James Engel stories

Allegheny Valley School Board candidate James Schiemer was charged with assault and several other misdemeanors related to a verbal altercation he is accused of starting at an elementary school chorus concert. Before the concert Wednesday, Schiemer confronted Springdale resident and borough council candidate Josh Thompson, according to a criminal complaint....

State lawmakers want to prevent a repeat of the recent scandal that saw a funeral director accused of charging for pet cremations but dumping the animals in landfills instead. A bipartisan caucus is pushing a bill that would ramp up industry standards for animal cremation and lay down stiffer penalties...

Plum’s Class of 2025 will be joined this year by some peers who have a little more experience at graduation. More than 100 members of the Class of 1975 will return to the district to be honored at this year’s commencement, 50 years after their own graduation ceremony, according to...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, May 16: Westinghouse Bridge crash leaves 3 injured Three people were hospitalized after a Thursday evening crash on the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The crash involved three separate cars and...

Dick’s Sporting Goods announced early Thursday that it will acquire Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion deal. The Findlay-based company said it plans to operate Foot Locker as a standalone business and maintain its brands. The acquisition will place Dick’s, already one of the largest domestic sporting goods company, into...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 15: Body found in Monongahela River A barge operator found a man’s body in the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The unidentified man was found near the Brownsville...

Police say a 22-year-old man traveled more than 200 miles by bus from Charleston, West Virginia to Moon and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in a motel room. Dustin Lee Marshall is charged with various felony sex crimes, including statutory sexual assault, possession of child pornography and corruption of minors....

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 14: West Homestead suspends employees for alleged misuse of funds During its Tuesday night meeting, West Homestead Borough Council placed two employees on paid administrative leave for alleged misuse of funds. The employees’ statuses will remain pending...

Allegheny Health Network announced Tuesday a major expansion and renovations of the emergency department at its flagship Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The $43 million project will add 17 beds — bringing the total to 48 — and redesign much of the interior in five phases, bringing the...

Penn State officials expressed disappointment over — but failed to refute — a report that disclosed seven commonwealth campuses are slated to be eliminated as part of a university austerity plan. The Fayette and New Kensington campuses in Southwestern Pennsylvania were among the seven. “It is regrettable that our communities...

A Jeannette teenager is accused of stealing a car from a city street and leading police on a chase before crashing in Hempfield around 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to court papers. Joel E. Munoz-Bayas, 19, was arraigned Monday morning on charges of theft, conspiracy, fleeing from police and related offenses....

The Allegheny Valley School Board moved forward on a tax hike of around 2% on Tuesday ahead of a formal vote next week. The revenue generated from the millage increase would go toward a projected $3.6 million budget deficit, though the majority of that deficit would be made up using...

Four seats are open on Allegheny Valley School Board this year, and seven candidates are vying to fill them. Each of the seven has cross-filed to appear on both Democratic and Republican primary ballots May 20. Only one, Nino Pollino, is an incumbent. The top four voter-getters from each party...

Nesbit’s Lanes, a longtime bowling alley in Plum, will be closing until August for renovations after a tree fell on the building in February. A statement on the bowling alley’s Facebook page said the building would shutter for “safety and liability reasons” beginning May 19 for up to two and...

After a yearslong saga that resulted in the implosion of two towering smokestacks and the two-part demolition of a massive boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station, the property owner says the site will likely become a data center. Scott Reschly, president of Charah Environmental Redevelopment Group, the Louisville-based...

Dozens of paws will march down Mike Thomas Way in Plum this month for the borough’s first annual “Walking and Wagging” community dog walk. Totaling just over a mile, the walk will take attendees and their canine companions from the Plum Municipal Building parking lot to Renton Road and back,...

A Springdale building that partially collapsed on Sunday now lays entirely demolished. The building, located at 841 Railroad St., was owned by R.I. Lampus Co., a concrete supplier located across the street. It currently sits in a heap surrounded by chain-link fences. Springdale Emergency Coordinator Bruno Moretti said no one...

Almost everyone who lost power a week ago during a wave of severe storms has had power restored. Almost. Duquesne Light, the biggest power supplier to Allegheny and Beaver counties, said a “small subset” of households still were in the dark but should have their electric service restored Wednesday. The...

Downed and hanging trees have left Agan Park closed indefinitely after heavy storms battered the area last week. The park is an extensive green space along Riddle Run Road in Springdale Township but is jointly managed by Springdale and Cheswick boroughs. Cheswick Council President Brad Yaksich said borough public works...

Rico, 71, and Chris Fontana, 68, were left trapped in their powerless Allegheny Township home after Tuesday’s violent storm downed a large pine tree across their driveway and scattered wires, trees and a transformer across the nearby road. Living on well water, the Fontanas were left with dry shower heads...

Though power was restored to more than 300,000 customers in Western Pennsylvania since Tuesday’s severe weather, about 150,000 remained without electricity in the region as of 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. And Duquesne Light and West Penn Power said it will be at least several more days before power is restored...

As hundreds of thousands go without electricity after severe storms killed two people and battered the region, officials and experts have begun weighing in with guidance about how to proceed. Though some customers have had their power restored since the storm, Duquesne Light said it could take five to seven...

Municipalities and local organizations around the region have stepped up as shelters, offering residents a place to charge their devices and get assistance in the wake of Tuesday’s severe storms, which left thousands without power. People can find electricity at: Plum Borough Municipal Building is operating on a generator and...

Plum real estate owners will likely be paying 2.26% more in property taxes to the school district next school year. The Plum School Board approved its proposed 2025-26 budget on Tuesday, which would increase the tax rate from the current 23.3896 mills to 23.9159 mills. That increase is partially the...

After a brief confrontation on Tuesday, Lower Burrell police detained four people from a home on Vance Drive before later releasing them. Lower Burrell Detective Steve Aulerich said no arrests were made, but police continue to investigate. He would not give a reason for the warrant’s execution. Upon arrival, the...