The Stroller, Nov. 17, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Food drive planned in...
For many fire departments, merger may be the only way forward
When Sam Boak joined the Harmar Volunteer Fire Company in the 1990s, “you could show up any time of day and there would be six guys sitting there having a good time.” In a few short years, it became tough to get enough people to respond even when the sirens...
‘Maybe we were living in a silo’: Westmoreland Democratic leader reflects on failed election
Democratic Party leaders in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks as they assessed what comes next in the wake of defeat and the threat of a red wave sweeping through the state. Anger, sadness and confusion marked the reactions to this month’s...
Saltsburg woman training to become aerographer’s mate
A Saltsburg native hopes to eventually become a military officer and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. But for now, she’s learning how to become an aerographer’s mate at a training center in Mississippi. U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Sara Petro said she wasn’t sure what her future held...
Fire heavily damages Vandergrift home, but the resident, her pets, make it out safely
After Lisa Schrader heard a pop and then saw smoke, she grabbed her dog Chloe and cat Oreo and raced out of her Vandergrift home before it became consumed flames, according to her sister, Cindy Phillips of West Vandergrift. But as firefighters worked, Schrader agonized over whether her second cat,...
SUV goes off Route 356 in Allegheny Township, takes out utility poleVideo
A man was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville by ambulance after crashing his vehicle on Route 356 in Allegheny Township Saturday afternoon, according to Westmoreland 911 and township police. The one-vehicle crash was reported at 2:30 p.m. just south of the Freeport Bridge, near the intersection of Crain...
Suspicious package found at church prompts police to shut down streets in Southwest Greensburg
A reported suspicious package found outside a Southwest Greensburg church on Saturday is under investigation. Firefighters on Saturday afternoon closed several blocks of Stanton Street, which is on the border of Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg, and other adjacent roads. The package was reportedly found in a food pantry box outside...
Tiny railcars pick up Christmas presents for 40 miles between East Huntingdon and Hempfield
The Toys for Tots box truck was filling up fast, before a caravan of railcars collecting toy donations even rolled through Hunker. Volunteers loaded, and unloaded, the truck Saturday to keep up with the deluge of new, unwrapped toys the operators of more than two dozen railcars picked up along...
13-month-old Plum boy suffers skull fracture, mother charged with abuse
A Plum woman is accused of abusing a 13-month-old boy after the child was diagnosed with a skull fracture. Borough police said Sofia Eve Udavcak, 19, at first claimed her son had suffered the injuries in a number of falls, but later admitted to not seeking medical attention for him...
Pittsburgh crews harvest city’s Christmas tree from Springdale
You’d believe a tree could fly in Springdale on Saturday morning. Crews from the City of Pittsburgh’s Forestry Division, with help from Carl’s Tree Service and a police escort, took down a 43-foot blue spruce from the grounds of the former St. Alphonsus Church in the borough. The tree was...
A giving heart: Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin honored by Association of Fundraising Professionals
The approaching holidays are a time of giving. For Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin, it’s gifting time 365 days of the year. They were honored with the Outstanding Philanthropists award for their generosity by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Western Pennsylvania Chapter at a dinner on Thursday at The...
‘It’s inevitable:’ Residents mull what growth means for future of Buffalo Township
For all the consternation about a wave of residential development in Buffalo Township, Drew Klemens saw it coming 13 years ago, when he moved across from a cornfield now slated to become 627 units of upscale town homes and single-family houses. “Nobody is going to come out to this area...
Snowfall expected to be minimal in Western Pennsylvania this winter
Meteorologists are calling it: Western Pennsylvania’s winter wonderland might be more like a no-snow zone this year. Jared Rackley, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said temperatures will be above normal, but there’s really not a strong precipitation signal, meaning lots of snow is improbable. “If anything it’ll...
The Stroller, Nov. 16, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Pet food, supplies needed...
Ambulance authority inching forward to relieve Eureka, Citizens from financial burden
Local EMS funding issues could be on a path to health by early next year. A steering committee continues to inch forward with plans for an emergency medical services authority to serve East Deer, Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum. “All that has been approved at this point is the four communities...
Family of 4 gets new Greensburg home for the holidays, with help from Habitat for Humanity
Holly Kunicki is looking forward to gathering her three kids for a night of home entertainment now that they’re set to move into their own new home in Greensburg. “We’ll probably have a movie night in the living room. We have a three-bedroom apartment now, so this is a lot...
Suspect charged in shooting, robbery of 70-year-old man in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood
Police have arrested a Pittsburgh man in a shooting that left an elderly man critically injured Wednesday in the city’s Larimer neighborhood. Rawvil Yamil Brito Chirinos, 25, is accused of shooting a 70-year-old man in the stomach and stealing his wedding ring and some cash outside Corner View Nursing and...
Mt. Pleasant woman charged as part of lawyer’s alleged theft scheme
A Mt. Pleasant woman was arrested Friday for her alleged role as an accomplice to a Latrobe attorney charged last week with swindling funds from a jailed client. Tina Curry, 50, was charged with six felony offenses including theft counts and conspiracy in connection with allegations she and lawyer J....
Riverview School Board member faces backlash after political post, a trend in local politics
The president of the Riverview School Board is the latest local official caught up in a presidential politics kerfuffle. A resident this week publicly called for Jennifer Chaparro to resign, citing a social media post expressing her personal views about the presidential election results. Chaparro posted a dark screen with...
Springdale’s girls soccer team electrifies community; group heads to state championship
Lincoln Haas just couldn’t help himself. The first grader was one of roughly 450 Acmetonia Elementary School students who lined the school’s halls Friday morning, patiently waiting for the parade of the state championship-bound high school girls soccer team to walk by their classroom. As the teachers and students waved...
Covid outbreak hits Allegheny County’s Kane center in McKeesport
Allegheny County officials said Friday that a covid-19 outbreak has hit one of its senior centers in McKeesport, infecting 11% of the residents. The outbreak at Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport began Nov. 4. Those affected have mild symptoms, said Abigail Gardner, spokeswoman for Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato....
Free wedding services offered to LGBTQ couples in Pittsburgh until Trump inauguration
When photographer Kitty Paul learned that President-elect Donald Trump was headed back to Washington, she wanted to do anything she could to help LGBTQ couples getting married. “What does this mean for a lot of us?” asked Paul, 41, of Avalon, who is part of the Pittsburgh queer community. Queer...
Latrobe woman charged in 2023 Johnstown bar owner’s death
A Latrobe woman is charged with killing a Johnstown restaurant owner in 2023. Police said Tami Shafer, 54, asked another person to call 911 on Feb. 20, 2023, to report that Lance Ross, owner of the now-closed Freight Station bar and restaurant, had fallen down a set of stairs, according...
Tarentum property tax could jump 9% next year to help fire companies
Tarentum real estate owners would see their taxes go up 9.1% in 2025 under council’s proposed budget. The $4.7 million proposed budget would raise taxes by one-half mill from the current rate of 5.48 mills. The increase is specifically targeted to benefit the borough’s three fire companies as a fire...
Allegheny Valley School District considers 1st step to improve athletic field
The clock is ticking when it comes to planned improvements at Springdale High School’s soccer field, according to Allegheny Valley School District administrators. They’re recommending the school board get started with geological and infiltration testing and a site survey for potential installation of artificial turf at the field. “Time is...
