Kellen Stepler stories, Page 25
Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary takes on comfort bag project
Police officers often meet people on the worst day of their life, and the Bridgeville-South Fayette Rotary club is trying to ease the pain for families in some of those situations. The Rotary is putting together comfort bags, with necessities, for Bridgeville and South Fayette police officers to give to...
Chartiers Valley thespians recognized for fall show
Bringing the magic to a Chartiers Valley High School play paid off for its cast and crew. The school’s fall show, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” received three wins and nine nominations from the High School Drama Awards, sponsored by Prime Stage Theatre. “There was so much love and...
Burrell rejects bids for boiler repairs; architects to present construction proposals next month
Burrell School District officials think bidding their boiler projects a different way will result in lower costs. The school board on Tuesday rejected bids for a boiler replacement at Burrell High School and a rebuild at Bon Air Elementary School. It authorized administrators to rebid the project. Superintendent Shannon Wagner...
Springdale boiler house to be demolished conventionally instead of imploded, property owner says
The boiler house at Springdale’s former power plant will be torn down conventionally instead of imploded as the property owner originally planned. Scott Reschly, vice president of operations for Charah Solutions, said crews intend to demolish the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station between mid-February and early March....
Man arrested for gift card scheme at Frazer Walmart sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years
A Chinese national’s gift card scheme that ended after Frazer police busted him in May has landed him in jail for at least 11/2 years, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. Zhixiang Chen, 20, pleaded guilty in Lawrence County Court to corrupt organizations and organized retail crime. As part...
Burrell schools mull new schedules for reconfigured buildings
Burrell School District parents and staff are taking a close look at schedules at Bon Air Elementary and Huston Middle schools as both buildings prepare to accommodate an extra grade next year. With the closure of Stewart Elementary, fourth graders will attend Bon Air and fifth graders will be sent...
Bridgeville searching for new police chief
Bridgeville hopes to have a new police chief by early spring after the Jan. 3 retirement of Chad King. The borough posted the position in mid-January, said Manager Joe Kauer. Applications are being accepted through the end of February, and Kauer anticipates having a candidate identified by early spring. Sgt....
Problem traffic light off Route 28 in Harmar corrected, officials say
A traffic light in Harmar, blamed over the weekend for traffic snarls on Route 28, has been fixed, township and PennDOT officials say. The light, at the end of the Route 28 southbound exit ramp to Harmar, was the focus of motorists’ ire because its cycle was only allowing a...
Burrell finalizes Huston Middle School plan that separates grade levels
The Burrell School District will move forward with a teacher-proposed reconfiguration of Charles A. Huston Middle School as it prepares to welcome fifth graders next school year. The reconfiguration, which garnered approval this week from a task force set up to plan the reconfiguration, places two fifth-grade classrooms on the...
Chartiers Valley holds special pep rally before Steelers playoff game
The Pittsburgh Steelers got some support from Chartiers Valley High School students during a pep rally the day before their Jan. 11 NFL wild card-round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. With Charlie Batch and Steely McBeam on hand on Jan. 10, students received terrible towels, hats and signs. Winter...
Morning Roundup: Man shot in Pitcairn; fire breaks out at Beaver County restaurant
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 10: Man shot in Pitcairn A man was shot in Pitcairn early Friday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers responded at 3:44 a.m. to the 300 block of Kenney Avenue for a report of a shooting....
Frigid temperatures continue, snow forecast for evening
Western Pennsylvanians woke to frigid temperatures Friday morning, and could see some snow showers this evening. In a month that has not risen above freezing since New Year’s Day, the Pittsburgh region saw a new monthly low temperature — 6 degrees — according to the National Weather Service. Some school...
Police: Pitcairn man initiated confrontation that led to stabbing
A 65-year-old Pitcairn man confessed to police that he stabbed another man over a dispute about money that was earmarked to buy marijuana, according to a criminal complaint. Allegheny County Police on Thursday filed charges against Barry Bishop, 65, in connection to a stabbing that sent both Bishop and another...
Mitch McConnell blasts Biden decision to block U.S. Steel-Nippon deal
By blocking the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, President Joe Biden sold out American industry, workers and national security to “Big Labor,” writes U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday. McConnell’s piece, titled “Nippon Steel Isn’t the Enemy,” criticizes Biden’s decision to...
Burrell’s Huston Middle School delays classes after equipment failure leads to smoke
Charles A. Huston Middle School in Lower Burrell operated on a two-hour delay Thursday morning after an air-handling unit malfunctioned. “We had an air handler failure on the roof of the kitchen,” Superintendent Shannon Wagner said. “The fire department responded to the situation and identified it was an equipment failure...
Morning Roundup: 2 men stabbed in Pitcairn; rape suspect taken into custody in Penn Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 9: 2 men stabbed in Pitcairn Two men were stabbed in Pitcairn on Wednesday night, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said they were notified of an alleged assault at 7:16 p.m. in the 300 block of...
Lower Drennen slide repairs eyed by Upper Burrell officials
Upper Burrell plans to move forward with slide repairs on Lower Drennen Road. Supervisors authorized the township’s engineer, Michael Moore of Bankson Engineers, to prepare bid documents for repairing two slides along the road. “We’re going to get that fixed, finally,” said supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III. According to...
2 people killed in Aliquippa fire
Two people have died following an RV fire in Aliquippa on Tuesday morning. Authorities responded to 622 Sohn St. at 5:57 a.m. Tuesday for an active fire, according to a report from Pennsylvania State Police. Police identified the two victims as David Bosh, 54, of Aliquippa, and Jenny Bosh, 28,...
Morning Roundup: Garbage truck crashes into Butler credit union; boy injured when sled hits car
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 8: Garbage truck crashes into Butler credit union One person was taken to the hospital after a garbage truck crashed into a building in Butler on Tuesday morning, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The crash happened...
Three Rivers Arts Festival to be shorter this year
Downtown Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Arts Festival will be shorter this year. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokesman Derek Scalzott confirmed the festival will be held June 5-8 — four days. The Arts Festival is typically 10 days. “The Cultural Trust is committed to serving the community, and this free festival is a...
Volunteers sought to help establish new Bridgeville butterfly garden
With plans underway for a butterfly garden in Bridgeville, officials are seeking help from people who are interested in planting and maintaining the space. Borough officials in November authorized repurposing a lot on Baldwin Street, behind Beer Warehouse, as a butterfly pollinator garden. Councilwoman Justine Cimarolli said the opportunity to...
Morning Roundup: Man facing over 600 sexual abuse charges; fire at Marshall-Shadeland home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 7: State police say man faces over 600 charges of sexually abusing a child Pennsylvania State Police in Butler have filed 610 criminal charges against a man accused of sexually assaulting a child over nine years. According...
Snowstorm brings modest totals in most of Western Pa.
The predicted snowstorm that closed schools and caused traffic restrictions Monday failed to live up to the hype in many parts of Western Pennsylvania — at least so far. Officials had expected 2 to 4 inches of snow in the Pittsburgh area and higher accumulations south of Interstate 70. But...
Morning Roundup: Man shot in Aliquippa; Carnegie grocery store ordered to close
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Jan. 6: Man shot in Aliquippa A man was shot at an Aliquippa bar over the weekend, according to police. Aliquippa police said they were dispatched at 11:45 p.m. Saturday to Kendrew’s Lounge along Brodhead Road for reports...
Over-pressurization of equipment caused machine malfunction at Springdale plant
A machine becoming over-pressurized at the PPG coatings facility in Springdale was the cause of an incident that injured two employees Thursday, causing the facility to evacuate and sending a boom throughout the neighborhood. PPG spokesman Mark Silvey said the piece of equipment malfunctioned around 12:35 p.m. Thursday at the...

