James Engel stories, Page 10
Workers clear asbestos from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School as renovation work continues
Workers finished clearing out asbestos from the lobby area of Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School this week ahead of further renovations set to begin next month, according to Allegheny Valley Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Jay Zangrille. The asbestos, original to the 65-year-old building, was encapsulated behind tiles in the lobby and...
Lawmakers introduce legislation regulating pet cremation after local scandal
Pennsylvania legislators introduced identical bills in the state House and Senate that would regulate animal cremation services after a scandal involving a local funeral director. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged in April by the state Attorney General’s Office with taking money for pet cremations but instead disposing of...
Close call! Passing train scuffs side view mirror of tractor-trailer rig parked next to tracks
A tragedy was barely averted Wednesday when a passing train scuffed the side-view mirror of a truck parked next to the train tracks in Natrona. Harrison police responded to the Vine Street railroad crossing after receiving a report that a train had clipped the side of a tractor-trailer. Police found...
Buffalo Township man dead after ATV accident in Armstrong County
A Buffalo Township man was pronounced dead by the Armstrong County coroner on Monday after a fatal ATV accident. Michael McGuire, 60, was last seen on Friday, July 18. The coroner said the ATV he was operating went over an embankment and rolled into a ditch near McGuire’s camp in...
Plum mayor, neighbors hope Rustic Ridge lawsuits will bring answers
After families of six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum sued multiple companies for alleged negligence and wrongful death Tuesday, the borough’s mayor and neighbors in the Rustic Ridge housing plan say they hope the suits will offer some answers nearly two years later. Filed in Allegheny...
Councilman voted new chief of Springdale Volunteer Fire Department
After the resignation of longtime Chief Kevin Wilhelm this month, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department selected borough Councilman Dan Copeland as its new man in charge. Copeland, who also serves as Springdale’s water committee chair, has been an officer at the department for 17 years, including 13 years as captain....
Elimination of a $200 tax could transform nation’s gun regulations
A seemingly small change to a federal law that has regulated some firearms for more than 80 years could be an open door for lawsuits with the potential to transform gun regulations. Part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” rolls back to zero a federal excise tax on certain...
Gun owners welcome elimination of tax on gun suppressors, expect increased demand
Willis Paul recently bought his 27th gun suppressor. He said he has collected the accessories for the past five years and, in that time, has shelled out $5,400 in excise taxes. But after changes to the National Firearms Act in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect...
Springdale opts for parking restrictions as new football field nears completion
Springdale Council voted in favor of a parking ordinance that is set to place restrictions on some streets near Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. The vote comes as Allegheny Valley School District continues construction of a new turf field that’s set to host Dynamos football games near the school this fall....
An inside look at Plum’s controversial fracking wastewater injection well
The wastewater injection site in Plum run by Penneco Environmental Solutions has been the subject of nearly a decade of legal battles and community backlash as the company has sought to expand its operations along Old Leechburg Road. Since 2017, the borough and Penneco have been at odds, as the...
Trump has no plans to appoint special council for Epstein case, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump would not recommend a special counsel to look into the Jeffrey Epstein case in the face of bipartisan calls for further investigation. “The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels,” Leavitt said...
Plum Council denies liquor license at convenience store in split vote
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel, for the first time, broke a council tie when he voted to deny a liquor license transfer in the borough to the location of Plum Convenience on Saltsburg Road. Members of borough council were split, 3-3, on the resolution that would have permitted the store to...
Filming of Apple+ series in South Buffalo to begin next week
Film crews will be in and out of South Buffalo until around Thanksgiving for an AppleTV+ series tentatively titled “Parallax.” The shoots will take place in the township’s Clinton neighborhood. It will total only about six days over the next several months, according to Kannie Yu LaPack, executive vice president...
Plum inks deal with DA for body cam footage requests
All Right-to-Know requests for police audio and video footage in Plum will go through the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office first after Plum Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the DA’s office. The memorandum requires the borough to forward all requests for audio and video related to “criminal and...
Plum fracking injection well battle continues as company appeals rejection
The years-long battle over a second injection well in Plum will continue. That’s because oil company Penneco Environmental Solutions filed an appeal in Allegheny County Court on Friday to the Plum Zoning Hearing Board’s rejection of the well last month. The Delmont-based firm has been attempting to convert a natural...
A year after their father’s death, Corey Comperatore’s daughters still looking for their new normal
Each Valentine’s Day, Allyson Comperatore said, her father brought home flowers for her and her sister. This February, the first without their dad, friends and neighbors came together to shower the daughters with flowers. “We’ve had people there for us every step of the way, whether it was shoulders to...
Riding for Corey: Memorial cruise, concert celebrate fallen firefighter’s legacy
Corey’s Cruise, an all-day memorial event for Buffalo Township firefighter Corey Comperatore, is set to hit the road Saturday ahead of a concert in West Deer. The event marks a year since Comperatore was shot and killed during the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a political rally in...
Buffalo Township supervisors hold off on solar farms vote amid residents’ concerns
The Buffalo Township supervisors are holding off voting on controversial solar farms again as residents continue to voice opposition. Board President Ron Zampogna said the move was at the request of the project’s developer, Atlanta-based SolAmerica, whose representatives could not attend this week’s supervisors’ meeting. It’s the second voting delay...
Buffalo Township solicitor recommends changes to proposed public comment limit
Buffalo Township’s solicitor has recommended substantial changes to its current draft of an ordinance that would place limits on public comment. The resolution, which was tabled at an unusual morning meeting late last month and again at Wednesday’s township supervisors meeting, came after a public hearing for two proposed solar...
Shapiro signs bill lifting ban on Sunday hunting
Hunters across the state soon could find themselves afield — legally — on almost any Sunday. Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed a bill that lifts the state’s age-old ban on Sunday hunting, opening the door for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to build hunting seasons that include Sundays. “The Pennsylvania...
Plum mayor pushing for borough deer cull; council president skeptical
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel says the borough needs to kill more deer. Allegheny County’s seventh-largest municipality, he said, is suffering from whitetail “overpopulation” that is causing public safety concerns and proving to be a nuisance to residents. Schlegel said this week he would like to see borough council move forward...
Former Penn Hills police officer charged in alleged road rage incident
A former Penn Hills police officer has been accused of intentionally spinning out another driver and later resisting arrest in Plum. Dennis Pape, 49, faces misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person, obstructing administration of law or other government and resisting arrest in addition to some summary charges. According to...
Police investigating deadly shooting in Penn Hills
Allegheny County Police are investigating a deadly shooting in Penn Hills that left one man dead just after 6 p.m. Monday. At the 11000 block of Frankstown Road, police said they found one adult male shot, who was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. Preliminary investigations indicate that the...
As Buffalo Township considers limits to public comment, many neighbors already have rules in place
At a recent special meeting, Buffalo Township Supervisors began consideration of a resolution that would place limits on public comment at meetings. But as the officials mull the potential new rules, many neighboring governments already abide by similar regulations. The resolution, which was tabled at an unusual morning meeting late...
‘Pittsburgh’s hidden gem’: Allegheny Islands provide escape in the river
For Jack Lachendro, you don’t have to go far from Downtown Pittsburgh to feel like you’re “truly in nature.” In fact, you need to head only 14 miles up the Allegheny River, said Lachendro, the environmental education specialist at Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). There, visitors will...
