James Engel stories, Page 4
Elizabeth Twp. fire chief: ‘We need to know the hydrants are going to work.’ Firefighters battle house fire despite hydrant failure
Firefighters in Elizabeth Township say they spent more than four hours at the scene of a house fire in the township after a nearby hydrant experienced a “catastrophic failure.” Crews were dispatched to the fire at the 900 block of Dillon Road just before 4 p.m. Friday, according to a...
Late night police chase and extended manhunt in New Kensington leads to arrest in woods
New Kensington police say a man led them on an extended chase Friday night in which he allegedly drove head-on at a city police car, ending with his arrest in a drain tunnel in a wooded section of the city. Leonard Hayden Jr., 25, of New Kensington is charged with...
Though not uncommon, hoarding ‘multiplies’ danger for fire crews
When New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba responded Wednesday to a house fire on Richdale Drive, he said, he’d never seen so much packed into a structure in his more than 40 years as a firefighter. “I’ve never seen anything like that — in that amount — before,” Saliba said....
After 2-year vacancy, Rustic Ridge lot could see new home built next year
Builders may soon build a new home on one of the plots left vacant for two years after a 2023 Rustic Ridge house explosion in Plum that left six people dead. The land formerly occupied by the home at 143 Rustic Ridge Drive, which was leveled after sustaining enormous damage...
Springdale data center developers hopeful ahead of vote, close on property with Charah
Brian Regli, a consultant for the company seeking to construct a large data center in Springdale, says he’s optimistic the project will be approved by borough council next month. Land developer Allegheny DC Property Co. wrapped up its testimony during a five-hour meeting Monday night. That came a week after...
Springdale Council mulls data center before vote; opposing counsel backs out of process
It’s now up to Springdale Council to make a decision on a massive proposed data center at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station. After months of meetings and questions, developers wrapped up their formal testimony before council late Monday night. Springdale Solicitor Craig Alexander said he expects a...
Preliminary budget shows flat tax rate in Plum for 2nd straight year
Plum residents can expect much of the same in 2026 if borough council passes a preliminary budget with no tax increases next month. The budget keeps the millage rate for residents at 6.63 mills for the second year in a row. That means the annual borough property tax bill on...
Preliminary Cheswick budget calls for no property tax hike but utility rate to increase
Cheswick’s real estate tax rate won’t go up next year, but some utility rates would increase, according to the borough’s preliminary budget. Residents would pay a combined $76 more per year with the utility hikes, $56 for fixed water rates and $20 for refuse rates. Sewage and variable water rates...
Road work to alter traffic on Coxcomb Hill Road for weeks
Drainage improvement work that will shift traffic on Coxcomb Hill Road in Plum is set to begin Monday, Nov. 24. The work will last until mid-December, according to a release from PennDOT. The shift will take place between Hulton and Logans Ferry roads weekdays between from 8 a.m. and 4...
Springdale releases survey for future of Veterans Memorial Field
Springdale residents can now offer up ideas for the future of Veterans Memorial Field in a brief survey released by the borough. The survey is part of an effort by a committee formed by the borough to determine what’s next for the now-vacant property. While the questionnaire — which asks...
Springdale police move to add police dog to force
Springdale police are eyeing a new member for the department — a police dog. Borough council voted recently to create the Springdale Borough Police Department K-9 Association, a nonprofit which will be used to fund the program. Several departments, including the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, pay for police dog programs...
Allegheny Valley to replace faucets next month after tests show high lead levels
Allegheny Valley will replace more than a dozen faucets at Acmetonia Elementary School over December’s holiday break after several showed unacceptably high lead levels during testing earlier this year. The faucets are part of several classroom hand sinks in the building, all of which have been equipped with signage reading...
New engine on the horizon for Springdale VFD
Springdale Volunteer Fire Department will soon have a new fire engine for the first time in more than two decades. The department has ordered a Ferarra Cinder, which Fire Chief Dan Copeland described as a “rescue-style pumper.” Copeland became chief of the department in July after spending more than a...
Taco Bell planned at former Sheetz site in Plum
A new Taco Bell location seems to be on the way in Plum. Developers submitted an application to the borough’s planning commission to build a franchise location of the popular chain at the site of the former Sheetz on Golden Mile Highway. The one-acre site has sat vacant since 2024,...
Police: Man used ‘special key’ to gain access to skill games, cash fraudulent $5K voucher
Allegheny Valley Police charged a North Carolina man with felony fraud and criminal conspiracy after, they say, he used a generic key to gain access to cash vouchers in a skill game machine at a Cheswick Sunoco in July. Jhueate Andrews, 25, then cashed a $5,000 voucher he obtained from...
Harrison man indicted after officials say he threatened to shoot postal carrier and shoot up post office
A federal grand jury has indicted a Harrison man on 11 charges after he was arrested in a raid on his home late last month. The grand jury indictment against Thomas Dorn, 39, of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood adds eight counts of interstate threats and a single count of threatening to...
Local news festival Newsapalooza set to return this week
Newsapalooza, a two-day local news festival in Pittsburgh, will return for another year on Thursday and Friday. The event will take place at Point Park University and its Pittsburgh Playhouse theater. Presented by Point Park’s Center for Media Innovation, Newsapalooza saw its first edition last year. Attendees can expect numerous...
Wilkinsburg man accused of beating woman to death in Plum
Allegheny County Police have accused Shawn Higgins of beating his girlfriend to death in Plum on Saturday. Higgins, 62, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection to the death of Jacqueline Pryber. Police in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, initially located Pryber’s body in the passenger seat of Higgins’...
Springdale incumbent mayor increases lead to 3 votes
Springdale’s Republican incumbent Mayor Joel Anderson now leads his opponent by three votes after Allegheny County updated its unofficial election results. The unofficial results currently show Anderson with 521 votes to Democrat John Murray’s 518. Initial unofficial results had shown Anderson leading by a single vote, 517-516. Anderson did not...
Springdale Planning Commission OKs data center project; proposal moves to council
After months of discussion, Springdale’s Planning Commission offered its blessing to a massive data center proposed in the borough. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the three-member body opted to recommend that Springdale Council approve the project. The commission, which is not elected, is only an advisory group. The elected...
Water at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield is usable again, DEP says
After about a month without drinkable water, residents at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield can begin to use their faucets again, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Decker. Laboratory test results showed the water to be compliant with Environmental Protection Agency standards, which allowed water operators...
Crews battle second-alarm house fire in South Buffalo
More than a dozen fire departments were dispatched to a second-alarm house fire Monday afternoon in South Buffalo. Armstrong County 911 operators said they received the first calls for the blaze on Iseman Road around 4:20 p.m. No one was transported from the scene, and crews contained the fire about...
Residents of Winfield mobile home park left without water, answers for a month
For about a month, Madalyn Smith has been heating water she collects in jugs at a nearby spring on her stove to quickly rinse off in her shower. That’s because Smith — and all of her neighbors at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield — have been without usable water...
Fire scorches vacant Verona home that was being renovated
Fire crews rushed to the scene of a blaze at an unoccupied home on Peter Street in Verona on Thursday afternoon. The fire, which began just after 4 p.m., seems to have ignited in a bathroom, according to Verona Volunteer Fire Company Capt. Andy Tihey. Though renovations had been ongoing...
Plum searches for 4 new patrol officers
Plum Police say they soon plan to hire four new patrol officers. Department spokesman Det. Joe Little said the department is hiring in anticipation of retirements to bring the force up to its “typical compliment of officers.” The borough’s website states the department has 29 officers, including the chief and...
