James Engel stories, Page 9

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 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...

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...

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...

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...

Devin Adams, nearing the end of his first term on Plum School Board, resigned from his position this month after he and his family moved out of the district. Headed to the Norwin School District, Adams, who previously served as the Plum board’s vice president, said his time on the...

In anticipation of September’s Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, students from 25 school districts throughout Allegheny County convened March 26 at Acrisure Stadium to discuss their efforts to promote acceptance and counter hate in their communities. The conference, which marked a halfway point between last October’s Eradicate Hate summit...

Three times a week, hundreds have gathered around sundown at the Islamic Center of Western Pennsylvania in Marshall to celebrate and break their fasts during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Fasting during Ramadan, which happens to align with the month of March this year, is one of the five...

After an extensive study recommended changes last year, Ross is taking the first steps in what likely will result in a yearslong revamp of the township’s fire services. During a meeting earlier this year, the township commissioners tasked Robb Consulting, a Central Pennsylvania public safety consulting firm, with finding a...

A Walgreens pharmacy location is set to close its doors in McCandless come May. The location at 30 Pine Creek Road will shutter May 1 after 18 years at the site. The closure comes after the pharmacy chain announced last year it would shut down 1,200 of its locations over...

Hailing from Niigata High School on Japan’s western coast, 10 Japanese students attended three days of classes at Shaler Area. The students, mostly third-year high schoolers, sat in on science, technology, engineering and math classes from March 10-12 in an effort to learn more about American STEM education. Michael Burke,...

Ross police are investigating a scam that snatched more than $8,000 from a township resident who thought they were sending the money to the county sheriff. The victim received a call with a caller ID reading “Allegheny Cnty Sheriffs Dept,” during which they were told that an arrest warrant had...

Walnut Grill at Waterworks near Aspinwall closed its doors on March 16 after 16 years in business. Though it is unclear if the closure is related, it comes about a month after the Allegheny County Health Department issued a consumer alert regarding rodent droppings and 11 dead mice, along with...

A lawyer from Pine has withdrawn her candidacy in both primary races after a legal objection to her Democratic election petition alleged that several signatures were falsified. The objection, filed on March 17, questioned the authenticity of five signatures — 10 are required to run— on the petition of Kathleen...

Two school districts from the North Hills marched in the nation’s largest two St. Patrick’s Day parades — in New York and Chicago — during festivities March 17. Hampton High School’s marching band ambled up Columbus Drive near Lake Michigan in Chicago, while its counterparts from Shaler Area High School...

A North Hills junior, after a rigorous admissions process, was selected as one of five Americans set to attend the prestigious International Science School at the University of Sydney this summer. Raine Dickinson said she became aware of the school while participating in a program with the STEM nonprofit Higher...

A North Hills High School music teacher is one of several area educators nominated to receive a $10,000 award from the Manilow Music Project, which is giving away grants to schools during 81-year-old Barry Manilow’s final arena tour. If Len Lavelle emerges victorious from a public vote, North Hills would...

After decades of service, the owner of Alioto’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in Etna announced it will permanently close its doors March 31. Lilli Mosco, who has owned the restaurant since 2009, said Alioto’s has not been able to “keep pace” in the face of rising costs, especially after the...