Kellen Stepler stories, Page 15
Burrell elementary school expansion to be tweaked after bids come in over budget
Burrell School District officials need to pare the cost of construction projects at Bon Air Elementary School after bids came in over budget. The lowest bid for Bon Air’s proposed cafeteria and kitchen addition, and heating and cooling projects, came in at $12.6 million, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner. “That...
Shoe Sensation nearing opening date in Allegheny Township
A Shoe Sensation is coming to Allegheny Township. The store, in the Hyde Park Plaza, 451 Hyde Park Road, tentatively plans a soft opening Aug. 15, according to a representative from Shoe Sensation. The representative offered no other details about the store. Shoe Sensation sells an assortment of shoes and...
PennDOT rejects Lower Burrell’s request to outlaw jake brakes on stretch of Route 56
The loud roar of diesel trucks using brake retarders will continue to be heard on Route 56 between Hillcrest Drive and Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. City officials in April had requested that PennDOT look into outlawing brake retarders, commonly known as jake brakes, on that stretch of road after...
Girl’s fall from Leechburg Bridge under investigation, officials say
Leechburg officials said Tuesday they’re still investigating after a girl fell from the Leechburg Bridge on Monday night. First responders were dispatched to the Leechburg Bridge at around 7:30 p.m. for a juvenile who had fallen from the bridge and onto the shoreline along the Kiski River. It’s unclear at...
Lower Burrell’s Kotecki Park to include space for dogs
Lower Burrell police Officer Derek Kotecki’s legacy will be remembered in the city in a new way. Council approved plans for a dog park at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. The dog park will be located past the outfield of the ballfield, closest to where people pull in to...
Burrell School Board to consider bids for Bon Air Elementary construction projects
The Burrell School Board will meet Tuesday to consider awarding contracts for construction at Bon Air Elementary School. The board will consider hiring contractors for a cafeteria addition, air conditioning and boiler repairs at Bon Air, said Superintendent Shannon Wagner. Bids haven’t yet been made public but architects previously estimated...
Pitt approves tuition and fee increases for fall term, lifts hiring freeze
Tuition for students at the University of Pittsburgh will increase again. The $3.2 billion budget, approved Friday by the Board of Trustees, includes a 2% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate and gradate students attending the Oakland campus, a 4% hike for out-of-state students and a 1% increase for students attending...
Arnold seeks bids for new fire engine
Arnold officials have taken the first step toward replacing a 31-year-old fire engine. Council on July 8 voted to advertise bids for a new fire engine, to ultimately replace its 1994 fire engine. “The maintenance side of it, it’s getting increasingly costly to maintain that vehicle,” said Chris O’Leath, fire...
New Kensington’s Sankofa Mansion sets grand opening date
Laurie Johnson-Wade sets high expectations for those who will attend the grand opening of the new Sankofa Mansion — formerly the Bloser Mansion — in New Kensington on Thursday. “They’ll be treated like royalty,” said Wade, who owns Sankofa with her husband, VonZell Wade. The grand opening will be the...
Man accused of armed robberies in Ohio, Crafton now faces similar charges in New Kensington
Authorities have linked a New Kensington man, already in jail in connection with armed robberies in Crafton and Ohio, to a May 2024 incident where, police say, he stole $47,000 of electronics from the AT&T store off Tarentum Bridge Road. Trey Bell, 31, is charged with robbery, theft, unlawful restraint,...
Want to be Arnold’s city controller? Petition the court, solicitor says
Arnold’s next city controller — whomever that may be — already needs some help from residents. City Solicitor Jaclyn Shaw said 10 interested registered voters need to petition the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas to fill the vacancy for city controller. Arnold has been without a controller since Toni...
Arnold resurrects Civil Service Commission, Redevelopment Authority
Arnold reactivated its civil service commission and redevelopment authority after all members of both groups resigned last month. “They both collapsed at the same time,” Mayor Shannon Santucci said. “I just made phone calls and asked people if they’d be interested.” Santucci estimated she made about 24 phone calls to...
Yoga and working out go hand-in-hand at New Kensington studio
Leah Delaney thinks the peace of yoga and the strenuous exercises of a fitness boot camp are a perfect mix. That’s why Delaney, owner of AngelWing Yoga and Wellness in New Kensington, is expanding her studio to incorporate exercise and fitness classes, including kickboxing, weight training circuits, body sculpting and...
Robert Haus appointed as Arnold officer-in-charge — again
What’s old is new again within the Arnold Police Department. Mayor Shannon Santucci on Tuesday appointed Robert Haus as officer-in-charge of the department. “We had to make a move,” Santucci said. “It’s the best resolution for the police department and the community at this time.” And it’s a move that’s...
Accessible playground, park project pitched for Arnold
When Devin Moore takes his daughters to parks and playgrounds in the New Kensington area, he finds they struggle with, or can’t use, some or all of the amenities there. And he thinks his isn’t the only family experiencing that. That’s why Moore is pitching an idea to New Kensington...
Upper Burrell police contract includes 4% pay hikes
Upper Burrell police officers have a new five-year contract that includes a 4% increase in hourly wages annually. The collective bargaining agreement, between the township and the Wage and Policy Committee of the Upper Burrell police department, takes effect Jan. 1, 2026 and expires Dec. 31, 2030. “I’m happy with...
Chartiers Center shuffles CFO, CIO positions
Bridgeville-based Chartiers Center, a nonprofit that focuses on mental health, announced leadership transitions this month. Melissa Leoni was appointed chief financial officer, which allows Lindsay Bahl to focus exclusively on the chief information officer role, according to Chartiers Center. Bahl had previously held both positions since 2014. Chartiers Center officials...
Elderly woman freed from beneath car at Lower Burrell Manor
An elderly woman was flown to a trauma center Wednesday evening after she was pinned underneath a car in Lower Burrell. Lower Burrell Co. 3 Chief Brennan Sites said crews were dispatched at 6:28 p.m. for reports of a woman trapped under a car at Lower Burrell Manor, 200 Sylvan...
Police: 19-year-old arrested following wild police chase; stolen guns, drugs recovered
A 19-year-old Hollidaysburg man is behind bars after he led police on a high-speed chase from New Kensington into Murrysville early Thursday morning. Jerome Micha McClung faces 19 charges, among them aggravated assault, DUI, receiving stolen property, endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, fleeing from an officer, causing an...
Kevin and Lori Schoch named majors of New Kensington Salvation Army
The New Kensington Salvation Army has new leadership. Kevin and Lori Schoch took over as majors of the New Kensington Salvation Army, 255 Third St., last week. The Schochs, married 40 years, said they look forward to learning more about the New Kensington community. “We’ll spend a lot of time...
Collier ham radio club tries to ‘solve the world’s problems’
It’s a hobby with a responsibility. That’s how the 80 members of the Steel City Amateur Radio Club in Collier view the skill, science and enjoyment of participating in ham radio. “It’s a fun place to hang out,” said member Robert Mente of Collier, who also is the emergency coordinator...
Upper Burrell goes back to the drawing board on rules for injection wells
Upper Burrell residents on Wednesday asked supervisors to consider more stringent rules for injection wells. Township supervisors were considering a proposal regulating and outlining rules for injection wells that would allow them as a conditional use in industrial-zoned areas of Upper Burrell only. During the hourlong hearing Wednesday, residents asked...
New Kensington man, fugitive since February, arrested in Pittsburgh, faces new gun charges
A New Kensington man wanted on multiple warrants now faces additional gun charges after being taken into custody Tuesday by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies. William Rodgers, 28, has been a fugitive since February when he walked out of Renewal Center halfway house on Boulevard of the Allies in Downtown...
Erin Rodgers appointed to Chartiers Valley School Board
Erin Rodgers is the newest member of the Chartiers Valley School Board. School directors appointed Rodgers, of Scott Township, to fill a board seat vacated by Herb Ohliger. Rodgers received the majority of votes from the school board on June 24 after she and four other applicants — Mariann Fox,...
Upper Burrell man, Dennis Praniewicz, knew how to make the most of life
There was only one Dennis Praniewicz. Whether it was riding a jon boat or motorcycle, making tomato moonshine, or shenanigans from sleepwalking, Praniewicz lived a life as funny and wild as it was caring and passionate, his family said. “The stories we could tell,” said Trudy Praniewicz, Dennis’ wife of...
