A Hempfield woman is facing felony theft charges after detectives accuse her of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a parent-teacher organization fund to use for her own personal gain.

An investigation into the Fort Allen Elementary PTO began in early March after a complaint was filed that there was a shortage of funds within the group’s checking account.

Detectives say Darshanna Truss, the PTO treasurer, pocketed $46,000 from the organization over a span of nearly two years.  

“Detectives reviewed the financial records and discovered that between July 1, 2023 to present, Truss was issued 48 checks totaling $28,400 and 30 checks issued to ‘cash’ totaling $17,600. The checks issued directly to Truss were deposited into her personal bank accounts via mobile deposit,” according to investigating Detective Ray Dupilka.

Truss has been the PTO treasurer since 2023, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

“This is an isolated incident. This is not reflective of our school community, our school district, or anything pertaining to our children or staff,” said Dr. Mark Holtzman, the Hempfield Area School District superintendent. 

Holtzman said while the district has no direct oversight over PTO groups, the board will ensure no student was affected by Truss’ actions.

“We’re going to supplement any changes financially that are any experiences that are necessary,” Holtzman said. “The experience for children in that school will remain the same until the PTO can kind of get back on their feet.”

The PTO provides support to students and teachers at Fort Allen Elementary by sponsoring and organizing events, field trips, enrichment programs and other educational activities. 

Hotlzman said that despite the incident, students need support.

“We need people to rally around the children, the school, the principal, the district, to help right the wrong,” Holtzman said. 

The Fort Allen PTO president released a statement to KDKA saying, “I’m grateful for those investigating this matter and trust the process will be handled thoroughly and fairly. Rebuilding trust within our community and strengthening this organization will take time and effort. That is where the focus is. I’m grateful for the many people who have offered to help in different ways and I believe the PTO’s best days are yet to come.”

According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, “Prior to speaking to detectives about the allegations, Truss admitted to providing Fort Allen Elementary school with a $10,000 cashier’s check to be used toward ongoing PTO operations.”

Detectives issued a warrant for Truss’ arrest on Thursday.

A deal is in place that will allow Pittsburgh City Paper to relaunch under new ownership, restoring its online presence as well as a monthly print issue, its leadership said Thursday.

“City Paper is a legacy free paper. I think alt-weeklies, even if they don’t print quite weekly, are a real gift to any city, and I’m so excited to bring it back,” said Ali Trachta, who will resume her role as executive editor.

After 34 years of operation, City Paper was closed on Dec. 31 by Block Communications Inc., the publication’s owner since 2023. BCI also owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is set to close on May 3.

Under the new agreement, Pittsburgh-based nonprofit LocalMatters is the majority owner of a for-profit entity called Pierogi Press LLC, which operates City Paper. LocalMatters is designed to help local news organizations become self-sustaining.

On Wednesday, Trachta and Chris Maury, who is affiliated with Pierogi Press LLC, declined to disclose the purchase price of City Paper.

“(The Block family) recognize that the dollars going to the Blocks are dollars that are not going to the longevity and kind of the funding necessary to see City Paper to a successful place, and so the terms of the deal reflect that,” Maury said to TribLive.

Who’s behind the relaunch?

Maury is a former engineering manager for Apple and founder of the civil engagement nonprofit InformUp.org. He reached out to Trachta around the beginning of the New Year to see if she thought BCI might be interested in selling the paper.

Maury, who lives in Pittsburgh, then assembled some nonprofit groups to invest time and money in City Paper.

The board chair of LocalMatters is Tracy Certo, a longtime Pittsburgh journalist and editor. She founded the online media company NEXTpittsburgh in 2014 and sold it in late 2020.

The other board members are Mike Capsambelis, a former product management director at Google who is board chair of the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise; Kevin Gieder, a strategic consultant for nonprofits and treasurer of Tree Pittsburgh; and Kamal Nigam, the former leader of Google’s Pittsburgh office who now works in nonprofit leadership.

The relaunch is funded by private investment and partnership with LocalMatters and The Lenfest Institute, a Philadelphia nonprofit that supports local journalism. Lenfest, which owns The Philadelphia Inquirer, serves as City Paper’s fiscal sponsor.

Pittsburgh City Paper was founded in 1991. Steel City Media owned the publication from the late 1990s until 2016, selling it to the publisher of the Butler Eagle. A subsidiary of BCI, Cars Holding Inc., purchased City Paper in January 2023.

A week after closing City Paper, BCI announced the May 3 closure of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which the Block family business has owned and operated since 1927.

What will City Paper look like?

City Paper’s return to print will begin with monthly issues and resume coverage of its signature beats: community-rooted news, politics, arts, counterculture, events, food, and the creative, weird and unique Pittsburgh stories.

Trachta said readers can expect to see familiar bylines as nearly all the editorial staff will be returning as of Wednesday.

“The identity of City Paper will not be changing. It’s what everyone recognizes and believes in and has supported for this long and readers will recognize exactly the kind of covenant and community journalism that we have been doing for a long time,” Trachta said.

Trachta and Maury are aiming to have reporters back on the ground and new articles posting on the website in April. The first print issue is expected to be published in April or May.

The paper’s circulation should be remaining relatively the same, Trachta said.

The relaunch will also include a membership program for readers to pledge their support.

“Our content is always going to be free. That’s just part of who we are,” Tratcha said. “We’re not going to have paywalls, but for those who are able to contribute as members, that helps us keep it that way.”

Membership tiers will include: early access to the print product at level one, early access and a discounted ticket to future events at level two and early access, discounted tickets and attendance to an inaugural meeting with City Paper’s editorial staff to give feedback.