Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 86

Michael DiVittorio
Michael DiVittorio
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Plum woman’s life saved by quick work from her husband, Allegheny County dispatch and first responders
Kristen Frederick is grateful to be alive. The Plum resident suffered a cardiac arrest around 11 p.m. Feb. 5 after heading to bed in her Holiday Park home. Her husband, Rob, an Army sergeant who served in Iraq, heard a weird snoring sound that night and found Frederick gasping for...
Unity VFD in Plum to rethink vehicle purchase plan after council fails to approve funding
Plans to replace an aging rescue truck at Unity Volunteer Fire Department in Plum were sent back to square one after council opted not to contribute the bulk of its cost. Instead, elected leaders contracted with Emergency Vehicle Response to do a fire apparatus fleet analysis for the borough and...
Penn Hills School District officials mull tax hikes, proposed 2021-22 budgets
Penn Hills School District property owners should expect to pay more in real estate taxes next school year. However, how much more has yet to be determined as school directors mull a couple of budget possibilities. The one mostly likely to be approved for advertisement at this month’s board meeting,...
Power restored, road reopened after bucket truck rolls over, pulls lines down in Buffalo Township
A bucket truck rolled onto its side Wednesday afternoon and pulled power lines down in Buffalo Township. A Butler County emergency dispatcher said the crash occurred around 4:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Ekastown Road, near Hranica’s Auto Services. No injuries were reported. The road was blocked off in...
Monroeville Council approves request to rezone airport property for proposed senior housing project
Monroeville Council approved a rezoning request that may lead to the development of a senior independent living facility and other housing along Logan’s Ferry Road on property that houses Harold Brown Memorial Field, a private airport. New York-based Clover Development asked the municipality to rezone a 58-acre parcel into two...
Student partners with SHIM for food drive, Food Truck Fridays at George Washington Elementary
Aubrey Kuhn saw news reports in the early stages of the pandemic last May and how many families were going hungry as a result. “It made me really sad, so I wanted to do a food drive for my eighth birthday,” said the Bethel Park elementary student. “It made me...
Police: McKees Rocks man flees hospital after leading officers on 90 mph chase in Penn Hills
Police are searching for a McKees Rocks man who fled from a hospital after leading officers on a chase and crashing his SUV in Penn Hills on Saturday. Mark Clements III, 19, is charged with reckless driving, careless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude police, resisting arrest and five related...
Bethel Park officials honor police, EMS
Bethel Park first responders were recognized for their services and in observance of National EMS and Police weeks. National Police Week runs May 9-15, with Friday being National Peace Officers Memorial Day. National EMS Week is May 16-22. Municipal Manager Laurence Christian read proclamations for both the police department and...
Pine-Richland superintendent issues letter, district moving on with new coaches
Pine-Richland Superintendent Brian Miller has informed district families that they will be moving on with new football coaches despite weeks of public outcry over the firing of head coach Eric Kasperowicz and his staff. Miller did so in the form of a letter to families Friday. The school board recently...
Pittsburgh police: 11-year-old struck by bullet in Upper Hill neighborhood
An 11-year-old boy was struck by a bullet in Pittsburgh’s Upper Hill neighborhood Friday, Public Safety officials reported. Officers were dispatched around 5:45 p.m. to the 700 block of Anaheim Street for calls of shots fired in the area. Authorities said bullet shells were recovered, but no victim was located....
Plum school board has 12 cross-filed candidates seeking ballot nods
Editor’s note: The Advance Leader is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Plum residents have a plethora of candidates seeking both the Democratic and Republican nod for four school board seats this year. A dozen hopefuls, including two incumbents, have cross-filed for the May 18 primary election, according...
Verona council primary race has 5 candidates seeking 4 ballot spots, all Democrats
Editor’s note: The Penn Hills Progress is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Verona residents will have the opportunity to add at least one new face on borough council this election year. Incumbent Janet LoAlbo has decided not to run. According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections...
Riverview school board primary has 6 candidates seeking both party nominations for 4 seats
Editor’s note: The Penn Hills Progress is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Oakmont and Verona residents might see all the same Riverview School Board candidates vying for nominations in the primary on the November ballot, as six people have cross-filed, according to the Allegheny County Office of...
Breweries and botanists have partnered for a unique fundraiser in Verona
A celebration of hops, barley and all things plantlike is being planned in Verona to help support the borough’s garden club. The group in charge of the hanging baskets and planters throughout the small town has teamed up with local breweries for a fundraising weekend called Botany & Booze. It’s...
Breweries and botanists have partnered for a unique fundraiser in Verona
A celebration of hops, barley and all things plantlike is being planned in Verona to help support the borough’s garden club. The group in charge of the hanging baskets and planters throughout the small town has teamed up with local breweries for a fundraising weekend called Botany & Booze. It’s...
Plum High School athletic fields upgrades complete
An estimated $2.4 million revamp of Plum High School’s athletic facilities has been completed. The projects started with the football stadium turf, track and new lights being installed last summer. The baseball and softball fields also received synthetic turf replacement from Art Global, an artificial grass manufacturer that worked on...
Sewickley docks are open
The two Sewickley docks heading into the Ohio River, located along Chestnut Street and Walnut Street, are open. Borough manager Marla Marcinko said the Chestnut Street dock washed away in the fall of 2018. “At the time we were looking into funding opportunities (to rebuild the dock),” Marcinko said. “We...
Plum’s Pivik Elementary students have new place to make friends courtesy of distinguished alumni couple
Pivik Elementary students have a new place to sit and make friends. A Buddy Bench recently was donated to the K-4 school in the Plum School District by Renee DeMichiei Farrow and her husband, Bob. Both are distinguished alumni and wanted to give back to the borough. Renee Farrow said...
Penn Hills school board has 7 candidates seeking party nods to run for 4 seats
Editor’s note: The Penn Hills Progress is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election. Penn Hills residents might see all the same school board candidates vying for nominations in the primary on the November ballot, as five out of seven people have cross-filed and just two seek only the...
Pine-Richland High School AP art students showcase work at coffee shop 
With the covid pandemic hindering visitations at schools and limiting attendees of extra curricular activities, students have had a hard time showcasing their talents to the general public. Fortunately, there are folks like Melissa Clack, parent of Pine-Richland High School senior Bayli Clack, creating new opportunities for the young learners....
Neighbor Spotlight: Plum’s buildings and grounds supervisor Joe Fischetti enjoys making borough look good 
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...
Women from across Greater Pittsburgh compete in bowling league at Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum
Penn Hills Women’s Classic, a 32-woman bowling league, plays at Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum on Wednesday evenings. Bowlers from Penn Hills, Monroeville, Murrysville, Oakmont and surrounding communities compete on four teams. Some teams consists of mother-daughter pairs, such as Rose Catullo of Oakmont and her daughter, Christy Myers of Verona....
New Jefferson Hills Public Library director Dana Farabaugh turned fantasy to reality
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: Bethel Park detective retires to take deputy chief job in Crescent Township
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...
Police: Teen shot outside his Penn Hills home
A 17-year-old boy was shot during the evening hours May 5 as he walked out of his Penn Hills home, police reported. Chief Howard Burton said the shooting took place around 6:30 p.m. along the 200 block of Pelone Drive. Shots were fired from a vehicle outside the home. Burton...


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