Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 44
Blawnox approves new garbage contract with current hauler; rates to increase by at least 14%
Blawnox residents should expect to see their garbage bills increase by at least 14% next year as a result of a new contract with Waste Management. Council voted 6-0 on Sept. 13 to approve a new three-year contract with a two-year option with the trash hauler. Councilwoman Meghan Kennedy was...
Aspinwall’s revived media policy raises freedom of speech concerns
Aspinwall is limiting access to how information is given out to the public, prompting some media experts to say this could be a roadblock to adequate communication with residents. All questions, requests and comments from the media must be submitted to Aspinwall Council President Tim McLaughlin and borough Manager Melissa...
Maximum project cost set for proposed Quaker Valley High School project: $105 million; public hearing set
Quaker Valley School District officials have announced final financial projections for their proposed new high school. The board is expected to adopt resolutions this month establishing maximum construction costs of $72.1 million and total project costs at $105 million. The project would be subject to a voter referendum should it...
Sewickley officials renew animal control contract with Hoffman Kennels
Sewickley officials have awarded a new one-year contract for animal control services with Hoffman Kennels. The first contract with the Delmont-based dog catcher was awarded in March 2022. Hoffman Kennels was the only company to submit a proposal for the service. Borough Manager Donna Kaib said the new deal runs...
Dog park meeting being planned in Aspinwall, park to open Nov. 1
Aspinwall officials want to hear from residents about possible changes to the borough’s dog park ahead of its 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. Residents...
Osborne Elementary Home & School Association hosts back-to-school picnic
Osborne Elementary Home & School Association recently hosted its back-to-school picnic at War Memorial Park in Sewickley. The annual tradition continued with about 150 people packed the park pavilions Sept. 7. HSA president Tracey Hartman said her group purchased the main dishes, drinks and popsicles while other families donated side...
New Sewickley Public Library executive director passionate about providing resources
Ruth Neely believes in providing information and resources for all — that access to knowledge is key to getting the most this world has to offer. Her creed has fueled a career of service surrounded by books, various media and activities. She has recently begun a new professional chapter as...
Families reap in fun, foods at annual Sewickley Harvest Festival
Folks from far and wide gathered to reap what was sown for the annual Sewickley Harvest Festival. More than 115 vendors were lined up and down Broad and Thorn streets as part of the 32nd installment of the fall celebration presented by the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley and Kiwanis...
Police: Woman found shot in car in Wilkinsburg
A woman was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot on Thursday afternoon while seated in her car in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County Police reported. Officers were dispatched around 4 p.m. for a shooting in the area of Pennwood Avenue and Rowland Connector. Police said the 65-year-old victim was found with...
Summit Hose Company’s fall festival continues through Saturday at Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum
Apollo brothers Noah and Elliott Gould surveyed the Riverview Memorial Park landscape in Tarentum from the highest point possible Thursday night. With smiles on their faces, the boys sat down on large cloths and launched themselves down a bumpy, colorful slide to start their first experience at the three-day fall...
Sewickley to launch new borough alert system this year
Sewickley officials hope to launch the borough’s first mass communication alert system. Emergency management coordinator Michael Mullins said they are in the process of partnering with OnSolve to use CodeRED, a cloud-based software system that sends out messages to subscribers. Estimated cost is $3,600 a year. Sewickley’s system is expected...
Quaker Valley School District to host community discussion about high school project
Quaker Valley area residents with comments and concerns about a proposed high school can have their voices heard at an upcoming forum. The school district will host a community panel discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Quaker Valley High School, 625 Beaver St. in Leetsdale. The panel will...
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band tour postponed due to singer’s illness
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will not be performing at Pittsburgh, or anywhere else this month. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer is being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease, and medical advisors have instructed him not get back on stage for awhile, according to a...
Plum EMS to host car seat safety check at Holiday Park VFD
Safety is always top of mind for Plum first responders, which is why they have organized an event to make sure families are taking proper care of their most precious cargo. Plum EMS hosts its annual car seat safety check from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at the...
University of Pittsburgh student reports assault
University of Pittsburgh police are investigating the assault of a student early Saturday. The incident took place at about 1:30 a.m. along the 200 block of Atwood Street. Police said the victim reported he was assaulted by an unknown man. It was unclear how badly the victim was hurt. No...
Driver in Tarentum car crash taken to hospital
One person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries sustained in a two-car crash Tuesday afternoon in Tarentum. Eureka Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Brad James said the crash occurred at Ross Street and Ninth Avenue around 4:45 p.m. James said both drivers were evaluated, and only one required medical transportation....
Harvest Festival returns to Sewickley
A September Sewickley celebration of arts, crafts, food and fun is expected to bring thousands of people to the borough. The 32nd annual Harvest Festival is presented by the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley and Kiwanis Club of Sewickley. Broad Street from Beaver to Thorn streets and Thorn Street from...
Annual Rib Fest continues on Pittsburgh’s North ShoreVideo
Pittsburgh’s annual Rib Fest is in full swing outside Acrisure Stadium in the North Shore with about a dozen award-winning vendors vying for trophies and bragging rights in the ‘Burgh. “We’ve been rolling this year,” Hank “The Tank” McCracken from Off the Bone BBQ said Friday night. The festival kicked...
Harmar House events center catches fire, displaces 9 residents from apartments
Futules’ Harmar House banquet hall caught fire Wednesday evening right before dusk, displacing nine residents in apartments there. The first call came in at about 7:20 p.m. and first responders reported that there was heavy fire in the banquet hall. Numerous fire companies responded. Lower Valley EMS chief Jamey Lavelle...
Sharpsburg launches new borough website, adds features
Sharpsburg officials have launched a new website designed to increase transparency and make borough business easier. The revamped sharpsburgborough.com went live on Aug. 23. Borough officials worked with the municipal website company GovUnity over the summer to recreate Sharpsburg’s online presence. The contract was for about $6,000 payable over three...
McCandless bank robbed Tuesday afternoon
McCandless police and the FBI are investigating a robbery at Huntington Bank on Tuesday afternoon. Officers were dispatched to the business in McIntyre Square along the 8000 block of McKnight Road shortly before 4 p.m., according to Allegheny County 911 dispatch. No injuries were reported. FBI Pittsburgh spokeswoman Catherine Policicchio...
Unsubstantiated threat causes increased police presence at Fox Chapel Area’s Kerr Elementary
Fox Chapel Area School District’s Kerr Elementary was placed on lockdown Monday as O’Hara police investigated a threat in the area. Police Superintendent Jay Davis said there was an increased police presence around the school from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said officers received information from another department,...
Police: Ambridge man accused of pointing shotgun at people, attempting to enter church
An Ambridge man is accused of pointing a shotgun at two women and a police officer Sunday morning as a tried to get into a Black church, according to court documents. Jeffrey Harris, 38, is lodged in the Beaver County Jail on $975,000 bail, according to online court documents. He...
Sharpsburg’s new capital improvement plan to guide borough spending the next 5 years
Sharpsburg officials are poised to adopt a new five-year capital improvement plan that will guide borough spending on everything from police cars and public parking overhauls to recreation and infrastructure upgrades. It is the culmination of a summer-long effort by Local Government Academy intern Saul Bezner with assistance from Borough...
Quaker Valley School District hires new high school assistant principal
A former Peters Township School District administrator was named the new Quaker Valley High School assistant principal. Scott Orelli of Pittsburgh formally became a Quaker this month. The board ratified his hiring Aug. 22 right before the new school year started. “I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to...
