Kellen Stepler stories, Page 11

Springdale police are warning the community that a phone call from someone soliciting money for the borough’s volunteer fire department is a scam. A Wednesday social media post from the police department said a group of people posing as fire department members are calling residents, saying they need donations because...

Outdoor concert venues in West Deer and East Deer are ready to draw visitors — and their money — into the area, organizers say. No Offseason Sports along Little Deer Creek Valley Road in West Deer will open its summer concert series July 13 with country music star Justin Moore,...

Chartiers Valley students were exposed to different cultures and cuisines during an event Friday morning. English Language students from both the high school and middle school, and members of the club “Global Minds,” were invited to bring food from their cultures to share with others. The annual event is a...

Jerry’s Custard will be taking some of its sweet treats to the other side of the Allegheny River this summer. The Lower Burrell business, situated at 2705 Seventh Street Road, is opening a “mini version” of its store at 725 Dorseyville Road in Indiana Township, owner Tammy Connolly said. Connolly...

Old school is new school at Acmetonia after an initial dismal showing in math proficiency among its elementary students. The Allegheny Valley School Board last week approved purchasing SpringMath as Acmetonia’s mathematics intervention program for students in first through sixth grades for nearly $7,800. The program is included in the...

Springdale Council is taking a closer look at its water rates in the wake of the borough increasing rates by $1.25 per 1,000 gallons for all customers in this year’s budget. Council on Tuesday authorized a study into the rates at a cost not to exceed $18,500. Valuation and Rate,...

Before entering Nick Spehar’s economics class at Spring­dale High School, Casey Sprinkle wasn’t sure what the difference was between the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Now, at the end of the year, he and two of his peers, Shane Parsons Jr. and Owen Scheuring, are budding stock market experts....

As the Allegheny River Development Corp. prepares to head to the nation’s capital to lobby lawmakers for money to keep locks open along the river, they’re looking for as much support as they can get. The ARDC, a grassroots organization based in Armstrong County, works with the Army Corps of...

“You Should Be Here” is what the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. might be saying to country music fans as it announces its third concert for the summer. Country music star Cole Swindell will take the stage Sept. 1 at the brewery’s amphitheater in the Creighton neighborhood of East Deer. Brewery spokeswoman...

A Greensburg man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning along Greensburg Road (Route 366) in Washington Township. Andrew Allen Malarkey, 37, was driving a Kia Forte eastbound when his car crossed the center line and collided with a tractor-trailer rig, according to the Westmorland County Coroner’s Office. He...

Josie, an older flat-coated retriever mix, is a rainmaker of sorts. The kind that brings in money. Since the West Deer Dog Shelter took in Josie, the story of her plight is bringing in donations to help get the dog the care she needs. So far, the shelter has raised...

Scott Township officals and its public works department have agreed to a new five-year contract. The contract provides for pay increases of 3.75% after the first year, 3.5% each year from 2025 to 2027, and 3.25% in 2028. Base wages will rise to $73,000 plus benefits. Township commissioners signed off...

The history of the Heidelberg Raceway has been introduced to a new generation. Students in Shelley Territ’s second grade class at Chartiers Valley Primary School recently published a book, “The Story of the Heidelberg Raceway.” The Heidelberg Raceway held weekly races and other special events between 1948 and 1973. It...

An event to boost communication and collaboration in the Burrell School District community drew almost 1,000 people and 60 vendors. Burrell Community Connections, held Thursday evening at Charles A. Huston Middle School, brought together people from the community, school district, city government and local businesses. Activities included a “clothing closet”...

Chartiers Valley first grader Ivy Woods carefully lined up her small, wooden catapult and placed a gummy bear in its bucket. And with a quick fling of the catapult, the gummy bear launched in the target’s bull’s-eye. The gummy bear launch was one of 14 stations at Chartiers Valley Primary...

In the hope of filling more positions, Chartiers Valley School District increased its pay rates for substitutes. School directors set the increased rates during their March 26 meeting. “The pay is going to help,” said Pat Connolly, Chartiers Valley’s director of finance and operation. “Every school district in Allegheny County...

Valley High School junior Antoine Wilkerson doesn’t consider himself to be a big dancer. But as DJ Matt Roberts played more and more songs Thursday morning at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 92 in Lower Burrell, Wilkerson’s friends eventually got him onto the dance floor. Wilkerson and about 50...

Taxpayers in the Chartiers Valley School District can sound off on what they’d like to see in the district’s next superintendent at two meetings later this month. Meetings are scheduled Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the district office training room, 2030 Swallow Hill Road; and April 22, from...

The parent company of the Olive Garden at the Pittsburgh Mills complex in Frazer will pay $30,000 to settle a federal lawsuit that alleged the restaurant’s management discriminated against a man by not hiring him because of his disability. GMRI, operator of the Olive Garden at Pittsburgh Mills, and the...

Bryce Eddy knew the New Kensington cat rescue Frankie’s Friends often takes in lots of cats rescued from poor conditions. So, to take some pressure off Frankie’s team of volunteers, the Harrison native and his Penn State New Kensington classmates James Matus and Heather Shultz decided to put their skills...

Plans for a roundabout in Sharpsburg and sidewalks along Alpha and Gamma drives in O’Hara took a step forward. State Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, announced March 26 that funding has been secured through the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund. The fund provides grants to develop, rehabilitate and enhance modes of...

An East Butler man is accused of stealing copper wire from a Harmar concrete plant that, according to the business, costs them nearly $16,500 to replace. Harmar police charged Colton Shane Miner, 24, with felony counts of theft by, receiving stolen property and theft of secondary metal, along with summary...

When he was in the fourth grade, Alex Platt told his parents he wanted to play the clarinet because it sounded “jazzy.” “It’s an odd reason, but that’s the reason,” said Platt, now 18 and a senior at Burrell High School. “But I stayed with it, and it’s a beautiful...

Kendal Astor has been around sports her entire life. Growing up, the 18-year-old Chartiers Valley student was involved in softball and currently is the team manager for the Colts’ football, boys soccer and track teams. She competes on Chartiers Valley’s unified bocce team and is president of the school’s Best...

An East Deer man is hoping to make a difference in the township, even if it comes down to picking up one piece of litter at a time. Adam Klingensmith is organizing what’s believed to be the township’s first cleanup day April 21. “We’re going to be picking up any...