Kellen Stepler stories, Page 8
Suspect in 2024 Stowe homicide taken into custody in Maryland
A Stowe homicide suspect on the run for nearly a year was taken into custody Monday in Maryland. Dacahary Sampson, 32, is charged with shooting and killing James Nelson Jr., 42, of McKees Rocks, the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2024, along the 400 block of Pleasant Ridge Road. The U.S....
Carbon monoxide, gas alarms triggered before fatal explosion at U.S. Steel Clairton facility, authorities say
Carbon monoxide and gas alarms were triggered leading up to a fatal explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works site Aug. 11, according to information released by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Preliminary investigations into the blast, released Monday by the CSB, indicate the explosion occurred...
Chartiers Valley names homecoming court
Chartiers Valley High School has announced its homecoming court. The members are Lleyton Fox, Ryan Fox, Dylan Heffley, Marc Little, Tristan Mayo, Brady Bart, Kaylen Bin, Delaney Fox, Shaffer Kinnee and Olivia Pollak. The homecoming dance, themed “Tropical Oasis,” is Oct. 4....
Former Newport Business Institute building in Lower Burrell to be demolished
The former Newport Business Institute in the Kinloch section of Lower Burrell will be demolished. City officials will move forward with plans to demolish the building at 945 Greensburg Road. “We’re excited to see this next, and massive, step forward with that property,” Mayor Chris Fabry said. “Razing that building...
Bridgeville’s McLaughlin Run Park Meadow dedicated
It’s official: the McLaughlin Run Park Meadow is open to the public. A dedication ceremony was held Sept. 18 at the park, 1250 McLaughlin Run Road. The area, which was the park’s former ballfield, serves a dual purpose as a passive wildflower meadow and flood control project, according to the...
‘A healthier place to be’: Lower Burrell fire companies to get new, updated equipment
Lower Burrell’s fire departments will be getting new equipment that, the chiefs say, will improve safety for its volunteers. Interior firefighters in Lower Burrell’s Kinloch fire department will soon have new air packs when they battle blazes, and Lower Burrell Co. 3 will get an exhaust system to eliminate hazardous...
Pitt to launch 1st-of-its-kind natural gas, renewables and oil engineering degree
University of Pittsburgh officials say a new undergraduate degree will prepare future engineers for the evolving, global energy market. The Natural Gas, Renewables and Oil Engineering (GRO) program is designed to prepare students as energy production evolves, whether it be traditional oil and natural gas to solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric...
‘Renegade’ in Ireland: New Kensington brew crosses the pond for Steelers game
It probably won’t knock Guinness off the list of most popular beers in Ireland, but Renegade is giving Dubliners a taste of the Alle-Kiski Valley this week. New Kensington-based Tortured Souls Brewing collaborated with Hope Beer in Dublin to brew Renegade in celebration of the Steelers’ game Sunday against the...
Two charged in prostitution sting at massage parlors in Lower Burrell, Murrysville
Two women face criminal charges following police raids in Lower Burrell and Murrysville as part of a prostitution sting, according to authorities. Murrysville and Lower Burrell police and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office cooperatively investigated Asian Massage in Lower Burrell and Asian Garden Spa in Murrysville. Both parlors are...
Rally planned to save closing AHN primary care office in New Kensington
Closing an Allegheny Health Network primary care office in downtown New Kensington would have a detrimental impact on its more than 3,000 clients and its dozen employees, said Mark Kerr, a member of Teamsters Local 30. “They cannot get to Natrona Heights or Cheswick, where they’re going to send them,”...
2 taken to hospital after car rollover outside Gunny’s Lounge in New Kensington
An SUV rolled over and landed in the front porch of Gunny’s Lounge in New Kensington on Tuesday afternoon, sending two people to the hospital. The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. along the 900 block of McCandless Street. Two vehicles appeared to be involved in the crash. Gunny’s owner...
Slippery Rock enrollment up 2.75% — its highest increase in 9 years
Slippery Rock University is experiencing record enrollment and retention rates this fall semester. Total enrollment at the Butler County state college is 8,625 students, a 2.75% increase from last fall, according to the university. It’s Slippery Rock’s largest single-year increase in the past nine years. There are 1,549 full-time, first-year...
New Kensington fire department to consolidate; Parnassus station to close
New Kensington officials believe consolidating the city’s fire department operations can help weather a perfect storm of declining numbers of volunteers and an increase in the number and intensity of calls. New Kensington Council approved recognizing the merger of Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (at 785 Fourth Ave., downtown),...
Kamala Harris had ‘nagging concern’ about Josh Shapiro as possible VP, memoir details
Excerpts from Kamala Harris’ book “107 Days” have gotten pushback from other prominent Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was once in consideration to be her running mate during her presidential campaign. In the memoir, Harris inferred Shapiro seemed overly confident. She portrayed Shapiro as too eager for the...
3 charged after overdose led to woman’s death in Arnold last year
Three people are accused of possessing and using drugs that prompted a woman’s death in Arnold last year, according to Westmoreland County detectives. Jahid Lamont Hughes, 36, of Arnold and Rashad Thomas Robinson, 33, both of Arnold, and Cameron R. Richards, 50, of Indiana, are charged with possession of a...
New Kensington teen held for court in Valley Royal Court shooting
All charges were held for court against a 17-year-old accused of shooting a man this month at the Valley Royal Court apartment complex in New Kensington. Charges against Logan James King include attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, attempts to cause bodily injury with a weapon, possession of a firearm by...
Pitt’s new $240M rec center is a game-changer for students — and it’s free to use
Carla Panzella says she has a different answer each time she’s asked about her favorite part of the University of Pittsburgh’s new 270,000-square-foot recreation and wellness center. There’s much to pick from at the new space, which opened to Pitt students Sunday at 3921 O’Hara St. It boasts nine stories,...
Duquesne University to offer real estate major
A college degree isn’t required to hold a real estate license, but Duquesne University officials say a new program they’ll offer will give students a leg up in that field. Duquesne will be offering an undergraduate Real Estate major, minor and certificate program beginning next fall. “There’s a lot of...
Morning Roundup: Man shot in Carrick; 5-year Fayette fugitive arrested in West Virginia
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 18: Man shot in Carrick A 28-year-old man was shot in the foot Wednesday night in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, according to police. At 9:45 p.m., the man arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to...
Morning Roundup: 18 arrested as guns, drugs seized in McKeesport; infections reported in Monessen school
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 17: 18 arrested as guns, drugs seized in McKeesport A joint operation between local and state authorities in the McKeesport area this summer yielded 18 arrests, 17 firearms and about $40,000 worth of cocaine, according to Attorney...
Man killed in East Pittsburgh shooting
A man was shot and killed Tuesday night in East Pittsburgh, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting was reported at 10:37 p.m. Tuesday in the 500 block of Ridge Avenue, police said. Officers located a man with gunshot wounds inside a house, police said. He died at the scene....
Arnold, New Kensington American Legion posts merge, citing declining membership
A decline in membership has led the Arnold and New Kensington American Legion posts to merge. Arnold’s Post 684, and New Kensington’s Post 347, are combining to create the Ar-Ken American Legion, said Commander Gill Thomas. “Most Legion members, nowadays, are Vietnam era,” said Thomas, who was Arnold’s post commander...
Grist House brewery celebrates opening at former Cold War missile site
It wasn’t long after Brian Eaton and Kyle Mientkiewicz opened Grist House brewery in Millvale that they knew they would need additional space for production. As it turns out, a Cold War missile-command site in Collier fit the bill. Grist House celebrated a grand opening at the Nike site Sept....
Heidelberg program connects those in need with volunteers ready to help
A new initiative in Heidelberg has a simple goal: to ensure no one in town has to struggle with everyday household tasks alone. The borough has launched a program called “Heidelberg Helpers,” a neighbor-to-neighbor volunteer initiative created to connect residents who could use a helping hand, with those who are...
Man identified in Robinson stabbings, fatal crash
Authorities have identified the man they say stabbed a boy and woman in Robinson and later died in a crash on Route 576 on Sunday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Brian Allen Thomas, 36, of McKees Rocks. The stabbing was reported just after 8 a.m....
