Michael DiVittorio stories, Page 61
Audit: Quaker Valley School District financially strong
Quaker Valley School District is in strong financial shape, according to a newly released report from auditor Maher Duessel. Brian McCall, engagement partner at the financial firm, delivered the good news to district officials at a board meeting Nov. 15. “You’re really in a healthy financial position here where you’re...
Blawnox officials plan to raise real estate taxes about 10% as part of next year’s budget
Blawnox property owners might have to dig a little deeper in their wallets to pay real estate taxes as borough officials plan to hike rates about 10% next year. Council voted 5-0 to advertise its 2023 preliminary budget and tax ordinance Nov. 9. Councilwomen Meghan Kennedy and Katie Specht-Coban were...
Aspinwall’s Presents From Police toy drive underway
For the better part of a decade the Aspinwall Police Department has made it a point to help provide children with special needs and health issues have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday. This year is no exception. The 11th annual Presents From Police toy drive has begun. “It’s...
Mural promoting love in Aspinwall revealed
A mural project designed to spread love and positivity in Aspinwall has been completed. Spearheaded by the advocacy group Aspinwall Neighbors, the mural called “Love, Aspinwall” at the Field Avenue playground pavilion was unveiled Nov. 12. A core group of 16 volunteers, under the direction of artist and resident Alison...
No tax hike planned in Aspinwall’s preliminary 2023 budget
Aspinwall officials plan no tax increases in 2023. Budget documents indicate the property tax rate will remain at 6.86 mills. Council unanimously voted Nov. 9 to advertise its 2023 preliminary budget. “Everything’s pretty much status quo this year,” borough Manager Melissa O’Maley said. She noted there were no significant challenges...
Route 28 ramp closure in Frazer planned for Wednesday
A ramp closure on northbound Route 28 in Frazer Township is planned for Wednesday, weather permitting. PennDOT officials said it is scheduled for 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. for concrete patching on the Pittsburgh Mills Boulevard on-ramp (Exit 12A). Ramp traffic will be detoured. The detour is as follows: •...
O’Hara’s 2023 preliminary budget contains no real estate, earned income tax hike
O’Hara officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes with next year’s budget. Council voted 5-0 at a combined workshop and regular meeting on Nov. 9 to approve the first reading and advertise its preliminary 2023 budget. Council President Robert Smith and Councilman Richard Hughes were absent. The...
Sewickley officials pass preliminary budget without public input
Sewickley officials are attempting to hold the line on real estate taxes for another year. Council unanimously voted Nov. 8 to approve and advertise its preliminary 2023 budget. It maintains the tax rate at 6.25 mills. Projected revenues and expenses were listed at about $9.83 million. The borough has not...
Aspinwall to host shopping, light up events
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct that Jessica Rehling Vukmir is the owner of Dovecote and Nouveau Designer Consignment on Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall. Two Aspinwall celebrations — Shop Aspinwall and Light up the Wall — designed to ring in the holiday season are set for this...
Charges dismissed against West Mifflin teen in connection with Kennywood shooting
Charges against a teen accused of being involved in a shooting in Kennywood Park in September were dismissed at a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon. Darryl Pirl, 15, of West Mifflin, one of three people injured during the shooting, went before District Judge James Hanley on charges of possession of a...
Court ruling on legal challenge to proposed Quaker Valley High School to come soon
Oral arguments were heard and an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas judge may soon render his opinion on a legal challenge involving a proposed Quaker Valley High School. Senior Judge Joseph James listened to attorneys representing the district, Leet Township Zoning Hearing Board and opponents of the project on...
Model train groups, vendors roll through Monroeville Convention Center for fall show
Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show rolled through the Monroeville earlier this month. It is one of the largest gatherings of model train enthusiasts and sets up shop three times a year at the municipality’s convention center at 209 Mall Blvd. About 6,000 people were estimated to have walked through...
Man fatally shot in Pittsburgh
A man is dead after being fatally shot in Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening. Public Safety spokeswoman Amanda Mueller said Zone 3 officers were dispatched for two Shotspotter alerts shortly after 8:30 p.m. One alert was along the 200 block of Wilbur Street, and the other was along the 1000 block...
Aspinwall appoints new junior council members
Aspinwall Council recently added three young members as a way to get teens more involved in local government. Fox Chapel Area High School senior Luke Curran, Oakland Catholic High School senior Madeline Edmondston and Fox Chapel Area junior Iris Doty were sworn in as Aspinwall junior council members by Mayor...
Valley Ambulance Authority celebrates 50 years of saving lives in the Moon Township and Sewickley areas
A Moon Township-based ambulance authority that serves the Sewickley area and more than a dozen other communities just turned 50. “We’ve come along way,” said J.R. Henry, Valley Ambulance Authority chief and West View mayor. “I’ve been here 16 years. There’s only been three chiefs in 50 years. We come...
Sharpsburg Girl Scout troop learns about justice through visit with district judge
Sharpsburg-based Girl Scout Troop 40426 got a firsthand look at how the state’s judicial system works via visit to their local magistrate’s office. District Judge Matthew Rudzki hosted a group of about nine scouts and their co-leaders on Nov. 2 as part of the girls’ pursuit of a democracy badge....
Quaker Valley middle schoolers prepare for the curtain to rise on ‘Frozen Jr.’
Quaker Valley Middle School performers are near ready to take all that they’ve learned at countless practices the past couple months and let it go on stage. About 100 students, including 30 on stage crew, will present “Frozen Jr.,” an abridged version of the Disney classic. “Frozen” tells the story...
Proposed residential development in Indiana Township getting pushback from residents
Several dozen Indiana Township residents are pushing back against a proposal to construct a 100-unit residential development on land that Allegheny County’s comprehensive plan recommends for conservation. The developer, identified in township documents Fox Chapel Estates LP, a company with an office in McCandless, has submitted an application to construct...
Leetsdale garden dedicated in memory of late original garden club member
Leetsdale Garden Club has dedicated a garden in memory of a late member. Mary Kay Dschuhan was one of the club’s founding members back in 2006. She served as vice president and was highly involved in the borough’s Fourth of July Committee, as well as numerous other community engagements for...
Sewickley’s Tull Family Theater will be renamed next year
The Tull Family Theater, a Sewickley nonprofit, will be going by a new name for at least the next decade. It is being renamed The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center — or “The Lindsay,” for short — effective Jan. 1 ,2023. The change is part of a 10-year sponsorship by...
Quaker Valley School Board receives state award for innovation
Quaker Valley School District has one of the most innovative school boards in the state, and now has the hardware to prove it. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association has given this year’s Innovative School Board Award to Quaker Valley. Leaders accepted the honor at the Excellence in Public Education Leadership...
The future of Sewickley’s Herbst House remains in limbo as talks continue with parish, foundation officials
Sewickley officials don’t plan to take action this month on request to demolish the Herbst House, a former private residence, Catholic school and convent along Broad Street. Council tabled action at its Sept. 13 meeting on a recommendation by the borough’s historic review commission to deny a demolition request from...
Indiana Township District 5 voting location moved to town hall
Voters in Indiana Township’s District 5 have a new polling location. Voters in District 5 will cast ballots Nov. 8 at the Town Hall Community Center at 3710 Saxonburg Blvd. according to Allegheny County Elections Division field maintenance manager James Hughes. The town hall already is the polling place for...
Man fatally shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood
A man was killed after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood Monday afternoon, officials said. Officers responded to an 11-round Shotspotter alert around 1:50 p.m. along the 7100 block of Hermitage Street, public safety spokesman Maurice Matthews reported. They located a man in a vehicle with a gunshot wound...
Police: Man crashed stolen vehicle by Pittsburgh’s West End Bridge
A man was arrested after crashing a stolen vehicle on the West End Bridge in Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers were alerted to a stolen vehicle traveling northbound along Route 51 shortly after 12:30 p.m. Officers attempted to make a traffic stop, but the...
