Kellen Stepler stories, Page 17
Mount Vernon streets to be target of New Kensington paving
Often over the years, New Kensington officials have had to tell residents to hang tight and keep waiting for paving projects — particularly in the Mount Vernon neighborhood. Now those residents and motorists will soon have relief. Mayor Tom Guzzo said the city will enter into a loan agreement with...
New Kensington approves preliminary agreement for Tri-Cities daylight fire crew
A cooperative, firefighter’s duty crew between Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Arnold is a step closer to become a reality. New Kensington Council on Monday approved a preliminary agreement between the city, Lower Burrell and Arnold, to establish a Tri-Cities duty crew for daytime volunteer fire coverage among the three...
Zavadak tapped as New Kensington interim city clerk
New Kensington’s longtime city controller, John Zavadak, is now the city’s top administrator. Council on Monday hired Zavadak as interim city clerk. The vote on his appointment was unanimous. Zavadak, 62, succeeds Dennis Scarpiniti, who retired the end of May after serving as New Kensington’s clerk for 38 years. “I’d...
Mezeh Mediterranean Grill to open in South Fayette
A fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant is coming to South Fayette. Mezeh Mediterranean Grill will host a grand opening June 6 at the Piazza shopping center, 193 Millers Run Road. “Bridgeville’s booming mix of commuters, families and health‑minded foodies is perfect for Mezeh’s build-your-own menu,” said Madelaine Brewer, chief marketing officer for...
Bridgeville woman wins borough’s anniversary logo design contest
Barbara Rodgers loves everything about Bridgeville’s Day on the Avenue. From the scenes of people enjoying each other’s company and the smell of food, to the enjoyment of the different events, Rodgers has fond memories of the borough’s annual summer community day. “There’s always so much for everyone,” Rodgers said....
Penn State students at closing campuses juggle staying the course or jumping ship
Penn State New Kensington fit the bill for 19-year-old Angelina Da Vila. “Originally, I wanted to go to Penn State,” she said. “I wanted to be in the city, but not go to such a big school. I still wanted that small-school atmosphere, and New Kensington sounded like one of...
Chancellor outlines vision as Penn State New Kensington, Fayette wind down operations
The regional chancellor for Penn State’s New Kensington, Fayette and Greater Allegheny campuses plans a smooth transition focused on students, faculty and staff as two of those campuses wind down operations in two years. “Through the 2026-27 academic year, we remain fully committed to supporting our students, faculty, staff and...
Chartiers Valley passes budget with no tax increase
Property owners in the Chartiers Valley School District won’t pay more in taxes next year. School directors voted 6-2 on Tuesday, May 27, to approve the district’s $79 million budget for the 2025-26 school year. It maintains a real estate tax rate of 20.1909 mills. An owner of a home...
New Kensington man arrested for attempted homicide in Pittsburgh
A New Kensington man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District last month. Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Justin Boyd was taken into custody in the Parnassus section of New Kensington Wednesday by the Westmoreland County SWAT team and Pittsburgh Police’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit....
Lower Burrell teen wins car at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center
When Bryce Hrivnak graduates from Burrell High School next week, he’ll have a high school diploma and a job lined up as a general contractor with Scott Martin Homes. Oh, and don’t forget the 2011 Ford Escape he won Wednesday at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Kensington....
Threat made against Kiski Area unfounded, district officials say
Threats made against Kiski Area Intermediate School were determined to be not credible, according to district officials. A letter was sent to district families Wednesday informing them that the district was aware and investigating a threat allegedly made by a student and directed at the Intermediate School. The investigation is...
Burrell secretaries get raises under new 5-year contract
Educational secretaries in the Burrell School District will see a 3% pay increase annually over the next five years. School directors approved an agreement with the district’s 11 educational secretaries for the 3% salary raises for a period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2030, said Superintendent Shannon...
New Kensington-Arnold program improves attendance by 17%
Josiah Primus had a quick and simple answer when asked why it’s important to have excellent attendance. “You’ll do good in school,” said the 10-year-old, who is wrapping up fourth grade at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School. Josiah was one of 135 students from Hunt and H.D. Berkey schools in...
Burrell students teach, mentor younger generation on environment
Chad Clair wants to make science fun. By the looks of students from Stewart Elementary and Burrell High schools at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park in Lower Burrell last week, mission accomplished. Students in Clair’s new Environmental Field Study course at Burrell, and members of the Environmental Club taught...
Future of PSNK property uncertain after college closes in 2027
Area leaders hope the future of the soon-to-be-shuttered Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell is one that will benefit the community’s long-term needs. “I think it’s important that we continue to engage the community that lives there, and how and what they’d like to see,” said state Rep....
Experts say Penn State’s campus closures the harsh reality
Decades ago, the good times rolled at Penn State. In the 1990s, the state’s flagship was one of the most popular institutions nationwide, claiming to receive more SAT scores from high-school seniors than any other college, according to reports at the time. Pennsylvania was expecting its college-going population to swell,...
Penn State closing vote draws harsh reactions
Over the past two years, Darcy Holtzman worked with her fellow teachers at Burrell High School to provide more hands-on, real-world career experience for her students. Part of that included visits to the Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell. “Penn State New Kensington has been a huge help...
Penn State to close New Kensington and Fayette campuses
Penn State’s New Kensington and Fayette campuses — as well as five other branch campuses statewide — will cease to exist in two years. The university’s board of trustees voted, 25-8, on Thursday evening in a virtual meeting to close the New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and...
Burrell advances heating, cooling project at high school; budget plan with 3.8% tax hike OK’d
The Burrell School Board has taken the first step to undergo a heating and cooling project at Burrell High School. Superintendent Shannon Wagner said the board voted Tuesday to advertise construction project bids for HVAC improvements at the high school. The school does not have air conditioning. The heating and...
Health department: Allegheny County resident linked to multi-state outbreak of salmonella
An Allegheny County resident has contracted salmonella linked to a multi-state outbreak of the illness, according to the county’s health department. The health department said in a statement that the most people associated with this current outbreak have reported contact with backyard poultry. Public health officials are working to get...
Nonprofit would boost children’s literacy in Pittsburgh area
Ryan Scarola has a vision to serve children in the Beltzhoover and Mount Oliver neighborhoods with free books, after-school programming and creative writing workshops through a new nonprofit, The Reading Room. A fundraiser May 15 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall helped launch that mission. There, about...
Bridgeville area primary roundup: Montani, Trainor top vote-getters in Chartiers Valley; Bigham wins in Carnegie
Primary election results narrowed down the Chartiers Valley School Board race from nine candidates to six. The candidates included incumbents Mitch Montani, Herb Ohliger, Megan Sexton and Lisa Trainor; and newcomers Mark Dodson, Mark Fiorilli, Nancy Herzing, Erin Rodgers and Patrick Tardio for four seats on the school board. All...
Toney, DiCarolis win New Kensington Democratic council primary
Unofficial results from a three-person race for two Democratic Party nominations on New Kensington Council showed Phillip Toney and Nicholas DiCarolis coming out on top. With 100% of precincts reporting results and most write-in votes tallied, Toney had collected 36.8% of the votes counted, DiCarolis had 33.6% and challenger Randi...
Stoltz, Logan win Lower Burrell Council primary
David Stoltz and Carley Logan appeared to be the top two vote-getters in a three-person race for the Republican nomination for seats on Lower Burrell Council. With 100% of precincts reporting results and most write-in votes tallied, Stoltz had collected 38.2% of the GOP votes counted, Logan had 36% and...
Recipes sought for Bridgeville anniversary cookbook
Bridgeville is cooking up 125 years of memories with a community cookbook. The borough’s 125th anniversary committee is seeking recipes for the cookbook. It’s part of the committee’s plans to celebrate Bridgeville’s 125th year as a borough next summer. “This has been something we’ve done in the past for other...
