Madasyn Lee stories, Page 23
Leechburg considers 24% tax hike
Leechburg Council has approved a $1.2 million preliminary budget that includes a 24% increase in property taxes. Under the preliminary plan, the borough’s tax rate would go up 4 mills, to 22.3 from 18. At the proposed rate, someone with a house assessed at $25,000 would pay about $558 in...
Mickey the macaroni penguin celebrates 35th birthday at Pittsburgh zooVideo
Mickey the macaroni penguin is doing Yankee Doodle dandy. At 35 years old, she is said to be among the oldest penguins living in captivity in the United States. She celebrated her milestone birthday at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on Wednesday, making loud trumpet calls and pecking at...
Officials: 2 students arrested after gun found on Seneca Valley school campus
Two Butler County students were taken into custody Tuesday after officials said one of the students a sold a gun to another student at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. No one was injured. The district said on its website Tuesday that the incident was reported shortly after school started. High...
Meteorologist Kevin Benson no longer with WPXI
Meteorologist Kevin Benson is no longer with WPXI. News Director Scott Trabandt confirmed Tuesday that Benson no longer works at the station. He did not elaborate on the circumstances. “We do not comment further on employee matters,” Trabandt wrote in an email to the Tribune-Review. Benson declined to comment when...
Boats, motorcycles next to caskets: New Kensington funeral home personalizes services
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Ross Walker grew up thinking living with dead people...
No injuries reported in 3-vehicle collision in McCandless
Emergency responders were called to the scene of a three-vehicle collision Sunday afternoon in McCandless. The crash was reported just before 2:30 p.m. on the 9100 block of Babcock Boulevard, near UPMC Passavant hospital. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said no injuries were reported. McCandless police couldn’t immediately be reached...
All Steel Valley schools will be open Monday following alarm system repairs
All schools within the Steel Valley School District in Munhall will be open on Monday. The district posted on its website Saturday that repairs to the high school and middle school emergency fire alarm system had been completed, the system had been fully tested, and the Munhall Fire Chief had...
Pittsburgh police investigating rollover SUV crash on Washington Boulevard
A woman was taken to a hospital after she fell asleep while driving on Washington Boulevard early Sunday and rolled her SUV, Pittsburgh police said. The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. The woman told police she had been driving eastbound toward the Zone 5 police station when she fell asleep...
Leechburg students raise awareness for disaster relief by camping out in coldVideo
Freezing overnight temperatures didn’t stop students from Leechburg Area School District’s Interact Club from pitching tents outside two borough churches on Nov. 1. The students braved the chilly weather and spent the night in family-size tents to raise awareness for ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that gives temporary shelters...
Frazer to consider changing zoning ordinance to allow horses in certain large residential properties
A couple is interested in putting horses on a 24-acre property in Frazer and is asking the supervisors to amend the township’s zoning ordinance so they can. Frazer doesn’t allow agricultural operations on properties within its two residential moderate density (RM) zoning districts. Keeping horses is considered as an agricultural...
Official: Repairs to vandalized West Deer sports fields could cost thousands
Someone drove a pickup truck in circles on several West Deer sports fields, causing significant damage, officials said. Township Manager Dan Mator said Thursday he estimates repairs for the damaged fields at Nike Site Park and Bairdford Park will cost thousands of dollars. The township has been working to improve...
West Deer, Fawn to receive $100,000 each for Bairdford Park, road improvement projects
Two Alle-Kiski Valley townships have been awarded $100,000 in state funding for improvement projects. The money for West Deer and Fawn comes from Allegheny County’s Gaming Economic Development Fund Grant. The program is funded through gambling revenues and doesn’t use money from the state general fund money. West Deer’s money...
Police: Man arrested for stealing cash drawer from Bethel Park CoGo’s
A man convicted of multiple robberies was arrested again Monday in connection with the robbery of a Bethel Park convenience store. Bethel Park Police say Sean Randy Beach, 48, no known address, stole $200 from a CoGo’s on South Park Road. Police were called to the store just after 9:45...
Father-son animal feed business in Fawn still thriving after 97 years
J.P. Stark & Son Inc. has stood the test of time. The animal feed store on Thompson Road in Fawn has been around for nearly a century, having survived a fire and the loss of small family farms that used to make up a majority of its business. Without adapting...
Deer Lakes Middle School to showcase ‘The Lion King Jr.’
You don’t need to go to Broadway to see “The Lion King.” Just head on over to Deer Lakes High School. A cast and stage crew of 90 students in grades 3 through 8 will perform “The Lion King Jr.” Nov. 22-24 in the Deer Lakes High School auditorium. Tickets...
Allegheny Township fire department’s annual craft show draws 200 people
Paintings, handmade wrought iron candle stands and homemade jewelry couldn’t be more different. But they do have one thing in common: The sales of those items will help keep gear on the backs of the firefighters who serve the Markle Volunteer Fire Department. “Every little bit helps out,” fire Chief...
Man struck and killed by train on Pittsburgh’s South Side
A male pedestrian was struck and killed by an eastbound CSX train on Pittsburgh’s South Side on Saturday, authorities said. The victim’s name had not been released as of Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesman Chris Togneri said first responders were called around 4:45 p.m. for a report of a...
Police: Springdale Township diner broken into, nothing taken
David’s Diner in Springdale Township was broken into early Sunday, but the suspect didn’t make off with anything, Allegheny Valley Regional Police said. The break-in was reported shortly after 4:30 a.m. The Facebook page for the diner said the restaurant would be closed for the day. It is normally open...
Former Gateway Packaging controller pleads guilty to stealing nearly $200K
A former employee at Gateway Packaging, a stock product and packaging company in Murrysville, Westmoreland County, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to stealing nearly $200,000 from the company and falsifying financial statements to cover it up, prosecutors said. Victoria Mazur, 52, of Plum, pleaded guilty to one count...
United Way looking for volunteers to help low-income families with tax returns
The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is looking for 500 volunteers to complete tax returns for low-income families during the 2020 tax season. Volunteers are needed at sites across Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties. Tax preparation experience isn’t required. “A tax refund can have a significant impact on...
Police: 2nd employee charged in fight outside Pittsburgh McDonald’s
A second McDonald’s employee involved in a fight at the Downtown Pittsburgh fast food restaurant that left a man paralyzed was charged with assault Wednesday. Kaniya Martin, 18, of Pittsburgh, faces a single count of misdemeanor simple assault in connection to the Monday night fight, according to court records. She...
3 incumbents, 2 newcomers claim victories in Deer Lakes School Board race
Three incumbents and two political newcomers won seats on Deer Lakes School Board in Tuesday’s election, knocking a fourth incumbent out of office, according to unofficial election results. Cross-filed newcomer Cristy McCloskey, 46, of West Deer, emerged as the top vote-getter with 19.9% of the votes counted, the results showed....
Republican Michael Korns unseats Democrat Joseph Ferguson in Allegheny Township
An Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor will represent Allegheny Township as supervisor after beating out a longtime elected official for an open seat in Tuesday’s election. Republican Mike Korns collected 58.7% of the votes counted compared to Democrat Joe Ferguson’s 41%, according to the county’s unofficial election results. There were...
Your CBD Store opens in Harrison with mission to educate
Humans aren’t the only ones using CBD — a compound found in the cannabis plant — to help relieve pain and other problems. Dogs and cats are, too. That’s one thing Wade Timmerson and Mark McCloud learned when they opened Your CBD Store in Harrison. “Dogs are afraid of lightning,...
Missing Butler teen located, state police say
State police in Butler have located a teenager who had been missing since last week. Troopers said Aiden Joseph McKinley, 15, was found on Tuesday. State police said McKinley had been staying with friends and was safe when he was located. ***Update***Aiden Joseph MCKINLEY was located. Thank you for retweeting....
