Kellen Stepler stories, Page 38
Algae bloom at Lower Burrell lake deemed ‘harmful’; city looks to third-party to mitigate it
Lower Burrell is looking for a way to curb the algae bloom in Burrell Lake Park after state environmental officials warned the bloom is severe enough to be “harmful.” Lauren Camarda of the Department of Environmental Protection said samplings from the lake taken June 11 indicate concentrations of cyanobacteria are...
‘Special’ Allegheny River recognized as River of the Year
State officials recognized the Allegheny River as the River of the Year during a celebration Saturday at Aspinwall’s Allegheny RiverTrail Park. “The Allegheny River is an important part of Pennsylvania’s natural history and beauty, so it is great to celebrate all that the river offers and its impact on the...
Donations accepted, benefit planned for displaced residents of Avonmore fire
The Avonmore community is rallying around those who lost everything after a fire at My Buddy’s Place on Saturday. Crews from nearly 30 surrounding volunteer fire companies responded to the bar at 407 Indiana Ave. to put out a fire that started Saturday afternoon. The scene was cleared early Sunday,...
Decadeslong family golf outing remembers late patriarch, honors dads
The DiSanti family Father’s Day golf outing started as a simple thing. In 1985, brothers Richard, Victor and Joseph DiSanti decided to hit the links on Father’s Day weekend as a special tribute to their late father, Richard V. DiSanti. “Everyone has golf events, but yet, this is a Father’s...
Fire destroys longtime Avonmore bar — the 3rd one to burn in 6 yearsVideo
An Avonmore bar was destroyed Saturday in a blaze that a fire official said might have started in the kitchen. My Buddy’s Place, at 407 Indiana Ave., was open when the fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m., but no one was reported to be injured. A dog was unaccounted...
Somerset County man charged with homicide in death of brother by crossbow
A Somerset Township man is behind bars after, state troopers say, he fatally shot his brother with a crossbow. Police charged Travis Scott Shearer, 32, with criminal homicide in connection with the death of his brother, Eric Miller, on Friday night. Shearer is being held in the Somerset County Jail....
Second Avenue Commons residents to relocate to temporary North Side location
Allegheny County has found a new location on Pittsburgh’s North Side to relocate about 100 homeless people who had been staying at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center after a fire closed the Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter. Erin Dalton, the county’s human services director, said Saturday that displaced residents...
Bridgeville plans Bower Hill Road landslide repair
Bridgeville is eyeing repairs for another landslide in the borough. The borough is advertising for a landslide repair project on Bower Hill Road, at the end of Bluff Street Extension and behind 799 Bower Hill Road, Manager Joe Kauer said. The landslide is affecting only one property, Kauer said. He...
Chartiers Valley celebrates 238 students in Class of 2024
The Chartiers Valley School District celebrated 238 graduates from the Class of 2024 on June 4 at the high school stadium. Here are the graduates: Halid Adam, Isshak Adam, Xzavyer Adams, Chloe Albitz, Elif Ali, Dominic Allen, Sakesh Andhavarapu, Alaina Ansell, Maria Arab, Nicholas Arnold, Kendal Astor, Danica Balach, Brayden...
Etna man charged with arson: ‘I needed more gasoline,’ witness reports
A 74-year-old man is accused of dousing his apartment in gasoline and igniting a fire which started a three-alarm fire and subsequent explosion Tuesday afternoon in Etna. Elmer Lewis, of Vilsack Street, faces two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of arson, one count of causing catastrophe and five counts...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says removal of nuclear waste from Parks Township dump to start next summer
Remediation of a nuclear waste dump in Parks Township remains on schedule — to start next summer and have all of the material removed to Utah six years after that, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said. The Army Corps gave the update at a public meeting Tuesday at the...
Etna house fire touches off ‘flammable liquid’ explosion
A man is accused of dousing his rental home in gasoline and setting it on fire following a blaze that damaged two properties Tuesday in Etna. Elmer Lewis, 74, is charged with two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of arson, one count of causing catastrophe and five counts of...
Lower Burrell seeks ways to mitigate extensive algae bloom at Burrell Lake Park
Concerns over algae at Burrell Lake Park have officials researching ways to mitigate the bloom. Michelle Hatbob, Lower Burrell’s director of parks and public works, is attending an online class Wednesday to learn techniques to reduce the algae that has taken over much of the lake’s surface. Hatbob said she...
Carnegie Farmers Market to kick off July 7
East Main Street in Carnegie soon will be packed with vendors, musicians and food trucks. The Carnegie Farmers Market returns July 7 and takes place on East Main Street, from Broadway to Mary streets, said Deneen Underwood, an administrator for the borough. The market runs every Sunday. Hours in July...
Confusion over Springdale grade calculations prompts board to review policy
Jennifer Anderson was proud when her daughter, Caitlyn Dougherty, graduated from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School last week. But she wasn’t thrilled with how the Allegheny Valley School District reported Caitlyn’s grade-point average on her transcript. Anderson is questioning how the district calculated her daughter’s GPA. “Thankfully, my daughter got into...
New playground will offer opportunity for activity at Acmetonia Elementary this fall
When Amy Sarno enrolled her son at Acmetonia Elementary School two years ago, they were disappointed to learn the school had no playground. “I really just assumed all elementary schools had a playground,” said Sarno, who is now a member of the Allegheny Valley School Board. For the first time...
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet eyes location at Village at Pittsburgh Mills
The carousel of businesses leaving and entering the Village at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer is gaining another store, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The store plans to open in September, a company official said. Township Secretary Lori Ziencik verified that the new Ollie’s location will fill the vacant storefront at the former...
Lincoln Beach property awarded to Upper Burrell neighbors group
Vacant property in Upper Burrell’s Lincoln Beach neighborhood will end up staying with neighbors. The Upper Burrell Supervisors on Wednesday awarded roughly 3 acres of land along Mosaic Boulevard in Lincoln Beach to “members of the Lincoln Beach community.” A $20,000 bid was submitted by the group that, in their...
Upper Burrell shifts from police regionalization to improving its own force
With police regionalization off the table for now, Upper Burrell is focusing its efforts on bolstering its force. Fifteen months ago, the township supervisors cited staffing issues as it sought interest from Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Allegheny and Washington townships on the possibility of a regionalized police force. Upper...
Motorcyclist injured in collision with car in Fawn
A motorcyclist and car collided Thursday morning at the intersection of Bull Creek Road and the Route 28 southbound off-ramp in Fawn. The crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. Fawn police were not immediately available for comment. Rich Fry of Shaler said he was driving on Bull Creek Road from Tarentum...
As Hillcrest Plaza auction looms, outlook positive on strip mall investment, experts say
The state of strip malls and shopping centers isn’t all doom and gloom, experts say. “Open-air shopping centers are in a pretty good spot into the future,” said David Caputo, a data scientist with Moody’s Analytics. “There was a lot of concern with the pandemic, but that hasn’t been the...
Kinloch residents press Lower Burrell Council on blight, public safety issues in their neighborhood
Residents of Lower Burrell’s Kinloch neighborhood are demanding answers from city officials about what’s being done to address property and public safety issues they say are being neglected. “There’s something wrong,” said Kinloch resident John Walter, referencing what he said are a lack of police patrols and properties in poor...
Faces of the Valley: Beloved Deer Lakes teaching couple to say goodbye after long, enriching careers
Craig Taliani gets a bit emotional when thinking about what the Deer Lakes School District has meant to him and his family. He thinks about meeting his now-wife, Lisa, in a high school teachers lounge in 1991 while he was a day-to-day substitute and she was in her first year...
Use it or lose it: Experts push for meaningful reading for kids during the summer break
Eight-year-old Hannah Woch has a stack of chapter books she plans to read this summer. It’s important to read over the summer, said Hannah, a student at Bon Air Elementary School in Lower Burrell. “Now that I’m reading, I understand more stuff,” she said. With the school year concluding in...
Chartiers Valley applies for state funding to replace intermediate school roof
The Chartiers Valley School District is seeking state funding to replace the roof at its intermediate school. School directors on May 28 applied for the state’s competitive Public School Facility Improvement grant to pay for the project. The district is asking for just under $3.97 million to cover the total...
