Local category, Page 2562
Lower Burrell teen rises above the ‘behind-the-back’ talkers, counsels other kidsVideo
She collected 300 flavored ChapSticks for a Lower Burrell patient in Children’s Hospital to give to other sick kids, then corralled almost 70 friends to sing in front of a cancer patient’s home. Now, the Lower Burrell teen is starting a nonprofit to help those in need — especially emotional...
Leechburg Area nonprofit searches for volunteers to help area’s future
The Leechburg Area Community Development Corp. wants to ensure the Leechburg area is prepared to adapt to economic and social changes occurring in Western Pennsylvania and the nation. The nonprofit was founded last year to help the municipalities of Leechburg, Gilpin, West Leechburg and Hyde Park. Some of its goals...
University of Pittsburgh named in national report for improving financial aid practices
The University of Pittsburgh is challenging a national trend among public universities where institutions dedicate more funding to merit aid, rather than to students with financial need. Pitt has put a priority on offering assistance to students with financial need, while other public universities are dedicating a majority of financial...
2019 H.S. performance score rankings for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Alle-Kiski Valley
The goal of most high schools is to have students graduate with skills that prepare them for success in life. One indication the school is making good on that intention is its building-level performance score — which is used to evaluate teachers and principals under Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System (Act...
Candidates for 58th state House seat preparing for special, general elections
Robert Prah Jr. has been campaigning for more than a year, and he’s got the Army-green notebook to prove it. Prah, a Democrat from Rostraver, will appear on the ballot during a special election March 17 to fill the remaining nine months of the vacant state House seat representing the...
Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace grabs top building score among Westmoreland elementaries
Teachers at Sheridan Terrace Elementary in the Norwin School District provided customized reading instruction for students and reached out to their families to reinforce educational goals. Those strategies paid off, as Sheridan led all elementary schools in Westmoreland County in 2019, based on state-calculated building-level scores. Sheridan achieved 93 out...
Penn-Trafford middle schools claim county lead in building performance results
Trafford Middle School used a flexible grouping approach to teach students last year, helping it to the top overall state performance score — 85.3 — among middle and junior high schools in Westmoreland County. Penn Middle School, also in Penn-Trafford School District, came in second with a score of 81.1...
The Stroller, March 8, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Burrell High...
Real estate sales in the Signal Item coverage area the week of March 8
Bridgeville Victorian Finance LLC sold property at 212 Washington Ave. to Revival Today for $520,000. Carnegie AMD Construction & Development LLC sold property at 318 Wilcox St. to Hope Elizabeth Schreiber for $156,000. Collier Nick Mamula sold property at 6 Highlandview Road to Ryan and Jaclyn Milligan for $22,000. Maronda...
Retired attorney with rare muscular disease FHSD connects with others and accelerates search for cureVideo
Mark Christman resented being thought of as a wimp. As a kid growing up in Indiana Township, he’d always felt more like a “tough guy,” with the inner tenacity, drive and work ethic of a competitive athlete. Christman loved playing sports, but getting picked last on nearly every team was...
Brentwood woman with multiple medical issues found dead
A Brentwood woman with unknown medical issues was found dead in Bloomfield on Saturday, police said. Barbara Ann Hahn, 55, was found unresponsive underneath the South Millvale Avenue Bridge around 3:45 p.m., according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Hahn was last seen around 9 a.m. Thursday, Brentwood police...
Rankin road closure related to Kenmawr Bridge replacement to continue through summer 2021
A portion of Sixth Avenue in Rankin is closed through late summer 2021 as part of a Kenmawr Bridge replacement project. The road closed Wednesday between Kenmawr Avenue and Duquesne Way. A public meeting to discuss the $12.46 million project is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. March 23 at the Rankin...
JROTC walk remembers Bataan, benefits Westmoreland War on Terror monumentVideo
A chill was in the air Saturday morning as about 60 Junior ROTC cadets marched out of Trafford’s B-Y Park. The cold weather didn’t deter the cadets from Norwin, Plum and Pine-Richland school districts, who were on a dual mission as they set off on a 14-mile trek along the...
Police: Help ID these Indiana County hit-and-run suspects
State police in Indiana County are seeking the public’s help in identifying two suspects of a hit-and-run crash in White Township. Police said a man and a woman fled the scene of a crash at a CVS parking lot along the 2500 block of Warren Road shortly after 6:30 p.m....
Giant Eagle offers ‘Scan Pay & Go’ at New Kensington storeVideo
The Giant Eagle in New Kensington is among about 70 of the grocery giant’s 215 stores where customers can skip checkout lines by scanning and bagging their groceries as they shop. Giant Eagle, based in O’Hara, introduced its “Scan Pay & Go” system to the store on Tarentum Bridge Road...
Allegheny Twp. officials to reject municipal building construction bids
The Allegheny Township supervisors are expected to vote Monday to reject construction bids for renovations of the municipal complex. The supervisors agreed Wednesday that rejecting the bids is the right move. Township Manager Greg Primm said the low bids totaled $2.3 million, but the projected construction budget is $2 million....
The Stroller, March 7, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Super bingo...
Parents, school officials working to raise money for new playground at West Hempfield Elementary
Parents at West Hempfield Elementary School are rallying together to give students a new playground by the start of next school year. Plans for a 40 by 70 playground featuring new equipment that will promote physical activity while including sensory play pieces is in the works, said PTO member Kimberly...
Rep. Brandon Markosek speaks to students about bullying
“Bullying does not have a zip code.” State Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Monroeville, spoke to students at Spectrum Charter School and O’Block Junior High School in Plum Borough School District over two days about his experience being bullied and how that has buttressed his fight for legislation to make bullying illegal....
Wall in Judge Thatcher’s court recognizes local heroes
The faces and stories of heroes who sacrificed greatly for our country line the lobby walls at District Judge Michael Thatcher’s court. The heroes’ wall is intended to serve as inspiration for those coming to the district court on what could be one of the worst days of their lives...
Woman dies in Washington County house fire, cause of fire under investigation
A woman died in a Washington County house Friday afternoon, officials said. Joann Wilson, 62, was pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m. — a little more than two hours after her home caught fire, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. She lived at the home that caught fire on Grant...
Owner of Kennywood Park, Idlewild and Sandcastle opening support office in Pittsburgh
The owner of three of Pittsburgh’s amusement parks is opening a support facility here in March. Palace Entertainment, which owns Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, as well as Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier and Sandcastle Waterpark in Homestead, is moving some operations from Newport Beach, Calif., to a temporary spot...
Car rear-ends Port Authority bus in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, 2 drivers injured
A car rear-ended a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, sending both drivers to hospitals with minor injuries, officials said. The 87 Friendship bus was headed outbound and stopped on Liberty Avenue at 25th Street when it was struck by the car shortly before...
Coronavirus concerns hurting Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh, some owners say
Asian restaurants and markets across Pittsburgh are hurting because of misinformation surrounding how the new coronavirus spreads, community leaders and officials said Friday. To combat the anti-Chinese sentiment, local politicians gathered for lunch at Oakland’s Night Market Gourmet to encourage patronage of Asian restaurants and quash myths. “In the Marines...
Landowner wants to sell nearly 110 acres to Upper Burrell for a park
Upper Burrell supervisors are looking into an offer from a Florida man to sell almost 110 acres of wooded property near the township’s Lincoln Beach Park. Supervisors held off discussion of the offer this week to investigate further. “It’s a very interesting offer,” Supervisor Michael Conley said. “We don’t get...
