Kellen Stepler stories, Page 54
Duquesne Light employees authorize strike
A workers union representing Duquesne Light employees voted Tuesday night to authorize a strike. The 711-14 vote triggers the process for a potential walkout Saturday. The union members’ current contract expires at the end of September, and the union is working to negotiate. In a statement, Duquesne Light said it...
5th-generation brewer gets ‘memory for a lifetime’ making Iron City in East Deer
Sitting in the brewery control room at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in East Deer, Justin Puharic clicked on his computer mouse, initiating the process of making Tuesday’s fourth batch of Iron City Beer. The click marked a historic moment for the Puharics. Justin, 27, became the fifth generation of brewers in...
1 in custody, 1 at large following shooting in Oakland
Officers investigating a report of shots being fired early Tuesday in Oakland arrested one person on weapons charges, while a second person remains at large, police said. Police said they received a ShotSpotter alert that eight shots had been fired on Chauncey Drive around 2:45 a.m. They did not say...
Lower Burrell honors girl who raised money for police dog
Kaley Bastine was told she had to attend Lower Burrell’s city council meeting this month, but she wasn’t told why. After the meeting started, though, she was happy to be there. The city honored Kaley, 11, of Harrison with a proclamation recognizing her efforts to raise money for Lower Burrell’s...
Morning Roundup: 2 accused in Hill District carjacking; police say Pittsburgh man ran over neighbor after fight
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Sept. 26: Police arrest 2 juveniles accused in Hill District carjacking Two juveniles were arrested after an armed carjacking in the Hill District, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to the 2100 block of Webster Avenue just before...
Chipotle at Pittsburgh Mills complex set to open
Burrito lovers in the Alle-Kiski Valley soon will have a new place to get their fix. Representatives from Chipotle Mexican Grill announced the restaurant will open Wednesday at the Pittsburgh Mills complex in Frazer. The new restaurant is at 1003 Village Center Drive, in the Lowe’s parking lot, across from...
Plans advance for new playground at Acmetonia Elementary School
Acmetonia Elementary School students are one step closer to getting a playground. The Allegheny Valley School Board approved a contract with Play & Park Structures to build a playground at Acmetonia Elementary School at a cost not to exceed $155,086. The proposed playground has been discussed by the board for...
Faces of the Valley: Lower Burrell’s Abby Koscianski sets example in firefighting, leadership
Firefighting is in Abby Koscianski’s blood. When she was little, Abby and her brother, Joey, would play and pretend to go on calls as a firefighters with Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3. Their parents, Femo and Lisa Ficca, met while volunteering for the company. When Koscianski was 14,...
Springdale implosion decision looms as residents, health official testify about dust from earlier smokestack event
On the morning of June 2, Joe Kern took to his Duquesne Court home’s roof and decided to film Springdale history, waiting for the two towering smokestacks at the former coal-fired power plant across the street to be imploded. But when the towers fell, a cloud of brown dust absorbed...
Cleanup of Parks Township nuclear waste dump to begin in 2025, last 7 years
The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township for remediation, which is slated to begin in spring 2025 and last about seven years. The Corps on Wednesday provided an update to a crowd of more than 60 people on the work they’ve done, and...
Allegheny Township taps new emergency coordinator, accepts police chief’s resignation
Allegheny Township filled one of its vacant public safety positions and will begin to advertise for another one. The supervisors appointed Matt Johnston, 29, of Allegheny Township as the township’s emergency management coordinator. The board also accepted the resignation of police Chief Duane Fisher, who will become the police chief...
First Responders Back the Blue event set to roll out in Hyde Park
An event honoring first responders is coming to Hyde Park later this Saturday. The inaugural First Responders Back the Blue event will be held Saturday at the Hyde Park Heritage Pavilion, 291 Railroad St., said Jay Zanotti, president of the Hyde Park Volunteer Fire Company. The event is hosted by...
Police say Lower Burrell woman attacked boyfriend with hatchet, scissors
Lower Burrell police charged a woman with aggravated assault after she was accused of throwing an ax at her boyfriend and attacking him with scissors. Brittany Lynn Betts, 32, of Lower Burrell faces two counts of aggravated assault with the attempt to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon. A...
Springdale residents file lawsuit seeking stop to Friday morning’s plant implosion
An Allegheny County judge has ordered the company scheduled to implode the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale on Friday morning to hold off on placing explosive charges in the building until a ruling is issued for a lawsuit filed by residents seeking to halt the demolition. The lawsuit is...
Springdale residents say they’re nervous for upcoming boiler house implosion
Myrtle Lamonna spent some of her Monday afternoon shutting and tightening the windows of her Porter Street home. That, she said, was in preparation for the upcoming implosion of the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, which is set for 8 a.m. Friday. “I figured, with...
East Deer appeals zoning board decision recommending 3 electronic billboards in township
East Deer is suing its zoning hearing board over a decision that recommended three of four electronic billboards be built. The township, which filed the appeal last week, claims the zoning hearing board’s decision to recommend allowing three electronic billboards in the township was “arbitrary.” It alleges the board erred...
What you need to know for the former Cheswick Generating Station implosion Friday
Springdale and Allegheny County officials plan to evacuate dozens of homes and other structures for Friday’s implosion of the boiler house at the former Springdale power plant. In a message on X, formerly Twitter, county officials said all structures in the evacuation zone around the implosion site should be evacuated...
Wife, daughter of Plum explosion victim Kevin Sebunia speak out about losing an ‘amazing man’ and the investigation
The wife and daughter of Kevin Sebunia, one of the victims in the fatal Aug. 12 home explosion in Plum, are sharing their story just over a month since the man they say had a “heart of gold” passed away. Kelly Sebunia, Kevin’s wife, and their daughter, Emily Brizee, sat...
Proposed Springdale zoning overlay needs some revisions, planners say
The Springdale Planning Commission is advising the borough to take a closer look at its proposed mobility overlay. Members of the three-member commission, which serves in an advisory role to borough council, said Wednesday that some sections of the proposed ordinance, which would provide various zoning amendments and changes within...
Official: Boil water advisory for Leechburg area could extend past Saturday
Depending on test results, the earliest a boil water advisory would be lifted for people in the Leechburg area would be Saturday, according to authorities. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a precautionary boil water advisory Monday for its customers in Leechburg, West Leechburg, Hyde Park and part of...
Allegheny Valley School District setting up clothes closets to fill a need for students
Danielle Britton was working as an intern in the Penn Hills School District when she decided to start a project to establish a supply closet, where students could pick up clothes and hygiene materials. When she graduated and got a job with the Highlands School District, she was able to...
Street closures set for upcoming implosion at former Cheswick Generating Station
Preparations are underway for next week’s implosion of the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generation Station in Springdale. On Sept. 22 at 8 a.m. or soon thereafter, the former Cheswick Power Station’s boiler house will be felled through a controlled use of explosives. Handling the implosion are the Cheswick...
Section of Crawford Run Road in East Deer to close
Part of Crawford Run Road in East Deer will close later this month, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced Tuesday. Crawford Run Road and its sidewalk will close at 9 a.m. Sept. 25 near Meadow Avenue for crews to repair Clarks Run Bridge No. 1. During the closure,...
Pirate Parrot and friends visit H.D. Berkey students in Arnold to kick off wellness campaign
The purpose of Monday’s assembly at H.D. Berkey Elementary School in Arnold was to kick off a week’s worth of mental health and wellness lessons in the new Chill Mobile RV that’s parked behind the school. But, when the Pirate Parrot made his grand entrance into the cafeteria, sliding between...
Upper Burrell renews contract with Hoffman Kennels
Upper Burrell retained Hoffman Kennels for animal control services for the next two years. Supervisors approved the two-year contract renewal last week for Hoffman Kennels for animal services, which was set to expire at the end of this year, Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker III said. The contract states the township...
