the almanac A P R I L 6, 2025
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Facing fraud charges Peters Township teen accused of using dark web to steal Fuelperks By Zachpetroff
For the Observer-Reporter newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Plans are moving forward to revive the Denis Theatre in Mt. Lebanon, which has been closed since 2004.
BRAD HUNDT/OBSERVER-REPORTER
A community experience Denis Theatre Foundation hopes to raise money to revitalize moviehouse
By Brad Hundt Staff writer
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
MT. LEBANON – The foundation that wants to revive the Denis Theatre in Mt. Lebanon is hoping to get individual donation pledges from community members and film buffs over the next year in order to reopen the long-shuttered moviehouse. At a meeting March 29 at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Denis Theatre Foundation president Jon Delano said that being able to get $1 million to $2 million in promises of support would show whether plans can move forward on bringing back the three-screen theater, and adding a bar, restaurant and community room. This year, according to Delano, “It will be the time to get off the pot. I’m
hoping that people will want not just a theater, but a community center.” If it happens, it will “drive tremendous energy to uptown Mt. Lebanon,” said Delano, a retired politics and finance reporter with KDKA-TV. He said the foundation is also seeking government grants and corporate support. Efforts to bring the Denis Theatre back to life have been ongoing almost from the day it closed more than two decades ago. A fixture of Mt. Lebanon’s main drag since the 1930s, it was part of the small Cinemagic chain and was screening mostly art, independent and foreign films when it closed in September 2004. South Hills entrepreneur D. Raja purchased the Denis in 2007 and, in 2010, the Denis Theatre Foundation bought the structure from him.
Since then, revitalization plans have moved in fits and starts, with the COVID-19 pandemic largely bringing them to a halt at the beginning of the decade. However, in 2023, the foundation joined forces with Brian Mendelssohn, who owns and operates the Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, with an eye toward creating a similar theater in Mt. Lebanon. If the plan comes to fruition, Mendelssohn would lease the theater from the foundation, and the foundation would be able to use it for various types of programming, including lectures, discussions and some performances. Mendelssohn has committed $750,000 for equipment and other SEE DENIS PAGE A2
South Fayette experienced the thrill of victory while Upper St. Clair endured the agony of defeat during the PIAA basketball championships played March 28-29 at the Giant Center in Hershey. While the Lady Lions captured their first girls banner after upending Archbishop Wood, 45-37, in the Class 5A final, the Lady Panthers suffered a lopsided loss to Perkiomen Valley, 5827, in the 6A game. For more details on the state tournament, see page B1.
Photos by Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
What’s happening, B3
SEE FRAUD PAGE A2
Portion of Millers Run Road closed for bridge replacement
Split decision
SCOTT TOWNSHIP Classical school set to open this fall PAGE A2
“WE’RE NOT GOING TO TRY TO RE-CREATE THE LIVING ROOM EXPERIENCE. WE’RE TRYING TO CREATE THAT COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE … WHY YOU WOULD SPEND $15 TO GO OUT RATHER THAN STAYING HOME.” BRIAN MENDELSSOHN, OWNER/OPERATOR OF ROW HOUSE CINEMA
A Peters Township teenager is accused of stealing Giant Eagle FuelPerks from 19 people across Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to a criminal complaint. Peters Township police allege Paul Kostanich, 18, used the dark web to buy email addresses and passwords for the accounts, which he used to purchase fuel and gift cards at a McMurry GetGo gas station. Police said they were contacted on Feb. 17 by Denise Huspaska, of Cleveland, Ohio, who claimed 1,500 of her fuel points, worth about $30, were used at the gas station at 4031 Washington Road. She also claimed the points were used to buy a Visa gift card for the remaining fuel. The next day, police said they were able to use footage from the gas station to track down the license plate number from the suspected vehicle, which police said was a Toyota Highlander registered to Debra Lynn Kostanich of McMurray. Police said footage they obtained from the gas station matched the description of Kostanich’s 18-year old son Paul Kostanich. On Feb. 19, police contacted Giant Eagle’s Corporate Loss Prevention, which informed them that the card used by Kostanich for the fuel purchase was linked to multiple fraudulent transactions. Police said they obtained a search warrant for the Peters Township high schooler’s phone, and on Feb. 22, Kostanich confessed to making nearly 20 fraudulent transactions using information acquired from the dark web. Authorities did not disclose the total amount he is alleged to have stolen.
SPORTS Upper St. Clair bids farewell to beloved head coach PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A6
SOUTH FAYETTE – Drivers who travel frequently on Millers Run Road (Route 978) in South Fayette Township will be taking detours on a portion of the route through August as a result of bridge replacement work. This week, bridge replacement work began on Millers Run Road between Mohawk and Battle Ridge roads. Crews will be replacing a span over Dolphin Run. An inspection of the bridge in 2022 found the bridge had deteriorated, and it was closed until a temporary structure was put in place, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Putting in a new bridge will cost $1.9 million, and
also include milling and paving the road approaching it, drainage improvements, guide rail updates and pavement marking installation. While the detours will end in mid-August, the whole project will finish up in the spring of 2026. The detour for those traveling west of the bridge will turn left onto Route 50, turn left onto Route 2026 and follow it back to Millers Run Road. For those traveling east of the bridge, the same detour is in effect, except in reverse. Information is available on this and other PennDOT projects in the region by going online to www.penndot. pa.gov/D11Results, and www.projects.penndot.gov.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Chimera Brewing opens in familiar spot PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4-6