Kellen Stepler stories, Page 58
Olympus Energy drops appeal for denied well pad in West Deer; residents to fight one recently approved
A Washington County oil and gas company wants to drop its court appeal for a well pad project West Deer supervisors rejected in 2021. Olympus Energy LLC filed the application for discontinuance in Commonwealth Court on Wednesday. The company had appealed West Deer’s decision to reject the proposed Dionysus well...
Human remains found in Sharpsburg confirmed to be indigenous peoples burial site
Human remains found in Sharpsburg about two weeks ago were located on a burial site for indigenous people, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Friday. The human remains were found June 21 on private property along Short Canal Street, where Peoples Natural Gas Co. crews were digging for a...
Lower Burrell eyes Ron Welker to fill council vacancy
Ron Welker might be starting his tenure on Lower Burrell Council a bit earlier than anticipated. Council will consider appointing Welker at its meeting Monday, to fill a vacant council seat left by Rosina Albanese, who resigned in June. Albanese was sworn onto council in 2020. She cited work commitments...
Lower Burrell Council excited for future with new manager
Lower Burrell officials say they’re all-in on their soon-to-be next city manager, Greg Primm. Council discussed interim Manager Jason Dailey’s recommendation to hire Primm, Allegheny Township’s manager, at its meeting Monday. Council will vote on Primm’s hiring Monday. Should the vote pass, Primm would begin work Sept. 1 in Lower...
Organizers plan for ‘busy and fun’ Springdale Community Day
Springdale Community Day plans to be just that when the event hits Lincoln Avenue near Veterans Memorial Field on Saturday. Deb Sigmund of the Springdale Team of Active Residents said the event is a group effort between STAR, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department and borough council. It aims to provide...
Harmar beer distributor sells $1 million scratch-off ticket
It’s not unusual for owner Linda Wilson to sell scratch-off lottery tickets to customers at Willy’s Beer and Beverage in Harmar. What is unusual? Having a million-dollar winner. That’s exactly what happened June 22, when one of Wilson’s regulars scratched off a “$1 Million? Seriously” ticket at the store. “I...
Springdale Township man faces drug charges after traffic stop
A Springdale Township man faces charges after more than 4 ounces of marijuana was found in his car during a traffic stop in Westmoreland County, police say. Demitri Lee Fritch, 20, of Springdale Township was charged with intent to distribute drugs, two counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance...
Plum woman accused of texting and driving before hit-and-run with house
Police said a Plum woman was texting while driving, causing her to lose control of her car and crash into a home. Natalie Mains, 24, was charged with misdemeanor accident involving damage to property and four other traffic charges, including reckless driving, stemming from an incident June 17. A preliminary...
Oakmont man accused of biting, choking, trying to drown woman
Police accused an Oakmont man of biting, choking and trying to drown a woman in a kitchen sink. Oakmont police charged Dylan Dempsey, 24, of the 700 block of Allegheny Avenue with felony strangulation, terroristic threats, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and two misdemeanor counts of possessing marijuana in...
2 face drug charges after Allegheny Township traffic stop
A New Kensington man and a Harrison woman are facing drug charges after a traffic stop. According to court records, Allegheny Township police charged Michael Luffey, 38, of the 1500 block of Leishman Avenue, with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, misbranding a controlled substance, possessing drugs and...
Police charge man in connection with work not completed at Lower Burrell gas station
Lower Burrell police charged a Findlay Township man with theft of services because the owner of a city gas station said contracted work was not completed. Gregory Alan Scott, 33, of the Clinton section of Findlay Township was charged with two felony counts of deceptive business practices and theft by...
Burrell School District raises taxes with approval of $36.1 million budget
Property owners in Burrell School District will see an almost 4% increase in their real estate taxes next year. Next year’s budget totals just under $36.2 million, a 4.1% increase from this past school year, said Jennifer Callahan, the district’s business manager. The budget raises the millage rate from 107...
West Deer approves Leto well pad; neighbors plan to appeal
West Deer supervisors approved conditional use and land development applications for the proposed Leto well pad, and neighbors say they plan to appeal that decision in court. The well pad, located off Oak Road behind a Dollar General store, was proposed by Olympus Energy of Cecil Township. Olympus plans to...
Property owner: Don’t rezone former Springdale power plant from industrial use
The owner of the former Cheswick Generating Station is repeating its stance on the property: Springdale should not rezone it from industrial use. No action was taken at borough council’s meeting this week — the matter wasn’t even on the agenda — but representatives from Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group...
Lower Burrell woman charged after traffic stop turns into drug bust at her home
Police have charged a Lower Burrell woman with drug possession following a May 2 traffic stop where, they said, it appeared she was under the influence of crack cocaine. Alicia Ann Bosman, 33, is charged with two counts of intentionally possessing a controlled substance and a count of use or...
‘So satisfying’: Grueling Rachel Carson Trail Challenge entices hikers
There’s nothing about the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge that makes it a walk in the park. But once its hikers complete the hilly, scenic and physically demanding trail, the feeling is one of satisfaction and relief. “I think it’s so satisfying,” said Amy Nelson, a board member of the Rachel...
Back the Blue parade, fundraiser set for Lower Burrell
The fourth annual Alle-Kiski Valley Back the Blue summer event is back and bigger than ever, its organizers say. The fundraiser for local police departments will be held Saturday, June 24, in Lower Burrell and will feature a law enforcement processional and live music and entertainment, said Lisa Ingle of...
Allegheny Valley school directors push for football season at Veterans Memorial Field
The Allegheny Valley School District plans to stay the course and play its football games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Springdale despite an issue with a leaning wall at the field. At a meeting Tuesday, board members discussed the field, where part of a wall is leaning toward the stadium...
Allegheny Valley School District adopts budget with no tax increase
Property owners in the Allegheny Valley School District will not see an increase in their taxes for the next year. School directors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve its $24.6 million budget, a 3.5% increase from last school year. Officials previously said the budget allots for new English textbooks and professional...
Faces of the Valley: Springdale Township nurse, a native of Egypt, forges his own way
Adel Mansour believes everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Mansour, 50, lives in Springdale Township with his wife, Tracey, and their children, Aleah, Landon and Milana. He is a registered nurse at UPMC St. Margaret in Aspinwall, a job he has had for 17 years. But the...
Allegheny Valley School District officials question if football team can play at Veterans Memorial Field due to wall issue
Allegheny Valley School District officials are throwing a flag on the safety of Veterans Memorial Field’s bleachers, and the outcome will impact the upcoming high school football season. Part of a wall at the field, which was built in 1938, is leaning toward the stadium from the Lincoln Avenue side...
West Deer breaks ground on new municipal building
State Sen. Lindsey Williams recalled that, when she took office four years ago, she toured the municipalities and school districts of the state’s 38th District to get to know them better. When it was time to go meet West Deer officials, she remembered the discussion of a need for a...
Officials identify Springdale girl who died Tuesday
Officials have identified the 5-year-old girl who died unexpectedly in Springdale on Tuesday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday that Diem McMunn-Gereshenski, of Springdale, was found unresponsive at a Springdale home at about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. Diem was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Allegheny...
DEP acknowledges flying debris from implosion in Springdale was violation; agency waiting on test results
The flyrock and debris from the Springdale smokestack demolition earlier this month was a violation of state environmental regulations, said a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection. The former Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks, which stood about 750 and 550 feet tall, fell in a cleared coal yard north of...
Lower Burrell remembers, honors late councilman, judge, David A. Regoli with bench at city hall
To the Regolis, Lower Burrell and New Kensington are like an extended family. And that community provided a standing-room-only crowd in Lower Burrell Council chambers Monday, as the city unveiled a bench in honor and memory of David Regoli, a late councilman, judge and, to many, a friend. “To be...
