James Engel stories, Page 23
A.W. Beattie Career Center to acquire classroom ambulance simulator, thanks to $85,000 infusion from state
The A.W. Beattie Career Center soon will have a “true-to-life” ambulance simulator in one of its classrooms. The school, a technical high school open to students in nine North Hills school districts, was among dozens of institutions awarded with competitive equipment grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Beattie received...
New West View coffee shop set to open in February
Colleen Kasenic has never owned a business before. But she is planning to give it a go with West View Brew, a new coffee shop set to open at 442 Perry Highway in West View. After more than 30 years working at a travel company, Kasenic said she wants to...
Shaler chief named president of Western Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association
Shaler police Chief Sean Frank recently was named president of the Western Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. The organization, which spans 21 counties, seeks to “secure personal and professional relationships” between local chiefs and advance law enforcement standards and goals, according to its website. Frank said he has been involved...
Shaler Area honors 6 staff members with Extra Mile Awards
The Shaler Area School District recently presented six staff members with its annual Kim Baysek-Young Extra Mile Award, which recognizes those who have “gone above and beyond” in their work for the district. On Jan. 21, Lisa Anderson, Greg DeFazio, Monica McElwain, Cristin Pintar, Steve Siedelson and Mitch Stivason received...
Pine-Richland School Board rejects proposal that sought to punish members for not signing document
The Pine-Richland School Board again fell into turmoil as it sought to revise its Board Procedure policy at a meeting Jan. 22. Though most changes met with little to no debate, a brief spat arose when board member Amy Terchick sought to revise a policy that asks members to sign...
Pine-Richland junior creates petition to oppose school board library policy
A Pine-Richland 11th grader has gathered nearly 1,900 signatures for an online petition against the Pine-Richland School Board’s controversial library policy revisions. Elise Duckworth said she created the change.org petition on Jan. 12 as an outlet for those in opposition to the board’s proposed policy changes and to insist the...
Etna Council member resigns; borough seeks replacement from First Ward
Etna Council accepted, “with regrets,” the resignation of longtime member Megan Tuñón at its Jan. 21 meeting. Tuñón, who has served on council since 2018, submitted her resignation earlier this month because of her “increasing duties” as executive director of the Etna Community Organization. That organization will oversee the construction...
McKnight Elementary students earn first place at Philadelphia civics competition
Students from McKnight Elementary School recently returned from Philadelphia with a first-place prize in hand after competing in the Citizenship Challenge, a civics competition. The competition, organized by the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement, asked students to consider whether the Constitution should be amended to remove the Electoral...
Author of book rejected by Pine-Richland School Board wants to visit district
Alabama-based author Randi Pink announced her hope to visit Pine-Richland after the district’s school board voted not to include her novel, “Angel of Greenwood,” in its ninth -grade language arts classes. The novel, a young adult romance set during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, was rejected 3-5-1 during the board’s...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with body found in Shaler
Allegheny County police arrested a 25-year-old man on homicide charges Thursday in connection with a body found in Shaler the day after Christmas. Eugene Jones of Pittsburgh is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, attempted criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license and recklessly endangering another person for an...
Ross Township swears in new commissioner
John Kettering was sworn in as the newest Ross Township commissioner during a brief special meeting of the board on Jan. 13. He will serve the township’s sixth ward for the remainder of 2025 after former Commissioner Jason Pirring resigned to coach North Hills girls basketball. Kettering, 36, said he...
North Allegheny Lacrosse group to hold free clinics
For youth interested in learning the nuts and bolts of lacrosse, North Allegheny Youth Lacrosse is set to hold three free clinics beginning in January. The clinics, which will be held at the North Park Sports Complex, are open to kindergartners through eighth graders in North Allegheny School District. Private...
Richland Township honors retired fire chief
Richland supervisors honored the recently retired chief of the Richland Township Volunteer Fire Department during their meeting Wednesday evening. Jim Kelly served as the department chief for 15 years, opting to retire in 2024 after 28 years of service. Richland Manager Brian O’Malley thanked Kelly for his “dedication and devotion”...
Police continue to investigate apparent homicide in Shaler
The investigation into a body found Dec. 26 in Shaler is still ongoing, according to Jim Madalinsky, public information officer for the Allegheny County Police. Allegheny County detectives are investigating the body as a homicide because the victim had an apparent gunshot wound to the head, but Madalinsky said he...
4 North Hills High School students make finals in ‘I Voted’ sticker contest
Among the 10 high school finalists in Allegheny County’s “I Voted” sticker contest, four come from one place — North Hills High School. The contest asked local high schoolers to design a 2-inch sticker to be given to Allegheny County voters in the upcoming primary and general elections in 2025....
Wegmans looks to open Cranberry location in late 2027, hints at further expansion in regionVideo
Wegmans executives said they are eyeing late 2027 as the target date to open their recently announced Cranberry location and hinted there could be more stores coming to the Pittsburgh area. The store still has to get final approval from Cranberry Township and enter the permitting process for the proposed...
Pine-Richland School Board rejects book during heated meeting
The Pine-Richland School Board voted against incorporating “Angel of Greenwood,” a novel set during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, into its ninth grade curriculum during an often hostile meeting Jan. 13 that stretched nearly to midnight. Board members, administrators and several public attendees traded barbs over the district’s ongoing controversy...
Wegmans to open first store in Pittsburgh area
Wegmans announced Monday it is planning to open a location along Cool Springs Drive in Cranberry, its first store in the Pittsburgh region. The New York-based supermarket chain operates more than 100 stores in the Eastern United States. As of January, its closest locations to Pittsburgh were in Erie and...
Tempers flare during 7-hour Pine-Richland School Board meeting over book policy
The latest episode in Pine-Richland School District’s yearslong discussions about book bans and book review policies took place Thursday during a nearly seven-hour school board meeting. Tempers occasionally flared as audience members shouted and board members sometimes argued among themselves while attempting to revise its “Library Resources” policy. The meeting...
Hampton police officers award $1,200 check for local scholarship fund
After months of fundraising, the Hampton Township Police Department presented a $1,200 check to the It’s About the Warrior Foundation during a special meeting of Hampton Council on Jan. 8. The money, according to IATW founder and executive director Steve Monteleone, will go toward the foundation’s Rob Kirsopp Memorial Scholarship....
Shaler to celebrate 125th anniversary with events in 2025
Shaler Township plans to celebrate its 125th anniversary as a first-class township with a series of promotions and events throughout 2025. Though Shaler was settled and established by the mid-19th century, the township only earned the Pennsylvania legal designation of a “first-class township” in 1900. This means that a town...
Former Pine-Richland trainer accused of filming boys in locker rooms
A former Pine-Richland School District athletic trainer has been charged with secretly filming male students in locker rooms and bathrooms, according to state police. Samuel Elliot Fischer, 34, faces child pornography charges for the allegations in connection with Pine-Richland and other school districts. He recorded boys in locker rooms in...
