Dillon Carr stories, Page 9
Black voters a focal point in election, but many feel campaigns haven’t done enough
Jojo Burgess has spent the past month or so reaching out to Black voters across Southwestern Pennsylvania. A common sentiment, according to Burgess, is: “Why vote? No one cares about us.” While a record 137.5 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, Black voter turnout decreased by about 765,000...
Spectrum Charter School in Monroeville raises more than $4K for autism organizationVideo
Spectrum Charter School in Monroeville exceeded its $ fundraising goal Friday to benefit a national organization aimed at helping those with autism. The school raised more than $4,000 for the Pittsburgh chapter of Autism Speaks and celebrated with a small event. The money was presented to the organization on an...
Polling places: Where to vote in Bridgeville, Carnegie, Heidelberg, Scott, South Fayette
Election day is Nov. 3. The Allegheny County Elections Division said all 1,323 polling locations will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will still be allowed the vote, according to the county’s website. The county website states poll workers will...
Fall fun: Gateway finds way to bring pumpkin patches to students
Elementary students in Gateway couldn’t visit local pumpkin patches this year because of pandemic restrictions, so teachers and Family Teacher Organization members brought the fall-favorite activity to them. Stephanie Forga, a kindergarten teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, hatched the idea for Evergreen when she realized traditional plans to visit a...
Polling places: Where to vote in Penn Hills
Here is a list of the voting locations in Penn Hills, broken down by ward and district: Ward 1 District 1: Hilltop Community Alliance Church, 104 Vine St. District 2 and 3: Victory Temple Dining Room, 2824 Graham Blvd. District 4 and 5: Penn Hills Multi Purpose Center, 2025 Lincoln...
Polling places: Where to vote in the South Hills
Election day is Nov. 3. The Allegheny County Elections Division said all 1,323 polling locations will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will still be allowed the vote, according to the county’s website. The county website states poll workers will...
Polling places: Where to vote in Monroeville
Here is a list of the voting locations in Monroeville, broken down by ward and district: Ward 1 District 1: Monroeville Volunteer Fire Department #3, 2601 Third St. District 2: New Covenant Church, 2225 Grandview Ave. District 3 and 4: Dr. Cleveland Steward Elementary School, 5000 Gateway Campus Blvd. Ward...
News briefs: Monroeville native elected to IUP’s 2020 Homecoming Crimson Court
A 2017 graduate of Gateway High School who now attends Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been placed on the school’s 2020 Homecoming Crimson Court. Sydney Hicks of Monroeville gained enough votes from the student body to serve on IUP’s Crimson Court, which highlights students in good academic and judicial standing....
News briefs: Leaf collection program announced in Penn Hills
The municipality is offering curbside leaf pickup dates beginning min November. Starting Nov. 2, Penn Hills Public Works will pick up paper bags left at the curb every Monday. The last date is Dec. 7. According to the municipality’s rules, the paper bags must not weigh more than 30 pounds,...
Penn Hills council OKs food trucks operating in municipality
Food trucks are now allowed to operate in Penn Hills. Council on Oct. 19 unanimously approved an ordinance that establishes rules for how a food truck should operate within the municipality. The ordinance allows food trucks to operate on property, with permission from the owner, for 30 days after applying...
Quaker Valley School Board, parents respond to coronavirus cases in district
Two buildings at Quaker Valley School District have closed until Nov. 2 after officials discovered an outbreak of covid-19 last week. As of Oct. 21, the district reported 10 cases at Quaker Valley High School and five at Quaker Valley Middle School. The district has not said whether positive cases...
Penn Hills set to fix costly sewage leak at Plum Creek Sewage Treatment Plant
Penn Hills council on Monday awarded approximately $940,000 in construction contracts that will, when finished, fix a problem that has caused sewage leaks at the Plum Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. The project involves fixing the plant’s equipment that treats sewage and monitors flow as well as upgrading its disinfection system....
South Fayette police now wearing body cameras
All South Fayette police officers will now wear body cameras when on duty, said the department’s chief. The 20 police officers have been wearing the cameras since Oct. 14, according to police Chief John Phoennik. The $38,000 move will increase accountability between police and citizens, he said. “The footage doesn’t...
News briefs: Drug Take Back Day scheduled near Monroeville; leaf collection set
The Wilkins Elks Lodge will host a Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 24 at its location at 718 Beulah Road in Turtle Creek. People will be able to dispose of old prescription medication in a Drug Enforcement Agency approved Take Back Box. Pills...
Week in Review: Some of the top stories from the Monroeville area for the week of Oct. 12Video
Here is a quick review of Monroeville news from the past week: • Monroeville Council faces a $3.1 million deficit in its proposed 2021 spending plan. To fill the gap, Manager Tim Little has proposed using $5.9 million from the fund balance. The money left over will be used to...
Monroeville faces $3.1 million shortfall in 2021 budget, plans are to fill gap without tax hike
Monroeville Council is faced with a $3.1 million shortfall in the municipality’s 2021 spending plan. The upcoming year’s budget stands at $36.5 million, which represents a 1.2% increase from 2020. Manager Tim Little said most communities across the country will experience losses in revenue because of the pandemic. “The good...
Monroeville Public Library board asks council to reinstate 10 part-time employees
The Monroeville Public Library’s board of directors has asked council to reinstate 10 part-time employees to help the full-time employees keep up with a new, covid-19 workload. Board president Dave English and former board president Debbie Iszauk addressed council during its Oct. 13 meeting. They said the new guidelines the...
Allegheny Land Trust gets $1M boost for project at Churchill Valley Country Club site
Allegheny Land Trust announced Wednesday it received a $1 million boost from the state toward its effort to preserve the now-vacant 148 acres at the defunct Churchill Valley Country Club. The grant is coming from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “This is an enormous boost for the...
Freshman lawmaker Brandon Markosek faces John Ritter for 25th State House District seat
First-time Democratic state Rep. Brandon Markosek has a challenger going into the general election in November. John Ritter, 66, a Republican from Monroeville who is a Gateway School Board member, has plans to fill the historically Democratic seat that represents a large chunk of Pittsburgh’s east suburbs. Markosek, 27, cruised...
Monroeville Mall shooting victim remembered as selfless, loving
Saheed Gayle was at work at the Monroeville Mall on Oct. 7 when he was shot and killed. The 20-year-old had last spoken to his mother, Theresa Kallon of Laurel, Md., on the phone the evening before he died. He had called her to get ideas for what to buy...
ATF searching for person who stole guns from Monroeville Dunham’s
Federal and local police are searching for a person who they say stole three guns out of Dunham’s Sports in Monroeville in August. The Philadelphia division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward to whoever leads police to an arrest. Police say a...
Collier Township faces deficit in 2021 spending plan
Collier commissioners need to find a way to fill a $300,000 hole in the township’s spending plan for 2021. The township projects $8.9 million in revenue for next year, which reflects a 2% decrease from 2020. The township’s expenses for 2021 so far add up to $9.2 million, but that...
Police issue arrest warrant, file charges in fatal shooting at Monroeville Mall
Allegheny County Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a man believed to have shot and killed a 20-year-old at the Monroeville Mall. Lawrence Mark Murphy, who police believe is from the Braddock area, is believed to have shot Saheed Gayle, 20, in the torso just outside the...
Gateway, Plum athletic directors adapt to covid-19 roller coaster
Athletic directors have had it rough this year. Planners at heart, many of those plans have been scrapped, reworked, canceled and reworked again, said Josh Shoop, the Athletic Director at Plum Borough School District. “It’s been very, very hard,” Shoop said. “I think I’ve lost a couple years during these...
Gill Hall VFD hosting blood drive, fundraiser for late officer Dale Provins Jr.
A volunteer fire department in Jefferson Hills is hosting a blood drive Oct. 10 in honor of a police officer who died in June. The Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company will provide a free lunch and sell T-shirts to participants during the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. blood drive through...
