Kellen Stepler stories, Page 37
Used car dealership pitched for Lower Burrell
Two Pittsburgh men are asking the Lower Burrell Zoning Hearing Board to pave the way to allow a used car dealership along Leechburg Road. Mo Fathalla and Sami Abdullah seek a zoning variance for their property at 2844 Leechburg Road. City Manager Greg Primm said Fathalla and Abdullah applied to...
Group working with Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy to revitalize Agan Park
A group of elected officials and residents from Springdale and Cheswick boroughs is working with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy to develop plans to improve a park in Springdale Township. Although Agan Park is located along the township’s Riddle Run Road, it is jointly managed by Springdale Borough and Cheswick....
Marc Fogel’s mother requests meeting with Trump in effort to free son from Russian prisonVideo
Malphine Fogel said pleas to President Joe Biden to get her son, Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel, released from a Russian prison have gone nowhere. That’s why the Butler County woman says she’s now looking for help from former President Donald Trump, who will be campaigning in Butler this weekend. “As...
Bridgeville considers establishing Shade Tree Commission
After the success of recent tree plantings in Bridgeville, borough officials are considering an idea to establish a shade tree commission in the borough. “After two successful community tree plantings in the past year at both Cook School Park and a lot on Baldwin Street, the planning commission have been...
Bridgeville Police Department at full complement after hiring of patrolman
The hiring of a new officer has Bridgeville’s police force at full complement. Council hired patrolman Tyler Evans in June, and he was sworn-in by Mayor Betty Copeland at the end of June. His starting salary is $63,059. Evans previously worked for the Mt. Pleasant, Smith Township, and Monongahela City...
Springdale residents’ lawyers file brief supporting court decision to pause power plant implosion
An Allegheny County judge was within his scope of powers to grant a preliminary pause of a planned implosion of a boiler house at the former power plant in Springdale, lawyers representing 16 Springdale residents in a court case argued. On Wednesday, attorneys representing the 16 borough residents filed a...
Longtime Lower Burrell employee Nita Serene recognized with 1-day employment offer
Nita Serene can now say she’s worked for every mayor in Lower Burrell history. Serene, who retired in March 2023 after working as the city’s administrative assistant since 1974, was given a one-day employment offer this week, at a compensation of $1, under the administration of Mayor Chris Fabry, who...
S.C. man visiting Pittsburgh for furry convention charged in hotel sword attack
A South Carolina man in Pittsburgh for the Anthrocon convention has been charged with attacking a friend with a sword Thursday inside a Downtown hotel room. Officers were dispatched to the Wyndham Grand Hotel on Commonwealth Place across from Point State Park at 1 a.m. Thursday for reports of a...
Morning Roundup: 3 shot in Canonsburg; Liberty Tunnel crash injures 3
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, July 5: 3 shot in Canonsburg Three people were shot in Canonsburg overnight, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The shooting happened just before midnight on Blaine Avenue, WTAE reported. Three people were taken to the hospital. Their...
Police: Second man found dead in pool in Pine Township on Thursday has been identified
The second of two men who were found dead in a swimming pool in Pine Township on Thursday afternoon has been identified. Officers were dispatched at 6:18 p.m. Thursday to the 200 block of Whetherburn Drive for a welfare check, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders found two men...
Carlynton School Board passes budget with 6.6% tax increase
A tax increase in Carlynton School District will help fund specialized educational services and future capital projects, district officials say. Directors in June approved the district’s $35.9 million budget, which includes a 6.6% tax increase. “We understand that any tax increase is significant, and we do not take this decision...
McKees Rocks woman charged with mistreating toddlers at McCandless day care
McCandless Police have accused the director of Gloworms Academy of mistreating five toddlers at the day care. Melissa Marie Populo, 38, of McKees Rocks faces five counts of endangering the welfare of children. She is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. A Gloworms Academy employee contacted McCandless police at 10 p.m....
Morning Roundup: FBI, police investigate hoax threat at Tree of Life
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, July 3: FBI, police investigate hoax threat to Tree of Life synagogue Authorities are investigating a hoax threat made against the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, according to WTAE. Pittsburgh police told WTAE that...
Police shot man who left guns, ‘concerning’ notes in car at Cranberry golf course
Police fatally shot an Ellwood City man near a Cranberry Township golf course Tuesday after guns and “concerning” notes were found in a vehicle he abandoned, prompting an hourslong search and shelter-in-place order issued in the township. In a news release Wednesday, state troopers identified the man killed as Logan...
Last ride remembers Leechburg man’s adventurous life
Scottie Joe Hawkins got one last ride on his truck Tuesday. Family and friends hoisted his casket onto the flatbed of the tractor-trailer Hawkins used to make his living, repurposing it as a hearse to take him to his final resting place. A special platform was built onto the flatbed...
Lower Burrell considers ordinance on fireworks
Lower Burrell is looking to establish rules for fireworks in time for future holiday festivities. “The city wanted to enact a fireworks ordinance to make it clear to residents what they can and cannot do,” Mayor Chris Fabry said. “Since the state legalized so much a few years back, there...
Morning Roundup: Man accused of shooting at Downtown groups; 1 injured in I-79 crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, July 2: Police man fired shots at groups in Downtown Pittsburgh Pittsburgh police are investigating after they say a man fired at least two shots toward a group of people standing outside a store Monday evening in the...
Chartiers Valley School District’s budget holds the line on taxes
Property owners in the Chartiers Valley School District will pay the same in school taxes for the upcoming year. The $78.4 million budget, approved by the school board June 25, keeps the millage rate at 20.1909 mills, signaling no tax increase. Owners of a home in the district valued at...
Collier Community Day ‘a nice night out’
Collier Township’s Community Day sounded like a good time to township residents Gordon and Beverly Gathany. The couple, who moved to Collier from upstate New York seven years ago, frequent the township’s community center and park and looked forward to the Community Day event. “It’s a nice night out,” Beverly...
Morning Roundup: Woman injured after being hit by vehicle in Squirrel Hill
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, July 1: Woman injured after being hit by vehicle in Squirrel Hill A woman is in critical condition after she was hit by a car in Squirrel Hill on Sunday night, according to Pittsburgh police. Police spokeswoman Cara...
As interest in WNBA grows, so does stylist career of Burrell standout Sydney Bordonaro
Lower Burrell native Sydney Bordonaro now can add fashion to the list of her basketball successes. As a Burrell High School student, Bordonaro led the Bucs to their greatest seasons in basketball history from 2011 to 2015, setting numerous school records and making the all-state first team her junior and...
Weather forecast not stopping inaugural Buffett tribute concert at Pittsburgh Brewing Co.
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. officials are hoping Saturday’s stormy weather outlook will be “Nothin’ But a Breeze” as plans march on for the inaugural Jimmy Buffett tribute concert at the East Deer site. “We are moving forward with having the concert and festivities,” brewery spokeswoman Rachel Semelbauer said Friday. “We are...
Permitting process nearing completion for demolition of Colfax school in Springdale
The process aimed at demolishing Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale is continuing with permit applications to the state, architect Antone Canzian reported to the Allegheny Valley School Board. Canzian said about 80% of the contract documents needed for the project have been completed. He intends to have the project...
Family-oriented movers Weleski Transfer marks 115 years in Tarentum
Mary Anne Oshnock decided to work part time at Weleski Transfer Inc. in 1974, when she was in high school, for job experience before college. A student at Highlands at the time, Oshnock was interested in getting into the business field. She ended up staying a Weleski employee for 50...
Sheldon Park event aims to build positive relationship between residents, police
Something as simple as letting children check out a police car and blare the vehicle’s sirens can make a lasting impact, according to Allegheny County Housing Authority Police Chief Mike Vogel. As a flurry of children at Harrison’s Sheldon Park interacted with township and housing authority officers Thursday, Vogel said...

