Haley Daugherty stories, Page 11
Penn Hills School District’s Innovation Institute to implement community ideas
Penn Hills School District officials have named the 2025-26 cohort for the newest program offered by the district. The district’s Innovation Institute announced the launch of its fellowship cohort and ambassador program May 13. The initiative aims to elevate learning experiences by evaluating and implementing ideas for improvement submitted from...
Penn Hills School District’s proposed budget includes no tax increase
Residents in the Penn Hills School District won’t be seeing a change in their real estate taxes for the upcoming school year. The school directors approved a proposed 2025-26 budget with no tax hike and no cuts to programs or staffing in a unanimous vote May 14. John Zahorchak, the...
Apollo’s Jackson House holds generations of history, family ties — including Jimmy Stewart
The General Samuel M. Jackson House in Apollo received a special visitor Friday morning when Indiana County actor Jimmy Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, visited the estate for the first time, and his nephew, Ethan Perry, returned to the house with her. Stewart often visited the home on Terrace Avenue,...
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
A one-of-a-kind airplane made a special flight to Indiana County this week. The American P-51 Mustang, nicknamed “Thunderbird,” is on display at Indiana County-Jimmy Stewart Airport through Sunday. While many P-51s served the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, only this one was flown by Academy Award-winning actor...
Equalizing tax rates critical for Leechburg Area School District survival, residents told
West Leechburg property owners will get some relief from years worth of tax increases, according to Leechburg Area School District Superintendent David Keibler. During the school board’s Town Hall Tour on Wednesday night, Keibler told residents the district plans to earmark about $58,000 in Ready to Learn Tax Equity relief...
Pine-Richland teachers union issues no confidence vote of school board majority
Members of the Pine-Richland Education Association issued a vote of no confidence in the school board majority Wednesday night. Accoridng to a news release from the association, concerns have been growing among educators and community members since 2023 when they fielded attacks from the board on social emotional learning and...
Riverview’s proposed budget includes small tax hike
Riverview School District taxpayers could see a 2.23% tax increase next school year under the district’s proposed budget. The 0.5591-mill real estate tax hike for 2025-2026 would be used to cover expenses including anticipated increases for technology due to tariffs and “mandatory” security guard staffing, said district Business Manager Sheila...
Penn Hills School Board candidate given go ahead after lawsuit was scrapped
A Penn Hills School Board candidate’s run for a seat will continue after a suit challenging her residency was thrown out. Board President Erin Vecchio filed a lawsuit on April 8 against candidate Qiana Buckner that accused her of living in Monroeville. A person living outside of a borough, city...
Oakmont, Verona to host events in advance of U.S. Open
Residents of Oakmont, Verona and Plum are bracing for the onslaught of out-of-towners the U.S. Open will bring. However, before the prolonged rush-hour traffic and battles for parking begin, residents are invited to party. The Oakmont and Verona Chambers of Commerce have teamed up to plan an Open-themed block party...
Leechburg Area School District announces multi-meeting town hall
Property owners within the Leechburg Area School District will be receiving a long-awaited update about taxation differences between West Leechburg, Leechburg and Gilpin. District officials have announced a Town Hall Tour for Wednesday, May 14. Starting at 6 p.m. at the West Leechburg Fire Hall, district officials will hold a...
6 candidates look to fill 4 seats on Riverview School Board
Six Democratic candidates for Riverview School Board are vying for four open spots on the November ballot in the May 20 primary. The candidates include incumbents Bridget Seery and Wendy Wilton and newcomers Chistopher Conard, Adeshewa Metzger, Nick Paradise and Michael Smales. Paradise and Wilton are cross-filed on the primary...
When the land runs out, so does much of the money for cemeteries
In September, Jacquelyn Connell asked Oakmont officials for help. Connell, 39, of Glenshaw is the only paid employee of the Verona Cemetery in Oakmont, also known as the Oakmont Verona Cemetery, which is quickly running out of money. If nothing changes, the cemetery will be broke in three years, she...
7 candidates seek party nods to run for 4 seats in Leechburg Area School Board race
The May 20 primary ballot will feature some familiar faces vying for four open seats on the Leechburg Area School Board. Incumbents Darius Lovelace, 73; Candi Stewart, 68; Ashley Coudriet, 45; and Jimmy Feudale, 65, are seeking to keep their seats. They are being challenged by Neill Brady, 76, and...
Alle-Kiski Valley school districts move, postpone proms after storms
Some high schoolers will have to wait a bit longer to don their tuxes and gowns. Due to intermittent power outages after Tuesday’s storms, Freeport Area and Highlands school districts changed their planned prom schedules. Both dances were scheduled for this weekend at the Syria Shriner’s Center in Harmar. According...
Freeport Towers residents look back on harrowing 37 hours
Joe Bodick has never loved the smell of hot dogs more than he did Wednesday night. Bodick, president of Freeport Towers tenant association, was one of the more than 80 high-rise residents who went without power for 37 hours after Tuesday’s violent storms. With mostly seniors living in the high-rise,...
Power companies tap out-of-state help to restore power, give target restoration dates
Power company workers from multiple states are helping West Penn Power restore service to thousands of residents without electricity since Tuesday’s storms. The workers set up a base in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “We have more than 4,000 FirstEnergy crews and external resources, including...
School districts deal with lost power, cleanup
Schools throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley and well beyond were shuttered Wednesday, and maybe longer, after Tuesday’s fast-moving thunderstorms. Several trees, two power poles and a transformer were brought down by strong winds at New Kensington-Arnold’s Valley High School and a portable toilet was flipped upside down. The district canceled school...
7 Democrats vying for 4 open seats on Verona Council
Registered Democrats in Verona will have a lot of voting options for council members in the May 20 primary. With seven candidates running for four open seats, the ballot features four incumbents and three newcomers. There are no Republican primary candidates for the seats. Here are the candidates and their...
Hazelwood, Harrison funeral director accused of pocketing $650K for pet cremations, burials that didn’t happen
Funeral director Patrick Vereb is facing multiple felony charges, accused of improperly disposing of thousands of dogs and cats after owners had paid for pet burials or cremations. Vereb, 70, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood owns and operates funeral homes in Hazelwood and Harrison and Eternity Pet Memorial, which provides funerals,...
Leechburg Area students take a stand against food insecurity
Leechburg Area seniors Nick Sherbondy and Ava Ferretti have certainly been keeping busy. After packing meals during a Rise Against Hunger event hosted by a group of Methodist churches in the Alle-Kiski Valley, the pair were inspired to keep the good deeds going. Sherbondy and Ferretti decided to host another...
Leechburg Rotary celebrates 100 years of service to the community
The Leechburg Rotary Club has been serving Leechburg and neighboring communities for 100 years, and it continues to do so. Established in 1925, the club has been serving the community through a slew of volunteer activities and fundraisers since its founding, with more planned. “It’s an organization made up of...
Penn Hills School Board has 9 candidates seeking party nods to run for 4 seats
Penn Hills residents are going to see a busy race for school board in the primary. With nine candidates running for four open seats, only two out of nine candidates are only seeking the Democratic nod. The rest of the candidates are cross-filed, according to the Allegheny County Office of...
Work set to start on site for long-awaited Oakmont parking lot
Construction on a long-awaited parking lot designed to alleviate traffic congestion in part of Oakmont’s business district is set to begin. Oakmont Community Foundation president Ray Rogers said work should be underway at the lot along Allegheny Avenue by the end of April. Those passing through Oakmont along Allegheny Avenue...
Penn State New Kensington students help attract homeowners, visitors to Leechburg
Leechburg residents are getting the chance to share their ideas. A group of Penn State New Kensington business students is working on a marketing plan for the borough to attract homeowners and visitors. “We want to emphasize the hidden gems and the little treasures Leechburg has to offer,” said Madaline...
Gilpin left without resolution after bringing gate complaints to supervisors
A gate across a private road in Gilpin continues to draw the ire of some residents, but there’s little the township can do about it. The gate, erected earlier this year across Upper Godfrey Road near Lower Allegheny Drive, is a safety hazard, according to complaints from residents, who say...
