Becks Run Firemen Will Face Non-Jury Trial

Len Novak and Stephen Bonetti are charged with misusing approximately $25K from the Pennsylvania firemen's relief fund.

A pretrial conference on Friday for Leonard "Len" Novak and Stephen Bonetti has resulted in a non-jury trial for the two men. The trial is scheduled to begin on April 22 at the Allegheny County Courthouse. In August, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office charged Novak and Bonetti, chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the Becks Run Volunteer Fire Department in north Baldwin Borough, with misusing approximately $25,000 from the Pennsylvania firemen's relief fund over an approximately five-year period. According to an affidavit, investigators believe that Novak and Bonetti misappropriated the money by using it instead for personal expenses, including the cashing of checks at C.J. Chugs bar on Custer Avenue and Dean's Beer …

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Margaret French

10:41 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2013

He needs to change that license plate. Change that "C" to a "T."   more ›

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Speeding in North Baldwin

Resident Cindy Morell writes.

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch received the following email on Feb. 1 from Baldwin Borough resident Cindy Morell, who has taken issue with what she seems deems to be excessive driving speed in some north Baldwin areas. Other than addressing some minor grammatical issues, the wording seen below was written as is. ... I wanted to remind anyone who goes over to W.R. Paynter Elementary School that there is a school zone on Pleasantvue Drive where it is 15 mph and that the parking lot of the school has 15-mph signs posted. Also, as a reminder, the speed limit on Joseph Street in Baldwin is 25 mph. Cindy Morell (cimorn@aol.com) ... If you have a complaint, want a topic covered, want to publicly congratulate someone or have something else to say …

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Sally

8:18 am on Friday, February 15, 2013

I agree with having a BBP at the corner of Meadowdell and Steiner. I have lived here for 49 years and the only time I see a patrol car sitting down their is around election time. Go figure.   more ›

UPDATE: Becks Run Firemen Charges

Novak and Bonetti will have a pretrial conference at the Allegheny County Courthouse on Feb. 15.

UPDATE: The result of Novak and Bonetti's formal arraignment is a pretrial conference at the Allegheny County Courthouse scheduled for Feb. 15.  ...  District Judge Robert Wyda waived for court on Friday all 24 combined charges against Becks Run firefighters Leonard "Len" Novak and Stephen Bonetti, pushing their case onto a formal arraignment at the Allegheny County Courthouse on Jan. 8. Wyda, the magistrate for Upper St. Clair Township and Bethel Park, oversaw Novak and Bonetti's preliminary hearing because District Judge John N. Bova of Baldwin Borough has recused himself from their case. A judge may recuse him or herself from a case should he or she feel a conflict of interest with any of the participating parties, or have some other …

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FF19

1:56 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Watcher is spot on. The one involved in the Option case got their hands smacked and only had to pay back a portion that they actually stole.   more ›

B-W Area: What's Open, Closed Dec. 24-25

Whether you need sugar or a stamp, Patch has you covered.

Need another bottle of wine? Forget the milk? Wanna hit the gym? Here's a list of what's open and closed in and around Baldwin Borough, Whitehall Borough and Baldwin Township on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If you know of an entity either in Baldwin-Whitehall or nearby that has special holiday hours and is not included in this article, please leave the name of that place along with its hours in the comments section below. Government Offices: Baldwin Borough Municipal Office - Closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Whitehall Borough Municipal Office - Open on Christmas Eve from 8:30 a.m.-noon; closed on Christmas Day. Baldwin Township Municipal Office - Open on Christmas Eve from 8:30 a.m.-noon; closed on Christmas Day. Post Offices…

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Robert Edward Healy, III

11:45 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012

You're welcome!   more ›

Wednesday's Powerball a Record $500 Million (or More) Jackpot

Where to buy a Powerball ticket in Baldwin-Whitehall and the odds of winning the jackpot.

The historic Powerball jackpot rose to a record $500 million on Tuesday, and many Baldwin-Whitehall residents are expected to purchase a ticket on Wednesday—if they haven't already. According to this Pennsylvania Lottery Web page, there are quite a few places to purchase a Powerball ticket in Baldwin-Whitehall. There has been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6. The chance of winning the $500 million jackpot is 1 in 175,223,510. The Powerball is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. Ticket sales are cut off at least 59 minutes before the draw. Each ticket costs $2. Good luck. You'll need it!  --- Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for the daily Baldwin-Whitehall newsletter.

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Margaret French

8:17 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012

LOL Frank!   more ›

EXTENDED: 'Wash Out Repair' on Glass Run Road

Expect temporary lane closures and restrictions.

Crews from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11-0 will cause temporary lane closures and restrictions on Glass Run Road in Baldwin Borough and Pittsburgh's Hays neighborhood from Monday-Friday, Nov. 5-9, for "wash out repair." (UPDATE: This project has been extended for Tuesday-Friday, Nov. 13-16.) The work will occur in various locations across all of Glass Run—specifically, from the Glenwood Bridge area in Hays to Joseph Street in north Baldwin. Motorists are advised to use caution, slow down and expect changing traffic patterns when traveling through the work area. Generally speaking, "wash out repair" aims to solidify the shoulder of a road that is "washed out" or undercut, typically by water damage. Read about …

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Robert Edward Healy, III

4:06 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012

UPDATE: This project has been extended for Nov. 13-16.   more ›

Baldwin H.S. Orators Could Win $18K for College, Trip to Indianapolis

American Legion Post 935 in Baldwin Borough is looking for entrants.

Are you a good speaker? That's all that it could take to win a trip to Indianapolis and $18,000 for college. OK, you have to be a high-schooler from Baldwin Borough, too. American Legion Post 935 in Baldwin—headquartered at the Nix Vogel Home Association building on Joseph Street—is looking for local applicants to enter the American Legion Oratorical Contest. Any high-schooler under 20 years of age can enter Post 935's preliminary but necessary stage of this national contest, but you don't have to attend Baldwin High School to participate. However, you must live in Baldwin Borough, and you must enter the contest by Jan. 5. (An application form is available here.) Speaking subjects must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with some …

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Vernon Landslide Repairs, Labor Contract Savings and More Baldwin Boro News

Notes from Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Vernon Landslide Costs Borough $462K When it’s all said and done, Baldwin Borough will pay Plavchak Construction, of Jefferson Hills Borough, $462,000 to repair a landslide that occurred on Vernon Avenue in the spring of 2011, according to Baldwin's engineer Larry Souleret. Due to difficulty handling utility lines in the area, workers have had to push back their completion date on Vernon to the end of September 2012. "We're finally wrapping it up," Souleret said during Tuesday night's Baldwin Council meeting. New Labor Contract A switch in health care providers from Highmark to UPMC for Baldwin Borough's construction, general labor and material handlers workers should save Baldwin "six figures," according to borough Manager John Barrett. …

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Michael Stelmasczyk

7:25 am on Friday, September 21, 2012

Common Sense - The bidding for this project was open to all companies including any that were in the local area. Local companies were able to submit bids just like any other company. State law requires open bidding for a project of this size and once the bids are open, they are final. There is no such thing as opening a bid and then sharing that with another company so that they can match it or …   more ›

DUI Stops Reported on Willett Road and Joseph Street

Men from Brentwood Borough and Ohio are charged.

Not a Happy Birthday A maroon pickup truck passed a Baldwin Borough police officer at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday while the officer was driving south in the 3600 block of Willett Road. The truck's right headlight was not functioning, according to a police report, and its driver was behaving somewhat erratically, drifting toward the road's center line but not crossing it. The officer turned around and caught up to the driver—Robert Rodwich, 51, of Willett Road in Brentwood Borough—and approached him as he was backing into his driveway. The officer smelled alcohol coming from Rodwich and reported that Rodwich admitted to recently drinking beer while celebrating his birthday at a local restaurant. Rodwich was put through field-sobriety tests, …

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Becks Run Fire Chief, Deputy Chief Charged with Embezzlement

Novak and Bonetti are accused of misusing approximately $25,000 over approximately five years, including the cashing of checks at a Baldwin bar and beer distributor.

Leonard "Len" Novak and Stephen Bonetti, chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the Becks Run Volunteer Fire Department in north Baldwin Borough, turned themselves in to police on Friday morning at the Wallace Building office of District Magistrate John N. Bova. Novak, 48, of Churchview Avenue, and Bonetti, 43, of Pleasantvue Drive, are being charged with misusing approximately $25,000 from the Pennsylvania firemen's relief fund over an approximately five-year period, Baldwin police Chief Michael Scott said. The fund is made up of state money, part of which is set aside for use by Baldwin's four fire companies to purchase equipment and services. According to an affidavit, investigators believe that Novak and Bonetti misappropriated the …

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Robert Edward Healy, III

11:36 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Thank you as always to Mr. Stelmasczyk, borough councilman, for sharing and participating in our conversations.   more ›