Dillon Carr stories, Page 3
New Penn Hills business suffers setback after early morning fire
A new business setting up shop in a space between Aldi and the movie theater in the Penn Hills Shopping Center had a setback Friday morning when the building’s roof caught fire. Penn Hills Fire Marshal Chuck Miller said he suspects an electric sign belonging to Joy Joy Beauty and...
Sewickley Parking Authority offers free parking on upcoming holidays
The Sewickley Parking Authority will suspend parking fees in the borough for upcoming holiday weekends. The board unanimously passed the offering of free parking Memorial Day weekend. The suspension will be in effect from 1 p.m. May 28 through May 31, with regular parking fees resuming Tuesday. The board also...
Leet man co-authors book about Anne Warburton, UK’s first female ambassador
When siblings Richard and Elizabeth Warburton attended their aunt’s funeral in 2015, they had an idea to write a book chronicling their beloved relative’s life as the UK’s first female ambassador. Six years and 288 pages later, “Women of the Foreign Office” published by England’s History Press on March 1...
Gateway students to have option to return to school 5 days a week
The Gateway school board approved a plan that gets all students back in school five days a week by April 7. District officials said 60% of parents who filled out a recent survey said they would be willing to send their children back to the school under the plan. The...
Diocese denies appeal to reverse St. Philip Catholic School merger
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has denied a group’s appeal to reverse the merging of St. Philip Catholic School in Crafton. The Committee to Save St. Philip School appealed Bishop David Zubik’s decision to merge two schools into one in February. Since then, the group has tried and failed to meet...
A year later, Plum students return to school 5 days a week
For the first time in a year, Plum students have had a somewhat normal week. “The kids are excited,” said Matt Walling, a parent of two Plum students. He was waiting to pick up his fourth grader at Holiday Park Elementary on a warm Tuesday in March, exactly one year...
Penn Hills hires Public Financial Management to appraise its sewer system
Penn Hills council hired a financial firm March 15 to appraise its sewer system despite concerns voiced by the mayor that the municipality is “on a frightening path.” Council voted 3-2 in favor of hiring Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM) to look into how much the municipality’s sewer system is...
Group still trying to secure meeting with Bishop Zubik to argue closure of St. Philip School
A group fighting to keep St. Philip Catholic School in Crafton open is in a standoff with the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as neither party can agree on the conditions of a meeting between attorneys and Bishop David Zubik. The Committee to Save St. Philip School in February appealed the bishop’s...
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship hosts annual Soaring Shark Tank event
Students at the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship and other area schools made their pitches to “sharks” during the school’s fourth-annual business pitch competition March 12. A panel of four judges was tasked with hearing business pitches from students and choosing the top three out of five presenters for...
Sewickley Academy to host first-ever online fundraiser
Sewickley Academy will host its first-ever virtual fundraiser next month. The event, in its 34th year, will include an auction of more than 80 items with bidding that starts April 5 and closes April 10. The online event will start at 5:45 p.m. on April 10. Kaitlin Busch, a spokeswoman...
Forbes Hospital recognized for its efforts to promote breastfeeding
Forbes Hospital recently became a facility recognized for its efforts to promote and encourage breastfeeding. The Monroeville hospital was named a Keystone 10 facility, a program developed under the state Department of Health (DOH) to assist birthing hospitals “in implementing evidence-based maternity care practice, with a goal of improving breastfeeding...
Sweetwater Center for the Arts to host ‘Trigger Warning’ exhibit in-person
The Sweetwater Center for the Arts will host its first in-person art exhibition since canceling all shows about a year ago. “Trigger Warning,” a gallery that includes artwork focused on gun violence in America, will have an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 19. The exhibition will...
Monroeville designated as a 2021 Banner Community
Monroeville joined more than 70 other entities within Allegheny County when it was named recently as a Banner Community. Allegheny County announced March 8 that 68 municipalities and five municipal authorities earned the distinction for their “commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability and proactive communications to engage...
Thomas Jefferson High School senior a finalist in Pittsburgh Public Theater monologue competitionVideo
A Thomas Jefferson High School senior was recently recognized for his performance of a monologue from Shakespeare’s “Richard III” play. Nathan Mutale, 17, finished as one of 25 finalists in this year’s Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare Monologue and Scene competition. Around 1,000 students from the region competed in this year’s...
Monroeville Council approves list of roads to be worked on this year
Monroeville Council unanimously approved the municipality’s plan to work on just over 19 miles of roads. The municipality’s $35.7 million budget set aside $1 million for its Road Resurfacing Program. According to the plan council approved March 9, 34 roads are slated for work. Paul Hugus, the municipality’s director of...
Penn Hills charter school earns national recognition
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship in January became the only school in the state to be recognized as one of America’s healthiest schools that also stands tall among others when it comes to engaging families. The recognition was awarded by Kohl’s and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a...
St. Philip School group procurator asks Bishop Zubik for a meeting
The procurator representing a group of parents and alumni of Crafton’s St. Philip Catholic School has asked Bishop David Zubik for a sit-down meeting. Colin Wrabley, a Pittsburgh lawyer, penned a letter on behalf of around 600 people who have joined in opposition to the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s decision to...
Penn Hills residents express concern for hiring company to appraise sewage system
Dozens of Penn Hills residents tuned in to a virtual meeting Monday to discuss a plan that could lead to the sale of the municipality’s sewage system. Of those who spoke, nearly all were against an idea to hire Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM) to look into how much the...
Thousands receive covid-19 vaccine at Monroeville Convention CenterVideo
Jeannie Hall-Harris did a lot of praying going into Tuesday’s mass-vaccination event in Monroeville. “I was hesitant at first,” she said, moments after receiving her first dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine. She was one of 5,100 people who received the shot at the Monroeville Convention Center, which partnered with Allegheny...
AHN, Monroeville chamber of commerce teaming up to inoculate 5,100 with covid vaccine
Allegheny Health Network and the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce will team up on Tuesday to give 5,100 people covid-19 vaccinations. The clinic will be at the Monroeville Convention Center for people who signed up ahead of time, according to an AHN news release. There will be no walk-in appointments...
Baldwin High School students, teachers get ‘popped’ into cold to support Special Olympics PennsylvaniaVideo
The look of this year’s Polar Plunge at Baldwin High School was different but at least one element of the event remained: it was cold. The longstanding tradition of plunging into freezing water — whether a river or a pool — wasn’t feasible this year because of covid-19. Instead, Special...
Police charge Pitcairn man with rape of 11-year-old girl
Allegheny County Police have charged a 29-year-old Pitcairn man in connection with the rape of an 11-year-old girl. Joshua Davon Austin-Pollard faces multiple felonies, including rape and sexual assault. Police say the events took place at Austin-Pollard’s Third Street home three days after Christmas. The charges also include interference with...
More than half of Penn Hills School District students choose new, 4-day learning model
All Penn Hills students now have the option to go to school four days a week. The school district of nearly 3,300 students has been operating under a hybrid learning model since the beginning of the school year — with two groups of students alternating in-person instruction every two days....
Rachel Carson EcoVillage moves forward in Richland Township
A shared living community proposed in Richland Township is moving forward after years of planning and conceptualizing. The township’s planning commission recently recommended approval of a change in the master plan regarding Chatham University’s Rachel Carson EcoVillage. An EcoVillage is a housing development concept first established in Denmark in the...
Work on Forbes Road in Monroeville resumes, completion expected next month
Work has again begun on Forbes Road in Monroeville after a four-month delay. Steve Cowan, a Penn DOT spokesman, said the $1.34 million landslide repair project on the Monroeville road resumed March 1. A portion of Forbes Road has been closed since July so that Braddock-based Mele & Mele &...

