Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has been tapped to lead the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, an obscure government cooperative of 10 counties and the City of Pittsburgh that helps funnel state and federal dollars to projects in the region.

The commission announced Mr. Fitzgerald’s hiring on Thursday. A term-limited Democrat who has served 12 years in Allegheny County’s top elected position, he’ll begin his new job in January once he leaves office. After more than two decades as an Allegheny County official — he was previously on County Council — he will lead a commission that helps direct state and federal transportation and economic development funding throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is taking a post-public service retirement off the table.

Fitzgerald, who has been in the county executive role for 12 years, or three straight terms — the limit for the position — will end his tenure at the start of January 2024 with the inauguration of Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato, but according to an announcement made on Thursday, he has already landed a new role for when his term officially ends.

The road map for transportation projects over the next few years will focus on local bridges, according to a proposed long-term infrastructure plan.

While state and county-owned bridges have been getting a lot of attention in recent years, officials with the state Department of Transportation and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission said they’re now moving forward with upgrades to lesser-traveled municipal-owned spans in the region.

Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health announced plans Wednesday to build a new $232 million hospital in Washington County to replace Canonsburg Hospital.

The approximately 300,000-square-foot, all-private-room hospital will be built on AHN Canonsburg ‘s existing campus in North Strabane Township.

Construction of AHN’s state-of-the-art, 50- to 100-bed Canonsburg facility is expected to begin in 2024 and will open in 2027.

Additional facilities, including a medical office building and a potential future cancer center, are planned for the campus.

AHN Canonsburg was established in 1904 and has operated at the current Medical Boulevard location since 1983.

Nearly two months after her son was injured responding to a crash scene, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will raise awareness for “Crash Responder Safety Week” on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission news conference.

“God uses us all in interesting ways,” she said with a chuckle Monday. “It just so happens that I’m chair of the commission right now, and I’ve had this experience, so to the extent that we can use it to help educate others, we will.”

Nearly two months after her son was injured responding to a crash scene, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will raise awareness for “Crash Responder Safety Week” on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission news conference.

“God uses us all in interesting ways,” she said with a chuckle Monday. “It just so happens that I’m chair of the commission right now, and I’ve had this experience, so to the extent that we can use it to help educate others, we will.”

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

As part of a news conference about Crash Responder Safety Week on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioner and chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, tells how her son state Trooper Joshua Osche was seriously injured at an accident scene on the Parkway West in August.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Joshua Osche was off duty and traveling on the Parkway West in Robinson just after 11:30 p.m. Aug. 24 when he came upon an accident scene, pulled over, put on a safety vest and got out to help.

Renewed calls are coming for lawmakers to consider first responder safety on the road after an off-duty state trooper was hit by a car while helping a driver on the side of the Parkway West in August.

A state trooper in Butler County says that he was heading home from a concert when he stopped in his personal car to help at an accident involving a car and tow truck. When he got out of his car with his safety vest and was setting up to divert traffic, he was hit.