happened in Verona this past month. • Trish Hredzak-Showalter was unanimously appointed to fill the vacant seat of former council president Pat McCarthy, who resigned due to health reasons a few weeks ago. Hredzak-Showalter is the chairwoman of the parks and recreation board and...
Ex-Plum star, NFL punter Pat McAfee gives Nesbit’s Lanes fundraiser big boost
A GoFundMe effort to help Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum exceeded its $100,000 goal with the help of an athletic alumnus. The page was created Jan. 29 by Verona bowler David Poremba, who heard about how the covid pandemic had caused league games to be canceled and hundreds of players to...
Streets for this year’s Plum paving project announced, contract to be awarded Feb. 8
Plum officials plan to repair more than 20 streets and alleys as part of this year’s paving program. Bids are expected to be opened Thursday and a contract awarded at Monday night’s council meeting. The borough budgeted about $900,000 for paving. Assistant borough manager Dave Soboslay said they were hoping...
Upgrades underway at Cribbs Field in Verona
Upgrades are underway at Cribbs Field in Verona. Plum-based Pampena Landscaping & Construction demolished the old pavilion, and excavation was done in preparation of the new building. The park is off Second Street and South Avenue. “It’s really exciting. It’s long overdue,” said Janet LoAlbo, councilwoman and parks and recreation...
GoFundMe effort launched to help keep Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum in business
Kirk Klasnick watched with pride as his son, Ken, bowled strikes in a Sportsmen’s Bowling League game at Nesbit’s Lanes Friday night. The Gilpin family has made the trek to the Plum bowling alley for many years. “I have three generations here,” said Kirk Klasnick, 57. “My dad (Bob), myself...
GoFundMe effort launched to help keep Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum in business
Kirk Klasnick watched with pride as his son, Ken, bowled strikes in a Sportsmen’s Bowling League game at Nesbit’s Lanes on Friday night. The Gilpin family has made the trek to the Plum bowling alley for many years. “I have three generations here,” said Kirk Klasnick, 57. “My dad (Bob),...
Oakmont Carnegie Library closed until Monday due to staffer’s positive covid test
Oakmont Carnegie Library is closed until Monday due to a staffer testing positive for the coronavirus. Officials said via social media that the library at 700 Allegheny River Blvd. will be cleaned and staff will self-quarantine. Virtual programming and email services are available. Oakmont Library is closed until 2/1 due...
Verona officials hire consultant to help with borough manager search
Verona officials have hired a consultant to help them with their full-time borough manager search. Borough officials seek a replacement for Jerry Kenna, who resigned as borough manager effective the end of January. Council voted 5-1 on Tuesday to contract with Susan G. Hockenberry Coaching and Consulting through April 30...
Verona Council appoints new member to replace its former president
Verona Council selected a borough recreation leader as its newest member. Trish Hredzak-Showalter was unanimously appointed to the elected board Tuesday. She fills the vacancy created by former council president Pat McCarthy, who resigned due to health reasons a few weeks ago. McCarthy, 71, a former drug agent in the...
Penn Hills School Board OKs advertising proposed 2021-22 budget with near 8% tax hikeVideo
The Penn Hills School Board has approved advertising a preliminary budget for next school year that includes a property tax hike of nearly 8%. The proposed 2021-22 spending plan approved Jan. 27 was one of three the school board considered. It was the one recommended by the district administration. However,...
Penn Hills School District planning to have students back in school 4 days a week
Penn Hills School District officials will move forward with plans to gradually bring back students for in-person instruction four days a week. The board unanimously voted Jan. 27 to authorize administrators to proceed with their plans of having first-graders, middle-schoolers, juniors and seniors back Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays starting...
Plum School Board agrees to keep potential tax hike to 4% or less
Plum Borough School District officials have pledged to keep any possible real estate tax hike to a minimum as they continue to work on next school year’s budget. The board voted unanimously Jan. 26 to keep the tax rate within the Act 1 index, which is a state formula related...
Plum School District to have all students back to full-time, in-person learning in March
Plum School District officials plan to gradually allow students to come back to school five days a week with a goal of having all learners back full-time in March. The announcement was made via the district’s notification system and by board members Tuesday night. Students who need intense intervention and...
State grant to help fund upgrades to Collier parks this summer
Collier officials plan to use a state grant to help fund multiple upgrades to township parks. Projects include new playground equipment and rubber play surfacing for Hilltop and Kelly parks, as well as a new LED sign to help communicate events and programs at Collier Park. Overall upgrades are projected...
Baldwin-Whitehall Superintendent Randal Lutz gets new 5-year deal early
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Superintendent Randal Lutz has been given a new five-year contract. The school board recently unanimously approved a new five-year deal with Lutz even though there are two years remaining on his current contract. District business manager Mark Cherpak said Lutz’s current contract runs from July 1, 2018,...
Riverview elementary students to start in-school classes 4 days a week starting Monday
Most Riverview School District elementary students are expected to move from hybrid learning to in-school classes four days a week starting Monday. Officials recently made the announcement via the district’s website and a letter to families. Students currently learn through a hybrid model, meaning they are split into two groups...
Man identified who was fatally shot outside a Family Dollar in Washington, Pa.
A man who was fatally shot in a Family Dollar parking lot in Washington County has been identified. Darnell Steven Brown, 41, of Washington was killed shortly before 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, the coroner’s office reported. The shooting took place outside the store at 130 Highland Ave. in Washington. City police...
New Sheetz location in Collier to open next week
A new Sheetz in Collier may open within days. The township commissioners announced a ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at 1297 Washington Pike. A soft opening with family, friends and invited guests is expected to take place Thursday. Sheetz Public Relations Manager Nick Ruffner said Monday...
Catholic middle schoolers in Beaver move to online learning for a week
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials announced Monday that middle schoolers in St. Peter and Paul School in Beaver will learn all online this week as a result of a staff member testing positive for the coronavirus. Officials said having sixth, seventh and eighth graders go virtual was out of an...
Officials: More skiers, tubers at Boyce Park in opening month compared to last season
The Boyce Park ski slopes and tubing area have seen about a 14% increase in usage in this season’s opening month compared to last season in spite of the raging pandemic, according to Allegheny County officials. Parks department records show nearly 4,700 skiers took to the slopes in Plum from...
Week in Review: Top stories from the Oakmont area for the week of Jan. 17Video
From the loss of a borough legend to the appointment of a new councilmen, here’s a look of some of the top stories from around Oakmont this week. • Community members and many others mourned the loss of Daniel “Danny” Monaco, owner of Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco and Chelsea Grille. He...
Plum School District officials seeks parental input on district’s future via survey
Plum School District officials seek input from parents on policies and the future of the district via online survey. The survey, available here, features questions about returning to full-time in-person instruction, adhering to Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines or stricter safety regulations, and having the option to stay...
Oakmont Council has a new member, John Arnold
Oakmont council has tapped a retired engineer and advocate for stricter oil and gas well regulations to be its newest member. John Arnold, a resident of the borough for 13 years and part of Citizens to Protect Oakmont, was appointed Jan. 21 to fill the seat vacated by Carrie Lewis...
