Kellen Stepler stories, Page 35
No paper note? Electronic excuses coming to Allegheny Valley School District
No paper note for a student’s absence will be no problem this year in the Allegheny Valley School District. One of the additions in the Springdale-area district will be an electronic excuse form for parents and families to document student absences. “It’s an electronic form that parents can use to...
School start dates getting earlier in some districts
If it seems like the first day of school is getting earlier each year, you might not be too far off. It just depends on which district you live in. An analysis of the first day of school for students found some have inched up the start date over the...
Inaugural Iron City Car Cruise at East Deer brewery could feature almost 800 vehicles
An epic car cruise is brewing next Saturday in East Deer, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and MaxMotive officials say. The two landmark businesses have paired up for the Iron City Car Cruise on Aug. 17 at the brewery. The event already has 650 car registrations, said Rachel Semelbauer, brewery spokeswoman. The...
Blawnox man faces 26 charges in alleged sexual assault of teen
Allegheny County Police say a Blawnox man sexually abused a teenager two years ago, with some of the alleged assaults occurring at hotels in Harmar and Frazer. Blawnox police responded July 9 to a reported domestic dispute on Summit Street. There, a teen told police they were sexually assaulted by...
Ohio man convicted for string of robberies in Bridgeville, Pittsburgh
A 26-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison for armed robberies at pharmacies in the Pittsburgh and Bridgeville areas. Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, 26, of Columbus, was sentenced July 31 in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A Pittsburgh jury in March...
Allegheny Township man charged with 21 counts in neglect of 3 dogs
Police have accused an Allegheny Township man of neglecting his three dogs while he was out of state for work. Township police charged Matthew William Brueggeman, 40, with three counts of cruelty to animals, nine misdemeanor counts of mistreating animals and nine summary offenses of neglecting animals. Police started their...
Firework regulations advance in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell has officially set rules and regulations for firework displays in the city. The rules, formally approved this week, define guidelines for “consumer fireworks,” or fireworks used by the public, and “display fireworks,” larger fireworks used by professional pyrotechnicians. “It is important that rules are in place preventing people...
Carlynton students to receive free lunch, breakfasts again
School breakfast and lunch will be free to all Carlynton students when classes begin Aug. 21. The district will participate in the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision this school year, said Ryan Racicot, Carlynton’s food service director. It’s the third consecutive year Carlynton is participating in the program....
Brian Kelley concert, organized by Harrison girl, to help Tarentum police establish K-9 unit
West Deer’s newest concert venue will see a big-name country music act this week to help raise money for a local cause. Country music star Brian Kelley, formerly of Florida Georgia Line, will perform Friday at No Offseason Sports’ outdoor concert stage. Kelley, now pursuing a successful solo career, had...
Officials confirm ID of remains found in submerged vehicle in Oakmont
Allegheny County officials on Monday confirmed that remains found July 21 inside a submerged vehicle in the Allegheny River in Oakmont are those of Janet Walsh, a Shaler woman who had been missing since 2020. Walsh’s vehicle was pulled out of the river near California Street. The county Medical Examiner’s...
West Deer to take comments on well pad proposal Tuesday
West Deer residents will get to weigh in on a proposed well pad project in the Gibsonia section of the township. Supervisors set a 6 p.m. Tuesday hearing date to take comments on the proposed Caro Brandon deep well project. The deep well would be located at 6075 Rittman Road,...
Nearly $650,000 in state funding to improve 2 Bower Hill Road intersections in Scott
State funding will assist Scott officials in upgrading traffic signal equipment at a few intersections in the township. PennDOT officials announced the township will receive just under $650,000 for traffic signal improvements to Bower Hill and Painters Run roads, and Bower Hill and Rockhill roads. The money comes from PennDOT’s...
Chartiers Valley partners with AHN for Chill Project services
Chartiers Valley is planning to keep things chill this school year. The district approved a contract with Allegheny Health Network for the Chill Project, which teaches school-age children emotional and coping techniques. The total cost of the program is $300,000, or $75,000 allocated to each of the district’s schools. Funding...
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. seeks DEP approval for Iron City Dock
Positive feedback from a temporary boat dock at the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. facility in East Deer has brewery officials eyeing a more permanent landing, but this time, with approval from state authorities. Brewery officials are applying for a permanent boat dock permit through the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. “The...
Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games has ‘everyone coming together for a good cause’
At last year’s Alle-Kiski Inclusion Games in Lower Burrell, event organizer Courtney Kobelenske lined up volunteers to create a “football tunnel” for the athletes, children with special needs, to walk through. While the volunteers lined the field and cheered as the participants marched through, a poignant moment between a child...
Owner of skilled nursing facilities in Lower Burrell, Greensburg files for bankruptcy
Guardian Elder Care, the parent company of skilled nursing facilities including Belair in Lower Burrell and Oak Hill in Greensburg, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Johnstown-based health care company filed the petition for relief this week. Nineteen facilities — including locations in Lower Burrell, Greensburg, Bethel Park and...
School, pedestrian safety projects planned on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell officials have outlined a plan to make Leechburg Road safer for students, pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities. The city soon will start projects geared toward pedestrian safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance along the city’s main business artery, Mayor Chris Fabry said. Projects include flashing beacons...
Chartiers Valley board declares stadium project ‘emergency,’ approves other contractors for work
Deeming it unusable and incomplete, Chartiers Valley school directors declared an emergency over the condition of the district’s stadium project and hired new firms to complete the remaining work. An emergency resolution, approved at a meeting Monday and read by Board President Darren Mariano, said the stadium construction project is...
Student support system to be implemented for Carlynton 7th and 8th graders
The success of a “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports” model at Crafton Elementary School has Carlynton officials implementing a similar system at the junior high level. The district received a $3,750 grant from the Highmark Foundation to establish the model for seventh and eighth grade students. “The Foundation supports the...
PennDOT to study problematic stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell
PennDOT officials announced Tuesday they will begin a traffic study on a stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell that has drawn ire from community members. Agency spokeswoman Laina Aquiline said PennDOT is reviewing Upper Burrell’s request for a traffic study in the 2200 block of Greensburg Road and anticipates...
Michael Sable named principal at Chartiers Valley High School
A new face will be leading Chartiers Valley High School in the coming years, as Michael Sable was hired as the school’s principal at a salary of $130,000. “I’m extremely honored to be high school principal,” Sable said. “I’m excited to meet everyone, and I’m ready to lead students to...
Upper Burrell residents hope to see progress on speeding issues along Greensburg Road
Many of Tim Rote’s neighbors along the 2200 block of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell have a “horror story” about what they say is a lack of safety on the road. Bill Smith recalls getting rear-ended while pulling into his driveway about 15 years ago with his son in the...
Allegheny Valley School District retains Rajgopal as finance, business operations director
With numerous capital projects in the works, Allegheny Valley School District has retained its director of finance and business operations. Board members Wednesday approved a new contract for Hamsini Rajgopal. The contract becomes effective July 1, 2025, and expires June 30, 2030, but board President Nino Pollino said there was...
West Deer man arrested in connection to Frazer shooting
An argument at a Frazer auto salvage yard led to a shot fired and a West Deer man arrested, according to Allegheny County Police. Jonathan Nealer, 40, is charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with the shooting of a man in his leg last week at Hloznik Auto Salvage...
Allegheny Valley looks into cellphone restrictions for students during classroom time
Is there a reason why the Allegheny Valley School District isn’t restricting students’ access to their cellphones during instructional time in the classroom? That’s the question school board directors asked administrators Wednesday to look into. Board member Larry Pollick suggested the district implement a policy restricting cellphone use in the...
