Three families were displaced early Thursday morning after a condominium complex fire in Cumberland County. Fire crews from Cumberland, Perry, and Dauphin counties were dispatched at about 5:55 a.m. for reports of a house fire at the Westwood Village Condominium Read the article…………………………….
Built for white people: The hidden racist history of some Pittsburgh neighborhoods (PA)
Home sale deeds for some subdivisions, written as recently as the 1940s, barred the sales of those properties to Black buyers and sometimes other ethnic groups. A new law allows owners to repudiate such language, but echoes of the covenants remain. Read the article…………………………….
Massive landslide impacts residents in Western Pennsylvania
The impact of a landslide in Western Pennsylvania continues to grow. Residents in Moon Township, outside of Pittsburgh, are being asked to leave their homes after backyards started sliding away on Friday. Read the article…………………………….
Home for the holidays carries different meaning for Rustic Ridge residents this year (PA)
About two weeks before Christmas, little about this corner of Rustic Ridge, a sprawling subdivision of winding roads and cul-de-sacs, suggested it was the holidays. An absence of decorations was noticeable — because nobody was home Read the article…………………………
Historic bill to repudiate racially restricted deed covenants passes (PA)
The Pennsylvania Senate made history Wednesday by unanimously passing state Rep. Justin Fleming’s legislation (H.B. 1289) that would help rectify the legacy of biased housing practices by making it easier for property owners to repudiate discriminatory deed covenants. Read the article…………………………………..
Woman dies in Spring Garden high-rise fire; newly reinstated ladder company first on scene (PA)
A woman has died in a fire that erupted at a high-rise condo building in Philadelphia’s Spring Garden section Monday night. Several other residents have also been displaced. Read the article………………………………..
Half of home heating fires occur in December, January and February — How to stay warm and safe
With the arrival of the cold temperatures, Wilmerding Fire Marshal Alvin Hussey is warning homeowners to be careful while trying to stay warm. Read the article…………………………..
Rustic Ridge hydrant system not enough to fight fully engulfed house fire, Plum fire chief says (PA)
The fire hydrant system in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood of Plum, where a house explosion killed six people in August, is not adequate for fighting a single fully engulfed house fire, according to a borough fire chief who was on the scene that day. Read the article……………………………….
Man charged for allegedly threatening Treasure Lake POA office employee (PA)
A DuBois man has been charged for allegedly threatening an employee of the Treasure Lake Property Owners Association office Tuesday, Oct. 31. Sandy Township Police have charged Richard Glenn Vanhorn, 68, with terroristic threats — a felony of the third degree, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint filed at Magisterial District Judge […]
There’s a Dangerous Dog in My Building. What Can I Do About It?
Laws about dangerous dogs are designed to protect you, but before you involve the authorities, your condo has a duty to protect its unit owners. Read the Q&A……………………………..
A battle is brewing over a bill that would require sprinklers be added to older condos (PA)
Fire safety experts agree that sprinklered buildings are safer, but opponents to a new mandate say that requiring them in old buildings will be too expensive and disruptive to the lives of occupants. Read the article……………………….
High Carbon Monoxide Levels Prompt Evacuation Of 55-Plus Condos (PA)
A carbon monoxide detector went off in one unit and PECO came out. A PECO crew member found several units with higher-than-normal carbon monoxide levels, which prompted firefighters to respond, Farry said. Read the article………………………..
Pa. Gov. Shapiro secures methane detectors for Rustic Ridge community
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Rich Negrin announced Aug. 25 they secured combustible gas detectors for the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in Plum Borough following an explosion that took the lives of six residents and damaged multiple homes. Read the article………………………..
Plum homeowners get help at multi-agency resource center after devastating explosion (PA)
Local, county and state officials helped Plum residents on Thursday replace important documents and get resources they need after an explosion killed six people and rendered 10 homes uninhabitable. Read the article………………………..
A week after fatal house explosion, Plum community seeks the will to push forward (PA)
The idyllic innocence of Rustic Ridge shattered a week ago. Tragedy struck this close-knit community in Plum, a neighborhood of more than 200 homes, about 10:23 a.m. last Saturday. An explosion leveled a home on Rustic Ridge Drive and resulted in an inferno that destroyed two neighboring homes. The shock wave of the blast damaged […]
The fight to repair New Hope bridge goes to court over water and access concerns (PA)
Complicating the issues is that the suit avers that the DCNR stated the repairs need to be made by the condominium association pursuant to an agreement from June 1987 and amended in August that year. Read the article………………………..
Pennsylvania bill would allow condo, HOA residents to hang clotheslines
A Pennsylvania lawmaker says her bill would allow residents of condos and homeowners associations (HOAs) to hang their clothing outside to dry. State Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Delaware/Montgomery) says some HOAs and housing units ban outdoor clotheslines and drying racks that may hinder the community’s appearance. Read the article………………………..
Bill to repudiate racially restricted deed covenants passes PA House
A bill sponsored by Rep. Justin Fleming, D-Dauphin, that would make it easier for property owners to repudiate discriminatory deed covenants passed the House today. A covenant stipulates what existing or future owners can and cannot do to the property. Racially discriminatory real estate covenants were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948 […]
Water main break in Oakland impacts two condo buildings, floods garage (PA)
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said crews were able to shut off a 20-inch main line near the Park Plaza Condominiums, ending the active leak. Later, crews determined it was a private water line that burst. The building’s owner will have to handle additional repairs to the building. Read the article………………………..
Towamencin: Residents say sewer rate hikes could hit condo residents harder (PA)
During the April meetings hosted by PA American, Fields told the board, that company provided a model for residents to calculate the charges that company will apply to residents who live in condo complexes that are currently unmetered and pay the flat fee. Under the model PA American provided, Fields told the board, her annual […]
York Co. Family Of 7 Displaced By Fire Gets Surge Of Support Thanks To Their HOA (PA)
Homeowner’s associations get a bad reputation. HOAs are known for rules about house color, where to place your basketball hoop, and when you should bring up your trash cans, but one York County HOA is quickly building a good rep. by helping a family in their neighborhood after a devasting house fire. Read the article………………………..
Villas of Newtown basin fix to cost township at least $112K (PA)
Public improvements (the township’s responsibility) regarding drainage were not completed nearly 10 years after the community was first constructed, and in April 2022, bids to complete the work came in at $277,000, which the township escrow fund did not have the resources to cover. The bids were subsequently rejected. Read the article………………………..
Man who lost everything in water main break in Wilkinsburg asking for accountability from officials (PA)
A water main break on Tuesday sent water rushing into a Wilkinsburg condominium complex, forcing one man to break through his patio door to escape. That man is Ray Pope, whose apartment took on four to five feet of water, destroying everything he owns. Read the article………………………..
Water main break floods ground-level condos, causing damage at Wilkinsburg complex (PA)
A massive water main break Tuesday morning flooded several ground-level condos at a complex in Wilkinsburg. Ray Pope was living in one of those units. “I just had to bust this [glass door], boom, boom, boom,” he said, recounting the crucial moments after water began rushing into his condo. Read the article………………………..
Cedar Ridge townhome residents complain developer left no topsoil for landscaping (PA)
On behalf of the Cedar Ridge Homeowner’s Association, attorney Scott Lipson and engineer Bill Erdman of Keystone Engineering presented a report outlining residents’ dissatisfaction with their top soil as left by the developer, THP Homes. They argued that THP did not supply the required eight inches of top soil on the property, with residents finding […]
Philly condo, apartment residents protest a bill to add sprinklers to old buildings (PA)
Philadelphia Councilmember Mark Squilla found himself besieged Thursday by high-rise condo and apartment dwellers angered by a bill he introduced almost a year ago. The legislation would mandate installation of sprinkler systems in older buildings over six stories. Read the article………………………..
State College Sinkhole Update (PA)
To recap residents of the Patton Township townhomes the sinkhole affected told us at an early January homeowners association meeting that they themselves had to conduct and pay for structural assessment studies of their properties. Read the article………………………..
Multiple fires erupt at condominium tower in Cherry Hill (PA)
Several fire crews battled a blaze as flames erupted from the balconies of a condominium tower in Cherry Hill Saturday morning. Officials say multiple exterior balconies caught fire at the Mark 70 Condominiums due to “improperly discarded smoking materials.” Read the article………………………..
2 injured in Warminster, Bucks County fire (PA)
An Action News viewer recorded the arrival of fire trucks as smoke billowed from the condo complex. The fire damaged several units at the Saxony Manor Condominiums and two people had to be hospitalized. Read the article………………………..
Crews responding to Freemansburg condo complex fire (PA)
Crews were dispatched Tuesday morning to a fire that broke out in a Freemansburg Borough condominium and townhome complex. Read the article………………………..
Everything you wanted to know about private streets in Pittsburgh (PA)
In communities around Pittsburgh, there are streets designated as “private.” Sometimes they’re winding roads on college campuses, or they could be narrow spans seemingly tucked away in city neighborhoods. Read the article………………………..
Treasure Lake POA awarded grant for ATV trailhead master plan (PA)
The Treasure Lake Property Owners Association has been awarded $73,500 for the formation of a master plan for an ATV trailhead at Cayman Landing Campground, a project planned in partnership with the Elk County Riders ATV and recreation group. Read the article………………………..
Sinkhole ‘meeting was a bit of a train wreck’: Displaced residents voice concerns (PA)
In Centre County, residents of a Patton Township homeowners association met on Friday with HOA leaders about a massive sinkhole that displaced 18 households. Read the article………………………..
State College Sinkhole (PA)
Dozens of residents have been displaced, and their townhomes abandoned, since Christmas weekend after a sinkhole opened up in their neighborhood. Read the article………………………..
Condo Fire Battled In Haverford Thursday Evening (PA)
A condominium in Haverford caught fire Thursday afternoon, according to the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore. Fire broke out at a condo along the 100 block of Llanalew Road in Haverford at about 4:14 p.m. Thursday. Crews found heavy fire at the properties and raised a second alarm, the fire company said. Read the article………………………..
Firefighters Battle Blaze That Severely Damaged Phoenixville Condos (PA)
Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze Friday afternoon that severely damaged Westridge complex off Mowere and Township Line roads, officials said Saturday. Read the article………………………..
Lower Merion agrees to do away with an archaic condo rule (PA)
Recently an attorney for Grays Lane House Unit Owners Association reached out to Lower Merion requesting the township approve a change to the condominium’s governing documents. The change was for the township to remove itself from having to approve any changes to its documents. Read the article………………………..
His emotional support animal is an alligator. They sleep in the same bed (PA)
Joseph Henney’s emotional support animal WallyGator goes with him almost everywhere, from the grocery store to walks in the park. They hug each other and sleep in the same bed. WallyGator is an alligator. Read the article………………………..
Supervisor: Richland Township can’t accept streets not up to code (PA)
Several residents of the Skyview Estates Homeowners Association attended the Richland Township Supervisors’ meeting on Monday to request that the township absorb the development’s private roads — Bella Lane and Julz Drive. Cindi Cort, president of the homeowners association, said residents would like its streets to be public. However, the area of Skyview Estates is […]
Whispering Knoll residents, LMA still working toward solution (PA)
Around a dozen Whispering Knoll residents and the developer of the property attended Tuesday’s Latrobe Water Authority meeting with more questions on resolving on-going water issues. The developer of the property, Jim Thomas, told the authority comments last month claiming he made the decision to not do the right thing by failing to install a […]
Somerset Lake residents to New Garden: ‘Share the cost of fixing our sinkhole (PA)
For the last year, the sinkhole between Lake Shore Lane and North Shore Lane Buttonwood Road in the Somerset Lake development in Landenberg has been Topic A for the residents who drive along the road. Read the article………………………….
Lancaster Twp. to enter into cooperative property maintenance agreement with development (PA)
The township will enter into cooperative property maintenance agreements with the Gable Park Woods homeowners’ association and Lancaster city Read the entire article……………………………….
Whispering Knoll issues continue (PA)
At least 20 residents of The Village at Whispering Knoll attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the Latrobe Municipal Authority. Residents at the 55-and-over patio home community located in Derry Township have complained in past months of not only low water pressure, but also power outages affecting the pump station at the development. Read the entire […]
‘It would be wildflowers’: Couple questions HOA’s rules governing lawncare, solar energy (PA)
Crouched in a grassy area outside her backyard fence, Hilari Hinnant proudly pointed out each individual plant in her two small gardens: black-eyed Susans, wild violets, yarrow, lamb’s ear, sedum and garlic. Read the entire article……………………………….
How seniors of this Warminster condo complex are preparing for life with no elevators (PA)
Centennial Station resident Estelle Samburg is stocking up, as much as she can manage, on canned food, dry groceries and other household goods, as if preparing for an incoming mega-storm or some other nature-induced calamity. Read the entire article……………………………….
Police Say NY Man Threatened to Bulldoze HOA President’s Home (PA)
WYOU says that when the man’s gate card at the Reflection Lakes Owners Association was deactivated over unpaid dues, he allegedly threatened the president of the association. And by threatened, we’re talking about bulldozing the person’s home to the ground, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Read the entire article……………………………….
Bucks County 55+ Condo Residents ‘Having To Live Like Shut-Ins’ As Only Elevator Shut Down For Repairs (PA)
Residents in a Bucks County 55+ condo community say some have been left stranded. It happened after management announced their one elevator would be shut down for weeks due to some major upgrades. Read the entire article……………………………….
‘Matter of life and death:’ How will senior navigate four-story Warminster condo complex with no elevator? (PA)
Two years ago, Pat Boyle sold her home and downsized into a condo at Centennial Station, a 55-plus community in Warminster, in part because it promised to be easier for her to get around. Read the entire article……………………………….
‘It went up really fast:’ Fire leaves residents of 8 Lower Makefield condos displaced (PA)
Brian O’Connor had just taken his dog, Rusty, outside and returned to his first-floor unit at the Cornerstone Condominiums in Lower Makefield when he noticed a unit across the driveway going up in flames early Saturday morning. Read the entire article……………………………….