James Engel stories
Freeport appoints two new council members
Two residents became the newest Freeport Council members on Monday night. Carrie Irvine and Pete Wesolosky were both unanimously appointed to their seats by the rest of council. One of the two seats was left open beacuse of a discrepancy on Freeport ballots in the November general election. According to...
Woman accused of abandoning 12 cats in Allegheny Township faces cruelty charges
Allegheny Township police have accused a woman of abandoning a dozen cats in her apartment without food after she was evicted in October, leaving some severely emaciated. Laura Zboravan, 56, who now lives in Gilpin, is charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and several misdemeanor animal...
New members join Plum Council, leaders named
November’s four election victors officially joined Plum Council on Monday, Jan. 5. Ryan Delaney, James McBride, Raymond Rall and Phoebus Apollo were sworn-in to their posts by District Judge Mike Doyle at the borough’s reorganization meeting. The four were part of a Democratic slate that swept aside Republican incumbents Paul...
Rising utility costs cause record demand for assistance
A record number of requests has been made this winter to a Pittsburgh nonprofit that doles out funds to help people pay their rising utility bills. As of late December, Dollar Energy Fund had processed $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October — a 131% increase over the same...
Here’s how to shop for lower utility costs
For Western Pennsylvania consumers worried about the costs of heating their homes this winter, there are options. Customers could find some relief on the marketplace, but it’s not entirely without risk. Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence said shopping for better rates on the Pennsylvania Utility Commission’s PaGasSwitch and PaPowerSwitch web...
Building the Valley: Secondhand shop for kids ‘fills need’ in Vandergrift
Dylann Sowers says she opened her new storefront in Vandergrift with the community in mind. Kiski Kids Closet, located downtown on Grant Avenue, is a secondhand shop focused on affordable children’s clothing. It opened in mid-December. Sowers, 28, of Parks Township has three young boys of her own, which offered...
Allegheny County DA drops charges against Cheswick man previously accused of raping child
Allegheny County prosecutors dropped more than a dozen charges — many of them felony sex crimes — against a Cheswick man previously accused of raping a child. Jeremiah Segan, 42, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in December as part of a negotiated plea. He was sentenced to 30 months...
Harmar opts for minor bump in taxes in new budget
Harmar property owners will see a slight increase to their tax bills this year under the township’s 2026 budget. The budget includes a 0.25 mill — or 8% — increase. That means property owners with a home at Harmar’s median assessed value of $91,400 would see their yearly bill go...
Charges withdrawn against Butler County man previously accused of raping child
Nearly a dozen charges against Michael Garrett Saunders, including rape of a child, have been withdrawn by the Butler County District Attorney’s Office. Saunders, 49, of Winfield was arrested in October 2024 before his case was dismissed without prejudice in July by Judge Joseph Kubit. Butler County authorities refiled identical...
Buffalo Township approves tax hike to rebuild reserves
Buffalo Township residents will see another bump in their property taxes next year after township supervisors opted to raise the township’s millage rate in their recently passed budget. It raises real estate taxes about 22%, from 13.5 mills to 16.5 mills. That means the owner of a property at the...
No tax increase for South Buffalo property owners next year
Next year, South Buffalo homeowners can expect their tax bills to remain the same. The township passed its 2026 budget without a real estate tax hike for the 16th consecutive year earlier this month. South Buffalo’s property tax rate will remain at 5.7 mills. That means for a home at...
Plum School District’s new finance director returns to role he previously occupied
John Zahorchak is set to return to Plum School District as its new director of finance and operations. Zahorchak, a Plum resident, previously served in the same role from 2016-2021 before leaving for neighboring Penn Hills School District. There, he helped oversee Penn Hills’ exit from financial recovery status in...
90-year-old artist paints portraits of caregivers who helped her recover at Plum retirement community
When a broken leg rendered Eva Lu Damianos mostly immobile in June, a whole team of nurses, aides and therapists assembled to get her back on her feet. Months later — now sauntering around with the help of a walker — Damianos, 90, has chosen to express her gratitude by...
Water main break repaired at Winfield mobile home park after persistent issues
A “boil water advisory” has been lifted for residents of Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield after a six-day repair period for a broken water main. Park management and the state Department of Environmental Protection both confirmed the advisory was lifted on Tuesday. In a statement sent to residents, park...
Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon cracks $1.25 million all-time total in 25th edition
When Rick Berrott started Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon in 1999, the event lasted a few hours and was filmed on VHS tapes. But in its 25th edition on Monday and Tuesday, students stayed on the digital airwaves for more than 12 hours to crack an all-time total of $1.25 million. Berrott,...
Penn Hills man accused of fighting Plum police after being revived from drug overdose
A man repeatedly attempted to fight Plum police officers after being revived from an apparent drug overdosed Monday, police say. Frank Russo, 39, of Penn Hills is charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault, obstructing administration of the law and resisting arrest, among other misdemeanors. Officers were dispatched to...
Freeport Council appoints member for remainder of year
Carrie Irvine will serve just over three weeks on Freeport Council before her term ends. She was appointed by elected members of the council on Dec. 9 to fill a vacant seat on the seven-member body for the remainder of the year. That seat was left open by the early-November...
Springdale Council members say they legally had little choice in data center approval
Despite significant pushback from residents and environmental groups, Springdale Council members said they were powerless to reject a proposed data center project in the borough. Council voted, 5-2, Tuesday to approve a conditional-use application from land developer Allegheny DC Property Co. to build a massive AI data center at the...
No tax hike, but slight bump to sewage bills in Freeport’s proposed budget
Freeport residents can mostly expect business as usual in 2026 if the borough opts to pass its proposed budget on Monday. The budget doesn’t opt for any tax hikes, though residents’ sewage surcharge would go up just under $2. The surcharge would be bumped to $48.71 from its current $47,...
Winfield mobile home park faces water troubles again after monthlong ‘Do Not Use’ notice
Barely a month after water at Bernie’s Mobile Home in Winfield finally tested at safe drinking levels, residents are facing a boil water advisory. In a statement sent to residents, park management said Bernie’s had experienced a water main break on Wednesday, which resulted in a loss of water pressure....
Springdale Council passes budget without tax bump; sewer bills see slight increase
Springdale residents can expect much of the same in 2026. Borough Council passed its budget Tuesday with a slight increase to sewer rates but no tax increase. Sewer rates will go up 7%, or $1 per 1,000 gallons of usage, from $13.75 to $14.75. At the borough’s rate of 9.75...
Springdale data center gets initial OK, but several more public hearings to come
Though Springdale Council offered its approval for a conditional-use application from developers seeking to build a massive data center in the borough, the vote is only the beginning of the process. The project now enters the land development stage, which likely will last months and involve several more public meetings...
Residents near proposed Springdale data center left frustrated by council’s approval
Rex Cramer has lived on Porter Street in Springdale for more than 30 years. When he arrived in the borough, he moved in directly across the street from a towering coal-fired power plant — the former Cheswick Generating Station. The plant’s frequently fraught demolition concluded earlier this year. But on...
New Salina Bridge open to traffic; demo of old span still to come
After more than a year of construction, motorists can now cross the Kiski River on the new Salina Bridge. The span carries Bridge Street over the river and Norfolk Southern railway tracks between Bell and Kiski townships. Stretching 650 feet, the bridge features two 11-foot-wide lanes and 5-foot shoulders. The...
Springdale Council approves data center despite resident resistance
Saying its hands were tied, Springdale Council approved an application to construct an AI data center in the borough. After months of meetings and debate, council voted, 5-2, Tuesday night to approve a conditional-use application from developer Allegheny DC Property Co. to build a massive complex at the site of...
