James Engel stories, Page 20
Tempers flare during 7-hour Pine-Richland School Board meeting over book policy
The latest episode in Pine-Richland School District’s yearslong discussions about book bans and book review policies took place Thursday during a nearly seven-hour school board meeting. Tempers occasionally flared as audience members shouted and board members sometimes argued among themselves while attempting to revise its “Library Resources” policy. The meeting...
Hampton police officers award $1,200 check for local scholarship fund
After months of fundraising, the Hampton Township Police Department presented a $1,200 check to the It’s About the Warrior Foundation during a special meeting of Hampton Council on Jan. 8. The money, according to IATW founder and executive director Steve Monteleone, will go toward the foundation’s Rob Kirsopp Memorial Scholarship....
Shaler to celebrate 125th anniversary with events in 2025
Shaler Township plans to celebrate its 125th anniversary as a first-class township with a series of promotions and events throughout 2025. Though Shaler was settled and established by the mid-19th century, the township only earned the Pennsylvania legal designation of a “first-class township” in 1900. This means that a town...
Former Pine-Richland trainer accused of filming boys in locker rooms
A former Pine-Richland School District athletic trainer has been charged with secretly filming male students in locker rooms and bathrooms, according to state police. Samuel Elliot Fischer, 34, faces child pornography charges for the allegations in connection with Pine-Richland and other school districts. He recorded boys in locker rooms in...

