James Engel stories, Page 9
Bishop set to bless Freeport church steeple ahead of parish’s 200th anniversary
Bishop Larry Kulick said he has blessed many things since being installed as the high priest of the Diocese of Greensburg in 2021. A 110-foot-high church steeple will receive his next blessing Sunday. Kulick is set to mount a crane after Mass on Sunday morning to ask for God’s favor...
Late night fire in Harmar destroys garage, SUV
A fire tore through a Harmar garage Thursday night, leading a half-dozen local departments to fight the blaze. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Jay Zangrille. Crews from Allegheny Valley, Blawnox, Oakmont, Rural Ridge, Frazer #2...
Springdale boiler demolition lawsuit heads to Pa. Supreme Court
Though the power plant boiler that towered over Springdale for decades was toppled months ago, the legal battle over its demolition continues, this time in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In September 2023, several Springdale residents got an emergency injunction to halt the planned implosion of the power plant’s boiler building,...
Though questions remain, local officials back proposed Springdale data center
After a planning commission meeting earlier this month offered the first glimpse of a massive proposed data center in Springdale, many local officials say they like what they see. Preliminary plans presented by Brian Regli, a consultant for developer Allegheny DC Property Co., include two large structures — a 565,000-square-foot...
266 acres added to State Game Lands in Indiana Township
A new 266-acre plot in Indiana Township is set to join State Game Lands 203. The property, located directly adjacent to Emmerling Community Park, hosts about 1 mile of the Rachel Carson Trail near Deer Creek. Initially acquired by the Allegheny Land Trust in March, the plot expands Game Lands...
Allegheny Valley School Board divided over students’ cellphone use in schools
Allegheny Valley School Board members haven’t come to a consensus on students’ cellphone access and use in district schools. A debate came Tuesday night after Superintendent Patrick Graczyk recommended the district continue its current policy this school year, which allows cellphones to be used in areas like the hallway or...
Springdale enacts new public comment policy ahead of 2nd data center meeting
Springdale Council has passed a public comment policy that sets new rules for potential speakers at borough meetings. The policy allows only residents and taxpayers of Springdale to take the podium. Each speaker also now has a three-minute time limit during comment periods at the beginning and end of meetings....
Plum students head back to the classroom
Students in Plum School District returned to the classroom on Wednesday for the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. Several pupils at Pivik Elementary School, which hosts kindergarteners through fourth graders, sprinted off the bus in anticipation. Over the summer, the district began planned improvements at Plum Middle School and...
Springdale considering new rules for public comment
Springdale Council is considering a new policy that would place parameters on public comment at meetings, as officials review plans for a massive data center in the borough. The policy would set a three-minute time limit on each speaker during comment periods at the beginning and end of meetings. It...
Window tint, car wrapping business set to open in Plum
A new auto garage specializing in window tints and vinyl wrapping is set to open in Plum in September. Located at 7993 Saltsburg Road at Unit I, Mr. Tint PGH will offer commercial, residential and auto tints as well as customized wraps and coatings for cars, according to owner Eric...
Plum’s Nesbit’s Lanes reopens with ‘facelift’
After a summerlong closure, longtime Plum staple Nesbit’s Lanes reopened this week. The reopening offered bowlers their first glimpse of the bowling alley, which was completely renovated and redesigned after 78 years in business. Anthony Tierno, who bought the business from Rich Nesbit last year, said the changes included new...
Buffalo Township teacher sometimes handcuffed teen during sex, police allege
Fear that her future in volleyball could be at risk was at least one reason the victim of alleged sexual assaults by a teacher and former coach did not report the incidents earlier, court records suggest. Jared Lampus, 50, of Buffalo Township was arrested Friday and accused of a bevy...
Allegheny Valley gets new artificial turf as athletic field construction nears finish
Workers laid down artificial turf Friday at the site of what is set to become the Springdale Dynamos’ new athletic home field. The field, across Butler Road from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School, will host Allegheny Valley football and soccer this fall as well as track and field in the spring....
Pa. Game Commission’s elk cam returns ahead of mating season
A constant livestream in the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk country has restarted as the species begins its mating season, called the elk rut. The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced Friday it had powered up its video and audio stream of an area near Elk State Forest and State Gamelands 311 for...
Allegheny Valley to implement new emergency alert badges this school year
Allegheny Valley teachers and staff will have an additional safety tool this school year. On their first day back district employees will receive training to use Centegix’s CrisisAlert panic button system. The system will add a credit-card sized badge into the lanyards or clips that employees already wear, according to...
Plum hires 2 principals to fill roles at high school, middle school
Plum School Board voted on Tuesday, Aug. 12 to hire two new principals about a week before the first day of school. Colleen Pegher joins the district as assistant principal at Plum High School, and Rachel Lintelman takes over as assistant principal at Plum Middle School. Pegher previously served 11...
Buffalo Township supervisors OK controversial solar farms despite resident resistance
In the face of fierce community opposition, the Buffalo Township supervisors gave developers the green light Wednesday for two controversial solar farms. After a summerlong discussion and two delayed votes, supervisors opted 4-1 to allow Atlanta-based SolAmerica to install solar arrays on an 81-acre spot off Bear Creek Road and...
Rustic Ridge neighbors file additional lawsuits ahead of house explosion anniversary
Neighbors have filed three new lawsuits against several companies just ahead of the two-year anniversary of a house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood that killed six and caused damage throughout the housing plan. The suits, filed throughout early August, come after family members of those killed in the blast...
Decisive vote expected from Buffalo Township supervisors on proposed solar farms
After a summerlong controversy surrounding two proposed solar farms, Buffalo Township supervisors are expected to cast a final vote to approve or reject the projects at their meeting Wednesday night. A vote already has been delayed twice. The first holdup happened in June after a group of residents opposed to...
Plum’s Nesbit’s Lane set to reopen in August, fundraiser to follow
Anthony Tierno said he’s hoping Aug. 18 will mark the beginning of a “new era” at Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum. That’s the date the 78-year-old bowling alley is set to reopen. The alley has been shuttered since May for renovations to its interiors and repairs to its roof after a...
Springdale man charged with marijuana operation, animal abuse tased after fleeing arrest
After Springdale Police were called to check on two dogs at a home in the borough, officers said, they discovered not only a pair of animals covered in urine and feces without food and water, but also a large cache of marijuana. That netted Joshua Pawlak, 35, two felony counts...
South Buffalo bridge to remain closed for months, potential replacement to follow
Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad officials told South Buffalo residents that a wooden bridge that provides one of two access points to the township’s Clinton neighborhood will likely remain closed at least until October. That’s after crews abruptly closed the 115-year-old bridge, which carries Clinton Road over railroad tracks, with large...
Despite judge’s order to avoid banks, man accused of new robbery in Bloomfield
The man charged with robbing a Bloomfield bank on Thursday had been ordered to stay away from financial institutions after his arrest four months earlier on a similar crime. Police said Aaron Roth brandished a revolver at a Chase Bank in Shadyside in April and made off with $500. Roth,...
Springdale data center could be one of many in region
Brian Regli thinks folks in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the Pittsburgh region in general should embrace the idea of data centers. The data center he’s pushing for in Springdale, he said, may only be the beginning of a much larger current in Western Pennsylvania. As consultant for the proposed center’s...
Morning Roundup: 2 shot in North Braddock; Penn Hills homeowner wounded in burglary attempt
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, Aug. 7: Two men shot in North Braddock vehicle Just before 12:30 a.m., police received reports of a shooting in North Braddock. The incident reportedly took place at the 400 block of Seddon Avenue. Soon after, police were...
