Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 82

Penn Hills property owners will have to pay a little more in real estate taxes due to the school district’s $94.6 million spending plan for 2021-22. The school board June 30 unanimously passed next school year’s budget with a 1.3% tax hike. They set the tax rate at 30.0965 mills,...

The Plum Democratic Committee is working with the family of late mayoral candidate Shawn Marcellino to select a new person to run for the office in November. Committee chair Amy Wetmore said Tuesday they will meet July 14 to possibly select a challenger to incumbent Republican Mayor Harry Schlegel. “We...

The Allegheny Land Trust officials announced Wednesday that they have closed on the deal to purchase the former Churchill Valley Country Club. It’s an event more than two years in the making. The 151-acre site at the Churchill/Penn Hills border will be preserved for recreation. The Sewickley-based Allegheny Land Trust...

A carnival atmosphere, new community group and food vendor area combined with warm weather and no rain were all part of this year’s Summerfest in Plum. The annual seasonal celebration returned to Larry Mills Park on June 24-26 after being canceled last year due to the pandemic. Patrons responded in...

Chartiers Valley area property owners will have to pay a little more in real estate taxes next school year as part of next school year’s $72.1 million budget. School directors approved their 2021-22 spending plan with a tax hike of just under 3% in setting the new millage rate at...

Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and students will not have to miss out on educational opportunities as a result of next school year’s budget. The Plum School Board voted 8-0 on June 29 to pass the district’s $65.7 million spending plan for...

A new Chase Bank is under construction in Bethel Park. The site is in the 5000 block of Library Road near Walmart. A. Martini & Co. of Verona is the general contractor. “We’re excited about Chase Bank coming to the community,” said Laurence Christian, Bethel Park municipal manager. “We always...

Bethel Park School District officials approved their 2021-22 budget with an estimated 3.5% tax hike. The board voted 8-1 at its June meeting to set next school year’s millage rate to 22.5272, an increase of 0.7618 mills. Board member Russ Spicuzza dissented. The hike equates to about a $116 increase...

Dancing is a major part of Michelle Kotsagrelos’ life. The Bethel Park resident has instructed many a soul in the traditional steps from the mainland and islands of Greece for more than 30 years. “It is so much a part of our lives,” said Kotsagrelos, assistant director of the Grecian...

Trent Blum has aspirations to become a firefighter. “I like being outside, (and) I like being able to help people,” said Trent, 14. “Having the opportunity to do all that would be quite amazing.” The Bethel Park teen heads into his freshman year of high school with a strong head...

Butler Brew Works has opened a new retail shop in Oakmont. The 600-square-foot facility located at 319 Maryland Ave., a little more than a half-hour drive from the brewery in downtown Butler, features many of the current cans and bottled brews along with a variety of beer-themed merchandise. Its grand...

Public input is being sought on a proposed Turtle Creek Connector Trail, which would link the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage. The connector would create a near 9-mile bike trail linking several of the communities within the Turtle Creek Valley including Rankin, Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh,...

Butler Brew Works has opened a new retail shop in Oakmont. The 600-square-foot facility located at 319 Maryland Ave., a little more than a half-hour drive from the brewery in downtown Butler, features many of the current cans and bottled brews along with a variety of beer-themed merchandise. Its grand...

A new Sewickley council member is expected to be appointed at a special meeting as officials continue to search for a borough manager. The meeting is scheduled for July 6. Candidate interviews are expected to start at 6 p.m. with a voting session afterward. Council president Jeff Neff said two...

Plum School Board voted unanimously Monday to hire Ryan Manzer to succeed John Zahorchak as the district’s chief financial officer. Manzer, who has been working as Freeport Area School District’s business manager, was one of five finalists for the Plum job. Zahorchak is expected to leave the district at the...

Penn Hills School District’s summer program, designed to help students recover from learning loss during the pandemic and mingle with successful alumni, has begun. About 500 students in K-12 registered for the opportunity to improve their skills both in-person and online through the district’s cyber academy. “It was like the...

Oakmont officials have welcomed a new volunteer firefighter and added a couple of office workers. Joey Luciana, 25, was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Whaley during council’s June 21 meeting. The borough businessman said he is excited for the opportunity to make a difference in his community. “I want to...

A new initiative from the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce designed to help artists and vendors recover from the pandemic brought in hundreds of people below the borough tracks. The old Oakmont Bakery lot along Allegheny Avenue, and even the lower part of Maryland Avenue, was packed with patrons June 18...

Plum officials revealed a new cornhole game that was crafted by a borough business and painted by a high school art student. The effort was organized by Mayor Harry Schlegel so people at the Plum Community Center could have another recreational option to be played indoors and outdoors. Cornhole is...

Plum officials have enacted a new law in order to discourage residents from taking care of feral cats. Council voted 6-0 last Wednesday night to pass an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to “intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance or care to ally stray, feral,...

A boy was taken to a hospital after being shot in the leg Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood. Public Safety spokesman Cara Cruz said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for multiple shots fired along the 300 block of Minton Street just before 8:45 p.m. Officers found the boy...

Plum’s Summer Fest, a three-day celebration of the season packed with carnival rides and games, makes its return to Larry Mills Park this month after being canceled last year due to the covid-19 pandemic. This will be the sixth nonconsecutive year for the event, formerly known as Community Days. More...

Bethel Park’s new code enforcement officer values education over citations. “You don’t want to act like an officer,” David Rudolph said. “You want to act like a liaison with the borough.” Rudolph uses that approach daily in his new position. The Ohio native turned borough resident started his new job...

Bethel Park officials announced the winning visions of playground upgrades for Birch Tree, Oak Tree and Millennium parks. The borough sent out surveys to neighboring property owners to find out what they wanted to see in their parks’ play areas. There were two options for each site. “We want the...

Monroeville resident Ruth Clark has seen a lot in her lifetime. She was born to John and Amelia Schaffer just before the roaring 1920s and grew up in Bellvue during the Great Depression. Clark witnessed the development of countless technological and medical advancements and has been around to see 19...