James Engel stories, Page 14
Plum youth baseball and softball teams kick off season with 1st games
The Plum Baseball and Softball Association held its first games of the season on Monday, April 21 at the Plum Creek Municipal Ballfields after a day of rainy weather. Though the games unofficially kicked off the season, more formal opening day celebrations will be held Sunday, May 4, which will...
Cheswick turns to AI program to assess road conditions
Cheswick Council approved a contract that will enable the borough to scan its roads with AI-powered software to assess conditions and determine future projects. The borough inked the $12,000, three-year contract with German software company Vialytics for its RoadAI scanning program. To perform the scans, borough workers will attach a...
After years of turmoil, Lower Valley Ambulance Service does ‘complete 180’
When Terry Anzaldi took over as EMS chief of Lower Valley Ambulance Service in October 2023, he said reordering the foundering service was like putting together pieces of a puzzle. In 2022, the service rang the alarm bells, saying it had entered a “financial crisis” and needed relief from local...
Major building projects at Plum schools proceed as initial designs emerge
The Plum School Board moved forward with an extensive renovation and addition process at two district schools during a special meeting Wednesday night. The board heard a presentation from Robinson-based HDG Architects with updates on project bids at Plum Middle School and planning progress on a large addition project at...
Plum School Board appoints new member after 9 rounds of voting
It took nine rounds of voting, but the Plum School Board appointed a new member during a special meeting Wednesday night. Beverly Purcell, 65, will serve the remainder of the term left by Devin Adams, who resigned last month after moving out of the district. Now retired, Purcell served nearly...
Plum approves ordinance to restrict parking around Oakmont Country Club during U.S. Open
Plum Council adopted a temporary ordinance April 14 that will apply parking restrictions in the area around Oakmont Country Club during the upcoming U.S. Open tournament. The ordinance, which restricts nonresident street parking in the area, will affect around a dozen streets and more than 200 households for a week...
Family reports 18-year-old hiker in stable condition after fall from cliff in Harrison Hills Park
First responders spent around two hours helping to rescue an 18-year-old woman on Wednesday who reportedly fell off a cliff in Harrison Hills Park, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Emergency crews arrived around 2:50 p.m. and could be seen pulling the woman from a hillside. She seemed to fall...
Springdale police move to 12-hour shifts after trial run
After getting approval from the borough on Tuesday, Springdale police officers will be operating on a 12-hour schedule for the next six months. Springdale police Chief Derek Dayoub said the officers already have been working 12-hour shifts for the last 60 days as a trial run before the borough agreed...
Rachel Carson Trail sees temporary detour in Springdale Township amid land dispute
A section of the 45-mile Rachel Carson Trail is closed near Agan Park in Springdale Township because of a dispute with a landowner, according to the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy. The conservancy has set up a detour for hikers while the matter continues, conservancy Vice President Steve Mentzer said. Trail...
Holiday Park students raise trout for release in May
Fifth graders at Holiday Park Intermediate School have been raising dozens of newborn trout after placing 150 fish eggs in a classroom tank in January. After receiving the eggs from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, students designed and maintained the tank for several months as the fish grew and...
Knoch teacher accused of striking autistic student
A former Knoch Primary School teacher has been accused of slapping an 8-year-old autistic student in the face. State police charged Carly Miller, 35, of Hampton with simple assault and harassment in relation to a Nov. 26, 2024 incident. According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, the student...
Delay in ‘silica rule’ leaves some miners’ advocates worried
After the announcement by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration of a four-month delay in enforcement of the “silica rule,” some in the region are worried about what that delay signals for miners’ safety. The rule, issued last April, gave mine operators a year to upgrade respiratory protection programs...
PennDOT hopes to have new Salina Bridge ready for use by winter
Drivers could be crossing the Kiski River on the new Salina Bridge as soon as the winter. PennDOT assistant construction engineer Mark Kmetz said crews are finishing an abutment on the Kiski Township side of the river before the rest of the bridge can take shape. The span carries Bridge...
Plum to host 8th annual borough cleanup day
Around 250 Plum residents will scour the borough’s roadways April 19 for the eighth annual borough cleanup day. That is the highest number of volunteers the borough has seen for the event, according to Plum Manager David Soboslay. Volunteers will search mainly “high-traffic areas,” including state roads, for around an...
Arnold’s Fazio’s Italian Foods gets shoutout at Pat McAfee’s ‘Big Night Aht’
Closing out his celebrity-packed variety show at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday, ex-NFL player and sports commentator Pat McAfee picked up a bright orange sweatshirt that had been thrown onstage, to shout out an Arnold institution. Sweatshirt in hand, McAfee, a Plum native, sang some free advertising for Fazio’s Pizza...
Western Pennsylvanians prepare to capture April showers in rain barrels
As spring and gardening season begin, some Western Pennsylvanians are setting up a tool to harness the results of April showers: rain barrels. Generally placed below a downspout with a small spigot at the bottom, the barrels collect rainwater, keeping it from becoming runoff and storing it for practical use...
Plum departments begin volunteer firefighter stipend program
Five days into a new program that offers stipends for volunteer firefighters in Plum, Holiday Park VFD Chief Jim Sims said things have gone “very well.” The stipends — $15 per hour — were approved by the borough in January after the Plum Fire Chiefs Association initially presented the program...
Demolition crews level former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale
By March 26, the remnants of the former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale were razed after extensive demolition work throughout the month. The Allegheny Valley School Board shuttered the school in 2018 after years of declining enrollment and voted to demolish the building four years later, according to the...
Despite market volatility, local retirement experts urge restraint
Ride it out. That’s the general advice local financial advisers are giving those nearing retirement age who are watching stock markets around the world tumble after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs. With at least 60% of Americans, by some estimates, tied to the stock market through 401(k)s, IRAs or...
Leechburg baseball association’s stolen wood replaced, police investigating theft
The Leechburg Youth Baseball Association has its wood back. After about $1,400 worth of lumber was stolen from the group recently, a local hardware store donated exact replacements on Wednesday as the association prepares to begin its season. Covered with a tarp behind an equipment shed at Gilpin-Leechburg Park, the...
Springdale Council sifts through 15 applications for borough manager position
Springdale Council is considering applications from 15 candidates to fill the borough manager’s post. After the window to submit applications closed Monday, interim Manager Jason Dailey said council’s personnel committee will rank the applicants before conducting interviews. Of the 15 applicants, Dailey said four have previous municipal experience. Though the...
Judge clears Region 2 candidate to run for Pine-Richland School Board after objections
Judge John McVay ordered objections to Pine-Richland School Board candidate Robert Stein’s election petitions be denied on March 31, leaving Stein clear to run in the May primaries. The objections, filed by Pine-Richland attorney Chris Cafardi, alleged that Stein, who is running in Region 2 of the district, did not...
Decision on 2nd injection well in Plum to come in June, zoning board says
Plum’s zoning hearing board says it will have a final decision on the development of a second injection well along Old Leechburg Road by June. The board heard testimony from three people Monday night during the third in a series of hearings. Local environmental advocacy group Protect PT (Penn-Trafford) and...
‘Absolutely a miracle’ — Driver recounts harrowing Buffalo Township crash, help of good Samaritans
Christy Dray-Blackham says she must have had divine help when the minivan she was driving plunged 50 feet into a ravine and then a creek Thursday afternoon in Buffalo Township. That intervention came in the form of two nurse “angels” who happened by in separate cars and a slew of...
Judge likely to strike objections to Pine-Richland School Board candidate’s election petitions
After a brief hearing March 27, Judge John McVay indicated he likely will strike two objections filed against Pine-Richland School Board candidate Robert Stein. The objections, filed by Pine-Richland attorney Chris Cafardi, alleged that Stein, who is running in Region 2 of the district, did not have enough Democratic signatures...
