Kellen Stepler stories, Page 3

A hole in a New Kensington alley deemed a “public nuisance” by officials has been filled. Crews spent Monday and Tuesday working to fill the hole in Moss Alley in the Parnassus section of the city. “It was a great day,” said Vince Davis, who owns property nearby. The hole...

Lower Burrell is scrapping plans to allow alcohol at city park events — at least for now. The proposal, according to City Manager Greg Primm, would have required alcohol vendors to be state-licensed and offer only Pennsylvania-made alcoholic products. It would have established a formal permitting system and operational rules...

Your eyes won’t be fooling you if you see an Arnold firefighter in a Lower Burrell fire truck en route to an emergency scene. Or a Lower Burrell firefighter in a New Kensington truck. The cities are working together to establish a Tri-City duty crew to effectively staff the cities’...

A little more than a decade ago, hospice nurse Lori Hank grew more and more frustrated with the direction the health care industry was headed. She told her friend, Richard Seifert, that she felt the industry was not focusing on patients over profit. Seifert gave her the push to open...

There was no doubt in senior Dustin O’Hara’s mind that a school year’s worth of effort operating a coffee cart at Valley High School paid off. The coffee cart, coordinated by Valley life skills students and offered weekly to the school, paid for a prom Friday morning at the Wildlife...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 11: Knoch teacher accused of hitting student Pennsylvania State Police have accused an elementary school teacher in the Knoch School District of striking an 8-year-old student in the face in November. Troopers plan to charge Knoch Primary...

New Kensington is seeking bids to fix a sewage-flooded hole that has been declared a public nuisance. “We are actively trying to fix this problem,” said City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti. “We’re aware of it, and we’re doing our due diligence.” The hole is in Moss Alley in the Parnassus area...

Chartiers Valley School District property owners likely won’t pay more in taxes next year. School directors voted, 6-3, on Tuesday, April 8 to approve the proposed final budget for next school year, which totals $79 million and maintains the real estate tax rate at 20.1909 mills. The final budget is...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, April 10: Man in custody after SWAT situation in Pittsburgh A man was taken into custody following a SWAT situation overnight in Pittsburgh’s Summer Hill neighborhood, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. At 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, a man...

What started as a sewer repair in a New Kensington alley has devolved into a public safety and health hazard, neighbors say. “It’s technically not a sinkhole, but it turned into one,” said Vince Davis, who owns property nearby. “The hole originally was like (the width of) a manhole, 13...

A Valley High School biology teacher has been nationally recognized for her efforts in the classroom. Kathy Jo Sagwitz, who has taught at Valley for 17 years, was selected as the grand prize winner in the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge, administered by the National Science Teaching Association. “Great teaching...

Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Wednesday, April 9: Police say man shot into South Oakland residence A Pittsburgh man is facing criminal charges after police say he shot into a residence in South Oakland on Tuesday night. According to a criminal complaint, Pittsburgh...

When Washington Township police officers had the idea more than a year ago to work longer shifts, Chief Jason Montgomery was all ears. Since January 2024, Montgomery has been scheduling officers for three 12-hour shifts per week instead of five eight-hour shifts. Officers say they have a better work-life balance...

Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Tuesday, April 8: Fire damages roof of Upper St. Clair home A fire Monday afternoon in Upper St. Clair left a massive hole in a home’s roof, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Fire crews were dispatched just...

Most sections of I-79 and the Parkway West near the Bridgeville area are open and clear after nearly a dozen crashes snarled traffic on those highways during the Tuesday morning commute. Pennsylvania State Troopers said in a statement Tuesday morning that there may be some residual traffic and advised drivers...

This weekend made for some happy days in Monroeville. Four main cast members of the popular 1970s show “Happy Days” — Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most — had a reunion at Steel City Con in Monroeville. The actors participated in a panel discussion about the series...

A McKeesport man faces 16 criminal charges after being accused of stabbing one woman and assaulting another over the weekend in Arnold. Arnold police charged Maurice Tymeer Johnson, 26, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, reckless endangerment, simple assault and flight to avoid apprehension, among other charges. Early Saturday morning,...

Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Monday, April 7: Emergency demolition set in Troy Hill A condemned, partially collapsed building in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood has been scheduled for an emergency demolition Monday. TribLive news partner WTAE reports that the American Legion building, located...

While other businesses had approached Mike Malcanas and Michelle Thom over the years to lease the space at 1001 Fifth Ave. in downtown New Kensington, the Olde Towne Overhaul crew held off for visions of an ice cream or candy store there one day. Now, consider them lucky ducks. Mark...

The cause of a fatal house fire in New Kensington on Thursday remains unclear. Amy L. Seguiti died in her home in the 1100 block of Strawn Avenue when fire tore through the upper floor. She was inside the home as crews were fighting the fire, the coroner’s office said....

New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck compares academic growth at Roy A. Hunt Elementary to that of a physics equation. “It’s all about momentum,” Sefcheck said. “We have every little piece, and it’s starting to fly.” Hunt, which serves third through sixth grade students in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, was...

A New Kensington woman died in a house fire Thursday. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Amy L. Seguiti, no age given. She was inside the home as crews were fighting the fire, the coroner’s office said. The cause and manner of death are under investigation. An...

Nina Midgley Kelman jokes that she took over My Favorite Sweet Shoppe in 2014 because of one of its products, Mountain Magic Bites. “I joke that I bought the store so that I can have access to it,” she said. “It really is that good.” Now, even more people will...

It was literally a jury of their peers. On Thursday, students in Burrell’s Investigative Sciences and Literature course set up a mock trial in the high school board room that they called Pennsylvania v. Adam Seed; based on the real-life murder trial of Maryland v. Adnan Syed. A team of...

Chartiers Valley High School continued its annual tradition of respecting those who served the United States and the importance of preserving history through its Vietnam Veterans Symposium on March 21. The event was facilitated by social studies teachers Frank Brown and Jennifer Heffley, and English teachers Kristen Steen and Kelly...