Plum Advance Leader category, Page 94
Plum residents show support for, opposition to school director over Facebook post
Plum residents had mixed reactions to a controversial post by a school board member in a private social media page. More than a dozen people came to Thursday night’s special meeting with many calling for the resignation of board member Amy Wetmore for her comments on the Black Lives Matter...
Plum School District officials approve reopening plan, options for parents
Plum School District’s reopening plan gives parents a choice to maintain their children’s distance learning or send them back into school next month. The plan, which is available for review at the district’s website, was approved by an 8-1 vote at a special meeting Thursday night. School Director Michelle Stepnick...
Portion of Saltsburg Road in Plum to be closed for turnpike bridge work
Saltsburg Road, between Monroeville-Trestle Road and Davidson Road, will be closed beginning July 18 for crews to complete the new bridge structure over the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Davidson Road, according to the borough’s website. The Turnpike Commission expects construction to occur around the clock and seven days a week. It...
Facebook post has some Plum officials calling for the resignation of a school director
A Facebook post by Plum School Director Amy Wetmore has some borough officials calling for her resignation. The post in question was made on July 8 by the school board’s finance committee liaison in a private page called “Black Lives Matter In Plum Boro.” It appears to have been made...
New owners thrilled to purchase quirky Plum homeVideo
The couple that bought a unique house on Rainier Drive in Plum won’t change much about their new home. “It’s right up our alley,” said Nick Sarver, just days after he and his wife, Katelyn, moved into John Cope’s getaway house he rebuilt as Epoc I. The castle-starship-beach-hippie house in...
Advance Leader-area student news for July 14
Izabel Bruno of Verona, a political science major, was named to the Plymouth State University president’s list for the spring 2020 semester. To be named to the president’s list, a student must achieve a grade-point average of 3.7 or better and must have attempted at least 12 credit hours during...
Plum officials promote police detective to assistant chief, patrolman to detective
Plum officials promoted from within when selecting a new assistant police chief and juvenile detective. Mark Focareta and Joe Little were unanimously appointed to their respective new positions by a 6-0 vote Monday night. Council Vice President Dave Vento was absent. Both were sworn in by Mayor Harry Schlegel. Focareta,...
Oakmont adds email option to alert system
Oakmont officials recently added an email option to the borough’s alert system in an effort to reach more residents. The borough last year launched a free mobile phone text alert notification to provide emergency and nonemergency communications to residents and businesses. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said they added another option...
Dispatcher: Verona authorities rescue person who fell off Jet Ski in Allegheny River
A person who fell off a Jet Ski in the Allegheny River near Arch Street in Verona on Sunday, July 12, was transported to an area hospital, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Verona police and fire departments were dispatched at about 7 p.m. They could not be reached...
Advance Leader area real estate transactions for the week of July 12
Plum NVR Inc. sold property at 420 September Drive to Deo Raj and Laxmi Maya Bhandari for $302,870. Real estate transactions provided by RealSTATs. Contact RealSTATs at 412-381-3880 or visit www.RealSTATs.net....
Natrona man survives near-drowning on Allegheny River in Plum
Cliff Jones isn’t second-guessing his decision to buy a kayak on Friday. What he does regret is nearly drowning Saturday on the Allegheny River and throwing a scare into the people who came to his rescue. Jones, a 55-year-old property manager from the Natrona neighborhood of Harrison, took his new...
Oakmont adds email option to alert system
Oakmont officials recently added an email option to the borough’s alert system in an effort to reach more residents. The borough last year launched a free mobile phone text alert notification to provide emergency and nonemergency communications to residents and businesses. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said they added another option...
Riverview High’s second graduation event canceled due to Allegheny County covid-19 restrictions
Riverview School District officials have canceled another graduation celebration because of covid-19 restrictions. The Allegheny County Health Department recently instituted regulations limiting gatherings of people indoors to 25 and outdoors to 50 as a result of increased coronavirus cases the past week or so. School district administrators had hoped to...
Riverview High School students teach youngsters worldly lessons before graduating
Four Riverview High School graduates were able to leave their international mark on school district youngsters before leaving to take on the world. Marina Pietz, Francesca Lio, Mikaela Colins and Emily Pietragallo each earned a Global Scholars Certificate through the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia this past school year. They...
Preliminary hearings continued to Sept. 4 for defendants in death of Oakmont toddler
The preliminary hearings for three Oakmont residents accused of the physical and psychological torture, and eventual death, of a toddler have been continued to September, according to court records. Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr., 29, and Laura Ramriez, 27, were charged June 24 with homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault of a child,...
Possible solutions for Oakmont Commons flooding to come out soon
Solutions for flooding problems in the Oakmont Commons neighborhood are expected to be announced in the coming months. Senate Engineering submitted plans and models earlier this year to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review in order to determine the next course of action in alleviating concerns of dozens...
Trash collection problems discussed in Oakmont
Missed pickups, scattered rubbish and other issues with Oakmont’s garbage collector have borough officials talking trash. “There’s an issue with trash, and on Wednesdays I talk trash all day,” said Phyllis Anderson, assistant to the borough manager, at Monday night’s council workshop meeting. “There’s things that County Hauling should address...
Plum man sentenced to 12-24 years on child porn charges
A Plum man was sentenced to 12-to-24 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in Westmoreland County. Antonio R. Pampena, 37, pleaded guilty before Westmoreland Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to two counts of disseminating photos of child sex acts, 35 counts of possessing child pornography and one...
Oakmont officials keep business district parking restrictions in place
Oakmont officials announced the borough’s three-hour parking restriction along Allegheny River Boulevard will remain and will be enforced. The issue came up at a July 6 workshop in response to social media chatter about borough police ticketing employees and owners near their shops in the business district. “The complaints (we’re)...
Oakmont, Plum real estate transactions, July 6
Oakmont Brooks & Blair Waterfront Properties L.P. sold property at 15 Allegheny Ave. to Ana Maria Gomez for $684,900. Plum Marvin Zalevsky sold property at 7712 Aspen Drive to Azizbek Khatamov for $222,000. Joshua Hansen sold property at 725 Blue Ridge Road to Adam Cosley and Daniella Dibernardo for $198,000....
Umpire comes through with keepsake after Plum Little League trip to Cooperstown was canceled
As winter turned to spring, Noah Rhoades looked to the upcoming Plum baseball season with excitement. Getting back on the field and playing with his friends gave him a renewed energy. Plans also included a trip to New York this summer as part of this year’s Plum Cooperstown team. But...
Custody case for Bella Seachrist found father’s Oakmont home suitable
Bella Seachrist was a month shy of her first birthday when she was taken to live with her father and his longtime partner. In June 2017, an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge found the Oakmont home where Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr. and Laura Ramriez lived to be proper and suitable for...
No tax increase, program cuts included in Plum School District’s 2020-21 budget
Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and all student programs remain in place as part of the school district’s 2020-21 budget. School directors unanimously approved next school year’s spending plan Tuesday night. Projected revenues were listed at about $63.44 million and expenses at...
Plum School District recognized by Pittsburgh food bank for its breakfast, student nutrition efforts
The Plum School District has made great strides the past year or two in student nutrition. It launched a Summer Food Service Program at Holiday Park Elementary and served 70 children Mondays through Thursdays from July 15 through Aug. 1. District Food Services Director Jessica Griggle also brought in Second...
Oakmont, Plum real estate transactions, June 29
Oakmont Estate of Susan Pernice Farrell sold property at 640 Fifth St. Unit 207 to Megan Farrell for $145,000. Stuart Epstein sold property at 220 College Ave. to Sandor Katz and Esther Haguel for $467,500. Sandor Katz sold property at 302 College Ave. to Wendy Youell for $427,500. Edgewater Properties...
