James Engel stories, Page 3
Police: Man used ‘special key’ to gain access to skill games, cash fraudulent $5K voucher
Allegheny Valley Police charged a North Carolina man with felony fraud and criminal conspiracy after, they say, he used a generic key to gain access to cash vouchers in a skill game machine at a Cheswick Sunoco in July. Jhueate Andrews, 25, then cashed a $5,000 voucher he obtained from...
Harrison man indicted after officials say he threatened to shoot postal carrier and shoot up post office
A federal grand jury has indicted a Harrison man on 11 charges after he was arrested in a raid on his home late last month. The grand jury indictment against Thomas Dorn, 39, of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood adds eight counts of interstate threats and a single count of threatening to...
Local news festival Newsapalooza set to return this week
Newsapalooza, a two-day local news festival in Pittsburgh, will return for another year on Thursday and Friday. The event will take place at Point Park University and its Pittsburgh Playhouse theater. Presented by Point Park’s Center for Media Innovation, Newsapalooza saw its first edition last year. Attendees can expect numerous...
Wilkinsburg man accused of beating woman to death in Plum
Allegheny County Police have accused Shawn Higgins of beating his girlfriend to death in Plum on Saturday. Higgins, 62, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection to the death of Jacqueline Pryber. Police in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, initially located Pryber’s body in the passenger seat of Higgins’...
Springdale incumbent mayor increases lead to 3 votes
Springdale’s Republican incumbent Mayor Joel Anderson now leads his opponent by three votes after Allegheny County updated its unofficial election results. The unofficial results currently show Anderson with 521 votes to Democrat John Murray’s 518. Initial unofficial results had shown Anderson leading by a single vote, 517-516. Anderson did not...
Springdale Planning Commission OKs data center project; proposal moves to council
After months of discussion, Springdale’s Planning Commission offered its blessing to a massive data center proposed in the borough. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the three-member body opted to recommend that Springdale Council approve the project. The commission, which is not elected, is only an advisory group. The elected...
Water at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield is usable again, DEP says
After about a month without drinkable water, residents at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield can begin to use their faucets again, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Decker. Laboratory test results showed the water to be compliant with Environmental Protection Agency standards, which allowed water operators...
Crews battle second-alarm house fire in South Buffalo
More than a dozen fire departments were dispatched to a second-alarm house fire Monday afternoon in South Buffalo. Armstrong County 911 operators said they received the first calls for the blaze on Iseman Road around 4:20 p.m. No one was transported from the scene, and crews contained the fire about...
Residents of Winfield mobile home park left without water, answers for a month
For about a month, Madalyn Smith has been heating water she collects in jugs at a nearby spring on her stove to quickly rinse off in her shower. That’s because Smith — and all of her neighbors at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield — have been without usable water...
Fire scorches vacant Verona home that was being renovated
Fire crews rushed to the scene of a blaze at an unoccupied home on Peter Street in Verona on Thursday afternoon. The fire, which began just after 4 p.m., seems to have ignited in a bathroom, according to Verona Volunteer Fire Company Capt. Andy Tihey. Though renovations had been ongoing...
Plum searches for 4 new patrol officers
Plum Police say they soon plan to hire four new patrol officers. Department spokesman Det. Joe Little said the department is hiring in anticipation of retirements to bring the force up to its “typical compliment of officers.” The borough’s website states the department has 29 officers, including the chief and...
Garbage pick-up day changed in Freeport
Garbage pick-up day for most residents of Freeport has been moved up a day. Pick-ups normally scheduled for Friday will now take place on Thursdays, according to borough Manager Tina Ferringer. For residents of Laneville and Franklin, Washington and Buffalo streets, garbage day will remain on Tuesday....
Freeport Councilwoman resigns; spot to be filled next year
Freeport Councilwoman Lori Miller resigned from her post on Wednesday. Miller had served as council Vice President. Her term was set to expire in 2027. She declined a TribLive request for comment. Borough Manager Tina Ferringer cited “personal reasons” as the reason for the resignation. She said the council would...
Questions remain after dueling meetings for Springdale data center proposal
The latest data center discussions in Springdale may have raised more questions than they answered Wednesday night. Local people gathered at From Italy Pizza for a packed open forum with environmental groups to organize the community, while developers fielded questions and revealed new details a half-mile away in the Springdale...
Woman who crashed into Springdale townhouse charged with risking catastrophe, DUI
Springdale police have filed charges against the woman who crashed her SUV into a Springdale townhouse and sheared a gas meter Saturday. Kellie McCalmont, 56, of Springdale is charged with felony causing or risking a catastrophe and misdemeanor DUI. Court filings also show her charged with leaving an unattended child...
La Vigneta Winery reopens in Winfield — this time as a restaurant
What started in 2011 as a small-scale winemaking operation in the basement of Francesca Howden’s home is now a 175-seat upscale restaurant in Winfield. La Vigneta Winery reopened in late October at the former site of the Cooper Station Restaurant on North Pike Road (Route 356). The winemaker previously operated...
Former Plum Burger King demolished; owner searching for tenant
A building once occupied by Burger King in Plum has been demolished as the property owners search for a new occupant for the lot. Located at the corner of Golden Mile Highway and New Texas Road, the building had been home to the Burger King for decades until the restaurant...
Route 28 to see rolling closures Wednesday
PennDOT says a section of Route 28 will see rolling closures in both directions of Route 28 on Nov. 12. The closures will halt traffic in all lanes for 15 minutes at a time, or less, between RIDC Park (Exit 10) and Harmar/I-76/Route 910 (Exit 11) interchanges between 10 a.m....
Namdar to repave 2 roads at Pittsburgh Mills later this month
Two roads at the Pittsburgh Mills mall will be repaved this month, starting a process Frazer officials hope to see continue. Crews will descend upon Village Center and Galleria drives starting Nov. 17. The outbound lane of Village Center will be closed Nov. 17-18, while the inbound lane will close...
Several new faces among victors in Allegheny Valley School Board race
Among the four newly elected members of Allegheny Valley School Board, only one is an incumbent. Current Board President Nino Pollino, who earned the second most votes, will retain a seat he’s held for most of the past three decades. He’ll be joined by Fred Derringer, Rebecca Mundok and Colleen...
Conflicting meetings center on Springdale data center proposal
Springdale residents interested in the proposed data center project might have to choose which meeting on the proposal to attend next week. After several official meetings before various Springdale bodies, community members are planning to take things into their own hands. Locals will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12...
As SNAP benefits remain in limbo, grocers brace for potential impact
Grocers who rely on sales from customers using federal food assistance are bracing for financial pain that could amount to millions of dollars in losses. Nationwide, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves an average of almost 42 million participants per month who spend almost $100 billion per year on...
Cheswick sees slate of incumbents hold council seats
Four incumbents on Cheswick Council seeking reelection held onto their seats in Tuesday’s election. The election saw two races — one with five candidates seeking four four-year terms and another with two candidates seeking two two-year terms. Nicholas Pollino earned the most votes in both races but said he’d likely...
Democrats win all 4 seats on Plum Council
Democrats carried the day in Plum, unseating incumbent Republicans to claim four seats on borough council. Unofficial results show Ryan Delaney as the top voter-getter with 14.5%, followed by James McBride with 13.9%, Raymond Rall with 13.2% and Phoebus Apollo with 12.8%. The Democratic sweep renders incumbents Paul Dern, Steve...
Unofficial results show incumbent Springdale mayor winning by 1 vote
Unofficial election results show incumbent Springdale Mayor Joel Anderson ahead of his Democratic challenger by just a single vote. Allegheny County tabulations from Tuesday night’s election have Anderson, a Republican, with 517 votes and John Murray with 516. Among the 13 write-in votes, none listed either candidate. Anderson won an...
