Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Allegheny County has compiled important information about Sewickley and other neighboring municipalities.
Do you know what state senatorial district you live in? Who your county council representative is? Or have you ever given thought to the geography of Sewickley and the communities surrounding it? Allegheny County's website has a municipality map that provides vital information for Sewickley—and other municipalities. Just click on the map and a community profile pops up with information such as school district and municipal millage rates, the name of the police chief and fire department information. Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
As part of her sentencing, Orie Melvin must write letters of apology to state judges, her former staff and her family.
Convicted former State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin was sentenced Tuesday to house arrest followed by probation and must send written apologies on photographs of herself to every judge in the Commonwealth, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An Allegheny County Common Pleas Court jury convicted Orie Melvin in February on all but one count of using her former Superior Court staff and that of her sister to run campaigns. Orie Melvin was sentenced to three years of house arrest followed by two years of probation and must serve in a soup kitchen three times a week, the P-G said. Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Lester Nauhaus also ordered that Orie Melvin have her photo taken with an official county photographer so…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The CommuteInfo program is designed to increase the number of people who travel to work or school by riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling or bikepooling.
Commuters in the Sewickley area can turn their morning and evening commutes into ones that save money and help the environment. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's CommuteInfo program works with transportation management associations, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit service organizations in Allegheny and nine other counties to increase the number of people who travel to work or school by riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling or bikepooling. CommuteInfo's goal is for commuters living, working or attending school within Allegheny County to choose ridesharing at least twice a week. In the region, 60 percent of workers commute to jobs outside their resident municipalities, according to CommuteInfo's statistics. In …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Sewickley area property owners must pay their tax bills soon to take advantage of the 2% discount.
The Allegheny County Treasurer's office is reminding Sewickley area taxpayers that the deadline for the tax discount period is drawing near. In order to save 2% on your county property taxes, bills must be paid in full and received or postmarked by Tuesday, April 30. “For the second year in a row, the due dates for county taxes had to be adjusted. I am certain that many taxpayers may not remember that their county property taxes are coming due by months end,” Treasurer John Weinstein said in a news release. The County Treasurer’s Office, Room 108, will remain open later until 7:30 p.m. on April 30 to collect taxes at the 2% discount rate. Other methods include paying in person by 4:30 p.m. on other weekdays, paying by mail with the …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
County officials unveiled the first two compressed natural gas trucks put into service for the public works department at an Earth Day press conference Monday.
To most Sewickley area residents, the new, white Allegheny County trucks they might pass on the roadways won't appear to be anything extraordinary. But they are a first step in the county going green with a cleaner-burning fuel for fleet vehicles. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and other officials unveiled the county’s first two compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles at a press conference on Monday. Each vehicle cost $35,285. The Silverado 2500 HD, four-wheel drive, extended cab pickup trucks contain specially designed 6.0 litre Vortec V8 engines and have a gross vehicle weight of 9,500 pounds. The trucks are factory-built with hardened valves and seals, which are critical for CNG vehicles, according to a news release from the …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The watch was in effect until 11 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Moon issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Allegheny County until 11 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms are likely, according to the statement. Wednesday's forecast in the Sewickley area includes a slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon, and a high near 70. Upload any weather photos you take Tuesday night to our media box to the right.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Eligible high school girls can choose a free gown and accessories.
Project Prom Shop is offering eligible high school girls one last chance to choose a free gown and accessories later this month, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services announced. Located at the Century III Mall, the Project Prom Shop will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23. The one-day extension was added from the original close date of March 16 due to popular demand. To be eligible, high school girls must live in Allegheny County and meet one of the following eligibility requirements: The shop will have new and gently worn dresses available in the latest trends, and in a wide range of sizes. All of the gowns have been carefully screened to ensure each is clean and undamaged. Accessories, including shoes, purses, wraps …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The pilot foreclosure prevention program is open to Allegheny County homeowners with Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) mortgages.
Allegheny County, partnering with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, launched a pilot program to assist low-income homeowners with energy-efficiency improvements that could help cut down on utility bills. The pilot "Energy Efficiency Foreclosure Prevention Initiative" program announced Tuesday was created through a partnership with PHFA, ACTION-Housing and four utility companies: Columbia Gas, Duquesne Light, Equitable Gas and Peoples Natural Gas. The program will provide $1 million in energy-efficient improvement services to at least 200 Allegheny County homeowners with PHFA mortgages who meet federal income guidelines. Letters have been sent out to 1,341 households in Allegheny County. To date, 415 persons, or 31 percent, have …
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Or does it act more as a business? And what about the other major nonprofits in the area?
In a June 2012 "Taxpayer Alert," Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner questioned the fairness of nonprofits that have expanded their roles beyond the traditional definition of a charitable organization, but still maintain tax-exempt status. "In these challenging financial times, it is our duty and responsibility to address the questions raised by a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling and determine if properties are used for a truly charitable purpose," Wagner said in the report. "While exemptions are justified for clearly charitable organizations such as churches, soup kitchens and many others, some are plainly unfair." A 2012 state Supreme Court decision has given local governments a tool to challenge the loopholes in a five-…
Friday, March 22, 2013
The National Weather Service, predicting cold and snow, issues hazardous weather outlook for Allegheny County.
Yes, we know Punxsatawney Phil predicted an early spring. Don't fault him for wishful thinking. Despite the arrival of spring on Wednesday, the National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for southwestern Pennsylvania—including Allegheny, Butler and Beaver counties—warning of potential widespread snow later Sunday into Monday. The extent of the snowfall is still very much in question. The weather service said the amount of snow isn't certain given the differences in model tracks and surface temperature projections. The hazardous weather outlook also applies to northwestern and west-central Pennsylvania, western Maryland, east-central Ohio, northern West Virginia and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Here what's …
Ralph Meyer
6:15 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
They're thieves. They stole taxpayer money and time to try to bolster their position in an election. I think the judge was right--why should taxpayers pay for feeding and housing these criminals in jail. House arrest is a good approach, but they should both have gotten twice what they were given IMHO. The arrogance needs to be knocked out of them. Some of their saying they were sorry couldn't … more ›