Faces of the Valley: Kiski Area fourth grader takes center stage in ninja skills competitions
A Washington Township 10-year-old is climbing to new heights in the competitive ninja sports world. Caelin Kaminski won the championship in the mature kids (9- and 10-year-old) division at the 2023 World Ninja League Premier Series Championships in November in Forox Ninja Park in Brooklyn. “It was really awesome,” Caelin...
Remember When: The sounds of cannon fire once rang through the Alle-Kiski Valley
One of the many videos the Oakmont Historical Society has produced over the years is devoted to the history of the Allegheny Valley Railroad in the Oakmont area. In the video, the narrator mentions that during the Civil War, cannons were transported through Oakmont by train to be field-tested above...
Home improvement: Residential owners get assist as Latrobe looks to check blight
Mark Durkay put a new front porch and steps on his Latrobe home a few years ago, but his family wasn’t able to fit a replacement for their weathered front door and broken storm door into their budget. “We had a new porch made with bricks, but the door was...
From billionaire Mark Cuban to independent store owners, criticism for pharmacy benefit managers is plentiful
At first glance, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban may seem to have little in common with an independent pharmacy owner. But they have one shared adversary: pharmacy benefit managers. They claim the drug price negotiators are putting mom-and-pop drugstores out of business. Pharmacy benefit managers — known as PBMs — are...
Kiski Area School Board shoots down plan to officially realign administrator’s duties, increase their pay
A plan realigning Kiski Area School District’s administrative positions that included salary increases has been shot down by the school board. Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic pitched the plan as a way to balance responsibilities among administrators and make them more effective. The board, however, did not agree Wednesday and...
Butler Treasure Hunting Club finds untold value in camaraderie, friendship
There’s a place where rings of gold and silver line dining room tables, jewels sparkle under the lights and historic coins of every size are within reach. Where is this modern day El Dorado? It’s on Main Street in Butler County. Brotherhood of the hunt The Butler Treasure Hunting Club...
The Stroller, Feb. 25, 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. ‘Addams Family’ musical to be performed at Apollo-Ridge HS The Apollo-Ridge...
‘A big fumble’: Pittsburgh’s clunky rollout of plastic bag ban sows confusion
Jake Diettrich, manager of Market Outlet, a Pittsburgh produce shop, has been grappling since January with the city’s plastic bag ban. Diettrich has had to calm grumbling patrons, swap his stock of outlawed plastic bags for pricier paper ones and contend with worries that the bag ban and mandatory fees...
Bushy Run to host open house, celebration for Pennsylvania’s birthday
Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township is hosting an open house with free tours of the park and admission to its museum in honor of Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday. Charter Day is celebrated annually at the historical site, which played host to the 1763 clash between the British and Native Americans...
Bethel Park real estate transactions, week of Feb. 25, 2024
Bethel Park Christopher Whitehead sold property at 4468-4470 Third St. to Stanwich Mortgage Loan Tr for $75,000. Rebecca Brizzi sold property at 6200 Brush Run Road to Anton Knaus for $429,000. Toomey Hancock LLC sold property at 110 Horning Road to Modern Legacy LLC for $225,000. Adam Rousseau sold property...
Chartiers Valley area real estate transactions, week of Feb. 25, 2024
Bridgeville First Bridgeville Methodist Church sold property at 244 Station St. to Pittsburgh Bhutanese Hosanna Church Inc. for $350,000. Joseph Sarasnick sold property at 420 James St. 2008 to EJS Real Estate Group LLC for $125,000. Carnegie Angela Simone sold property at 216 Second Ave. to Yogey Brito Minaya for...
Derry Borough eyes addition of pool pavilion, slide
Winter isn’t over yet, but Derry Borough officials are looking ahead to summer and proposed upgrades at the community swimming pool. The borough is planning to add a second pavilion at the East Third Street recreational facility. It also hopes to replace a water slide that was no longer in...
Game savers: Seton Hill trainers honored for reviving heart attack victim
John Palumbo is a regular at Seton Hill men’s basketball games, but he didn’t get to see the Griffins’ last home game two weeks ago. That’s when he was stretchered out of the gym after suffering what officials described as a “widow maker” heart attack but was revived by Seton...
The Saxonburg Winter Festival draws hundreds of people to enjoy pleasant winter day
Historic downtown Saxonburg was closed to traffic on Main Street on Saturday, but it was flooded with hundreds of people for the 3rd Annual Saxonburg Winter Festival. The daylong festival is sponsored by The Little Shops of Saxonburg in collaboration with the Saxonburg Area Business Association. Crafters, food trucks and...
Phil’s prediction resonates in Richland Community Park
Winter in Western Pennsylvania … chocolate box in “Forrest Gump” … You get the idea. Heading into the final weekend of February, the temperature climbed toward 60 degrees for a bright, mild Friday afternoon. Then people woke up to a dusting of Saturday-morning snow, which melted as soon as the...
1 dead, 3 wounded in Marshall-Shadeland shooting
Pittsburgh police said one person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting early Saturday morning in front of a bar in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Authorities said police received calls at 2:10 a.m. to respond to a dispute at 703 Social Club along Brighton Road. When they arrived,...
South Buffalo couple charged with animal cruelty after officers recover 64 dogs, cats and rabbits
Two people in South Buffalo each face more than 200 counts of animal cruelty and neglect after humane officers rescued 64 animals from a farm. Officials said some were wounded, including one missing a leg and another that couldn’t use its back legs. Many were living in inches of feces....
Family Promise House in Brackenridge offers temporary space for homeless families
Expectant mom Bridget Ashby was down on her luck and found herself without a place to live when “God stepped in.” Ashby and her 7-year-old son have a warm bed to sleep in this week with the opening of Family Promise House in Brackenridge. The transitional housing facility, run by...
Greensburg hires new planning and development director, code enforcement officer
When Director Jeff Raykes resigned in November to focus on his private planning firm, it left a void in Greensburg’s planning and development department, Alec Italiano said. Greensburg council hired Italiano last week to fill the gap as the city’s new planning and development director, with a starting salary of...
Religion Digest – Feb. 24, 2024
Lenten programs planned
across the A-K Valley Apollo • The Apollo Ministerium will sponsor a Lenten lunch series at noon Wednesdays at various churches through March 20. The
Feb. 28 service will be at Quality Life Services, 151 Goodview Drive, Washington Township. The Rev. Niki Atkinson of Apollo and Boiling...
The Stroller, Feb. 24, 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. Free Black History Month presentation planned in New Kensington The New...
Cheswick, Springdale, Springdale Township to pursue 3-way garbage collection bid
Three communities in the Lower Valley are hoping to limit trash collection costs by joining together to advertise for garbage collection bids. Cheswick, Springdale and Springdale Township officials this week approved advertising a three-way bid. Springdale Township and Cheswick did a dual bid for refuse collection six years ago, and...
Saint Vincent students give younger counterparts a boost at Greensburg Salem
Saint Vincent College junior Gabriel Graham knows what it’s like to struggle in school. “I definitely didn’t have a normal upbringing,” Graham said. “Because of that, my education definitely was impacted in a negative way. Pretty much all through high school and all of my schooling, I was very much...
Indiana Township hires new full-time officer
A Springdale High School alum has become the newest Indiana Township police officer. Supervisors unanimously voted Feb. 14 to hire Damian Brand. The 2005 Dynamo grad shook hands with township leaders that evening before taking photos with family members and police Chief Steven Colucci. Brand worked as a West Deer...
Pittsburgh police say missing 11-year-old girl has been found
Pittsburgh police say an 11-year-old girl who went missing from the city’s Homewood North neighborhood has been found. Alayna Hines was last seen at about 3:30 p.m. Friday at her home, police said. Pittsburgh police issued an update Saturday reporting that she had been found safely but offered no further...
