Police: Man torches Plum home after it was seized by bank
Plum Police say a man who was evicted from his home in January returned late last month to set it ablaze. William Lee Gildernew, 23, is facing felony charges of arson, burglary, risking a catastrophe and criminal mischief. There is a warrant out for his arrest. In mid-January, the Allegheny...
Plum Council expected to vote Monday on ICE noncooperation resolution
Plum could be the next community to bar its police and staff from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. That’s if Plum Council on Monday opts to pass a proposed noncooperation resolution discussed at its March 2 meeting. Councilman Ray Rall said officials are still waiting for a final draft of...
Flipped truck closes stretch of Golden Mile Highway in Plum
A short stretch of Golden Mile Highway in Plum has reopened after a tri-axle truck flipped on its side Thursday morning. PennDOT reopened the section of the road between Old Frankstown and New Texas roads just before 2:30 p.m., Holiday Park VFD Jim Sims said the accident, which took place...
Another Freeport Council resignation has borough looking for a replacement
Freeport Council needs another member as of Monday. That’s because Councilwoman Sara Conroy resigned from her post after about two years in office. Conroy did not respond to TribLive requests for comment. Council President Pete Wesolosky said Conroy planned to move out of the borough after accepting a new job....
House party with 66 minors ends in felony charges for Plum couple
A Plum couple is facing charges after police busted an alcohol-laden party that included 66 minors at their house, according to court documents. Ian Dryburgh, 50, and Corrinne Dryburgh, 45, are facing felony charges of endangering the welfare of children as well as misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors, recklessly...
Plum residents mull resolution to bar police cooperation with ICE ahead of council vote
Residents in Plum had plenty to say Monday as borough council considers a noncooperation resolution with federal immigration authorities. Most of the more than a dozen speakers at Plum Council’s discussion meeting were supportive of the resolution, though several residents said they didn’t see the need. Plum police, following a...
Freeze-thaw cycle leaves region scrambling to fill potholesVideo
If you’re seeking the culprit behind that crater you have to avoid on your morning drive, look past the local road crew — and blame Mother Nature. That’s because of a process called the freeze-thaw cycle, something particularly present in Western Pennsylvania’s wet climate and varied topography. It’s a recipe...
Plum Council to discuss resolution not to cooperate with ICE
Plum Council will be the latest local government discussing noncooperation with ICE on Monday. Councilman Ray Rall said council is hoping to solicit the community’s opinion ahead of any action. “Right now, it’s just a matter of putting it up for discussion,” Rall said. A newly elected Democrat, Rall said...
Allegheny Valley Regional Police looking to acquire river patrol boat
The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department may soon be out on the water. That’s because the department — which serves Cheswick, Springdale Township and East Deer — is set to purchase a river patrol boat this spring. Despite the region’s three rivers, police boats are relatively rare, according to Allegheny...
Community rallies behind Buffalo Township family after house fire
After a fire gutted a Buffalo Township home earlier this month, neighbors and strangers alike have come together to support a local family. The Haberman family watched as firefighters battled a smoky blaze at their Edgewood Drive home for more than five hours on Feb. 19. Husband and wife Rob...
Plum School District dispels notion of reduced school nurse staffing
Full-time school nurses will continue to be present in all of Plum’s schools, the district says. Despite some online concern about the district’s staffing levels, Superintendent Rick Walsh said he’s committed to maintaining nurses at each school. Each of the five district schools has a certified school nurse in addition...
Fire damages home in Plum’s Holiday Park neighborhood
A house fire that began in the bedroom of a Plum home has left the structure with extensive damage, according to Holiday Park VFD Chief Jim Sims. Sims said the home on the 4900 block of Havana Drive was unoccupied when the fire broke out just after 1 p.m. The...
Springdale says benefits discussions with data center developer to begin soon
Data center discussions may soon return to the fore in Springdale. The borough is set to begin conversations with developers to form a community benefits agreement. It will do that with the help of a recently hired consulting group and nonprofit stewardship organization Friends of the Riverfront. Community benefits agreements...
Plum bakery Baked With Love set to reopen with new menuVideo
Plum is set to get a touch sweeter this month. That’s because Baked With Love, a bakery owned by Plum native Nickole Love Nader, is set to open soon. Love Nader said she’s planning a soft opening Saturday ahead of grand opening celebrations March 7. The bakery previously operated out...
Father of Sean Dicer charged with trying to assault TV news crew
The father of a former Highlands School District teacher accused of sexually assaulting students now has legal problems of his own. Harold Dicer, 77, of Plum is charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct after, police say, he attempted to drive his SUV into a television news crew. Dicer...
Springdale residents divided, frustrated after recent ICE detainment
Springdale Council and residents are divided over the local police department’s cooperation with ICE. Several displeased residents took the chance to confront officials Tuesday at council’s first meeting since the detainment of Springdale resident Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, originally from Peru. But the meeting — attended by a few dozen residents...
Taco Bell headed to Plum after council approval
Plum is set to get its first Taco Bell restaurant. Borough council voted to approve a conditional use application and land development plan from developers at its meeting Monday. The proposed restaurant would be at the site of the former Sheetz on Golden Mile Highway. The 1-acre plot has sat...
‘They’re trying to break him’: Springdale man remains jailed after ICE detainment
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials regarding their reason for detaining Randy Cordova-Flores. A Springdale man arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday is struggling to remain positive while being held in a West Virginia jail. “They’re playing...
More Pittsburgh police officers put on leave as probe into bar fight continues
Three more Pittsburgh police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave after a reported area bar fight, according to police spokeswoman Cara Cruz. The three officers will join another policeman placed on leave Tuesday. Cruz confirmed the officers were placed on leave after an “altercation in a bar outside...
Police arrest sexual assault suspect after SWAT situation in Pittsburgh
A SWAT situation in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood ended with the surrender of a man wanted on sexual assault charges, police say. Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Pittsburgh Police and U.S. Marshals were asked to assist with the apprehension of Christopher Wilson, who was wanted by Allegheny County Police. Wilson,...
Pittsburgh Police investigate armed robbery at Bloomfield bar
Pittsburgh Police say two armed men robbed a Bloomfield bar Thursday morning, making off with an unknown amount of cash. Officers were called to the scene around 10 a.m. at the 600 block of South Millvale Avenue, according to a statement from Pittsburgh Public Safety. The only bar in that...
Local lawmakers question ICE’s detention of Springdale father
Though local officials have mostly remained silent,the Alle-Kiski Valley’s lawmakers are seeking more details after a traffic stop in Springdale ended with a local father in ICE custody on Tuesday. Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, remains in custody at Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records....
Fire tears through home in Plum’s Logans Ferry HeightsVideo
About a dozen fire companies rushed to the scene of a fire that gutted a home in Plum on Thursday afternoon. The blaze was reported just after 3:15 p.m. on the 200 block of Dombroski Avenue in the borough’s Logans Ferry Heights neighborhood. It was about a half-mile away from...
Officials quiet after Springdale man detained by ICE
Springdale and federal officials remained mostly mum Wednesday after the arrest of a borough resident by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday. Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, remains in custody at Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records. Originally from Peru, Cordova-
Flores was detained after Springdale...
Springdale Police hand over resident to ICE after traffic stop, family saysVideo
Peru native Randy Cordova-Flores was driving near the corner of Lincoln and James streets in Springdale on Tuesday when local police pulled him over, according to his sister, Paulette Cordova. Soon after, he was in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. In what appears to be the first...
