Plum Advance Leader category, Page 14
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 23, 2025
Churchill Gary Craig trustee sold property at 2429 Marbury Road to Richard and Ana Hogben for $460,000. Edgewood Todd Ernst sold property at 513 Greendale Ave. to Eric Small and Jessica Santacrose for $350,000. Lisa Frumkes sold property at 346 Locust St. to Charlotte Heyward Wesley for $712,500. Gaggan Boparai...
Plum girls wrestling trio advances to PIAA regional tournament
Alaina Claassen knew Valley’s Arianna Bernard well by the time they met for the 190-pound championship at the WPIAL girls wrestling championships Feb. 15 at North Allegheny High School. Claasen, a Plum junior and last year’s WPIAL champion in the 235-pound weight class, beat Bernard twice during the regular season,...
Junior ROTC programs on solid ground thanks to change in federal law
Krysta Harper’s education wasn’t going well when she was a freshman at Plum High School. “My grades were failing and absolutely miserable,” she said. Now a senior, her grades are up and she’s preparing to graduate, thanks in part, she says, to the school’s Air Force Junior ROTC program. “ROTC...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Plum’s Giuliana Ricciuti
It’s a rare feat when a swimmer can post WPIAL qualifying times in every stroke. Plum senior Giuliana Ricciuti just missed achieving that this season. Out of the eight individual events for which a swimmer can qualify, Ricciuti qualified for seven. She posted 25.91 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, a...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Feb. 17, 2025
Plum fire departments, EMS receive grants Plum Emergency Medical Services and the borough’s four fire departments are receiving grants through the Office of the State fire Commissioner. Of the fire departments, Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department received about $16,322; Unity Volunteer Fire Department received $15,246; Logans Ferry Heights Volunteer Fire...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Addison Then, Springdale’s Patrick Wylly
Addison Then School: Plum Class: Junior Sport: Bowling Claim to fame: Then bowled a team-high 618 series to help Plum (10-0) repeat as WPIBL champion by defeating Hempfield in the team championships Thursday. Then was also named to the all-tournament team. She led the East division in pin average (196),...
Plum bowlers shine at WPIBL team championships, turn attention to individual finals
Once the Plum boys bowling team hit its stride, nothing was getting in its way. After losing their first game of the semifinals, the Mustangs reeled off wins in the next four games of the bracket playoffs to claim the WPIBL boys team championship Feb. 12, at AMF Mt. Lebanon....
Narrow late-season losses prevent Plum boys from reaching postseason
With experience returning to the lineup and new faces giving his team a shot of adrenaline, first-year Plum boys basketball coach Dave Pucka said the pieces were in place for a run to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. He said he saw his team compete hard and battle in many...
Plum awards road paving contract, seeking slide repair bids
Plum plans to resurface seven roads and six alleys in the borough this year, while also repairing a slide on another. Council on Monday accepted a bid of just over $680,000 from Tresco for the resurfacing work covering about 4 miles of road. Councilwoman Vicky Roessler was absent. The company...
At fire academy, high school students earn class credit while training to be firefighters
Desiree Schramm wasn’t looking to become a firefighter when she was choosing electives during her junior year at North Hills High School. “I was scheduling for classes and, ‘What’s this?’ ” said Schramm, of Ross, now 18 and a senior. “This is actually pretty cool.” What Schramm stumbled across was the...
Plum School District planning $270K replacement of tennis courts
Replacing the tennis courts at Plum High School is a matter of safety, Superintendent Rick Walsh says. The courts are in such bad condition that students will play this coming season on courts at Allegheny County’s Boyce Park. “A few years ago we put a Band-Aid on the tennis courts,”...
Federal funding availability, other concerns lead some schools to cancel electric bus plans
Uncertainty over the availability of previously promised federal funding has some local school districts rethinking their plans to buy electric buses. The unpredictability of the funding is among several reasons Plum Superintendent Rick Walsh cited for pulling the plug on the district’s plan to purchase 25 electric buses. “With the...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Feb. 10, 2025
Plum School District settles litigation with firm The Plum School District will pay $10,000 to settle a construction consultant’s lawsuit claiming the district breached a contract and did not pay it for services. The school board approved the settlement with Dennis Russo and Rucon in December, but did not release...
Plum’s John Anthony’s grows from a good-time bar to family restaurant over 40 years
For her 21st birthday, Gina D’Acierno’s parents bought her a bar. The next 40 years would see D’Acierno grow from a bartender into a business owner, and John Anthony’s evolve from a rowdy bar into an Italian restaurant with a focus on quality, consistency and treating diners like family. “In...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 9, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill William Wylie sold property at 3601 McCrady Road to Kimberly Kaplan and Mia Salemme for $307,000. Edgewood PNC Bank NA sold property at 1108 E End Ave. to Larone Knight for $235,001. Alan Stanford sold property at 1219 East End Ave. to Benjamin Ledewitz and Caitlin Kruman...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Serena Carnahan, Cade Schimmer
Serena Carnahan School: Plum Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Carnahan, a guard/forward, scored 15 points in a 48-17 win over Gateway in Section 1-5A on Monday night. She followed that with a 14-point performance Thursday in a 46-37 win against another section foe, Fox Chapel. The Mustangs finish...
Plum football trio headed to Ashland while other Mustangs decide on future plans
Noah Odom will continue his football playing career at Division II Ashland University. The Plum senior said he’s excited to share this new venture with a couple of Mustangs teammates, as both Josh Curry and T.J. Futules also have signed with the Eagles football program. “It is truly a blessing...
After 3 key section wins, Plum girls look ahead toward WPIAL playoffs
The Plum girls basketball team is in playoff mode as the regular season has come to a close, and coach Rich Mull and his players are looking forward to what lies ahead. The Mustangs solidified their place in the postseason with a trio of Section 1-5A victories — over Armstrong,...
Milltown Road in Penn Hills scheduled to reopen after slide repair
A section of Milltown Road in Penn Hills closed since early December is expected to reopen on Friday, a PennDOT spokeswoman said. PennDOT closed Milltown between Newfield Drive, not far from Community Market, and Hulton Road, near JD Auto Body, on Dec. 3 while crews repaired two slides. The two-lane...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Feb. 3, 2025
Plum approves 2025-26 school year calendar The Plum School Board has approved the district’s calendar for the 2025-26 school year. The first day of school will be Aug. 20 and the last day will be May 29. Graduation is tentatively set for May 27. Before classes begin, “Meet the Teacher”...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Feb. 2. 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Martha Brent Ruka trustee sold property at 51 Churchill Road to John Austin Stratton and Norah Lynn McCrossin for $299,900. Donald Justin White sold property at 3783 Greensburg Pike to Everleigh Holdings LLC for $138,000. Joseph Veltri sold property at 2414 Marbury Road to Robert Chaffin for...
Plum’s Jake Dombkowski signs to play baseball at Division I newcomer Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst athletics made the move from NCAA Division II to Division I last April, and its teams began play at the highest level during the fall season. The Lakers baseball team will hope to make its mark this spring against the likes of St. Francis (Pa.), Long Island, Central Connecticut...
Plum School Board approves architect agreement for summer middle school projects
The Plum School Board has hired an architectural firm for renovation work proposed to be done this summer at the district’s middle school. The district will pay The Hayes Design Group-Architects $170,600 for construction documents and construction administration for select projects at the school. The scope of work consists of...
Plum High School students introduced to various careers during 3rd Career Day
Plum High School students were introduced to new careers or able to learn more about ones they are already interested in Thursday during their school’s annual Career Day. About 160 speakers from the community were expected. They were split up among 45 rooms, with three to five presenters each, with...
Penn Hills resident seeks solution to high water bills
Alarm bells went off in Andrew Slavin’s head when he looked at his latest bill from the Oakmont Water Authority. “There is no way that my wife and I used 40,000 gallons of water like this bill says we did,” Slavin said. The Penn Hills man said he is being...
