Kellen Stepler stories, Page 4

Children in Sharpsburg have a new spot in 16th Street Park to let their imaginations soar. Borough officials held a ceremony Aug. 22 to dedicate a playhouse. Other amenities at the park include a pavilion with picnic tables, water sprinklers, playground equipment, a swing set, basketball court and benches. The...

The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department could have a fourth member if talks between its board and Frazer officials work out. Frazer Secretary/Treasurer Lori Ziencik said her township was approached by the police commission, which serves East Deer, Cheswick and Springdale Township, to consider joining the regional department. “We have...

How a trestle bridge over Pittsburgh Street in Springdale, near the former power plant, will be demolished now is uncertain. Borough officials originally scheduled a town hall meeting for next week to discuss the structure’s demolition, but that was canceled, leaving unknown exactly how or when the iconic trestle will...

Traffic headaches from a recent car cruise at Pittsburgh Brewing in East Deer have officials there making adjustments for the facility’s biggest concert of the summer. The brewery on Sunday night will host country music artist Cole Swindell — the headliner of the venue’s inaugural concert series. The event comes...

Watch where you park in Springdale, especially if you’re a renter. The borough has outlined new rules regulating parking in the town. “We have a pretty wide parking ordinance in our codified ordinances,” Solicitor Craig Alexander said. He said council wanted to amend that to include additional “no-parking” streets, to...

Kathy Crissman was appalled at what she saw as she strolled Springdale’s Pittsburgh Street during the borough’s community day in early July. “This place is dirty,” she said of the borough’s main business artery. “It has so much trash and dirt on the street.” The top issues, Crissman said, include...

Springdale Township may tap a Pittsburgh-based government consulting group in its battle to obtain grant funding — an issue township officials say has been unsuccessful for years. The commissioners Thursday learned about the proposal from Nick Bonesso, president of Avanti Consulting Group. Bonesso said Avanti works with many townships in...

Advocates of the Allegheny River hope getting state and federal officials into the water will emphasize the need for more attention and funding for recreation and commercial use on the waterway. Local, state and federal officials paddled kayaks Friday morning from the Springdale to Harmar marinas, through Lock 3 on...

Mike Vogel prides himself on learning from others. Now Vogel, Allegheny County Housing Authority police chief since 1998, will be doing that on a statewide scale. Vogel, 57, of Bethel Park, was installed as president of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association in July. His tenure begins during a time...

West Deer is seeking bids to demolish its municipal building, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the building’s fate. Although the township posted documents to secure bids for demolition and asbestos abatement for the municipal building at 109 E. Union Road, manager Dan Mator said the measures are preliminary. “In...

Tony Cszimadia takes it a little bit at a time when he visits the growing makeshift memorial for his daughter, Roxanne Alexis Bonnoni, on North Canal Street in Harrison. “She went through life a very caring person,” Cszimadia said of 11-year-old Roxanne, who died Tuesday evening when she was struck...

Rules to deter squatters are officially on the books in Springdale. Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance against squatting — a situation where people take over an often-vacant structure or property without permission to be there. Council President Mike Ziencik referenced nearby communities that have had issues with squatters when...

Cash Wyble just felt concertgoers should have a place to sit when enjoying a show at Burrell Lake Park in Lower Burrell. Wyble, 18, of Upper Burrell recently assembled and installed benches in front of the concert venue at the park. “I wanted to do it,” Wyble said. “There were...

Plans for a Tractor Supply store in Lower Burrell took a step forward. The city’s planning commission approved a subdivision for a Tractor Supply to be located off Greensburg Road, in the Kinloch section of Lower Burrell. The location, 108 Greensburg Road, is a vacant, wooded lot next to a...

Two Springdale volunteer firefighters and a borough police sergeant were honored this week for their efforts during an arrest in the spring that quickly became dangerous, according to officials. Volunteer firefighters Dan Copeland and Joseph Stanga and police Sgt. Fred Hockenberry were recognized by Mayor Joel Anderson during Springdale’s council...

Children in Harrison’s Sheldon Park community got a visit from a four-legged friend on Wednesday. Officers with the Allegheny County Police Department brought Milo, a horse in its mounted unit, to the Booker Center at Sheldon Park. About 20 children and their families had the opportunity to feed Milo a...

People wanting to operate short-term rentals in Springdale will have to abide by rules set by council Tuesday night. “We haven’t had any type of ordinance set in place for these types of properties,” Councilman Dan Copeland said. “It’s going to give us some type of insight as to what’s...

If all goes according to schedule, Chartiers Valley School District will have a permanent superintendent by October or November. That’s the timeline set by the school board, as it voted Aug. 13 to have its interim superintendent, Joseph Dimperio, lead the superintendent search at an amount not to exceed $5,000....

Chartiers Valley’s football boosters brought together members of the community in a fun way. The booster club held its second annual community pep rally Friday, Aug. 16 at the Primary School’s field. The event included football players and cheerleaders from kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as the dance team...

A West Deer man accused of shooting a man during a scuffle at a Frazer auto salvage yard will cover the other man’s medical bills and then plead guilty to a summary charge of disorderly conduct, according to a deal announced Monday. That was the consensus reached among District Judge...

A remedy to combat speeding on Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell is on the way. PennDOT officials approved reducing the speed limit from 55 to 45 mph in the 2200 block of Greensburg Road, or Route 366. The township requested a traffic study after fielding complaints from neighbors who advocated...

Burrell School District officials are eyeing improvements to the district’s internal communication system for emergencies. The school board is considering a service agreement with Emergent 3 for technology software to handle internal communications among district staff during emergencies or drills. The contract would be for a three-year term. The first...

The lower lakes at Deer Lakes Park are “virtually unfishable,” said Tom Fitzgerald, a longtime fisherman and East Deer resident. Fitzgerald walks the park nearly every day and notes three glaring issues with the ponds: overgrowth, algae and lily pads out of control. “There are parts where it looks like...

A Robinson-based traffic engineering firm will analyze the feasibility of a roundabout at a Chartiers Street intersection that straddles Bridgeville and Upper St. Clair. Bridgeville Council on Monday, Aug. 12 authorized working with Upper St. Clair to have Trans Associates prepare a roundabout traffic analysis, plan and estimate to determine...