Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 70

The Freeport Area School Board has a new president, vice president and a couple new members. Former vice president Adam Toncini was appointed as board president, and Greg Selinger was named vice president at Thursday night’s reorganization meeting. Newcomers Melanie Zembrzuski and Gary Risch Jr., along with incumbents John Haven...

Leechburg Area School District elementary students have once again done their part to make sure people don’t go hungry this holiday season. The young learners collected more than 1,400 canned goods for the Leechburg Food Bank. Food was collected in each homeroom at David Leech Elementary from Nov. 8-19. Students...

A West Mifflin man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his mother and discarding her body in garbage bags in her back yard. Jonathan Nulty, 21, is charges with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Allegheny County Police said the case began as a missing person...

An East Pittsburgh man has been arrested in connection with a pair of November shootings in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Derek Reddix, 32, is charged with two counts of attempted criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, being a person not to allowed to possess firearms and possession with intent to...

Pajamas, comfy cozy lounge wear and a classic Christmas gift. They are something the Rotary Club of Leechburg and Leechburg Area High School’s Interact Club want more people to have. That’s why they have partnered for the second straight year to collect the clothing, as well as children’s books, to...

Leechburg Area School Board’s top leaders will retain their positions next year, and the newly elected members were sworn in Wednesday night. Neill Brady and Anthony Shea were unanimously retained as president and vice president, respectively. Brady has been on the board for about 18 years. He enters his fourth...

A Freeport couple wants to wish everyone a happy haunted Christmas via a new holiday display. James Libengood said this is the first December he and his wife, Melissa, decided to decorate their front yard and home for the holidays. However, it does not feature the traditional reindeer and snowmen....

Freeport Councilwoman Mary Bowlin has resigned. Her former colleagues were expected to accept her resignation at Monday night’s council meeting but the meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum. One council member was in quarantine because of covid. One was on vacation, and another was working. The...

A Freeport council meeting scheduled for Monday night was canceled due to lack of a quorum, with at least one member on vacation, another at work, another in quarantine due to covid and a recently elected member resigning. The meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. Items on the agenda included...

A Christmas Craft Show is returning to Leechburg after more than a decade of hibernation. It has been about 15 years since local artisans, craftsmen and other small businesses showcased their wares at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company’s social hall shortly before Christmas. Company President Brian Scott said volunteers who...

Buffalo Township officials plan to raise taxes by about 9% to help keep up with rising expenses. Supervisors have proposed hiking the tax rate from 5.5 mills to 6 mills to balance their 2022 budget. The 0.5-mill increase is projected to generate $30,000 for the township and cost the average...

Freeport firefighters plan to replace an aging truck with a new custom model. The volunteer fire department’s 1987 Mack Grumman fire engine failed a pump test this year. Fire Marshal Michael Greiser said maintenance of the 33-year-old truck has become taxing, with parts becoming harder to find. Its open cab...

A shortage of bus drivers has prompted Plum School District officials to warn parents that transportation for their children can no longer be guaranteed. The district sent out an alert about their transportation issues Friday. District chief financial officer Ryan Manzer said they had tried to offset the driver shortage...

A Thiel College fraternity on a 100-mile walk benefiting the Free Care Fund at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh made an overnight stop at a Freeport church Friday. About 30 members of Phi Theta Phi made it more than 50 miles on foot from the Greenville college and through several...

Monroeville Convention Center’s last pop culture event of the year is fast approaching. Steel City Con is scheduled for Dec. 10-12 at 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. Thousands are expected to attend over the three days. The final con of 2021 is packed with familiar faces of the silver and small...

The death of a driver who crashed into plasma clinic in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood in June killing two more people and injuring others, has been ruled a suicide, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report released Thursday. Ronald Morgan, 50, of McKeesport died around noon on June 12...

A Leechburg nonprofit is hosting a dinner Sunday to show support for veterans and military personnel. Limited tickets are still available for the sixth annual Five Forces Christmas for Vets dinner. It’s being held at the Oklahoma Volunteer Fire Department’s School House Hall along Thorn Street in Oklahoma Borough. Guests...

Sleigh bells will be ringing in Freeport as a holiday celebration returns Saturday. The Freeport Renaissance Association presents its Small Town Christmas. The association had virtual and socially distanced activities last year, and there was no parade. “I just think it’s going to be a really good opportunity for community...

Gilpin residents should expect to see more township police coverage and no change in real estate taxes as part of next year’s budget. Supervisors recently approved their preliminary 2022 spending plan, which includes a boost to public safety spending while keeping the tax rate at 11 mills. Projected revenues are...

A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said the incident took place around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Shady Avenue and Beacon Street. A 31-year-old man was walking in a crosswalk...

Butler County Community College will resume classes and reopen its campuses Monday, Dec.6. College officials made the announcement Tuesday evening. Both fall semester credit and noncredit classes were brought to a standstill and the campus closed as a result of a ransomware attack. The main campus in Butler Township and...

The covid-19 pandemic brought two longtime Freeport Area friends even closer together in ways they never would have imagined. Marcie Marasia of Buffalo Township and Beth Linhart of Freeport have been friends for about a decade. They each have three children and bonded, in part, because of the kids. When...