Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 13
‘Everything’ is on the table to close $4.2 million shortfall in Fox Chapel Area School District budget
Tax hikes, program cuts, increased class sizes and pulling from funding reserves are all on the table to help balance Fox Chapel Area School District’s proposed 2025-26 budget. “Everything is still on the table right now,” district Business Manager Kimberly Pawlishak said following a preliminary budget presentation at the school...
Quaker Valley School District officials hire construction manager
Quaker Valley School District officials have hired a construction manager for the proposed $105 million high school project. School directors voted 8-0 to select Pittsburgh-based construction firm PJ Dick to take the lead in project development and serve as a district liaison in day-to-day operations. The company will be paid...
Quaker Valley School District proposed 2025-26 budget includes 3.9% property tax hike
Quaker Valley School District property owners may be paying 3.9% more in real estate taxes next school year. Board members voted 8-0 to pass the proposed 2025-26 budget on April 15. Board Vice President Daniela Helkowski was absent. The budget is available for review on the district’s website as well...
Former East Deer man charged with animal cruelty and neglect of animals
A former East Deer man is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty and neglect charges after he left three dogs to die, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Christopher J. Edmunds, 30, was apprehended Tuesday evening at his workplace, about five minutes from the township house where the dogs...
Fox Chapel Area School District’s community safety event set in Aspinwall
Fox Chapel Area School District’s annual Community Safety, Health & Wellness Event is fast approaching. Its fourth installment will take place on April 26 at the Aspinwall municipal parking lot, 217 Commercial Ave. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It intends to create camaraderie among area residents, first responders and district...
Blawnox family preparing to provide recycling service to borough residents
A Blawnox family is preparing to launch a new recycling program in the borough. Recycling was eliminated in the garbage contract that council approved in September 2023. Simon Passerrello-Carnevali, 16, and his mother, Christine Carnevali, have been working most of this year to provide that service and reduce waste shipped...
Blawnox to create time capsule as part of centennial celebration
Blawnox officials hope to collect items from past and present residents as part of a historic celebration. The Centennial Committee is creating a time capsule with the size and shape to be determined. The goal is to pack it with mementos, news articles, old menus, photos, yearbooks, magazines, newsletters and...
Pittsburgh police charge 3 in connection with August 2021 shooting death of city resident
Three Pittsburgh resident are charged with homicide and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of another man in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Ernest Adams, 39, was found dead in a home in the 1300 block of Malden Street on Aug. 17, 2021. Pittsburgh police on Tuesday filed homicide...
Sewickey approves developer’s agreement for a new Beaver Street property
An agreement has been reached between Sewickley officials and a developer to create a multi-use facility at the site of a former funeral home. Council unanimously voted to approve a deal with resident Bob Lewis, founder of Orbital Engineering, and his development team on April 8. Lewis plans to relocate...
Blawnox to convert old police station to office space
Blawnox officials plan to turn their former police station into office space. The shift will also allow the borough to move its food pantry from the second floor of the municipal building to the first floor, making it easier for deliveries and distribution. Council announced the changes on April 9....
Indiana Township adopts new rules for public comment at meetings
Indiana Township residents who want to address the board of supervisors at meetings will have some new rules to follow. Rule changes include a reduction from five minutes to three minutes per speaker. The board can vote to end public comment after 30 minutes. After that, people who wish to...
Quaker Valley School District considering new naming rights policy
Quaker Valley School District officials are considering a new policy that would regulate requests from businesses, organizations and individuals seeking naming rights to district facilities. Administrators have been working with legal counsel for many months to set criteria and procedures. The policy’s first reading and advertisement is set for this...
Sewickley man found with gun, ammo at Pittsburgh International Airport
Police detained a Sewickley man at Pittsburgh International Airport after Transportation Security Administration officers discovered his gun at a security checkpoint Wednesday. Authorities said the man, whose name was not released, told officials that he forgot he had his handgun with him. The 22-caliber pistol contained 30 bullets. Police confiscated...
Blawnox volunteers prepare for Good Friday fish fry
Blawnox fish fry fans have a few new menu items to get excited about. The volunteer fire company recently acquired a new fryer that will be dedicated to cooking jumbo shrimp. It will also introduce applesauce as a new side for dinners and a la carte selections. Rick Lee, fire...
Sewickley parks to be upgraded this summer
Sewickley officials are moving forward with plans to upgrade a pair of borough parks. Several council members and administrators discussed a new playground project at Maple Lane Park and the pending construction of the borough’s official public pickleball courts in Chadwick Street Park on April 8. Borough Manager Donna Kaib...
Ray Schafer Boxing Association in Sharpsburg continues to help shape young lives
Bacardy Conard stood in the ring poised, eyes focused and hands clenched. Face flushed red, the Etna girl was undeterred. She continued to throw punch after punch, shifting her feet and shoulders quickly until the final bell. Her reward was a sense of accomplishment, a cool drink and congratulations from...
Police: 2 people hurt during car-to-car gunfight in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting incident that resulted in two people being hospitalized Friday evening. Public Safety spokesperson Emily Bourne said officers were dispatched around 5:15 p.m. to the 1700 block of Crestline Street in the East Hills for two separate ShotSpotter alerts totaling eight rounds. Preliminary investigation revealed...
PennDOT proposes preservation project for Glenfield viaduct
PennDOT wants to preserve the main access point to Glenfield — a viaduct that takes motorists and pedestrians across the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Officials said the bridge that leads down to Glenfield Street is in fair condition. It has not received major rehabilitation since it was built in 1988....
Bishop David Zubik visits St. James Church in Sewickley
Sewickley teen Kallie McCune was a little nervous volunteering at her church’s fish fry. The Friday Lenten feast has been a tradition at Divine Redeemer Parish’s St. James Church for many years. For Kallie, 13, this was her first year — and the last fish fry in March was a...
Part of Crescent Avenue in Sewickley closed due to landslide
A portion of Crescent Avenue in Sewickley is closed after a landslide caused slope stabilization concerns. Borough engineer Mike Galet said no homes were impacted by the slide, which occurred on April 4. A $500,000 retaining wall the borough built within the past two years was also not affected. The...
Next phase of ADA upgrades in Indiana Township’s Emmerling Park planned this summer
Accessibility upgrades to Emmerling Park in Indiana Township are expected to continue this summer. Officials recently announced the third phase of a multi-phase Americans with Disabilities Act project that will include expanding a sidewalk from a bridge over Little Deer Creek to a pavilion. The expansion is about 500 feet...
Unity Township man rescued from creek in Latrobe
A Unity man was rescued from Loyalhanna Creek on Friday afternoon. Unity fire departments as well as the Westmoreland County Swift Water Rescue team were dispatched shortly after 4 p.m. for a man floating in the creek, according to Unity Township Bureau of Fire officials. Rescuers from the Lloydsville Fire...
Quaker Valley School District no longer accepting tuition students
Quaker Valley School District is no longer accepting tuition students. The school board unanimously voted on March 25 to update the district’s policy on nonresident students, including terminating the section that permits them to attend Quaker Valley if they pay tuition. The district currently has four tuition students, all in...
PennDOT begins repairs to Way Hollow Road in Sewickley Heights, Edgeworth
A state road connecting Sewickley Heights and Edgeworth that has been closed for more than four years is being repaired. Allison Park Construction crews have begun the restoration of Way Hollow Road. The work includes drainage upgrades, geotechnical repairs, roadway resurfacing and guardrail updates. The estimated project cost is $4.1...
Monroeville fish fry using new inventory tracking system to improve efficiency
Few things are more frustrating for fish fry fans than finding their favorite fundraising site is out of food. Carefully managing inventory is key to ensuring orders are filled and patrons are well fed, while supplies last. St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville has instituted a new item and...
