Looking back: Some of the top MVI headlines over the last decade
We searched the Mon Valley Independent’s archives to look back at some of the decade’s most impactful stories.
Before we head into the next decade at the Mon Valley Independent, here’s a look back at some of the people and events that captured our attention over the past 10 years.
2016
MVI rises from the ashes
Of course, we’d be amiss if we didn’t start with our reopening. After months of planning, the Mon Valley Independent rose from the ashes and published its first edition under new ownership on May 2, 2016.
The board comprising Mid Mon Valley Publishing Co. LLC spent six months from the time the Valley Independent closed on Dec. 31, 2015, working diligently to bring a local newspaper back to the Valley and its residents.
Mid Mon Valley Publishing Co. decided to name the new paper the Mon Valley Independent to not only keep ties with the former newspaper that was closed after 113 years in business, but also to demonstrate its intent to serve the entire Mon Valley region as a leader for reporting local news and sports.
Trump stumps in Monessen; is elected president
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters in Monessen on June 28, 2016, he would “make America great again,” and many there believed him. About 200 people attended a private policy speech given by the presumptive GOP nominee at Alumisource in the city’s Riverfront Industrial Park.
Trump went on to win the general election on Nov. 8, 2016, defeating Hillary Clinton.
Pennsylvania approves medical marijuana Pennsylvanians suffering from cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis cheered Gov. Tom Wolf’s signing of a law that allows people suffering from 17 specified conditions to access medical marijuana in pill, oil or ointment form at dispensaries statewide.
Penguins win the Stanley Cup
The Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks four games to two to win their fourth championship in franchise history.
2017
Trump takes office
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts, as Melania Trump and his family looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2017. His first year was marked, as much as anything, by the frequent and high-volume use of Twitter as a way to communicate his thoughts to the American people, a strategy unseen in politics to this point.
Solar eclipse captivates America
The Mon Valley was abuzz Monday Aug. 21, 2017, as people gathered to celebrate the first visible solar eclipse in the United States in 38 years.
Across the Mid-Mon Valley, the eclipse began around 1:10 p.m. At its peak, the sun was 81% eclipsed by 2:35 p.m. This eclipse was different in that people could view it across so much of the United States, at least partially. It began over the Pacific Ocean and arched across the nation from Oregon to South Carolina, ending over the Atlantic Ocean. The much-talked- about event had millions looking to the sky that day, with many traveling toward the swath of totality that crossed the U.S. from coast to coast.
Medical marijuana industry born in Pa.
The medical marijuana industry in Pa. began to take shape this year, when the state in June awarded grower/ processor permits and in late July established a registry for physicians who want to participate.
2018
Monessen: A year of chaos and no mayor The City of Monessen began 2018 with the hope of better days to come as newly elected Mayor Matt Shorraw (the youngest ever in the city) and Councilman Gil Coles were sworn into office.
Fast-forward midway into the year and chaos once again ruled city politics. Following a vote of confidence in Shorraw May 10, the mayor stopped going to meetings and began governing via social media.
He ended 2018 missing 21 meetings, while Cole — who gave no reason for his absences — had only attended one meeting since Feb. 10. Since Shorraw and Cole’s departure from city government, rookie Councilmen Anthony Orzechowski and Dave Feehan and newly appointed Councilwoman Lois Thomas dealt with budget and contract negotiations, crumbling infrastructure and dilapidated buildings.
McKeesport hosts The Wall That Heals Thousands of people visited McKeesport to visit The Wall That Heals, the official Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica and Mobile Education Center, which was on display Aug. 9 to 12, 2018, at McKeesport’s Jimmy Long Field in Renziehausen Park.
McKeesport native Walt Yager of North Huntington facilitated the effort to display the memorial in the city. The Wall honors more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War, and it bears the names of 58,318 men and women who died during the conflict, including 24 from the McKeesport area and around 150 people from the Mon Valley.
Charleroi stadium comes down; Coyle renovation plans
The demolition of the former Charleroi Cougar Stadium started in May 2017 and ended over the summer. Opened nearly 80 years ago with a face off against Dunkirk, N.Y., the history of the facility came to an end Oct. 22, 2010, when the Cougars hosted Freedom High School in a WPIAL inter- conference game. Though the 6,650-seat stadium bricks are now falling, memories made during Friday night football games and locker- room pep talks will be preserved through several initiatives.
Meanwhile, there was an effort to make sure the final curtain would not fall for the Coyle Theater.
After more than a year of work to determine the feasibility of the theater on McKean Avenue in Charleroi, plans were announced Dec. 3 by the Mon Valley Alliance to rehabilitate the historic structure. A court approved the sale of the building to the Mon Valley Alliance in December 2016.
Wolf declares opioid emergency
It came as no surprise when Gov. Tom Wolf on Jan. 10 declared a state of emergency in response to the state’s escalating crisis of addiction and overdoses involving heroin and other opioid drugs.
The declaration, normally used in response to natural disasters, gave various agencies and law enforcement more flexibility in their efforts against the crisis, and more resources. It came as Pennsylvania deals with one of the nation’s highest rates of overdose deaths: 4,642 overdose deaths in 2016 and an overdose death rate of 36.5 per 100,000 people, the fourth-highest in the United States.
Medical marijuana begins to be distributed The passage of the bill in April 2016 that approved the use of medical marijuana ended a long push just to allow permission. All of 2017 was spent receiving applications and approving licenses. When medical marijuana sales begin in February 2018, products were limited to concentrates such as oils, pills and creams. But that changed on Aug. 1, when patients in Pennsylvania were able to buy dry leaf forms of medical marijuana at 16 dispensaries around the state.
Redistricting fight
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court issued a new Congressional district map Feb. 19 that eliminated many of the worst gerrymanders from the 2011 redistricting. But that didn’t end the back and forth between the Dems and the GOP. Three times the GOP challenged the new maps and three times the U.S. Supreme Court denied the effort.
A grand jury report shakes the Catholic church The long-awaited grand jury report into clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania was released on Aug. 14, the tremors felt as far away as the Vatican and in dioceses around the country.
The office of state Attorney General Josh Shapiro empaneled the grand jury in 2016 to investigate allegations of child sex crimes across six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses: Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Scranton, Erie and Greensburg. That grand jury, which completed its investigation in April, produced a 900-plus page report that named more than 300 members of the clergy by name in connection to sex crimes against children. Still, it wasn’t enough to push the Pa. legislature to reform the state’s statutes of limitations. Instead, the likely outcome for now is a compensation fund to pay victims.
11 die in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting A gunman barged into a Pittsburgh synagogue Oct. 28 during Shabbat services and opened fire, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history and continuing the long string of mass shootings across the country. The attack at Tree of Life Congregation in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of the western Pennsylvania left six others wounded, including four police officers, authorities said. The shooter is reported to have screamed anti-Semitic slogans as he opened fire, including “all Jews must die.”
Blue Wave makes barely a splash in Pa.
In the end, the winners of the election across Pennsylvania were tied more to incumbency than any Blue Wave. Tom Wolf was reelected as governor, Democrat Bob Casey retained his Senate seat with a win over Lou Barletta, and Republican Scott Perry kept his Congressional seat by holding off challenger George Scott.
2019
Monongahela celebrates 250th anniversary; cookie table sets world record Months and months of planning came to fruition Aug. 8 when the Monongahela 250th anniversary celebration officially kicked off in Chess Park.
Thousands of people attended the four-day celebration in the city, which was dressed up in patriotic banners, flags, window paintings and everything red, white and blue in honor of the celebration.
The events kicked off with an opening ceremony, veterans tribute and unearthing the Bicentennial Time Capsule that was buried 50 years ago. Dozens of other events were held to honor the city’s rich history.
On the last day of the celebration, The World’s Largest Wedding Cookie Table set the Guinness World Record with 88,425 cookies.
Laura Magone, president of the Monongahela 250 nonprofit organization and the Monongahela Area Historical Society, founded The Wedding Cookie Table Community on Facebook and it grew from there.
Pagans Motorcycle Club assault leads to arrests Members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club were accused of a violent April 18, 2019, assault that left a former Pagan with a traumatic brain injury.
Seven men were charged with attempted homicide and assault after allegedly entering a private club in Charleroi where they beat a former Pagan who was a member of a rival motorcycle club.
The club’s surveillance helped Charleroi Regional police identify the attackers who were observed on video walking into the club.
In all, a dozen people have been charged in the case.
New life for Daily News building
The City of McKeesport saw life come back to one of its most iconic buildings in 2019. The former Daily News building, which sat vacant since the McKeesport Daily News stopped printing in 2015, reopened as The Tube City Center and has become a center for the exchange of communication and knowledge. The building, which sits in the heart of McKeesport’s downtown business district, was a satellite office for the Mon Valley Independent, and home to Tube City Online’s radio station, and several other businesses.
Coyle saga comes to crumbling end
The Mon Valley Alliance, owner of the Coyle Theater in Charleroi, announced plans for demolition in July after a multi-million dollar plan to revitalize the site fell through. A demolition permit from the borough was granted in August and began environmental remediation inside. Heavy equipment was set into motion in October despite peaceful protests on Labor Day and two offers – which were rejected – to purchase the building that were deemed insufficient. The sign and other staples from the theater were salvaged.
Memories for sale at Charleroi Elks A woman won the top bid of $27,250 Nov. 12 for the historic Charleroi Elks building located at 301 Fallowfield Ave.
The Charleroi Elks Lodge 494 disbanded in August, partly because of dwindling membership.
The two-story building, which opened in 1904, was sold as is with no warranty.
The Charleroi Elks Lodge 494 surrendered its charter in August, with the national organization accepting the move Aug. 26.
The organization’s home on Fallowfield Avenue was built in 1899, making it among the oldest buildings in the Magic City. It features ornate details like original woodwork, flooring and architecture.
Clergy abuse fallout continues One of the top stories of 2018 — the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sex abuse and the Roman Catholic Church’s efforts to cover it up — continued to reverberate strongly in 2019.
After years of delay and debate, Pennsylvania revamped its child sexual abuse laws to make it easier for some victims to sue and for police to file charges. The legislation, signed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, was approved more than a year after the grand jury found that senior church leaders concealed abuse by hundreds of Catholic priests since the 1940s.
Catholic dioceses from Erie to Philadelphia, meanwhile, launched compensation funds and paid nearly $84 million to 564 clergy abuse victims.
2020
COVID-19 pandemic Virtual school. Shuttered businesses. Mask mandates. “Stay calm, stay home and stay safe.”
Like the rest of the globe, the Mon Valley and the rest of Pennsylvania struggled mightily with a new virus that arrived suddenly and upended daily life, bringing sickness, suffering and death and widening political fault lines.
The coronavirus pandemic, of course, dominated statewide headlines in 2020. It came to Pennsylvania in late winter and, with stunning speed, began wrecking lives and livelihoods.
By the end of 2020, a virus that barely existed in humans a year earlier had infected more than a half-million people across Pennsylvania, killed more than 14,400, ravaged nursing homes and cost hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians their jobs.
In mid-December, Pennsylvanians began rolling up their sleeves to get a newly approved vaccine.
Presidential election Four years after Pennsylvania helped Republican Donald Trump score an upset over Hillary Clinton, the state, once again, played a critical role in deciding the next president.
A record-setting 6.9 million voters cast a ballot, and this time, they picked the Democrat — but the nation had to wait a while to find out as election officials counted more than 2.5 million mail-in votes.
Finally, four days after the election, The Associated Press and other news organizations determined that Joe Biden had won the presidency — and it was Pennsylvania that put him over the top.
Biden’s win in Pennsylvania was formalized by the state’s Electoral College, which met in Harrisburg and awarded him its 20 votes.
2021
Back in business
On Jan. 4, 2021, businesses throughout the Mon Valley got one step closer to normal. After months of lock downs and restrictions passed down from Gov. Tom Wolf, restrictions expired allowing school sports and other extracurricular activities to resume, while gyms, theaters, casinos and dining rooms at restaurants and bars were permitted to reopen. For some, it was the first time in months they had been welcomed back to work and gave area residents and families an opportunity to play.
Local leaders react to insurrection
A violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House.
As chaos ensued in Washington D.C. Wednesday, local elected officials on both sides of the political aisle were quick to denounce the actions of rioters and Trump supporters.
Republican leaders were also quick to condemn the violence at the nation’s Capitol. More than 120 defendants pleaded guilty to charges related to the insurrection, primarily misdemeanors.
Mon Valley Hospital announces merger Monongahela Valley Hospital merged with the Penn Highlands Healthcare system in Clearfield County, a move that went into effect fall of 2021.
The hospital was renamed Penn Highlands Mon Valley.
Brewster recertified after court battle State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, secured reelection and was eventually seated for his new term after a close race with Republican Nicole Ziccarelli.
Ziccarelli has since been chosen by Westmoreland County voters to serve as county district attorney.
Brewster was declared the victor by the Pennsylvania secretary of state and that decision was upheld by the state Supreme Court. He was sworn in on the state Senate floor by Allegheny County Judge David Spurgeon of White Oak on Jan. 13.
Cal U merger
The consolidation of California University of Pennsylvania with Edinboro and Clarion universities made many headlines as there was opposition from current and former students.
The merger, which took effect in the 2022-23 school year, was the result of declining enrollments and rising costs to keep the universities running.
The state System of Higher Education’s board of governors voted unanimously to approve the plan that integrates the three schools, as well as the merger of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities.
Medical marijuana ‘growing’ in McKeesport In late 2020, Trulieve — a medical marijuana company operating in 11 states — acquired Pure Penn, a medical marijuana facility that opened in the RIDC McKeesport Industrial Center in 2017.
And in October 2021, the company announced it is expanding its operations in the Tube City and creating about 800 jobs.
The jobs announcement came after Trulieve and RIDC announced that the medical marijuana company completed a multi-buildings and multi-parcel real estate transaction at RIDC McKeesport.
2022
Pa. races make national headlines
Pennsylvania jumped firmly into the national political scene in 2022, highlighted by a pair of key races that drew attention from across the country.
The state spotlight hit the race for governor between Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano, as well as the race to replace U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Democrats captured both of those key races, with Shapiro locking in four more years of Democratic control in the governor’s office and Fetterman flipping a seat for Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
Court strikes down Roe v. Wade
People on both sides of the abortion debate reacted outside the U.S. Supreme Court after the June announcement that Roe v. Wade had been overturned.
The decision was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump.
The ruling also struck down a 1992 decision in Casey v. Planned Parenthood in which the court confirmed that abortion was protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Common Ground Building explosion rocks McKeesport neighborhood Several businesses and organizations were displaced in early August 2022 when an explosion occurred at The Common Ground Building on Ninth Street in McKeesport. The blast blew the windows off the building and blew holes in exterior walls.
Forward Township disbands police
Forward Township’s police department was disbanded in April 2022 in a surprising move that left many residents wondering how it will affect the community. Township supervisors approved “Resolution Three” and “Joint Municipal Agreement,” which disbanded the department and put four full-time police officers out of work, effective immediately.
2023
Police officer killed in McKeesport
McKeesport community members and residents from surrounding towns came together for a fallen city police officer.
Officer Sean Sluganski, 32, of McKeesport was killed in the line of duty Feb. 6, 2023, while responding to a domestic incident along Wilson Avenue.
He and Officer Chuck Thomas Jr., 35, were dispatched for a mental health check of Johnathan Jermia Morris, 31. Morris did not respond to officers attempting to help and began walking away from them along the city streets, according to the Allegheny County Police.
EF rocked by fire
Flames engulfed the auditorium of Elizabeth Forward High School Feb. 12, causing structural damage in areas of the building and smoke damage throughout. Around 5:30 a.m. Feb. 12, a passing motorist saw smoke rising from the building and notified emergency services. Students were able to return to the high school on April 11.
Implosions bring down former power plant Hundreds of people and cars lined Route 837 in Elrama May 12 eagerly waiting for the old Duquesne Light power plant to implode.
Demolition of the Elrama Duquesne Light Power Station, which has been out of commission since 2012, happened in phases. The smokestack at the former Elrama power station was imploded Sept. 19.
Charleroi won’t dissolve authority
After months of back and forth between Charleroi Borough officials and the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi, a contract was unanimously agreed upon June 28.
The new deal was negotiated between the borough and the authority and did not involve the firm hired in March.
U.S. Steel sold to Japan’s Nippon Steel The $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by a Japanese steelmaker was announced Dec. 18, 2023.
U.S. Steel will keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, where it was founded in 1901 by J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie. It will become a subsidiary of Nippon, the largest steel producer in Japan.
2024
Charleroi glass factory to close
It was announced in September 2024 the Corelle glass factory in Charleroi that operations would be moved to Lancaster, Ohio, putting 270 employees out of work.
Trump assassination attempt in Butler Just days before he became the official Republican presidential nominee, Presidentelect Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler on July 13.
The Secret Service shot and killed the would-be assassin, identified as 20-yearold Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park.
A 50-year-old former firefighter from Buffalo Township, Corey Comperatore was fatally wounded while shielding his family from the gunfire. Two others attending the rally were critically injured.
Republicans win key races as Trump takes battleground Pa.
Not only did Donald Trump take Pennsylvania and its crucial 19 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, but Republicans won other key races in the state.
Pennsylvania Republicans swept all three statewide offices with York County District Attorney Dave Sunday winning the Attorney General’s race and Auditor General Tim DeFoor and Treasurer Stacy Garrity holding onto their seats.
Republican David McCormick won Pennsylvania’s pivotal US Senate seat, as the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund beat threeterm Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
During the campaign, Trump appeared in September for the private event at the Smith family farm in Smithton/South Huntingdon Township.
Eclipse fever hits Valley Pennsylvania’s northwestern corner was the only spot in the state where the full totality of the total solar eclipse on April 8 was expected to be visible. This prompted an estimated 100,000 visitors from across the globe to descend upon Erie and surrounding towns.
In the Mon Valley, eclipse watch parties took place at local libraries and in backyards where neighbors gathered with their eclipse glasses to experience near full totality. School districts in the Mon Valley altered their schedules to give students and staff a chance to safely experience the total solar eclipse.
Wild weather causes havoc
Southwestern Pennsylvania set a record for May with 14 tornadoes in the month, including one that touched down in Elrama and two twisters in Union Township in the span of a week.
Trump puts Charleroi’s Haitian population in the national spotlight
The national spotlight found its way to Charleroi in September after former President Donald Trump brought up the increasing immigrant population in the Magic City during a campaign speech in Tucson, Ariz.
In his speech, Trump referenced Charleroi as a small 4,000-person town and brought up the immigrants who have moved to the borough over the past few years. “What a beautiful name, but it’s not so beautiful now,” Trump said. “It has experienced a 2,000% increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris. So Pennsylvania, remember this when you go to vote. This is a small town and all of a sudden they got thousands of people.
“The schools are scrambling to hire translators for the influx of students who don’t speak not a word of English, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The influx of immigrants was also felt in the Charleroi Area School District, where leaders pleaded for help from the state for funding to hire more English as a Second Language educators.
Low Mon River water levels spark complaints amid demolition project The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District faced criticism as many residents and boaters along the Monongahela River saw more shoreline exposure since the July 10 dam breach of the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 near Elizabeth.
Exasperated boaters and business owners didn’t get the answers they wanted during an October town hall hosted by the Monongahela Area Revitalization Corporation at the Monongahela Fire Department Social Hall.
Some boaters walked out in fits of rage, claiming that the federal government had botched the Lower Monongahela River Project.
2025
Trump takes office again
President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president Jan. 20 after overcoming four criminal indictments and two assassination attempts in one of the most remarkable political comebacks in U.S. history.
Trump recited the oath of office at an intimate inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol rotunda, the same building a mob of his supporters stormed four years ago to try to stop the certification of Trump’s 2020 election loss. JD Vance was sworn in as vice president right before Trump.
Death of state Rep. Matt Gergely
State Rep. Matt Gergely, D-McKeesport, who passed away Jan. 19, was remembered as a family man and public servant. Gergely won a special election in 2023 for the 35th District. His death came just a couple months after he was elected to his first full term in the state House.
Gergely previously worked for the City of McKeesport as an administrator and chief revenue officer. He also spent a couple years as the McKeesport Area School District business manager.
On March 25, Democrat Dan Goughnour won the special election to fill the seat.
U.S. Steel, Nippon finalize $14.9B deal
Japan’s Nippon Steel finalized its $14.9 billion takeover of U.S. Steel, the companies announced June 18, as they unveiled details about the deal, which amounts to a tightly monitored merger.
To win government approval, the companies also had to enter a national security agreement meant to mitigate worries about Nippon having control over an iconic domestic steelmaker.
Most notably, the pact calls for Nippon to invest $11 billion in the U.S. Steel facilities through 2028 and gives the U.S. president vast authority to veto major business decisions.
President Donald Trump, who was once a vocal opponent of selling U.S. Steel to a foreign company, rescued the merger in May by blessing a “partnership” between the American manufacturer and Nippon, first on social media and later during a rally at the Irvin Works steel processing plant in West Mifflin.
U.S. Steel explosion rocks Clairton plant, claims 2 lives
U.S. Steel pinned blame for the Aug. 11 deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works on a valve failure that led to coke oven gas igniting, according to the company’s preliminary findings.
Two U.S. Steel employees, Timothy Quinn, 39, and Steven Menefee, 52, were killed; and 11 others were injured.
Significant portions of the facility were damaged, primarily the two batteries next to the explosion.
On Dec. 23, an independent, nonregulatory federal agency investigating a deadly explosion at the U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant issued two interim safety recommendations.
Final whistle blows at Charleroi plant
This year marked an end of an era and the close of a major chapter in Charleroi’s history as the Corelle Brands Inc. factory stopped producing glassware after 132 years.
After the last employees left the gate April 11, the last furnace was shut down and the remaining presses were set to be dismantled. A ceremonial whistle — like the one that sounded for so many years at shift change — sounded one final time.
The plant closed because Anchor Hocking said it was moving its Pyrex glass production to its plants in Lancaster, Ohio. About 270 workers were out of a job because of the closing.
Employees and local officials stood in the cold Dec. 1 in Meadow Avenue Park to say goodbye to the plant as a time capsule filled with 132 years of glassmaking history was lowered into the ground, carrying pieces of a legacy only Charleroi’s glassworkers could build.
Lawsuits plague Fourth Street Foods
Legal issues continue to plague Fourth Street Foods and its previous owner and founder, David E. Barbe.
In November, Fourth Street laid off 252 employees as part of plans to close the company’s Washington County plants in Fallowfield Township and Speers.
It was the latest hit for Charleroi, where glassmaker Anchor Hocking announced the closing of its plant, throwing 300 people out of work, and the closure of a pasta factory, which employed another 100 people — Quality Pasta Co. in September 2024 and Anchor Hocking a month later.
In the latest chapter of the legal saga, Huntington National Bank and Atlantic Union Bank filed a six-count civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western Pennsylvania on Dec. 19 against Barbe, claiming that he’d pumped up accounts receivables to inflate the company’s collateral to support the amount of revolving bank loans he drew.
Barbe has not been charged with criminal wrongdoing.
ICE issues reach Valley Following President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown efforts, members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement began to show up in communities across the nation where they were rarely seen before and the Mon Valley was no exception.
Earlier this year, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to a Charleroi grocery store that stocks a variety of food catering to the Haitian, Asian and African community in the area, and confronted two workers, questioning whether they were in the country legally and had the right to work. The store owner sent the requested documentation to the ICE office on Pittsburgh’s South Side, and the concerns over the workers’ immigrant status were resolved, the owner said.
After calls for local law enforcement cooperation, agencies around the country began entering into cooperation agreements with ICE.
Man rescued after trench collapse First responders from across four counties worked tirelessly for hours Aug. 28 to save a man trapped deep underground after a trench collapsed in front of Davies Ford in Charleroi.
Charleroi police immediately shut down the area between 9th and Fallowfield and 8th and McKean as emergency crews rushed to the scene around 8:30 p.m.
Authorities said the man was pinned beneath a small excavator after the trench gave way.
Around 1:30 a.m., after almost five hours of digging, the trapped worker, Vincenzo Lopez, walked out on his own before being taken to Allegheny General Hospital.
Possible EF school closures
The construction drama continued throughout the year in the Elizabeth Forward School District.
The school district announced Nov. 25 it filed a lawsuit against its insurance provider, CM Regent Insurance Company, due to its “continued failure” to adequately address damages and fund the rebuilding of the high school following a 2023 fire at the high school.
The district’s possible consolidation would include additional construction to the high school and would add seventh and eighth graders in their own separate two-level wing behind the high school that wraps around the pool.
Kindergarten and first grade would attend the current Central Elementary and grades second through sixth would attend the current Elizabeth Forward Middle School. The other elementary schools, Greenock/Mt. Vernon and William Penn in Forward Township, would be put up for sale by the district.
The school board has yet to vote to close the elementary schools.
