Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 129
Richard King Mellon Foundation contributing $15M in coronavirus-related grants
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has approved distributing $15 million in grants to combat the covid-19 pandemic. The foundation said it is taking a three-pronged approach, with money going toward health care innovation and technology initiatives; emergency operations grants to support struggling nonprofits; and economic development grants to support recovery...
6 employees at Smithfield Foods plant in Arnold test positive for coronavirus
Six employees at the Smithfield Foods plant in Arnold tested positive for the coronavirus. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 President Wendell Young said four people reported positive tests last week, and two more tested positive as of Monday. He said those individuals have not been to work for...
New Kensington Shop ‘n Save to close at the end of April
A family-run Shop ’n Save in New Kensington is closing after about a decade in the city. The grocery store in the Central City Plaza will close its doors for good April 30. Co-owner Lauren Beter of New Kensington said the move is due to decreased sales the past few...
Henry L. Hillman Foundation giving more than $4 million in emergency grants to help fight covid-19
The Henry L. Hillman Foundation has released more than $4 million in emergency grants since mid-March in response to the unfolding covid-19 pandemic. More funds are anticipated to be released in the coming days and weeks, foundation officials said Friday. “Our board convened right away wanting to offer what we...
Riverview, Plum students among Heinz History Center competition winners
Riverview and Plum high school students are among those recently honored by Senator John Heinz History Center officials. More than 350 students in grades six through 12 from around the region competed individually or as part of small groups in this year’s National History Day competition. Categories including documentaries, exhibits,...
Riverview reworks prom, graduation plans
High school prom and graduation could be a challenge for families in the coming weeks as Gov. Tom Wolf recently ordered all school districts to remain closed the rest of the academic year due to the covid-19 pandemic. Extracurricular activities such as sports and musicals were already canceled in many...
Lower Valley Community Food Bank holds Easter food distribution for 155 families
The Lower Valley Community Food Bank held its Easter food distribution Thursday despite threatening skies and a pandemic. Director Kathy Otterbeck said about 15 volunteers prepared and loaded banana boxes full of produce, canned goods, meat, eggs, milk, bread and 10-pound bags of potatoes for 155 families. They included 35...
Plum School District receives national acclaim for music education
Plum School District was named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation. It’s a first for Plum, one of 754 districts in the nation to receive the honor. “We submitted a rather lengthy application that assesses the music department and (the...
Medical examiner IDs man fatally shot in Pittsburgh
A man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as David Craig Smith, 38, of Pittsburgh. Officers responded to a 911 call for a man shot along the 2600 block of Stayton Street around 5 p.m. Police said they...
About 1,000 Duquesne Light customers still without power, Westmoreland power restored
About 1,000 Duquesne Light customers remained without power Friday morning as crews continue to restore service disrupted by Wednesday’s storms. Nearly all West Penn Power customers in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have had their power restored, with about 100 scattered outages as of 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to West Penn...
Portion of Northern Pike in Monroeville to close Monday
Northern Pike in Monroeville will be closed starting Monday between Abers Creek Road and Valerie Circle to repair a landslide. PennDOT officials said the closure would begin at 9 a.m. weather permitting. Monroeville officials expect the $1.36 million project to last through June 29, depending on the weather, according to...
Pittsburgh Police: Missing Perrysville boy found
A boy who went missing in the Perrysville area has been found and returned safely home, according to Pittsburgh Police. Authorities said Jordan Boyd, 11, went missing sometime Wednesday. Police called for the public’s help locating him Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning they announced he had been found....
Proposed kayak park in Oakmont not likely until next year, other projects on hold
Kayak and boating enthusiasts may have to wait until next year to launch from an Oakmont recreation site. Borough officials have been working on restoring Chateau Beach, a popular spot along the Allegheny River in the borough during the 1920s and ’30s, for close to a year. It acquired a...
Coroner’s office identifies teen killed in Allegheny Township ATV crash
A 17-year-old was killed in a rollover ATV crash in Allegheny Township, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Dominic G. DeFalco crashed near his home on the 200 block of McGeary Hollow Road around noon Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the crash and...
Derry Borough shooting under investigation
State police are investigating a shooting in Derry Borough. Borough police said the incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. Sunday but could not specify where. It was unclear if anyone was wounded. No information about suspects or victims was released by borough police. State police said the shooting remains under investigation...
Greensburg diocese announces new coronavirus restrictions, church closures
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg on Saturday announced church closures and limitations on funerals, weddings, baptism and confession and other restrictions in response to the covid-19 pandemic. “We are entering into a particularly critical moment for our society,” Bishop Edward C. Malesic said in a statement. “Our president and our...
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Greensburg to livestream Holy Week activities
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and Greensburg officials have announced that Holy Week activities will be livestreamed as churches remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. “This Holy Week will be unlike any other that I’ve ever celebrated, and the same is true for you, too,” Bishop David Zubik said via press...
Westmoreland County reports 25 new coronavirus cases, second largest daily increase
Westmoreland County saw its second biggest single-day increase in coronavirus cases since the pandemic hit the county in mid-March. Twenty-five new cases were reported in the state health department’s update Saturday, bringing Westmoreland’s total to 135. That’s a 23% increase from the previous day. The health department reported 34 more...
Pennsylvania coronavirus cases top 10,000, state reports 34 new deaths
Thirty-four more people died of covid-19 complications in Pennsylvania between Friday and Saturday, bringing the state’s death toll to 136 as total confirmed cases crest 10,000. The state reported 1,597 new cases as of noon Saturday — the largest single-day increase since Pennsylvania’s first two patients tested positive for the...
Penn Hills School District meal distribution dates changed; alum Aaron Donald donates items
Penn Hills School District’s food distribution is about to get a boost from a powerful alum. The district began serving children to-go meals a few weeks ago at Linton Middle School due to the statewide school closure. Aaron Donald, a 2010 Penn Hills graduate and Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive...
Monroeville library offering many online programs during pandemic
With libraries being closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, it can be difficult for people to get access to free reading materials and programs. Monroeville Public Library is offering a variety of e-resources including online story times, yoga classes and virtual writers groups. “As soon as it became apparent that...
Man hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District Monday. City police responded to a Shotspotter alert along the 2100 block of Wylie Avenue around 7:20 p.m. Authorities said officers found a man suffering from a gunshot would to his left arm not far away...
Lower Burrell parks closed after public doesn’t adhere to social distancing
Lower Burrell parks are closed until further notice because of coronavirus concerns. City police posted the announcement Friday on the department’s Facebook page. “Due to instances in which individuals utilizing our parks have not been following the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) social distancing recommended guidelines, we have to...
Woman hospitalized after motorcycle crash in Tarentum
A woman was taken to a local hospital Friday night with a head injury suffered in a motorcycle crash in Tarentum. Police and EMS responded to the single-vehicle crash in the 400 block of East Seventh Avenue shortly after 9:30 p.m. Police said the driver, a black man, fled on...
Family Video in New Kensington to permanently close
Family Video in New Kensington will permanently close shortly after it, and other non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania, reopen. All Family Video locations companywide were closed Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are about 18 locations in Pennsylvania, four in eastern Ohio and more than 550 in 20 states and...
