Kellen Stepler stories, Page 27
‘To observe and report’: Radio hams play key role for National Weather Service
Steve Fazekas and Eddie Misiewicz are self-proclaimed weather geeks and have the stories to prove it. In 1977, Misiewicz, then a volunteer firefighter in Dawson, Fayette County, went to Johnstown to respond to the devastation from a flood. He remembered picking bodies out of trees. Fazekas, of Winfield, recalled the...
Finances, student experience important during Burrell School District reconfiguration
Money, schedules, busing and the student experience are top of minds of Burrell’s Huston Middle School focus group as the school will shift to accommodating fifth graders next school year once Stewart Elementary closes. District administration has been working on schedules and building organizations for the review of the focus...
Lower Burrell to unveil Christmas in the Woods to promote unity, community
A family-friendly, free Christmas event is coming to Lower Burrell for the first time in decades. The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission is hosting Christmas in the Woods Saturday at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Park in Lower Burrell. “We wanted to create an enchanting, immersive experience in the woods that...
Faces of the Valley: Lower Burrell boy showcases creativity through art
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 considers injection well rules
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...
Upper Burrell fire hydrant fee to jump slightly next year
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....
Longtime area superintendent ready to enjoy next chapter after more than 50 years in area schools
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 for Springdale residents seek reargument over boiler house ruling
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 budget maintains property taxes, increases sewage, trash rates
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 hires assistant superintendent, high school principal
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 eyes 46% tax increase, its first hike in 9 years
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 considers outsourcing transportation services
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...
New Allegheny Valley social worker targets attendance, building community relationships
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 to tighten regulations for rental properties to stave off issues before they start
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...
Burrell considers policy to combat unsportsmanlike fan behavior
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...
Charah subsidiary sues demolition contractors over Springdale chimney, boiler house implosions
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...
Lower Burrell man accused of shooting at neighbors through apartment wall
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...
Western Pa. communities use Facebook as integral tool to connect with residents
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...
Burrell work program provides real-life experience, lessons to special-needs students
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...
After recent threats, Chartiers Valley to have increased security at schools
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...
‘Like the Wild West’: Spike in dumping at Agan Park prompts Springdale to pursue stricter rules
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...
Contract for surveying, soils testing at Springdale High School soccer field OK’d
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,...
Fundraiser for Burrell’s Unified Bocce team pairs up students for new experience
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...
Chartiers Park to get new pavilion
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...
Alle-Kiski Valley railroad crossings among ‘riskiest’ in state, feds say
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...
