Valley News Dispatch category

A federal grand jury has indicted a Harrison man on 11 charges after he was arrested in a raid on his home late last month. The grand jury indictment against Thomas Dorn, 39, of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood adds eight counts of interstate threats and a single count of threatening to...

Property owners for the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer were ordered to pay more than $17 million in response to poor road, sidewalk and door conditions at the mall complex, an Allegheny County judge ruled Tuesday. In sum, Judge Thomas Flaherty handed down $17,634,080 worth of fines against the four...

Property taxes are expected to hold steady in Tarentum, although residents will likely see a slight increase in some utility costs. The proposed $5.7 million general fund budget will be presented during council’s meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. It maintains a property tax rate of 5.98 mills. If approved, the...

A Tarentum man who faced charges last year after his pit bulls attacked several people on Halloween was mauled by his three dogs Tuesday at a borough apartment. Brandon Baynes, 37, suffered severe injuries to his face, Tarentum police said. Emergency crews were called early Tuesday to an Allegheny County...

After nearly 30 years as an elected and appointed local government official, Ronald Borczyk is calling it a career. Borczyk, 67, will retire Jan. 9 from his current position as manager of Ross, Commissioner Dan DeMarco announced during the commissioners meeting on Monday, Nov. 17. “We’re gonna miss you, Ron,”...

The Verona Police Department has streamlined multiple services and information access through its newly refurbished website. The improvements will significantly improve the department’s online presence, according to a post on its Facebook page. New services available on the site include paying parking tickets online, requesting police reports, applying for handicap...

Allegheny County Police have accused Shawn Higgins of beating his girlfriend to death in Plum on Saturday. Higgins, 62, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection to the death of Jacqueline Pryber. Police in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, initially located Pryber’s body in the passenger seat of Higgins’...

When students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School go home for holiday breaks, their teachers worry. Almost 87% of the school’s students are economically disadvantaged, according to data from the state department of education’s Future Ready Index. So, with the recent federal government shutdown concurrent with a state budget impasse...

After months of discussion, Springdale’s Planning Commission offered its blessing to a massive data center proposed in the borough. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the three-member body opted to recommend that Springdale Council approve the project. The commission, which is not elected, is only an advisory group. The elected...

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 collection to benefit...

After about a month without drinkable water, residents at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield can begin to use their faucets again, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Decker. Laboratory test results showed the water to be compliant with Environmental Protection Agency standards, which allowed water operators...

More than a dozen fire departments were dispatched to a second-alarm house fire Monday afternoon in South Buffalo. Armstrong County 911 operators said they received the first calls for the blaze on Iseman Road around 4:20 p.m. No one was transported from the scene, and crews contained the fire about...

Springdale’s Republican incumbent Mayor Joel Anderson now leads his opponent by three votes after Allegheny County updated its unofficial election results. The unofficial results currently show Anderson with 521 votes to Democrat John Murray’s 518. Initial unofficial results had shown Anderson leading by a single vote, 517-516. Anderson did not...

A New Kensington woman faces child endangerment charges after her 1-year-old overdosed in her care, according to authorities. Kylie Marie Ritchie, 32, is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of drug possession in connection to the incident. On Nov. 14, New Kensington Police...

Shoppers at Pittsburgh Mills didn’t seem to mind the maze of detours Monday at the Frazer mall. They were too busy celebrating the milling and paving of the pothole-riddled Village Center Drive, which runs in front of Lowe’s, Ross and Aldi. The road had become notorious for massive craters that...

State Sen. Lindsey Williams is hosting a food drive to benefit local families. Her office at Heights Plaza in Harrison is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. In addition, donations will be collected at her Ross office along McKnight Road. Proceeds will benefit Feeding the Flock...

Growing up can be difficult, says 23-year-old Emma Kobelenske. About 10 years ago, a muscle disorder caused Kobelenske to walk with a crooked gait, leading her to walk sideways. During a class speech in 2020, she remembers standing up to her peers who had made fun of her sideways walk....

E-bikes have been nothing but a pain in Arnold, says Mayor Shannon Santucci. With e-bike riders zipping down the middle of the street, or not following road rules, Arnold is at a crossroads of what it can and can’t do to enforce rules for the motorized bikes. “There’s so many...

Harrison Township Manager Amy Rockwell is among the best in the state for municipal management. That’s according to news platform City & State, which honored Rockwell with its annual 50 Over 50 award for leaders who have made an impact in government, business or public service. “This award is a...

If Allie Voss liked running her fingers through her boyfriend’s hair, she’s gonna be out of luck for a while. Her guy is Marko Rudek, 19, a 2024 Penn-Trafford graduate who’s now a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. He was among those who got their hair buzzed Sunday in...

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. Toy collection to benefit...

A Frazer man is dead after a car accident Saturday night in Fawn. Scott Bajack, 27, was pronounced dead on the scene in the 1300 block of Millerstown Road, according to a report from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The incident occurred shortly after 9:15 p.m., the report said....

A Brackenridge woman leapt into action after finding racist flyers in front of her home and up and down her street Saturday morning. Morgan Huey, 25, said she discovered the flyers with Ku Klux Klan messaging around 8:30 a.m. upon returning to her home in the 900 block of Ninth...

Veterans, their spouses and families were honored Saturday with breakfasts in New Kensington and Harrison. Volunteers at Aluminum City Terrace served breakfast to veterans and their spouses at the housing complex originally built to house Alcoa workers during World War II. It’s been at least eight years since the last...

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. Free groceries available for...