Timeline for weekly newspapers in the Monroeville region.

1893 – September 15, the first local weekly in the Turtle Creek Valley,

The Pitcairn Express, was founded as the Wall Express. It was published by M. L. Keck at the Walurbia, Pennsylvania Post Office. (The name of the newspaper was changed when the village of Walurbia became Pitcairn the following year, 1894).

1905 – The Pitcairn Express was bought by O. H. Cochran and A. L. Cochran, and then by William Gilbert Irwin who published the paper until 1924.

1906  – May 6, The Trafford News was established.

1912 – The Independent. A weekly newspaper originally published as the official paper for the boroughs of Turtle Creek and East Pittsburgh, by the Braddock Free Press Publishing Company, Talbot Avenue, Braddock. It covered the news of the communities of the Turtle Creek Valley and other eastern suburbs. Thomas R. Finlon was an early editor and Charles Schmidt was the long-time editor and manager of the Turtle Creek office right up into the 1950s.

1924 – The Pitcairn Express was bought by Fred W. Oakley and renamed the Pitcairn Herald.

1929 – Len Anderson bought the Allegheny Valley Advance to form Anderson Newspapers.

1932 – William G. Irwin again bought back the Pitcairn newspaper, which reverted to the name The Pitcairn Express. He continued as publisher at its offices at 618 Broadway, Pitcairn.

1937 – Anderson Newspapers bought the Verona Leader.

1948 – October 1. The Pitcairn Express was merged with the Trafford News to form the

 News Express, owned and operated by Margaret Russell of Pitcairn.

1949 – Len Anderson of Anderson Publications began The Progress to serve the Penn Hills community and appointed Edward Dardanell to be its first editor.

1952 – August 14. Glen Deyo purchased the News Express from Margaret Russell, and in response to requests from local businessmen formed The Monroeville Times in the newly-formed Borough of Monroeville.

1956 – The Monroeville Times and The Pitcairn Express merged to form the Times-Express.

1956 – March. Edward Dardanell formed Dardanell Publications and acquired The Progress from Anderson Publications.

1959 – Dardanell Publications acquired the Advance Leader.

1960 – Dardanell Publications acquired more weeklies including the Monroeville-based Time-Express. The company invested in one of the region’s first offset presses and moved its offices to 610 Beatty Road, Monroeville.

The 1960 - 1970s. – During this period the Dardanell Publications continued to acquire a number of community weeklies in the greater Pittsburgh region.

1974- April. The Times Express was briefly converted to a daily paper, but the uncertain economy forced it to revert to its weekly status in December of that year.

1978- Dardanell Publications became part of the Trinity corporate family. The company name was changed from Dardanell Publications to Gateway Publications.

1989 – March 12. A tragic fire destroyed most of the Beatty Road facility, taking with it equipment, records and the newspaper’s morgue.

1991 – The headquarters facility of Gateway Publications was rebuilt and back in operation at 610 Beatty Road.

2003 – The word “Star” was added to the masthead on the Times Express (e.g, Times Express Star) and the other regional papers in the Trinity family as part of a corporate branding campaign.

2003 – December. The Tribune Review Publishing Company acquired the Gateway Newspapers and the Pennysaver. At the time Gateway published 18 community newspapers including the Times Express Star. The Times Express would become an edition of the Tribune-Review.