Valley News Dispatch category, Page 105
2025 ‘critical’ for Arnold’s finances as council approves budget with no tax increase
After a shaky start to the year, Arnold’s city manager is hopeful for a better financial picture in 2025. “Next year is going to be critical to see where we are financially,” Manager Mario Bellavia said. “It was precarious early in the year. We can make next year a really...
Verona business owners bring policing concerns to council
Whether reflected by actual data or not, one thing is clear: Verona business owners are feeling less safe these days. Borough business owners and managers — 21 of whom signed a letter to Verona officials — say they’ve seen an increase in crime in the business district over the past...
Plum School District aims for $1.2M lifetime goal with annual Make-A-Wish telethon
More than 80 guests, including local celebrities, news media, professional athletes and district administrators, will be featured in the Plum School District’s annual telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish. The nine-hour telethon will run from 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. It will be livestreamed on the district’s website, pbsd.net. The...
Construction underway at new riverfront townhome community in O’Hara
A chance meeting by a third-generation home builder from Plum resulted in the newest housing development in O’Hara. Domenic Ricciuti Jr., vice president of Ricciuti Enterprise, broke ground this spring on Miramar Landings, a 38-unit riverfront townhome community at 1 River Road. Located on the former site of Bell Harbor...
The Stroller, Dec. 12, 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. Toys, monetary donations to...
New Year’s Eve party doubles as kickoff event for Leechburg’s 175th anniversary
Excitement is in the air as Leechburg leaders and community members prepare to welcome the new year and the borough’s 175th anniversary. To kick off the year of celebrations, the Leechburg Museum and the Leechburg Area Community Association are teaming up to host a New Year’s Eve party at the...
State Sen. Pittman hopes to tap into potential of Alle-Kiski Valley
Northwestern Westmoreland County might be fairly new territory for state Sen. Joe Pittman, but the Senate majority leader from Indiana County said it was easy to recognize the area’s potential when he began representing it after Pennsylvania’s latest redistricting. “The opportunities here are for the taking,” said Pittman, R-White Township....
Brackenridge property tax to increase by 12%
Brackenridge residents will see a 12% tax increase next year. Council approved its $1.2 million general fund budget, which calls for a millage increase from 6.25 to 7 mills. The owner of a home at the borough’s median assessed value of $50,900 would pay about $38 more, or $356. “The...
Allegheny Township budget status bleak but fixable; 3% tax hike proposed
Allegheny Township is barreling toward serious financial woes without some major changes, according to financial documents. That’s why Township Manager Dan Miller proposed a 3% tax increase to help offset $4.2 million in expenses, but the modest hike is just the start of what likely will need to be an...
Proposed Bon Air reconfiguration is ‘using the building space better,’ Burrell superintendent says
Bon Air Elementary School can accommodate Burrell School District’s fourth grade students without any additional classrooms when Stewart Elementary closes next year. And, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner’s proposal, all six kindergarten classes could be located on the basement floor of Bon Air, as well as a speech classroom, for...
‘To observe and report’: Radio hams play key role for National Weather Service
Steve Fazekas and Eddie Misiewicz are self-proclaimed weather geeks and have the stories to prove it. In 1977, Misiewicz, then a volunteer firefighter in Dawson, Fayette County, went to Johnstown to respond to the devastation from a flood. He remembered picking bodies out of trees. Fazekas, of Winfield, recalled the...
The Stroller, Dec. 11, 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. Free advice available for...
Highlands investigating alleged boys basketball hazing
The PA announcer introduced the Highlands High School boys basketball starters and coach Bill Flow, but he wasn’t there for Tuesday’s game at Hampton. Instead, basketball parent and former assistant Mike Foster coached a scaled-back roster that dressed only nine varsity players while the program faces an investigation into hazing...
New Kensington Bridge reopens to trucks, pedestrians as work nears end
Trucks and pedestrians are again able to cross the New Kensington Bridge. A detour that was in place for trucks was removed Friday, and the sidewalk on the bridge spanning the Allegheny River between East Deer and New Kensington is open, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. But that doesn’t mean...
Suspect pleads guilty in credit card skimmer scam set up in grocery stores
One of two men charged last summer in a multicounty fraud scheme that employed skimmer devices on grocery store card readers pleaded guilty Tuesday in Westmoreland County. Thomas Fuchs, 34, whose last address was listed as in Pittsburgh, was ordered to serve one to two years in prison for his...
Latest electronic billboard goes up in Tarentum
Tarentum’s newest electronic billboard was set into place Tuesday. Set atop a 70-foot pole, the two-sided display will be visible from the Tarentum Bridge. It is the third on the Tarentum end of the bridge, going up about a year after a similar sign on the other side of the...
The Stroller, Dec. 10, 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. Rotary offers annual scholarships...
Finances, student experience important during Burrell School District reconfiguration
Money, schedules, busing and the student experience are top of minds of Burrell’s Huston Middle School focus group as the school will shift to accommodating fifth graders next school year once Stewart Elementary closes. District administration has been working on schedules and building organizations for the review of the focus...
Apollo man says he pulled truck driver out of flaming vehicle at fatal New Kensington crash
Jonathan Dibler works repairing vehicles damaged in crashes or other mishaps. He’s not so well-versed when it comes to rescuing people from those crashes. But that’s what the 18-year-old employee at Caliber Collision in New Kensington did on his lunch break Monday. “It was instinct,” Dibler said. “It was an...
Lower Burrell to unveil Christmas in the Woods to promote unity, community
A family-friendly, free Christmas event is coming to Lower Burrell for the first time in decades. The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission is hosting Christmas in the Woods Saturday at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Park in Lower Burrell. “We wanted to create an enchanting, immersive experience in the woods that...
The Stroller, Dec. 9, 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. Free lunch and carol...
$134,000 state fine hangs over Westmoreland communities involved in defunct economic development partnership
It’s unclear who will end up paying a $134,000 fine against a defunct consortium of northern Westmoreland County communities, but Allegheny Township won’t have to bear that cost alone, like some officials there initially feared. The State Ethics Commission first notified the township in 2021 that the Westmoreland Economic Development...
New Kensington neighbors gather for annual holiday tradition
The holiday spirit arrived in a New Kensington neighborhood Sunday night. Around 30 people gathered at the corner of Marlboro Drive and McLaughlin Drive for the third year in a row to go caroling around the block. This yearly tradition was started by neighbors Michael Sawhook, Jena Arcuri and Kris...
A quicker fix: New Kensington clinic draws veterinarians interested in efficient treatment in shelter settings
Dr. Becky Morrow loves taking care of animals — and teaching others how to as well. Not only is Morrow the founder, president and medical director of Frankie’s Friends, a non-profit veterinary clinic and medical rescue for cats in New Kensington, she is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2024
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, TribLive’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate, please...
