At 16%, Westmoreland County tops local population loss estimates
With deaths outpacing births in Southwestern Pennsylvania, counties will continue to lose people through 2050, with Westmoreland’s 16% projected drop the second largest of any county in the Keystone State, according to a new report on population projections. “This is not surprising at all. We’ve been losing population for a...
2 teens ordered to stand trial in Stanton Heights slaying
Two teens were ordered Friday to stand trial on charges that they conspired to set up and then fatally shoot a 21-year-old man in Pittsburgh late last year. Jared Goodwine was murdered late Nov. 6, 2022, in the 900 block of Millerdale Street in Stanton Heights, according to a criminal...
Allegheny Valley School District to pay $1,000 to family of Acmetonia student after probe into bullying
The Allegheny Valley School District will reimburse an Acmetonia Elementary School family $1,000 following an investigation that found the district didn’t protect a student with disabilities after his classmates bullied and physically attacked him. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Sept. 21 announced it had resolved...
Derry Township man not guilty of attempted murder of wife
A Derry Township man accused of installing a trip wire to cause the fatal fall of his wife three years ago was found not guilty Friday of attempted murder. Westmoreland County prosecutors claimed William “B.J.” Dankesreiter, 63, spent months plotting his now former wife’s death to end a bad marriage...
Police, faith leaders to join community at Western Pa. events for 4th annual Faith & Blue Weekend
The Rev. Markel Hutchins was born a decade after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. But the work that Hutchins does now as chairman and CEO of the Atlanta-based MovementForward Inc. is deeply informed by the spirit of King and other civil-rights activists who came before him. In 2020, Hutchins...
Acquitted of killing St. Clair cop in 2015, Ray Shetler found guilty of assault in case involving deputy sheriff
A New Florence man acquitted in the 2015 killing of a police officer was found guilty of assaulting a deputy sheriff during a violent confrontation with law enforcement officials who attempted to serve an arrest warrant nearly two years ago. Following two days of testimony and more than three hours...
AHN, Johns Hopkins end cancer center partnership
After nearly a decade, Allegheny Health Network and Johns Hopkins are ending their cancer center collaboration. The affiliation between the Pittsburgh-based health care system and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins was established in 2014 and ended earlier this year. AHN will continue to partner with Johns...
Armed burglar arrested in downtown Freeport
Police are reassuring residents that a section of downtown Freeport remains safe after an armed burglar was arrested Thursday night at a residence in the 200 block of Second Street. “My officers acted quickly, and there was never any danger to public safety,” said Southern Armstrong Regional police Chief Christopher...
Greensburg conference to highlight development opportunities in the city
Opportunities for developing properties in Greensburg will be highlighted during the city’s second development conference, set for Tuesday at the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center. Organized by the nonprofit Greensburg Community Development Corp., the conference is free and open to the public and will cover a range of programs and...
Penn State New Kensington to lead conference on technology, education, future readiness of students
Penn State New Kensington is expanding efforts to bolster future readiness among students as technology in business and industry continues to advance at rapid rates. A conference led by the university, dubbed “Education Vanguard: Building the Education of the Future Together,” will run Thursday through Saturday at the Regional Learning...
2 men arrested in shooting deaths of 4-year-old, her mother
Pittsburgh police on Friday arrested two men in connection with the 2022 killings of a 4-year-old girl and her mother. The 4-year-old girl, Kaari Thompson, and her mom, Temani Lewis, 21, were shot Dec. 1 outside a Pittsburgh grocery store in the 1500 block of Lincoln Avenue. Thompson, a Pittsburgh...
Franklin Regional announces homecoming court, activities
Franklin Regional has announced its 2023-2024 homecoming court: Michael Rettger, Jack Krieger, Owen Sinclair, Lorenzo Aguilera, Keira Valenti, Bridget Yaniga, Finian Hutchison, Julia Kravits, Tyler Kapusta, Catherine Helm, .Angelina Fioravanti, Jadyn Linde In addition, the district posted a schedule of homecoming activities. On Oct. 19 the district will host its...
A Texas killer says a prison fire damaged injection drugs. He wants a judge to stop his execution
HOUSTON — Attorneys for a condemned Texas killer have asked a federal judge to stop his execution, alleging the drugs he is to be injected with next week were exposed to extreme heat and smoke during a recent fire, making them unsafe. The Texas Attorney General’s Office says testing done...
Kiski gators at rescue center, headed for permanent southern homes
Nathan Lysaght has some alligators to bathe. Nine of the them, actually, all from Thursday night’s roundup of the animals in Kiski Township. “The goal is to safely relocate the nine alligators to rescues in either South Carolina, Texas or Florida,” said Lysaght, director of Nate’s Reptile Rescue in South...
Murrysville moves ahead with acid mine drainage project in Lyon Run
Murrysville officials will hire a company to clean 2 to 4 miles of Lyons Run, a tributary of nearby Turtle Creek, that is being polluted with acid mine drainage. “It’s a pretty large and exciting project,” said Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico. The project will clean the heavy metals present...
Pittsburgh launches site to track crime
Pittsburgh police Thursday launched a new publicly available, online public safety tool, which provides a general overview of criminal activity that occurs across the city. Data for 2023 is collected from the police bureau’s records management system and will be manually updated on a monthly basis to reflect the preceding...
Greensburg councilman suggests 2024 budget with no tax hike, delay in capital spending decision
Greensburg Council’s accounts and finance director is recommending the city consider a bare-bones 2024 budget that would hold taxes steady, while waiting until spring to decide what capital projects to pursue. Councilman Randy Finfrock, in an early budget discussion this week, said Greensburg could be looking at a reduction next...
Morning Roundup: Man charged in Downtown stabbing; McKeesport teachers ready to strike
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Oct. 6: Police say argument led to assault A Thursday night altercation near the Second Avenue Commons shelter ended with one man being stabbed, hospitalized and charged with assault. Marvin Kennedy, 53, of Pittsburgh, was awaiting arraignment early...
The Kiski School will welcome girls after 136 years of all-boys boarding school education
For the first time in its 136-year history, The Kiski School — an all-boys private boarding school in Loyalhanna Township, near Saltsburg — will welcome girls in fall 2024. Head of School Christopher Brueningsen said the decision was an emotional one, but he believes it is the right one when...
Columbia Gas tests hydrogen blends in natural gas appliances
Near Beaver Valley Mall in Center, a micro-village is undergoing an experiment. They call it Safety Town. Small cabin-like structures surround a tiny house that’s been outfitted with the usual natural gas appliances you’d find in any home — a stove, water heater, washer and dryer and fireplace. There, Columbia...
North Allegheny ranks top in Niche ratings, local and nationally
A tech company that ranks schools and communities has named North Allegheny as the best school district in the Pittsburgh area, No. 2 in Pennsylvania and No. 27 in the United States. The rankings were part of the 2024 Niche Rankings for K-12 Public School Districts. Niche, based in Pittsburgh’s...
Contested races on the ballot in all three wards for Franklin Park Council
All three wards will have contested races for Franklin Park Council on the Nov. 7 ballot. Incumbent Democrat Jiang Li, from Ward 1, will face off against Republican Douglas Kush. In Ward 2, Laura E Czekaj, a Democrat, is running against Republican Mark Butterfiled. Incumbent Democrat Brian Malkin is running...
2023 Halloween events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
To have your fall or Halloween event listed, send information to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Residents participating in trick-or-treat should turn on their porch lights. Community events Allegheny Township: trick-or-treat, 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. Apollo: trick-or-treat, 6 to...
The Stroller, Oct. 6, 2023: 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. Fall festival to celebrate autumn in Cheswick The Cheswick Fall Festival...
Arnold, New Kensington residents express shock that volunteer firefighter is suspect in arsons
Relief that a suspected arsonist in the Arnold and New Kensington area had been captured was tempered with shock that he was a volunteer firefighter and concern that one of the houses he is accused of setting ablaze was his grandmother’s home. “I can’t believe it was her own grandson....
