James Engel stories, Page 8
Plum seeking resident input in survey on borough’s future
Plum officials want to hear from residents as they consider the long-term future of the borough. A recent survey made available to residents and taxpayers online at growingplumforward.com asks 23 questions about the most important issues and potential changes in Plum over the next decade. It’s part of the first...
Home may be total loss in Lower Burrell fire
There were no injuries reported in a two-alarm fire Monday afternoon in Lower Burrell. All occupants were already out of the home on Dakota Drive when firefighters arrived, according to Lower Burrell VFC #3 Fire Chief Brennan Sites. The fire, reported just before 1 p.m., was first thought to be...
Cheswick to host informational meeting on proposed data center
Cheswick residents will have a chance Wednesday to see the preliminary plans for a proposed data center just over the municipal boundary in Springdale. The borough will host an informational meeting at 6 p.m. at its municipal building with Brian Regli, a consultant working with Allegheny DC Property Co., the...
Gran Fondo cycling marathon brings international ‘big ride’ to Western Pa.
About 300 green-clad cyclists are set to make their way through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties as part of a bike marathon planned this month. The race, called Gran Fondo New York Pittsburgh, will begin and end in Monroeville after taking riders through a large loop of the Alle-Kiski Valley and...
Fire tears through upper floors of Brackenridge house
A late-night fire gutted the upper floors of a Brackenridge home on Saturday night. Fire crews responded to the blaze at the corner of McIntire Way and Hall Lane near ATI’s Brackenridge Works around 11:30 p.m., according to a volunteer at Pioneer Hose Company. Residents escaped the home, and no...
Brookville woman killed in Armstrong County ATV crash
State police say a woman died from injuries she suffered in an ATV crash in Armstrong County on Sunday. The crash occurred on private property just after 2 a.m. in Madison Township, according to police. Police identified the victim as Samantha Hetrick, 21, of Brookville. The cause of the crash...
Multi-vehicle crash briefly shuts down Tarentum Bridge
A crash involving three vehicles on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington briefly shuttered the Tarentum Bridge in the early afternoon on Sunday. According to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher, the crash took place around 11:20 in front of the New Kensington Shopping Center. Minor entrapment was reported in at...
Greene County’s oldest Catholic church catches fire
A fire broke out at St. Ann Church — the oldest Catholic Church in Greene County — Saturday night, halting Masses and leaving the building damaged. In a release, the Diocese of Pittsburgh said the main body of the church appears to be intact, but certain adjoining areas suffered extensive...
Kennywood halts 21+ nights after repeated altercations at park
Kennywood is canceling its 21+ nights after altercations at the park, according to a statement from General Manager Ricky Spicuzza. The amusement park, purchased earlier this year by Atlanta-based Herschend, previously hosted late-night 21+ events on Aug. 22 and Friday night, Aug. 29. But physical altercations apparently broke out both...
Historic rivalry returns as Pitt and Duquesne football clash for first time in 86 years
The last time Pitt and Duquesne faced off on the gridiron, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, Pittsburgh’s steel mills boomed and the Germans had just started World War II. That was Oct. 21, 1939, when the Dukes managed a stunning 21-13 victory over the Panthers. Eighty-six years later, the local...
Feds involved in investigation of Freeport Area teacher accused of sexually assaulting minor
Pennsylvania State Police say they’re sharing information with investigators at the Department of Homeland Security, which may result in federal charges against Jared Lampus, the Freeport Area teacher and former volleyball coach accused of sexually abusing a minor. Lampus, 50, of Buffalo Township is already facing a dozen state charges,...
Freeport Area teacher accused of sexually assaulting minor pleads not guilty, case heads to courtVideo
Jared Lampus, the Freeport Area teacher and former volleyball coach accused of having sexual contact with a minor, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the dozen charges leveled against him. His attorney, Kelvin Morris, asked District Judge Jack D. Ripper to throw out the charges — including rape — at the...
Plum organization to open new league for 4-year-olds to learn baseball basics
This fall, about 20 4-year-olds will hit the diamond in Plum to learn the fundamentals of baseball and softball. The effort is part of a new program called Learn to Play. Run by Plum Baseball and Softball Association, the league is meant to make space for younger players and get...
Allegheny Valley plans for parking, seating at new turf field
As crews place the finishing touches on Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School’s new artificial turf field, district officials say they’re preparing to manage crowds during the Dynamos’ inaugural football season at the site. According to Allegheny Valley School District spokeswoman Jan Zastawniak, the district will set aside several parking lots around...
Freeport appoints Buffalo Township resident as new manager
Freeport has a new manager — its second in borough history. Tina Ferringer, 56, is set to take on the role Sept. 2. A Buffalo Township resident, Ferringer has spent the last several years working as an administrative assistant at Armstrong School District. Originally from Indiana County, Ferringer is an...
Bishop blesses Freeport church steeple as parish bicentennial celebrations begin
Climbing more than 100 feet in a crane on Sunday, Bishop Larry Kulick offered his blessings on the newly repainted steeple of St. Mary, Mother of God church in Freeport ahead of the parish’s 200th anniversary. Joined by St. Mary’s pastor Rev. Rick Kosisko and painter Dan Thimons, the bishop...
Bishop set to bless Freeport church steeple ahead of parish’s 200th anniversary
Bishop Larry Kulick said he has blessed many things since being installed as the high priest of the Diocese of Greensburg in 2021. A 110-foot-high church steeple will receive his next blessing Sunday. Kulick is set to mount a crane after Mass on Sunday morning to ask for God’s favor...
Late night fire in Harmar destroys garage, SUV
A fire tore through a Harmar garage Thursday night, leading a half-dozen local departments to fight the blaze. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Jay Zangrille. Crews from Allegheny Valley, Blawnox, Oakmont, Rural Ridge, Frazer #2...
Springdale boiler demolition lawsuit heads to Pa. Supreme Court
Though the power plant boiler that towered over Springdale for decades was toppled months ago, the legal battle over its demolition continues, this time in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In September 2023, several Springdale residents got an emergency injunction to halt the planned implosion of the power plant’s boiler building,...
Though questions remain, local officials back proposed Springdale data center
After a planning commission meeting earlier this month offered the first glimpse of a massive proposed data center in Springdale, many local officials say they like what they see. Preliminary plans presented by Brian Regli, a consultant for developer Allegheny DC Property Co., include two large structures — a 565,000-square-foot...
266 acres added to State Game Lands in Indiana Township
A new 266-acre plot in Indiana Township is set to join State Game Lands 203. The property, located directly adjacent to Emmerling Community Park, hosts about 1 mile of the Rachel Carson Trail near Deer Creek. Initially acquired by the Allegheny Land Trust in March, the plot expands Game Lands...
Allegheny Valley School Board divided over students’ cellphone use in schools
Allegheny Valley School Board members haven’t come to a consensus on students’ cellphone access and use in district schools. A debate came Tuesday night after Superintendent Patrick Graczyk recommended the district continue its current policy this school year, which allows cellphones to be used in areas like the hallway or...
Springdale enacts new public comment policy ahead of 2nd data center meeting
Springdale Council has passed a public comment policy that sets new rules for potential speakers at borough meetings. The policy allows only residents and taxpayers of Springdale to take the podium. Each speaker also now has a three-minute time limit during comment periods at the beginning and end of meetings....
Plum students head back to the classroom
Students in Plum School District returned to the classroom on Wednesday for the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. Several pupils at Pivik Elementary School, which hosts kindergarteners through fourth graders, sprinted off the bus in anticipation. Over the summer, the district began planned improvements at Plum Middle School and...
Springdale considering new rules for public comment
Springdale Council is considering a new policy that would place parameters on public comment at meetings, as officials review plans for a massive data center in the borough. The policy would set a three-minute time limit on each speaker during comment periods at the beginning and end of meetings. It...
