Kellen Stepler stories, Page 53
Arson suspect heads to court; ‘not the type of person we want in the fire department’
Andrew Bischof, the former Arnold volunteer firefighter charged with arson in connection with four fires in Arnold and New Kensington earlier this month, waived his preliminary hearing Thursday morning before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. Police accuse Bischof, 21, of setting four houses on fire the weekend of Sept....
LCB grants East Deer noise exemption for concerts at Pittsburgh Brewing plant
Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board has granted East Deer’s request for the township to enforce its own noise ordinance, as a concert venue at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. plans to open next summer. East Deer established its own noise ordinance in June and sought the exemption from the LCB because of Pittsburgh...
Peck Yakopec, Zellers to vie for district judge seat
Vandergrift attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers and Cheryl Peck Yakopec, the incumbent judge, will again appear on the ballot for magisterial district justice in northwestern Westmoreland County. Magisterial District 10-1-04 includes Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Hyde Park, East Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Oklahoma Borough. In the May primary,...
Harmar police charge homeless man with threatening to kill officers
A homeless man is accused by Harmar police of threatening to fight and shoot officers after they responded to a disturbance call at a township hotel. David James Land, 48, was charged with terroristic threats, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Officers were dispatched to the Marriott hotel at...
Attorney: Charges withdrawn against Springdale woman for not cutting grass since June implosion of smokestacks
The attorney for a Springdale woman who lives across from the former Cheswick Generating Station says the woman didn’t cut her grass because, if she did, it would reexpose arsenic and other toxins from the June 2 implosion of the plant’s smokestacks. Brittni Bair, 33, received two summary offenses in...
Springdale man charged after police say he threatened neighbors, officers
A Springdale man faces criminal charges after, police say, he threatened to fight officers and his neighbors. William Vokes II, 23, faces three counts of terroristic threats — one of which is a felony count— and one count each of vandalism, resisting arrest, defiant trespass, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness,...
Ideas sought for Springdale Township and East Deer river trail
An Oct. 16 meeting has been scheduled for the public to learn more about a proposed trail that would run through Springdale Township and East Deer. The Friends of the Riverfront will hold the public meeting on the Springdale-East Deer segment of the trail. The trail portion will begin where...
Pittsburgh Mills mall owner optimistic about property’s future, but mum on details, after averting sheriff’s sale
After paying off millions in delinquent assessment fees for the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer, owner Namdar Realty Group says it’s looking forward to the mall’s future but, so far, hasn’t said what that future will be. The Mills mall was scheduled for sheriff’s sale last week, but Namdar paid...
Girardi, Karaica seek Lower Valley district judge seat
The former presidents of Springdale and Cheswick borough councils will square off in their pursuit of the district judge’s seat in the Lower Valley. Michael Girardi, 37, of Cheswick and Mitchell Karaica, 51, of Springdale are seeking to replace David Sosovicka, who is not seeking reelection. Judicial elections are nonpartisan,...
Allegheny Valley School District to pay $1,000 to family of Acmetonia student after probe into bullying
The Allegheny Valley School District will reimburse an Acmetonia Elementary School family $1,000 following an investigation that found the district didn’t protect a student with disabilities after his classmates bullied and physically attacked him. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Sept. 21 announced it had resolved...
Penn State New Kensington to lead conference on technology, education, future readiness of students
Penn State New Kensington is expanding efforts to bolster future readiness among students as technology in business and industry continues to advance at rapid rates. A conference led by the university, dubbed “Education Vanguard: Building the Education of the Future Together,” will run Thursday through Saturday at the Regional Learning...
Lower Burrell reestablishes parks commission to drive recreation ideas
After a couple of false starts, Lower Burrell is re-forming its parks commission. Council last month appointed Carley Logan as president, Mary Esler as vice president, Debbie Kurtik as secretary and Allie Ecker as treasurer of the parks commission. “It had gone stagnant as a result of 2020,” said Carley...
Scrap facility fire in Harrison closes road, rail traffic
An outbuilding at the Tomson Scrap Metal facility in Harrison caught fire Monday morning. Crews were dispatched just before noon to the plant at 2100 Karns Road for an active structure fire. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said four fire departments from three communities responded. Crews quickly got the fire...
Sheriff’s sale of Pittsburgh Mills mall canceled
Ownership at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer won’t change, after all. A sheriff’s sale on the property was scheduled for Monday, but the delinquent debt on the mall was paid in full Friday. Owner Namdar Realty Group had owed about $11.5 million in special assessment bills. “Our office was...
Allegheny Valley School Board eyes upgrades at Springdale High School
Allegheny Valley School District officials went straight to the scene Thursday — Springdale High School’s auditorium lobby — as they reviewed possible renovation projects at the building. The renovations are still in the planning phases, and Thursday’s meeting addressed possible work to be done in the auditorium and gymnasium areas,...
Line painting scheduled along Route 28 between Pittsburgh and Millvale
Crews will be painting lines Saturday along a section of Route 28 as part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Lane closures are scheduled between 6 a.m. and noon between Pittsburgh and Millvale as crews paint lines in both directions of Route 28, PennDOT said. Line painting also may occur Saturday...
Police say McKeesport woman stabbed sister in head with sharp keychain
A McKeesport woman is facing charges after police said she stabbed her sister in the head with a pointed keychain during an argument. McKeesport police wrote in court papers that, at 7:36 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to the 2800 block of Cleveland Street for reports of a woman stabbed in...
Morning Roundup: Police investigate Oakland robbery; $1M scratch-off sold in West Mifflin
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 29: Police investigate Oakland robbery Pittsburgh police say they are searching for a suspect following a robbery in Oakland. University of Pittsburgh police said they are assisting city police into the incident that occurred in the 300...
What a sheriff’s sale could mean for Pittsburgh Mills
As a sheriff’s sale featuring Frazer’s biggest attraction approaches, township officials say they are looking forward to what the future may hold for the property that is home to the Pittsburgh Mills shopping mall. “The township is anxious for the sale to take place and is hopeful that the sale...
Lower Burrell falls into autumn with city’s largest market event in recent history
An all-day fall festival will take over Lower Burrell next weekend. The city’s largest harvest festival will kick off Saturday, Oct. 7, at Bon Air Elementary School and Burrell High School. The day begins at 9 a.m. with the city’s farmers market at Bon Air. At 1 p.m., the fun...
Familiar face to be next principal at Deer Lakes High School
Deer Lakes High School’s assistant principal is now the building’s top administrator. Ryan Aleski will replace current high school principal Patrick Baughman, who was appointed as Plum High School’s principal earlier this month. “I’m looking forward to continuing to build strong healthy relationships with both the students and the staff....
Morning Roundup: Teen shot inside Brighton Heights home; Pittsburgh man sentenced in Dormont bank robbery
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 28: Teen shot inside Brighton Heights residence A 17-year-old boy was shot in the stomach early Thursday in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood, according to the city’s department of public safety. Officers were called to the 3400 block...
2 killed in tractor-trailer crash on I-79
Two people are dead following an early morning crash Thursday on Interstate 79 in Ohio Township. At 12:27 a.m., a tractor-trailer was driving south on I-79, near mile marker 67, when it drove through the center median and continued traveling south in the northbound lanes, according to the Pennsylvania State...
Morning Roundup: Shaler officer and driver injured in head-on crash; gas leak in Collier
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 27: Police officer and driver injured in head-on crash in Shaler Two people, including a police officer, were taken to the hospital following a head-on crash early Wednesday in Shaler. The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m., near...
Police say Carrick woman set boyfriend on fire
A Carrick woman is accused of setting her boyfriend on fire and then trying to make it look like he had done it to himself. Dispatchers received calls Sunday night for reports of a 43-year-old man on fire. When officers got to the scene, they spoke to Cecilia Perez, 47,...
