Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 22
Alle-Kiski Valley towns enjoy beautiful weather for their fall festivals
Several Alle-Kiski Valley communities celebrated the season with fall festivals Saturday. More than 100 classic and antique cars and trucks rolled in to Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park in Lower Burrell for the second annual festival presented by the city’s parks and recreation commission. There were Ford Mustangs, various Chevrolets,...
Blawnox plans to hold line on real estate taxes
Blawnox officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s budget. The proposed 2025 spending plan was briefly discussed at a council meeting Oct. 9. However, no financial figures were released. “We’ll make the numbers work,” council President Deborah Laskey said about not raising taxes. The...
Quaker Valley High School celebrates homecoming
Jim McCrory could not help but swell up with pride as he sat in the stands of Chuck Knox Stadium in Leetsdale. That feeling of being around old high school friends, some not seen in years, and catching up at their alma mater and seeing what has changed. It was...
Police: Man shot in Perry South, another taken for questioning
A man was hospitalized and another taken for questioning in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood late Friday morning. Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne said officers were dispatched shortly after 11:30 a.m. for reports of shots fired at the the intersection of Perrysville Avenue and North Charles...
Police search for missing Homewood teen
Pittsburgh police seek the public’s help in locating a missing Homewood teen. Sincere Mack, 16, was last seen in the Homewood area Monday night, Oct. 7. He is described as standing 5 feet 11 inches, weighing 160 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. Sincere is also known to frequent...
Leetsdale community garden idea begins to spring fruit
Seeds of a proposed community garden project in Leetsdale are starting to sprout as a site has been selected and a partnership with a Pittsburgh nonprofit formed. The borough has teamed up with Grow Pittsburgh to create a garden at Henle Park. The proposed location is a few dozen feet...
New park outside Sewickley theater named
Sewickley officials have finalized a name for the new small park outside The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center. Council has dubbed the lawn outside the main entrance to the renown entertainment and educational venue as Walnut Green. The theater is located at 418 Walnut St. The borough owns the land...
Aspinwall dog park users invited to voice concerns at open forum
Aspinwall dog park users have an opportunity to voice their concerns about the upcoming season. Dogs can roam free in the Aspinwall Recreation Area ball fields Nov. 1 through March 31. The infields are fenced off to limit damage to the baseball playing area. Borough officials have scheduled an open...
Memorial bench for beloved ‘Snakeguy’ installed at James Sharp Landing in Sharpsburg
There was a gentle early afternoon breeze Sept. 28 in Sharpsburg. Lisa Strauss swore she felt the touch of her late brother as she and other friends gathered at James Sharp Landing. The occasion was to dedicate a memorial bench in memory of Robert “Snakeguy” Habegger. “It’s an emotional day,”...
Sharpsburg celebrates unveiling of sculpture James Sharp Landing, new mural
A steel sculpture crafted in appreciation of the riverfront and acknowledgement of the indigenous land in Sharpsburg was recently unveiled at James Sharp Landing. Two canoe ores leaning against one another in the shape of an X were installed near the kayak parklet of James Sharp Landing on Sept. 28....
Sharpsburg to create borough Facebook page to bolster official communication
Sharpsburg officials plan to launch a new borough social media page to better communicate with the public. Council wants to create what members referred to as a digital billboard via Facebook. Its development is in the very early stages. Among the things being mulled over were posting certain things on...
Fall in the Wall returns to Aspinwall on Oct. 12
Aspinwall resident Giuseppe Francioni believes family togetherness is the greatest thing in the world. It’s one of the reasons he’s so passionate about an upcoming event that he and his team at the Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce put together for borough residents year after year. “There’s nothing better than family,”...
Edgeworth assistant borough manager promoted to top administrator
Edgeworth officials welcomed a familiar face as their new borough manager. Ellen Politi was unanimously appointed top administrator Sept. 17. She joined Edgeworth as an administrative assistant nearly six years ago and worked as assistant borough manager since December. Politi, 29, of Ohio Township was scheduled to take over for...
Leet commissioners seek hillside stability, pedestrian access assurances for $100M Quaker Valley High School
After appeals, multiple revisions and public hearings, additional conditions are being imposed on the proposed Quaker Valley High School project. Leet commissioners want Quaker Valley School District to monitor the stability of the hillside along Camp Meeting Road where the district wants to build a new high school that could...
Pittsburgh Brewing’s Oktoberfest aims at being family friendly, ‘not a drink fest’
Gray skies and scattered showers could not dampen the spirits of hundreds of families that came out for the opening day of Pittsburgh Brewing Co.’s second annual Oktoberfest. Libations were flowing and attendance was growing Friday afternoon and into the night for the start of the two-day celebration in East...
License plate readers, video cameras to be used in Leetsdale
License plate readers and surveillance cameras will soon be installed at two busy intersections in Leetsdale. Council recently authorized an agreement with Florida-based PlateSmart Technologies for the devices as part of a state grant-funded project through the Quaker Valley Council of Governments. Police Chief Dan Raible said they will be...
Sharpsburg begins 2025 budget planning
Sharpsburg officials have begun planning for next year’s budget. The timeline for crafting and passing the 2025 spending plan was announced Sept. 26. It is as follows: • Oct. 10: Council workshop meeting with heavy emphasis on the budget • Oct. 16: Special budget meeting • Oct. 22: Special budget...
Quaker Valley School District welcomes new police officer, other personnel
Quaker Valley School District officials have chosen a retired state trooper as Osborne Elementary’s newest protector. Cory Zelenak of Aliquippa was named new school resource officer. He was chosen out of eight candidates due to his extensive experience and previous work at Rochester Area School District, according to Quaker Valley...
First Missionary Baptist Church in Leetsdale celebrates 135th anniversary
Congregants of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Leetsdale are celebrating an impressive milestone. The house of worship along Beaver Street marked its 135th anniversary in August. About 15 to 20 people throughout Allegheny County make a weekly trek to the 1.1-square-mile borough, climb nearly 20 concrete steps and go...
Police: Elderly man critical after being struck by vehicle in West View
A 73 year-old man was hospitalized Wednesday night after being struck by a vehicle in West View. Allegheny County Police said they were notified of a pedestrian being near Perry Highway and Wellington Drive shortly before 8 p.m. First responders found the man suffering from severe injuries. He was transported...
Highlands School District used remote learning Thursday after another threat
Highlands School District students learned remotely Thursday following another threat, according to officials on the district’s Facebook page. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said she was notified late Wednesday evening by Harrison police about another threat made to the district. “Although the threat is determined to be unfounded, out of an abundance...
Shared gym, lounge and other upgrades coming to Fox Chapel fire station
Upgrades are coming to the Fox Chapel fire station by the borough building. It’s part of a nearly $568,000 investment in the emergency response department along Fox Chapel Road. Council unanimously approved a contract with FMS Construction Co. of Sharpsburg in August. Work is expected to begin sometime in October...
Pittsburgh man charged in attack on parents in Crafton
A Crafton couple were taken to a hospital in critical condition Tuesday and their son was charged with attempted homicide, accused of of beating them, Allegheny County police said. Authorities found a man and woman hurt inside the home and police said witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as...
Longtime Sewickley funeral home moving to Coraopolis
A longtime Sewickley funeral home is moving business a few miles away. Services at the R.D. Cole Funeral Home at 328 Beaver St. will cease Sept. 26 and the business will reopen under the same name at 1316 Fourth Ave. in Coraopolis the following day. The Beaver Street building is...
Penn Hills man charged with alleged assault in Frick Park
A Penn Hills man has been charged with indecent assault and other crimes in connection with an incident in Frick Park. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Isaiah Rivers, 19, allegedly made inappropriate contact with a woman who was running along the park’s Tranquil Trail around 5:15 p.m. Sunday....
