After graduating from West Virginia University in 2005, I spent five years writing for newspapers in Charleston, W.Va., Washington, Pa., and Pittsburgh before joining Patch.com. I grew up in Mt. Lebanon and currently reside in the Bridgeville area, so Western Pennsylvania has been home to me for most of my life.
In September 2005, less than a month after beginning my first job as a professional newspaper reporter, the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail sent me with the West Virginia Air Guard's 130th Airlift Wing to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast to report on the evacuations and recovery efforts in New Orleans. My series of reports following Hurricane Katrina earned me a West Virginia Press Association award for best-written news stories in the state. While in Charleston, I also covered crime and wrote numerous feature stories.
After moving to the Washington (Pa.) Observer-Reporter in late 2006, I covered municipal government, crime and energy issues, including the construction of a coal-refuse power plant near Imperial, Pa., and a proposed high-voltage power line through Washington and Greene counties.
Last year, I began working as a general assignment freelance reporter for Trib Total Media, covering local government and school board meetings for the second largest print news organization in Western Pennsylvania.
Now, I am excited to continue my journalism career by bringing interesting stories and important news items to residents living in the Chartiers Valley area.
<strong>Local Hot-Button Issues: </strong>Chartiers Valley is made up of four unique municipalities that each offer sprawling neighborhoods, bustling business districts and diverse recreation activities. Bridgeville, Collier Township, Heidelberg and Scott Township are tied together by the Chartiers Creek, which begins in Washington County and terminates at the Ohio River in McKees Rocks, Pa.<b><br></b>
Children will work together to seek innovative solutions to real-world challenges and sharpen critical 21st century learning skills such as teamwork and creative problem solving as they rotate through four modules each day that disguise learning as fun.
Bridgeville approved a contract to pave Baldwin Street and also is beginning to solicit bids for plans to repave Bower Hill Road.
Here's a look inside five homes for sale in Mt. Lebanon and Scott Township that are having open houses on Sunday, March 17, 2013!
A Mt. Lebanon couple welcomed their new child at 13:13 (military time) on 3-13-13 at St. Clair Hospital.
A local couple welcomed their new child at 13:13 (military time) on 3-13-13 at St. Clair Hospital.
A local couple welcomed their new child at 13:13 (military time) on 3-13-13 at St. Clair Hospital.
A Mt. Lebanon couple welcomed their new child at 13:13 (military time) on 3-13-13 at St. Clair Hospital.
The man who claimed he had taken a woman hostage in his Collier Township residence, prompting a massive police response last December, is going to trial on numerous reckless endangerment charges.
Pittsburgh-area Catholic leaders react to the election of Pope Francis I and are especially fixated on his “New World” origins and the meaning behind the name he chose. Share your thoughts on the new Pope in the comment section below.
Pittsburgh area Catholic leaders reacted to the election of Pope Francis and were especially fixated on his 'New World' origins and the meaning behind the name he chose. Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was selected as the new pope Wednesday.
Here's a look inside fives homes for sale in Upper St. Clair that are having open houses on Sunday, March 17, 2013.
Here's a look inside three homes for sale in North Strabane and Cecil that are having open houses on Sunday, March 17, 2013.
Here's a look inside four homes for sale in Peters Township that are having open houses on Sunday, March 17, 2013.
A Scott Township man and chef at an exclusive country club is being accused of molesting a young boy over several years.
A Scott Township man and chef at an exclusive country club is being accused of molesting a young boy over several years.
Peters Township Council wants its police officers to be able to use radar to catch speeders.
Two of the three people accused of going on a retail theft shopping spree at stores in the Greentree Road Shopping Center and two other area plazas are going to trial on all charges.
Construction crews working in the Scott Township neighborhood of Glendale accidentally hit a natural gas pipeline, causing it to rupture and force the evacuation of several nearby homes.
Riley’s Pour House is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this weekend by holding a two-day block party festival on East Main Street in Carnegie. What will you be doing in the Pittsburgh area to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
A new business is moving into the former Colony restaurant location on Cochran Road in Scott.
