Valley News Dispatch category, Page 11
‘To dust you shall return’: Christians begin Lent with Imposition of Ashes
Christians across the Alle-Kiski Valley began Lent on Wednesday by donning ashes in the sign of the cross on their foreheads. The “Imposition of Ashes” is a centuries-old Christian tradition meant to signify repentance and mortality. It marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, one of the holiest...
Former Highlands teacher headed to court on 2nd set of charges
The defense attorney for a former Highlands elementary school teacher accused of indecent assault on two students attempted Tuesday during a preliminary hearing to paint the alleged interactions as merely friends hugging. Attorney Duke George, representing former Highlands School District teacher Sean Dicer during a preliminary hearing Wednesday at District...
The Stroller, Feb. 18, 2026: 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. Drive-thru dinner to aid...
Oakmont approves resolution for non-cooperation with ICE and Customs & Border ProtectionVideo
Oakmont officials Tuesday night unanimously approved a resolution prohibiting the borough from engaging in noncriminal federal immigration law enforcement. The resolution also made clear Oakmont would not enter into a 287(g) agreement, which allows local police departments to aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in immigration enforcement. The partnership is...
Springdale residents divided, frustrated after recent ICE detainment
Springdale Council and residents are divided over the local police department’s cooperation with ICE. Several displeased residents took the chance to confront officials Tuesday at council’s first meeting since the detainment of Springdale resident Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, originally from Peru. But the meeting — attended by a few dozen residents...
Oakmont family recounts husband’s ICE detainment
For a time, Jose Flores thought he would never see his family again. The morning of Jan. 29, Flores was getting ready for work and to drive his 8-year-old daughter, Lily, to school. “It started like any normal day,” Flores, 47, said through an interpreter as he and his wife,...
No injuries reported in chemical reaction at ATI Vandergrift
ATI Vandergrift officials said there was no risk to the community after a chemical reaction that impacted air quality for workers. Emergency crews were called to the plant along Lincoln Avenue at about 12:45 p.m., according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. No one was injured, ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said. “A...
Former baseball coach threatens Kiski Area with lawsuit
Attorneys representing a former Kiski Area middle school assistant baseball coach say they plan to file a lawsuit against the school district after the former coach was not rehired for the job over what they say is political retaliation. Attorney Amanda Shields said Tuesday her firm plans to file a...
Sewer project coming to Oak Manor Drive in Harrison
A sanitary sewer realignment is on tap for Harrison. Commissioners have been eyeing the work along Oak Manor Drive as a “proactive investment in critical utility infrastructure,” Township Manager Amy Rockwell said. The work is expected to take up to 15 weeks. Harrison will get about $280,000 from the state...
Fox Chapel hires new police chief
Fox Chapel officials have selected a longtime Swissvale officer as its new police chief. Council voted 6-0 on Feb. 16 to hire Charles Ellis Watson as the borough police department head starting next month. Council President Andrew Bennett was absent. Watson, 54, of Monroeville was selected following an extensive nationwide...
New Kensington-Arnold: More space needed in district buildings
As New Kensington-Arnold School District officials consider realigning district buildings, they’re also considering an addition to Martin Elementary School. But how an addition there might look like is still under review. “This is obviously a large project that takes into (account) many different aspects of the district,” said School Director...
East Deer plans for repairs and other construction this summer
East Deer is set to be a hub of improvement work this spring and summer according to township officials. “We have five major projects that are going to be constructed this year,” Commissioners chairman Tony Taliani said. “We’ve been approved for grants for all of them.” The projects include: •...
The Stroller, Feb. 17, 2026: 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 dine-in dinner set...
Police mergers prove beneficial for Western Pa.’s smaller communities
Police mergers, which have long provided staffing and financial relief for smaller departments, are emerging as a solution for forces of all sizes across the Alle-Kiski Valley. As equipment costs climb and retaining part-timers becomes increasingly difficult, consolidation is more often being eyed for viability. “There are only so many...
‘Something Rotten!’ going on at Fox Chapel Area High School
It is Benjamin Murray’s job this year to turn 110 energetic and precocious high schoolers into “Something Rotten!” The PG-13 musical is packed with ensemble numbers, tap dancing and adult humor. Murray, a longtime Fox Chapel Area High School musical director, was in rare form during rehearsal Feb. 11 refocusing...
Oakmont Historical Society to launch exhibit featuring local artists
Oakmont is the home of some creative people, and the Oakmont Historical Society wants to show it. Gary Rogers, president of the historical society, and Bob Bechtold, historical society board member and docent for the center, will be hosting the first ever Oakmont Historical Society Oakmont Artist Exhibit. Seventeen artists’...
Explore Amish culture at Dutchman Amish Market in Vandergrift
Aundrea “Andie” Martin has always appreciated Amish culture and the products created through Amish practices. Martin, from the West Lebanon neighborhood of Young Township, Indiana County, has embarked on a mission to bring Amish creations to a larger population. She’s doing it through her store, The Dutchman Amish Market in...
The Stroller, Feb. 16, 2026: 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. Designer purse bash scheduled...
2 from W.Va. charged with threatening people in Tarentum home with guns during custody exchange
A woman and a man from West Virginia were arrested after the woman pulled a handgun during a child custody exchange in Tarentum on Friday night, according to court records. Tarentum police arrested Alexis Sage Simpkins, 22, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Joseph Erickson, 24, of Fairmont, W.Va., after responding shortly...
Lower Burrell residents report unusual behavior from neighbor before police say he fired shot into their house
A Lower Burrell resident told police they were standing near their kitchen window Saturday evening when they heard a “pop,” followed by a loud ringing in their ears and the feeling of glass hitting their face. They figured it had to have been a bullet fired from the house next...
Quiet Lower Burrell neighborhood recovers from SWAT standoff, shooting
Randy Bargerstock Sr. said Saturday night’s police standoff on his typically quiet street in Lower Burrell was like something out of a movie. “It was pretty wild,” Bargerstock said of the incident during which resident Jordan Blaise Lindner, 29, was shot by police. “There were police everywhere, (Lindner) was shooting...
The Stroller, Feb. 15, 2026: 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. Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner...
Valley students learn life skills, find success at business competition
The subject of Hotel and Lodging Management was something that found Kamryn Graham. “I didn’t pick it,” said Graham, a Valley High School junior and member of the school’s Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, a business education club. “As I read about it, it was interesting, so I...
Suspect shot by Lower Burrell police identified
A man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after being shot during an exchange of gunfire with police in Lower Burrell on Saturday night. Police say the incident began around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when residents of Rodgers Drive reported a man firing shots into a nearby home. The suspect is...
Confrontation erupts at anti-ICE protest in SpringdaleVideo
A midday rally in Springdale to protest the arrest of a South American man living in Springdale by ICE agents briefly turned violent Saturday when a confrontation erupted between a passing motorist and rally participants. The “Love Thy Neighbor” rally, in the area of Pittsburgh and School streets, was organized...
