Dillon Carr stories, Page 5
Ex-journalist from Sewickley finds purpose in retirement from California as novelist
When Reg Henry left the newspaper industry and retired in an unincorporated town in California’s Big Sur region, he couldn’t escape his craft. Instead, he reinvented it. Henry, 73, a former nationally syndicated columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retired from the company in 2014 and quit writing the column in...
Chartiers Valley welcomes new principal to primary school
Chartiers Valley School District welcomed a brand new addition to its primary school on Feb. 1. Emily Mather, 38, of Pine Township, will serve as the school’s academic principal, a position that was recently created to help younger students transition to higher learning levels. The school district places students into...
Monroeville Council denies request to rezone airport property
Monroeville Council denied a rezoning request Feb. 9 that would have led to the development of apartments for seniors along Logans Ferry Road. The unanimous decision followed a two-hour hearing in council chambers where several residents voiced strong opposition to the project, which would have been developed by New York-based...
Bridgeville installs cameras at Chartiers Park to stop vandalism, illegal dumping
Bridgeville installed 20 cameras around Chartiers Park in an effort to prevent vandalism and illegal dumping on the property. Manager Joe Kauer said the $11,500 project has been something the borough has wanted to do for around 10 years but never did because of budget constraints. “We hope this keeps...
Plum high school students perform monologues in virtual fall play replacement
It’s easy to understand right away why students at Plum Senior High School put out a video compilation of various monologues from favorite moments in movies and plays. It was the pandemic’s fault. Like several activities throughout schools across the world, the high school’s fall play was canceled this year....
News briefs: Fish fries on tap at neighboring Monroeville church
The Church of the Resurrection at 455 Center Road in Monroeville will host Lenten fish fries on Feb. 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19 and 26. It is drive-thru only with a single menu item, a fish dinner with a sandwich, fries and coleslaw. The cost is $10. Hours of...
Chartiers Valley School District inoculates 120 staffers with covid-19 vaccine
Chartiers Valley School District’s head janitor showed up about 10 minutes before the district’s first wave of covid-19 vaccines were administered on Friday. Richard Parenti, 67, of Bridgeville has been with the district for around 40 years. He’s swept the hallways, cleaned the classrooms and knows just about everything there...
Monroeville library reopens to public for in-person browsing, computer use
The Monroeville Public Library announced Thursday that it is allowing in-person browsing and computer use after months of being closed because of the covid-19 pandemic. “If you’ve missed being able to walk through our collections, pick out your own materials, or use the computers at the stations, now you can...
High covid-19 case counts appear to have moved from Sewickley Heights to Sewickley, Bell Acres
An ongoing issue in gathering covid-19 data in the Sewickley area is causing skewed and inaccurate numbers for several communities. A swell of covid-19 cases in Sewickley Heights has decreased — but the cases appear to have been moved to neighboring communities because of an ongoing issue in gathering data...
Sheetz in Monroeville could close for 11 weeks for remodeling project
A Sheetz gas station could close for up to 11 weeks starting in April so the company can remodel the building. Brian Soyka, engineering and permitting manager for Sheetz, presented the company’s plans the Monroeville Planning Commission during a Jan. 20 meeting. The plans are for remodeling the site at...
Developer wants to build Dollar General along Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville
A new Dollar General could be coming to Monroeville. Mitchol Pappan, of MSP Development LLC, received the green light Jan. 20 from the Monroeville Planning Commission for his site plan. The Dollar General would replace an existing building at 2501 Mosside Blvd, which is currently a cell phone repair store,...
Joanne Letcher is working to make Carnegie thrive through CCDC
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Neighbor Spotlight: Penn Hills EMS supervisor’s journey focuses on her love of the community and its people
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Monroeville man pleads not guilty in animal fighting case
A Monroeville man is heading to county court facing 28 charges related to dog fighting. Davon Carter “Big Boy” Williams, 32, pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing Jan. 25, according to a transcript of the event. The charges stem from three separate dog fights that Monroeville and Allegheny County...
Why Sewickley Heights had a shockingly high case rate of covid-19
On paper, Sewickley Heights has had one of the highest case rates of covid-19 in Allegheny County. In early January, the borough of roughly 800 residents had about 307 positive cases — a case rate of 3,700 per 10,000 residents, or 37%. Nationally, the rate was 7.5% on Jan. 25....
Monroeville Council appointments: Conflict of interest or symptom of widespread lack of civic duty?
Three Monroeville Council members now have spouses serving in paid and unpaid positions on boards, and though it might appear as a potential conflict, many say it simply isn’t and instead point to a larger issue of a waning sense of civic duty. Michael Gaydos – councilwoman Linda Gaydos’ husband...
Penn Hills Library eyeing switch to nonprofit status
The Penn Hills Library might become its own organization, the municipality announced Jan. 25. The library, currently a municipal department, has worked with the Allegheny County Library Association since March to explore the option of becoming a nonprofit. The move, said Kim Dawson, the Library Advisory Board’s president, could mean...
Sewickley’s Crazy Mocha hosting ’20/20 is Hindsight’ art exhibitionVideo
When life gives you (covid-19) restrictions, make an art gallery. That’s what management of the Crazy Mocha site in Sewickley decided to do recently when it partnered with Sharpsburg-based Zynka Gallery to put together an exhibition they’ve entitled “20/20 is Hindsight.” The title is a play on the adage that...
Week in review: A look at the top stories from the Monroeville area for the week of Jan. 18Video
Here’s a look at the news as it happened in Monroeville over the past week. • Covid-19 cases are on a slow rise in Allegheny County, including Monroeville and Pitcairn. In Monroeville, there have been 1,922 total cases and 59 deaths since March. Pitcairn has had 110 cases and four...
Glen Osborne mayor, council members plan to run for re-election
Glen Osborne’s mayor and some council members plan to run for reelection in May’s primary election. Barbara Carrier, 71, a registered Democrat, will attempt to be elected for her third term as the borough’s top elected official. Carrier, a Glen Osborne resident of 32 years, said public service is baked...
Gateway School Board vows to continue diversity training through district’s equity committee
The Gateway School Board approved a resolution Jan. 19 that urges members to engage in diversity training. The resolution, approved 6-1 with board member Mary Beth Cirucci abstaining, was drafted by board member Scott Gallagher. He said he hopes it will lead to better interaction with the district’s equity committee...
Quaker Valley School District inching closer to new high school construction
Quaker Valley School District is moving forward with its plans on building a new high school. The school board voted unanimously Jan. 19 to approve payment of just north of $15,000 for Crafton-based Wooster & Associates to finish a traffic study and lot consolidation plan for the new high school’s...
Gateway School Board hires firm to manage renovation project at Gateway Middle School
The Gateway School Board voted Jan. 19 to hire a firm for $869,000 to manage its construction project at the Gateway Middle School. The move to hire Zelionople-based Foreman Programs and Construction Managers Inc. represents the latest step toward renovating Gateway Middle School to accomodate more students. The plan is...
Baldwin-Whitehall School District moves to 4 days of in-person instruction
Baldwin-Whitehall School District is moving to a learning schedule that is reminiscent of pre-pandemic days. Students there in kindergarten through fifth grade now have the option to receive four days of in-person instruction. Wednesday will be set aside for remote instruction. Those students’ first day under the new model was...
Gateway extends remote learning for high school, Evergreen Elementary for a week
Gateway administration extended its remote learning model another week for some students as staff in two buildings have either tested positive for covid-19 or are in quarantine from being exposed to the virus. Gateway High School and Evergreen Elementary School will continue with remote learning through Jan. 26. The rest...
