Kellen Stepler stories, Page 10

Mindy White remembers looking at son Toby’s assignment years ago where he had not only written each letter of the alphabet, but also incorporated designs of animals, lizards and dinosaurs within and around them. While the additional designs weren’t part of the assignment, it stood out to her. “Toby has...

Upper Burrell officials don’t want their township to become an attractive site for drilling companies looking to dispose of waste fluids. With between 100 and 200 abandoned gas or oil wells in the township, according to supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III, township officials want stricter rules for using those...

Most Upper Burrell property owners will pay a few dollars more next year for fire hydrants. Township supervisors approved the municipality’s 2025 budget by a 2-0 vote, with Ken Slahtovsky absent, on Wednesday night. It keeps property taxes at 12 mills, but increases its fire hydrant fee by 0.01 mill....

Joseph Dimperio is a name synonymous with Western Pennsylvania public education. For more than 50 years, Dimperio has either taught, mentored, helped or led area school districts, seemingly making an impact everywhere he’s been. In total, he has worked with more than 10 area school districts, taught adjunct educational leadership...

Attorneys representing 16 Springdale residents seeking to block an implosion of the former power plant’s boiler house say they weren’t required to go through other outlets to challenge the demolition and permitting, contrary to a recent state Superior Court decision that ruled they should have. That’s part of the argument...

Cheswick Council approved its 2025 budget on Tuesday with no tax increase, but residents will see increases in their trash and sewage rates. The fixed sewage rate for borough customers will increase 12%, or $10.68 per quarter, from $88.03 to $98.71. The increase is to cover the borough’s share of...

Chartiers Valley will have new leadership in key administrative positions when 2025 arrives. The board on Tuesday, Dec. 3 hired Michael Sable — who was appointed as high school principal this summer — to be the assistant superintendent for a 5-year term. Lesley McDonough, assistant principal at Woodland Hills High...

Springdale Township property owners can expect a 46% tax increase in their real estate property bills — in addition to recent hikes to their water, sewage and garbage bills. “With inflation, we were overdue for an increase in millage,” said Tim Basilone, vice president of the township commissioners. The proposed...

Chartiers Valley School District is considering outsourcing its transportation services. The school board Nov. 26 voted 5-3 to solicit bids for outsourcing its school bus transportation services. A statement released by the district cited rising operational costs, labor shortages and challenges of maintaining an in-house transportation program in making the...

Improving attendance and boosting the relationship between the Allegheny Valley School District and the community are some of the top goals for the district’s new social worker, Olivia Fyda. Fyda, 27, of the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, began working as the district’s social worker Nov. 14. She will be paid...

Cheswick officials are hoping to nip issues with rental properties in the borough before they start. Council is considering a proposal that tightens rules for rental units and requires landlords to license their rental properties through the borough. The proposed regulations, according to Councilwoman Shawna Almes, are in response to...

It could be three strikes and you’re out for unruly spectators at Burrell School District events. “The board is putting in place a spectator code of conduct as a result of the shenanigans that the adults have had while at school,” Superintendent Shannon Wagner said. Athletic director Brian Ferra said...

The June 2023 implosion of two chimneys at the former power plant in Springdale, and the lawsuit that followed, now has the plant’s property owner and its demolition contractors at odds legally. Attorneys representing Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group — a subsidiary of Charah Solutions — filed the lawsuit Monday...

A Lower Burrell man is behind bars after police accused him of shooting through his apartment wall at his neighbors early Saturday. Lower Burrell police charged Khalil Shawn Pryor, 23, with attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts each of recklessly endangering another person and simple assault, and...

Tom Bell starts his shift at 4:30 a.m. each day as Greensburg’s streets superintendent. While most people take the same route to work, Bell takes a different way almost daily. Instead of listening to music or the morning news, he logs onto the public works department’s Facebook page to record...

A new program in the Burrell School District is giving Life Skills students a dose of reality with an emphasis on preparing them for postgraduate living. The new Instruction in Work and Independent Living program launched this year at Burrell High School is a culmination of life skills, speech and...

In light of two incidents in the past two weeks where Chartiers Valley schools were closed due to threats, district officials said Monday that there will be an additional security presence at the district’s buildings throughout the week. The district’s statement was to combat what they said were rumors and...

Springdale is cracking down on dumping at Agan Park. Council on Tuesday directed the borough’s interim manager, Jason Dailey, to develop a no dumping policy at the Springdale Township park. They also directed him to distribute that policy to borough staff and the Agan Park representatives. Agan Park is located...

Allegheny Valley School District hired a design firm to begin planning for artificial turf at its soccer field, the first step in making improvements to the field at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School that could become home to the district’s football team. The school board approved an agreement with FieldTurf USA,...

Bocce season for area high schools will start to heat up soon, but Burrell’s team was serving up some cool drinks Thursday morning in New Kensington. Burrell’s Unified Bocce team, now in its third year, is part of the Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports program. Sixteen students are on the...

A new pavilion at Chartiers Park will greet parkgoers next summer. Bridgeville officials received a grant of more than $100,000 to rehab Chartiers Park, which includes replacing the existing the pavilion. “The shelter’s current asphalt floor is bulging and in poor shape from tree roots, and other parts of the...

Western Pennsylvania is home to nine of the state’s 20 riskiest rail crossings, according to Federal Railroad Administration data. Three of the crossings are within about 7 miles of each other in the Alle-Kiski Valley, between Cheswick and Brackenridge. The Cheswick crossing, at the borough’s Blockdale Street, ranks as the...

A state Superior Court ruling seemingly clearing the way for the implosion of the former power plant in Springdale doesn’t necessarily mean the structure is coming down anytime soon. John Kane, an attorney representing the 16 borough residents seeking to block the implosion at the former Cheswick Generating Station boiler...

Reassessments on industrial properties in Springdale have led to a loss of $11 million in expected revenues, and borough property owners will likely foot the bill. The borough is considering hiking real estate taxes by 19% next year to cover the assessment losses in addition to a spike in the...

Chartiers Valley kindergarteners gave a patriotic thank-you to area veterans during the Primary School’s annual a few days after Veteran’s Day. “This Veterans Day event is such a special event for our kindergarten students and the veterans,” said Suzanne Schweikert, Kindergarten teacher and coordinator of the Veterans Day Tea. “…The...