Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Leo Stefanacci nearly drowned after his car plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek.
Seneca Valley teacher Henry “Leo” Stefanacci waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday before District Justice Wayne Seibel in Evans City. Stefanacci, 48, of Zelienople, is charged with driving under the influence and careless driving after a near fatal plunge into the Connoquenessing Creek. A popular learning support teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School, Stefanacci was driving on Halstead Boulevard in Zelienople March 3 when he skidded off the road. His car landed upside down in the nearby creek. Firefighters trained in water rescue pulled him from the vehicle after four teens driving on the road noticed a car overturned in the water and dialed 9-1-1. He was taken by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh in critical condition…
As part of her sentencing, Orie Melvin must write letters of apology to state judges, her former staff and her family.
Convicted former State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin was sentenced Tuesday to house arrest followed by probation and must send written apologies on photographs of herself to every judge in the Commonwealth, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An Allegheny County Common Pleas Court jury convicted Orie Melvin in February on all but one count of using her former Superior Court staff and that of her sister to run campaigns. Orie Melvin was sentenced to three years of house arrest followed by two years of probation and must serve in a soup kitchen three times a week, the P-G said. Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Lester Nauhaus also ordered that Orie Melvin have her photo taken with an official county photographer so…
Monday, May 6, 2013
The road was shut down for several hours near the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course.
A motorcycle rider died after a crash along Freshcorn Road near the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course Monday evening. Sgt. Chuck Mascellino said Roger Haynes, 31, of Bellevue, was riding on Freshcorn Road with several other bikers at about 5:15 p.m. when he attempted to go around a vehicle that was stopped on Freshcorn Road. Mascellino said Haynes traveled into the opposite lane and eventually struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:35 p.m. by first responders. Mascellino said speed does appear to be a factor in the crash. Police shut down the road in the area near the crash, including at the intersection of Glen Eden Road and Freshcorn Road and at the intersection of Winterbrook Drive in Heights Drive in the Cranberry …
40.736124
-80.137335
Cranberry Highlands Golf Course
5601 Freshcorn Rd, Cranberry Twp, PA
/articles/motorcycle-accident-closes-freshcorn-road-in-cranberry
1796802
/locations/9360230
World War II veteran John D. Burkett was from Zelienople
A second person has died from injuries he suffered when a train struck a Butler Area Rural Transit bus carrying elderly and mentally challenged people last month in Evans City. John D. Burkett, 88, of Zelienople, died Saturday with his family present, according to his obituary on the Boylan Funeral Home website. Burkett was one of two critically injured people on the bus flown by medical helicopter to hospitals in Pittsburgh following the April 26 crash at the Maple Avenue crossing. The nine other people on the bus, including the driver, were taken by ambulance to area hospitals for treatment. Burkett spent five days in the shock trauma unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh before being transferred to the VNA Inpatient Hospice …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The pharmacy is expected to reopen by Friday.
An electrical fire shut down the Walgreens along Main Street in Zelienople during rush hour Thursday. Zelienople Fire Chief Rob Reeb said there was an electrical short in the wires hanging above the building’s roof. The burning wires fell on top of the pharmacy, catching the roof on fire. The wires then fell onto the ground and caused a small brush fire before shorting out. When firefighters arrived on the scene at about 5:15 p.m., there was still a small fire, and lots of smoke, Reeb said. Volunteers quickly extinguished any remaining flames. “As soon as the power line jumped off the roof it went out, because that was the source of the fire,” Reeb said. Reeb said firefighters had to tear off some the pharmacy’s roof after the fire melted …
40.793756
-80.136648
Walgreens Pharmacies
234 S Main St, Zelienople, PA
/articles/electric-fire-shuts-down-zelienople-walgreens
1250001
/locations/9343552
No charges have been filed in the crash that left one person dead and 10 others, including the driver, injured.
Results from a search warrant executed by Evans City Police show the driver of the Butler Area Rural Transit bus that was hit by a train in Evans City was carrying pills at the time of the crash that did not match the label of the bottle they were contained in. Frank Schaffner’s lawyer told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the pills were fiber supplements and TUMS, not prescription pills that would affect his client’s driving. ““It's my understanding that his toxicology results should come back clean,” Butler-based attorney Michael Pawk told the newspaper. Toxicology reports on Schaffner’s blood are still pending. Schaffner was driving a bus carrying 10 elderly and mentally challenged people on a foggy April 26 morning when he stopped …
Henry “Leo” Stefanacci said he is embarrassed by the charges and is leaning on family and friends for support.
Seneca Valley teacher Henry “Leo” Stefanacci has been charged with Driving Under the Influence after the car he was driving plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek in Zelienople in March. Court records show Zelienople Police charged Stefanacci, a special education teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School, with DUI and careless driving in the March 3 crash. He is scheduled to appear May 7 before District Magistrate Wayne Seibel in Evans City on the charges. Stefanacci, of Zelienople, nearly died after the car he was driving skidded off Halstead Boulevard and landed upside down in the water. Firefighters trained in water rescue pulled him from the vehicle after four teens driving on the road noticed a car overturned in the creek and dialed 9-1-…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The landmark Zelienople restaurant has been embroiled in disputes and litigation
since it closed almost two years ago.
The owner of the landmark Kaufman House restaurant in Zelienople tells the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that he hopes to reopen in the fall—but isn't exactly sure when it will happen. The 110-year-old restaurant at 105 South Main St. has been closed since Oct. 5 2011, when a devastating fire caused about $300,000 in damage. The fire started in a kitchen gas-fired broiler and spread into the exhaust ducts. The Trib reports the restaurant's closing resulted in the loss of 50 jobs and a loss to the local economy in the borough of about 3,800 people. The newspaper reports that Ken Pilarski, who purchased the restaurant in 1974, has been embroiled in disputes and litigation with insurance, restoration and cleaning companies ever since. Countywide …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
There will be signs and increase police presence in neighborhoods signed up for the slow down campaign.
With the summer break for students just around the corner, Cranberry is revving up its effort to slow down speeders. The township is once again participating in the national Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 program, which is dedicated to creating safer streets for youngsters by reminding drivers to obey the 25 mph speed limit in place in most residential areas. This year’s week-long campaign takes place June 8 through June 16. A second slow down program will take place Aug. 26 through Sept. 6 when area students head back to class for the fall semester. Township assistant manager Duane McKee said 10 neighborhood associations have signed up so far to participate in the summer program. As part of the campaign, residents participating in the program …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Linda Farrell’s special needs son was one of 11 people injured when a train struck a BART bus in Evans City. Plus, get the latest information on the investigation into the crash.
Cranberry resident Linda Farrell said it was a mother’s worst nightmare when she flipped on the television Friday. On the screen were images of a train striking a Butler Area Rural Transit bus that was crossing the railroad tracks in Evans City. The bus was carrying close to a dozen elderly and mentally challenged people—including her son. “As a mom that was hard,” she said. “Seeing and knowing it, it’s just a really hard thing.” Farrell’s 25-year-old son Tim, who has special needs, was one of 11 people, including the driver, on the bus who were injured. The eight male and two female passengers on the bus ranged in age from 25 to 92. Claudette Miller, 91, of Callery, was one of two critically injured people taken by medical helicopters to …
Chris Smith
11:26 am on Friday, May 10, 2013
mari0 doe - maybe you should have taken an English class instead of math. more ›