Kellen Stepler stories, Page 10
21 students in inaugural class of the Teach from DeHart Academy in Arnold
The founder of the Teach from DeHart Foundation believes his new school that opened this week in Arnold will change lives. Classes started Wednesday. They will be held at Reclamation Church in New Kensington until about October due to a pipe that burst inside the school building, said Matt DeHart,...
Suspended Arnold police chief resigns
Josh Stanga, Arnold’s suspended police chief, has resigned from the force, Mayor Shannon Santucci announced. “Officer Stanga will no longer be chief, or any part, of the Arnold Police Department,” Santucci said Friday. “He resigned in lieu of being terminated.” Reached by phone Friday, Stanga declined to comment on his...
South Fayette teen builds veterans memorial
A South Fayette High School freshman has spearheaded a project that will honor and remember the district’s alumni veterans for generations to come. Jasim Khilji led the construction of the new Alumni Veterans Monument, located outside South Fayette High School. The five-sided brick monument honors district alumni who have served,...
Woman accused of pocketing $37K in GoFundMe donations meant for injured cousin
State police have accused an Oklahoma Borough woman of pocketing more than $37,000 from an online fundraiser she established for an injured relative. Vanessa Renea Louise Lewis, 29, is charged with theft by deception, financial exploitation of a care-dependent person, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to deposit funds....
Arnold man pleads guilty to fentanyl, heroin trafficking
An Arnold man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a charge of fentanyl and heroin trafficking. Kevin Watson, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy to possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of heroin, according...
Upper Burrell sets guidelines for injection wells
Rules for injection wells are on the books in Upper Burrell. Supervisors on Wednesday approved regulations for injection wells that would allow them as a conditional use in industrial-zoned areas in the township only, although some residents asked for more time for things to be cleaned up or clarified in...
Woman killed in Penn Hills fire identified; death, fire ruled accidental
An 83-year-old woman was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office as the person who was killed in a March 11 fire at a house in Penn Hills. Karen L. Verzinski lived in the 300 block of College Street in Penn Hills, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. The...
New veterans business outreach center debuts at New Kensington’s Corner LaunchBox
Penn State New Kensington’s Corner LaunchBox has started a new business outreach service for veterans. The Veterans Business Outreach Center, at the Corner LaunchBox in downtown New Kensington, was established through an agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, said Joanna Sutton, director of the Corner LaunchBox. The effort aims...
Students return to new-look Burrell School District
For many students in the Burrell School District, Tuesday wasn’t just the first day of a new school year. Many were starting in a new building after the closure of Stewart Elementary School at the end of the last school year. For the first time in its history, Burrell is...
Community rallies around Riley’s Pour House; rebuilding plans unveiled at event
Longtime Riley’s Pour House customer Peggy Harkins knew no strangers when she’d visit the popular Carnegie establishment. “We have nothing but happy memories of the Pour House,” said Harkins, of Scott. “Never did we go down there and not have a good time.” That was evident Aug. 24, as more...
Carnegie celebrates, promotes monarch butterflies at annual festival
Gina James, president of Carnegie’s Shade Tree Commission, says she can see the difference over five years in her community’s efforts to preserve and protect monarch butterflies. “Everybody has come up and said, they’re seeing more monarchs,” James said. “We’re bringing more monarchs to Carnegie, and everyone seems to love...
Gregg Avenue steps reopen in Bridgeville
Bridgeville’s Gregg Avenue steps are now available for public use. The steps connect McLaughlin Run Road at the bottom of Laurel Street with Bridgeville’s uptown area along Gregg Avenue and Greenwood Place. The steps had been in poor condition and closed for some time. Construction took place this summer. The...
Multiple fire companies battle garage fire in New Kensington
A garage near Aluminum City Terrace in New Kensington was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning. New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr said crews were dispatched to 870 E. Hill Drive at 11:25 a.m. for reports of a vehicle on fire in a garage. “The first firefighter was here within...
How a West Deer company is helping kids with autism and sensory needs through play
Sometimes, you just fall in love with a place. And that, sort of, is how West Deer became home to an international company’s only U.S. location. Not widely-known to many in the community, TFH Special Needs Toys is a transatlantic company producing toys and other gadgets that make life better...
4th annual Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games a hit; highlights need for events for kids with special needs
Dylan Martin answered quickly when asked his favorite part of the Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games, held Saturday afternoon in Lower Burrell. “This one,” said the 11-year-old from New Kensington, pointing to the soccer ball and goal, and then pointing to the obstacle course, croquet set-up, ring toss and cornhole. “He can’t...
Weapons detection system rolled out at Burrell High School
Burrell High School will roll out a weapons detection system this school year. Superintendent Shannon Wagner said an OpenGate detection system will be implemented at the high school during the beginning of the school day. “It’s like what’s used at a Steelers game, or any kind of large event,” Wagner...
Arnold officials proud of response to double-fatal fire
The Arnold house fire that claimed the lives of two women and injured others was one of the worst in the city’s history, Fire Chief Eric Gartley said. “It’s one of those events that, no matter how much training you do, it’s still challenging for us,” he said Friday. “A...
Nursing school? Workforce training? Ideas pitched for future use of PSNK property
Suggestions for what the Penn State New Kensington property will become post-spring 2027 range from a nursing school, to a manufacturing training center or a mixed-use site. But regardless of what eventually pans out, those who attended a invitation-only meeting with Penn State leadership at the PSNK campus this week...
2 sisters killed in Arnold fire: ‘Everybody on the block loved them’
Kenyatta Milisits struggled to find the words to describe the situation that claimed the lives of two of her best friends, and injured a third, in a fire Wednesday night in Arnold. “Why’d something bad have to happen to good people?” she asked Thursday on the porch steps of 1908...
Local officials invited to discussion about Penn State New Kensington’s future
Some area leaders are invited to a meeting Wednesday afternoon with Penn State officials to discuss the future of the Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell, when it closes in two years. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, and New Kensington Mayor Thomas Guzzo, both of whom were invited,...
Arnold fire chief suggests ‘squatters’ may have ignited overnight fire
An overnight fire in Arnold may have been started by squatters, according to the city’s fire chief. Crews were dispatched at 12:27 a.m. Tuesday to the 1600 block of Kenneth Avenue for a report of smoke in the structure, said Arnold Fire Chief Eric Gartley. Neighbors told firefighters the building...
Greater Hope Restoration Ministries grows to Carnegie
Cheryl Jones-Ross knows what it’s like to go through hard times. In Jan. 2014, Jones-Ross lost her sister, Joyce Wilson, to cancer. “It was one of the most profound things I have ever had to deal with,” Jones-Ross said. “I was really close with my sister. In the midst of...
Mystery solved: Upper Burrell woman finds missing piece to history of Massy Harbison cabin
Betty Beestrice isn’t quite sure why she has a photograph of the Massy Harbison cabin when it was located in Upper Burrell, how she got it or where it may have come from. But the Upper Burrell woman has the evidence that the cabin was located in Upper Burrell sometime...
New Kensington-Arnold appoints associate special education director
New Kensington-Arnold School District’s superintendent says a new special education position will assist efforts to strengthen that department. Lisa Bozzo was appointed as associate director of special education, a new role, earlier this month. Her salary is $88,500. “It’s to build the program,” said Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. “We’d like to...
‘A celebration of who they are’: Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games readies for 4th year
Brian Novak says forming meaningful relationships and getting excited about things can be difficult for his 16-year-old daughter, Sydney, who is moderately autistic. But the Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games in Lower Burrell is something Sydney gets excited about days before and after the event. “Those are memories I have I never...
