James Engel stories, Page 11
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board opens summer whiskey lottery
Nine whiskey lotteries are now open for Pennsylvania liquor connoisseurs. The lottery, run by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, allows consumers to enter into a drawing for the opportunity to purchase special liquor with limited quantity but high demand. Among the bottles up for grabs are two varieties of Blanton’s...
South Buffalo bridge to remain closed for weeks as township plans informational meeting
A wooden bridge that provides one of only two access points to South Buffalo’s Clinton neighborhood is set to remain closed for at least a few weeks, according to a spokesman for the railroad that owns the structure. Last week, crews closed the 115-year-old bridge, which carries Clinton Road over...
Man grazed by shots fired in Brighton Heights
One man was grazed in the head by a bullet fired Monday morning in Brighton Heights, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The shot was among 27 detected by two ShotSpotter alerts detected at the 600 block of Brighton Woods Road, according to WTAE. Jack Stack pool and playground are...
Domestic assault suspect shot by McKeesport resident after escape attempt, police say
Police are investigating an incident that they said led a McKeesport resident to shoot a man who was attempting to enter their apartment early Monday morning. According to Allegheny County Police, first responders arrived at the scene of a domestic incident at the 2300 block of Highland Avenue in McKeesport...
1 killed, 2 injured in Beaver County motorcycle crash
A Saturday crash involving two motorcycles in Darlington left one man dead and two others injured, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The two motorcycles were each traveling near the center line in opposite directions on North State Line Road, but they could not see each other because of a slight...
Hunters planning more time in the woods after addition of 10 Sundays to hunting season
After the Pennsylvania Game Commission added 10 new Sundays to this year’s hunting season on Monday, local sportsmen say they’re gearing up for more time in the woods come September. The commission voted to instruct its executive director to open up 10 Sundays for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending...
Plum, Oakmont see rash of overnight vehicle thefts, break-insVideo
Several Plum and Oakmont residents awakened Wednesday morning to find items missing from their cars — or their cars missing entirely. Plum resident Christina Williams said she left her Rustic Ridge home at 6:45 a.m. to head to work, but her Lexus was not in her driveway. Soon after, she...
Plum man pleads guilty to sexual assault of 14-year-old girl
About a year after the incident, John Dale Vorous, 62, has pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors for having sex with a 14-year-old girl he picked up outside a bar in Plum in June 2024. Vorous initially was charged with a bevy of sex crimes, but...
South Buffalo residents left frustrated after bridge abruptly closes
Crews suddenly blocked traffic Tuesday morning onto a wooden bridge that carries Clinton Road over railroad tracks in South Buffalo. The 114-year-old structure, which provides one of the two ways in and out of the township’s Clinton neighborhood, is now barred by large concrete barriers on each side. The subject...
Springdale, Springdale Township to see park improvements from donations
Springdale’s Veterans Memorial Park and Miller Park in Springdale Township are set to see several improvements in the coming months. That’s thanks to donations from LS Power, the company that owns the Springdale Power Station. At Veterans Memorial, contractors will begin installing a dek hockey rink and two pickleball courts...
Springdale Planning Commission to review plans for proposed massive data center
The first meeting for a proposed data center in Springdale is set for Aug. 6. That’s when the borough’s planning commission will hear a presentation from the site developer and discuss potential conditions for its use at a public meeting. Springdale Borough Manager Terry Carcella said topics likely would include...
Game Commission adds 10 Sundays to fall hunting seasons
Pennsylvania hunters can now spend 13 consecutive Sundays in the woods this fall. In a unanimous decision at its Monday meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted to instruct its executive director to open up 10 Sundays for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending Dec. 7. That’s in addition to the...
Plum School Board promotes 2 principals, hires teachers ahead of school year
The Plum School Board promoted two principals as the 2025-26 school year nears its start. Stephan Sereda, who previously served as an assistant principal at Plum High School, will now head up operations there as principal. At Holiday Park Intermediate School, Ashley DeVito is set to serve as principal after...
Workers clear asbestos from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School as renovation work continues
Workers finished clearing out asbestos from the lobby area of Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School this week ahead of further renovations set to begin next month, according to Allegheny Valley Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Jay Zangrille. The asbestos, original to the 65-year-old building, was encapsulated behind tiles in the lobby and...
Lawmakers introduce legislation regulating pet cremation after local scandal
Pennsylvania legislators introduced identical bills in the state House and Senate that would regulate animal cremation services after a scandal involving a local funeral director. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged in April by the state Attorney General’s Office with taking money for pet cremations but instead disposing of...
Close call! Passing train scuffs side view mirror of tractor-trailer rig parked next to tracks
A tragedy was barely averted Wednesday when a passing train scuffed the side-view mirror of a truck parked next to the train tracks in Natrona. Harrison police responded to the Vine Street railroad crossing after receiving a report that a train had clipped the side of a tractor-trailer. Police found...
Buffalo Township man dead after ATV accident in Armstrong County
A Buffalo Township man was pronounced dead by the Armstrong County coroner on Monday after a fatal ATV accident. Michael McGuire, 60, was last seen on Friday, July 18. The coroner said the ATV he was operating went over an embankment and rolled into a ditch near McGuire’s camp in...
Plum mayor, neighbors hope Rustic Ridge lawsuits will bring answers
After families of six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum sued multiple companies for alleged negligence and wrongful death Tuesday, the borough’s mayor and neighbors in the Rustic Ridge housing plan say they hope the suits will offer some answers nearly two years later. Filed in Allegheny...
Councilman voted new chief of Springdale Volunteer Fire Department
After the resignation of longtime Chief Kevin Wilhelm this month, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department selected borough Councilman Dan Copeland as its new man in charge. Copeland, who also serves as Springdale’s water committee chair, has been an officer at the department for 17 years, including 13 years as captain....
Elimination of a $200 tax could transform nation’s gun regulations
A seemingly small change to a federal law that has regulated some firearms for more than 80 years could be an open door for lawsuits with the potential to transform gun regulations. Part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” rolls back to zero a federal excise tax on certain...
Gun owners welcome elimination of tax on gun suppressors, expect increased demand
Willis Paul recently bought his 27th gun suppressor. He said he has collected the accessories for the past five years and, in that time, has shelled out $5,400 in excise taxes. But after changes to the National Firearms Act in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect...
Springdale opts for parking restrictions as new football field nears completion
Springdale Council voted in favor of a parking ordinance that is set to place restrictions on some streets near Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. The vote comes as Allegheny Valley School District continues construction of a new turf field that’s set to host Dynamos football games near the school this fall....
An inside look at Plum’s controversial fracking wastewater injection well
The wastewater injection site in Plum run by Penneco Environmental Solutions has been the subject of nearly a decade of legal battles and community backlash as the company has sought to expand its operations along Old Leechburg Road. Since 2017, the borough and Penneco have been at odds, as the...
Trump has no plans to appoint special council for Epstein case, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump would not recommend a special counsel to look into the Jeffrey Epstein case in the face of bipartisan calls for further investigation. “The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels,” Leavitt said...
Plum Council denies liquor license at convenience store in split vote
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel, for the first time, broke a council tie when he voted to deny a liquor license transfer in the borough to the location of Plum Convenience on Saltsburg Road. Members of borough council were split, 3-3, on the resolution that would have permitted the store to...
