James Engel stories, Page 5
Republican Springdale mayor faces Democratic challenger
Two men are vying to be mayor of Springdale on Nov. 4. Democrat John Murray is challenging incumbent Republican Joel Anderson, who has served as mayor since 2023. Anderson declined TribLive requests to comment for this story. A resident of the borough since 1996, Murray, 66, ended up on the...
State police, FBI begin digging operation in South Buffalo
State police crews, with assistance from the FBI, began an extensive digging operation Tuesday near a private residence in South Buffalo. Police used a backhoe to excavate a small section of the private plot along River Road in the township’s Clinton neighborhood. Several law enforcement vehicles were on-site, including one...
Route 28 patching work near Freeport delayed
Originally scheduled to begin Wednesday, patching work on Route 28 in Butler County will now begin Oct. 27. The work, which will restrict north and southbound traffic to single lanes, will end the following day. Set to take place between Exit 16 (Freeport/Millerstown) and Exit 17 (Route 356 Butler/Freeport/Sarver), the...
Fire breaks out at Fox Chapel house near Beechwood Farm Nature Reserve
Firefighters from multiple departments battled a house fire near the site of the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel on Tuesday morning. The fire was reported around 10 a.m. at a residence on Dorseyville Road that is not associated with the nature reserve. It was mostly knocked down by...
Family of late oncology nurse starts CCAC endowment for non-traditional students
Barbara Kelly was in her late 30s when she decided to return to school. The mother of four earned her nursing degree at the Community College of Allegheny County and went on to serve at West Penn Hospital’s oncology ward for 25 years. Kelly, a lifelong resident of Plum, died...
Former Vereb Funeral Home in Harrison to become new location of local health clinic
A new business is set to operate out of the former Vereb Funeral Home in Harrison. Allegheny Health and Physical Medicine will move into the facilty at 1007 Freeport Road. The funeral home closed earlier this year just before its previous owner was accused by the state attorney general of...
Staffing, infrastructure top of mind for Allegheny Valley School Board candidates
After the May primaries slimmed the candidate pool by two, the five remaining contenders for Allegheny Valley School Board say the main issues they’ll seek to tackle are teacher retention and infrastructure improvements. The five — two of whom have previous board experience — will compete for four open seats....
A guide to the upcoming Springdale data center hearings
It seems the data center discussions in Springdale won’t be ending anytime soon. In the coming weeks, developers will appear before three borough bodies in an attempt to gain approval for the proposed data complex at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station. Here’s a rundown of what comes...
4 Plum alumni return to alma mater to galvanize high schoolers
Brian Kelly, a 1993 Plum graduate, told a personal finance class at his alma mater that he didn’t have the best grades in high school. More than 30 years later, he’s the head of PNC Healthcare and an executive vice president at the bank. Kelly is among four honored alumni...
Developers of would-be data center in Springdale offer first testimony to council
Developers presented the first part of what could be monthslong testimony on Thursday in an effort to earn approval for a massive data center project in Springdale. Allegheny DC Property Co. offered new details about potential tax revenue from the proposed project to a packed council chamber filled with more...
Bids for Plum’s O’Block Elementary addition, renovations come in $2M under projection
The Plum School Board is moving forward on a set for bids that are about $2 million under initial projections for multimillion dollar renovations at O’Block Elementary. Earlier estimates showed the “hard costs” of the large-scale project sitting at $21.6 million, but that number ended up closer to $19.6 million....
Emergency crews complete drill at Parks Township nuclear waste site
Around a half dozen vehicles from the Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department and Vandergrift EMS drilled for a potential emergency at a nuclear waste dump on Wednesday. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 44-acre Parks Township site is entering what’s projected to be a yearslong remediation period....
A year after their union vote, Greco Steel workers continue contract struggle
Several dozen workers and supporters were met with locked doors at Greco Steel’s Springdale headquarters on Wednesday as some employees continued their yearlong struggle for a contract with the company. The nine workers won a narrow vote — 9-7 — to join the Iron Workers International Union last October. Still...
Springdale Township’s Hite Road to remain closed all week
Road crews will keep Hite Road in Springdale Township closed until Friday, according to PennDOT. The workers from A. Liberoni, Inc. will conduct drainage improvements throughout the stretch of road between Pillow Avenue and Spring Street. Motorists will be detoured onto Route 28 to avoid the closure. The work coincides...
Water service restored after main break affected service in New Kensington, Lower Burrell areas
A water main break along Freeport Road in New Kensington left many in the area with low water pressure for part of Tuesday. The main break occurred directly adjacent to the New Kensington Municipal Authority’s reservoirs. General Manager Ed Saliba said Tuesday afternoon that workers were still investigating the cause...
Vandergrift’s Sugared Lace bakery ices custom cookies as shop opening nears
Lacey DePanicis started selling cookies almost two years ago and hasn’t stopped since. The Vandergrift resident’s business — Sugared Lacey Bakeshop — along Washington Avenue near the Casino Theatre is set to open later this year. For now, DePanicis, 36, continues to take custom orders and sell holiday cookie batches...
Faces of the Valley: Buffalo Township teen earns prize in World War II essay contest
Logan Smith, 13, said he didn’t know much about the Battle of Midway in World War II before he began to pen an essay about it earlier this year. But the Buffalo Township teen said he read up on the fight and submitted his text to the American Battle Monuments...
Public welcome at meeting on future of Agan Park, Riddle Run area
The Agan Park Joint Recreation Board and Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy want the public’s thoughts on the future of the Riddle Run woodlands. The two groups plan to hold their first meeting Thursday, Oct. 23, to solicit ideas for potential outdoor recreation opportunities and small-scale development. Riddle Run is small...
Community Supermarket begins final sale as closing looms in Harrison
Friday marked the beginning of the end for Harrison’s sole independent grocer. Shoppers meandered their way through a picked over Community Supermarket as its final sale began — 25% off all items — ahead of the store’s closure later this month. Many of the store’s perishable items, such as meat,...
Plum to honor 5 new distinguished alumni
Plum will honor some of its best this week as it inducts five new members among its distinguished alumni. The inductees will be honored during a ceremony at the Oakmont Country Club on Oct. 16 before heading to the high school to meet students the next morning. One of the...
Repair work begins on South Buffalo bridge after monthslong closure
Crews began working to repair a 115-year-old bridge in South Buffalo this week after it abruptly closed to vehicle traffic in July. The bridge, which carries Clinton Road over a set of railroad tracks, has remained blocked off after an inspection called for “critical repairs” to its structure. The structure...
Springdale Planning Commission delays data center decision again
For a second time, the Springdale Planning Commission opted on Wednesday to postpone its recommendation to borough council to approve or deny a massive data center project. The planning commission will reconvene to try again Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. In late September, the three-member commission delayed its decision, opting...
Horseman lassoes loose cow on I-79; heifer’s origin remains unknown
A wrangler on horseback lassoed a roving cow on Interstate 79 early Wednesday morning when the animal backed up traffic for about two miles in Cranberry. State police told TribLive news partner WTAE that callers first reported the loose livestock in the grassy median around 7 a.m. Police and an...
Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School’s lobby renovations to wrap by end of November
The monthslong lobby improvement project at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School will be nearly complete by the end of next month, according to district Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Jay Zangrille. Construction of larger restrooms in the lobby, as well as a separate one for use by one person at a time,...
Section of Pillow Avenue in Springdale Township to remain closed through October
A small stretch of Pillow Avenue in Springdale Township will remain closed through late October for drainage improvements, according to PennDOT. Traffic will be detoured between Hite and Low Grade roads. Motorists will have to divert their routes through Harmar via Route 28. Crews from A. Liberoni, Inc. will conduct...
