Kellen Stepler stories, Page 41
Kinloch residents press Lower Burrell Council on blight, public safety issues in their neighborhood
Residents of Lower Burrell’s Kinloch neighborhood are demanding answers from city officials about what’s being done to address property and public safety issues they say are being neglected. “There’s something wrong,” said Kinloch resident John Walter, referencing what he said are a lack of police patrols and properties in poor...
Faces of the Valley: Beloved Deer Lakes teaching couple to say goodbye after long, enriching careers
Craig Taliani gets a bit emotional when thinking about what the Deer Lakes School District has meant to him and his family. He thinks about meeting his now-wife, Lisa, in a high school teachers lounge in 1991 while he was a day-to-day substitute and she was in her first year...
Use it or lose it: Experts push for meaningful reading for kids during the summer break
Eight-year-old Hannah Woch has a stack of chapter books she plans to read this summer. It’s important to read over the summer, said Hannah, a student at Bon Air Elementary School in Lower Burrell. “Now that I’m reading, I understand more stuff,” she said. With the school year concluding in...
Chartiers Valley applies for state funding to replace intermediate school roof
The Chartiers Valley School District is seeking state funding to replace the roof at its intermediate school. School directors on May 28 applied for the state’s competitive Public School Facility Improvement grant to pay for the project. The district is asking for just under $3.97 million to cover the total...
Charges held against Lower Burrell man in connection with Jehovah’s Witnesses child sex assault probe
A Lower Burrell man who, authorities say, was part of a statewide probe of child sexual abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses community will face charges in Westmoreland County Court. The state Attorney General’s Office charged Ronald W. Mangone, 69, on April 2 with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault,...
$1 million lottery scratch-off sold at Freeport gas station
A BP gas station in Freeport sold a $1 million scratch-off, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. The million dollar-winning ticket was from the lottery’s “$1,000,000 Game” and was sold at the BP gas station at 222 Buffalo St. Radhe Oil Corp., owner of the gas station, will get a $5,000...
Public meeting scheduled for Parks Township nuke dump cleanup plans
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled an information session to update the public on its cleanup efforts at the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township. The meeting is scheduled for June 11 at the Parks Township Fire Department, 1119 Dalmatian Drive. Doors will open for display stations at...
Springdale to play home football games at Burrell, Freeport in 2024 season
Without a home field this season, Springdale’s high school football team is planning to play two home games at Freeport’s football field and a pair of games at Burrell’s Buccaneer Stadium. During a school board discussion last week, Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Pat Graczyk said the Dynamos football team...
Hillcrest Shopping Center in Lower Burrell to be auctioned, starting bid at $1.14 million
With progress made at Burrell Plaza, all eyes have turned to Hillcrest Shopping Center in Lower Burrell. The shopping center off Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads will be auctioned off online from June 10 to 12, according to a listing. The starting bid is $1.14 million. “From a city standpoint,...
New Kensington shooting suspect arrested in Brackenridge
An Ohio man wanted on attempted homicide charges was taken into custody early Monday in Brackenridge. Tarentum police were dispatched shortly before midnight Sunday to the Devil Dog Saloon along Sixth Avenue on a tip that a man wanted as a suspect in a New Kensington shooting was inside the...
Deer Lakes to refund more than $700K to 3 Pittsburgh Mills properties after reassessments
Deer Lakes School District and Frazer Township are facing some hefty unforeseen expenses after a recent reassessment of three Pittsburgh Mills commercial properties. The school district will refund a total of more than $700,000 to the owners of Walmart, Sam’s Club and the SpringHill Suites hotel in Frazer. The district...
Burrell students benefit from hands-on look at job experiences, careers
Entering his senior year at Burrell High School last fall, Cameron Wagner was dead set on pursuing a career in architecture. Thanks to a new senior seminar course at the high school, Wagner, 18, was able to meet the district’s architect to see what the profession is really like. “I...
Charah makes its case to Superior Court over Springdale boiler house implosion case
Lawyers representing the shuttered power plant in Springdale are making their case to a state appellate court, arguing that a county judge erred in siding with 16 borough residents and temporarily pausing a planned implosion of a boiler house at the site. On Wednesday, attorneys representing remediation firm Charah Solutions...
Carnegie Elementary debuts Matt’s Makerspace tinker lab
Butterflies are the favorite insect of Carnegie Elementary second grader Sydney Sullivan. So when it came time for a class project to research flowers and insects, Sydney, 7, used pink and purple paper to create her own craft butterfly. Sydney — and the rest of the school’s students — showcased...
Upper Burrell looks to sell 3 acres in Lincoln Beach
Upper Burrell is considering selling 3 acres of vacant land it owns in the township’s Lincoln Beach area after receiving interest from prospective buyers. “We’re anxious to sell it. … It’s not being used for anything,” said Supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III, who estimates a handful of people have...
Lower Burrell Farmers Market to open for season with 60-plus vendors
An array of more than 60 vendors will be available Saturday to kick off Lower Burrell’s farmers market. The Joseph “Bud” Myers Lower Burrell Farmers Market will begin its summer season from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bon Air Elementary School parking lot. “The market is all about...
Burrell merges athletic and facilities director positions, furloughs 1 as district assesses tax hike
In an effort to save money, Burrell School District officials have combined two administration jobs, creating a new position to oversee its athletics department and building operations. The school board on Tuesday appointed Brian Ferra as director of athletics and building operations. The district eliminated the facilities director position held...
Police say New Kensington man restrained, assaulted woman in Springdale
Springdale police filed charges against a New Kensington man who, they say, broke into a woman’s apartment and assaulted her while he was still on probation for a previous incident against her. Zachery Darnell Hickman, 34, faces a felony burglary charge and misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, simple...
Safety courses encouraged for motorcyclists as peak riding weather nears
Rhonda Diercks knows firsthand the importance of motorcycle safety. In 2020, another motorcyclist collided with her while she was riding her motorcycle, causing her to lose a leg. Now, she stresses the importance of safe riding to her students and instructors as facilitator of a state-approved motorcycle safety class held...
Allegheny Valley School District budget proposes 2.65% tax increase
Property owners in the Allegheny Valley School District could see a 2.65% tax increase next school year. District Finance Director Hamsini Rajgopal is proposing a $25.8 million budget for the 2024-25 school year. A property owner with a median assessed value of $85,900 would pay $1,837 annually in taxes, Rajgopal...
Interest in policing rebounds, earns Burrell students spots in citizen police academy
Eyeing a career in criminal justice, Burrell High School student Mariah Kaiser wants to figure out why people commit crimes. “I’ve always been interested in law enforcement in general,” said Kaiser, 16. “I want to have a better understanding to why people do what they do.” Kaiser and eight other...
Art therapy program boosts well-being of Allegheny Valley School District students
Students in the Allegheny Valley School District are turning to art as an additional way to support their mental well-being. Melissa Holler, the district’s director of pupil services, said the district has implemented an art therapy program. It has done so by contracting with the Pittsburgh Center for Integrative Therapy,...
Lower Burrell first responders receive new fire truck, ambulance
Several years of fundraising and waiting finally paid off for Lower Burrell’s Kinloch Volunteer Fire Company. Kinloch took delivery of a new pumper truck at the end of April. The company has been raising money for the past two or three years to assist with its purchase, Chief Ted Hereda...
Burrell School District now considering 5.8% increase for property owners
Burrell School District is now thinking of a 5.8% tax increase in its proposed budget for the upcoming school year. The district released a proposed budget that includes an increase of 6.5 mills, which would account for future bond payments for capital improvements and construction, said Finance Director Jennifer Callahan....
Lower Burrell school property won’t revert to original owners if school closes
Historians and officials say if Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell closes and goes up for sale, the land would not revert back to the Stewart family, despite rumors to the contrary. Lower Burrell historian Ray Rieser said, despite popular belief, the Burrell School District purchased the land from the...
