Valley News Dispatch category, Page 112
Faces of the Valley: Leechburg man makes history with volunteer fire service
Paul Wright has been a volunteer firefighter with the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company for 34 years. Involved since he was14, Wright views his service as a way of helping his community. “When I was a kid, my preacher always asked us what we would do to make a difference,” he...
The Stroller, Nov. 17, 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. Food drive planned in...
For many fire departments, merger may be the only way forward
When Sam Boak joined the Harmar Volunteer Fire Company in the 1990s, “you could show up any time of day and there would be six guys sitting there having a good time.” In a few short years, it became tough to get enough people to respond even when the sirens...
Fire heavily damages Vandergrift home, but the resident, her pets, make it out safely
After Lisa Schrader heard a pop and then saw smoke, she grabbed her dog Chloe and cat Oreo and raced out of her Vandergrift home before it became consumed flames, according to her sister, Cindy Phillips of West Vandergrift. But as firefighters worked, Schrader agonized over whether her second cat,...
SUV goes off Route 356 in Allegheny Township, takes out utility poleVideo
A man was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville by ambulance after crashing his vehicle on Route 356 in Allegheny Township Saturday afternoon, according to Westmoreland 911 and township police. The one-vehicle crash was reported at 2:30 p.m. just south of the Freeport Bridge, near the intersection of Crain...
13-month-old Plum boy suffers skull fracture, mother charged with abuse
A Plum woman is accused of abusing a 13-month-old boy after the child was diagnosed with a skull fracture. Borough police said Sofia Eve Udavcak, 19, at first claimed her son had suffered the injuries in a number of falls, but later admitted to not seeking medical attention for him...
Pittsburgh crews harvest city’s Christmas tree from Springdale
You’d believe a tree could fly in Springdale on Saturday morning. Crews from the City of Pittsburgh’s Forestry Division, with help from Carl’s Tree Service and a police escort, took down a 43-foot blue spruce from the grounds of the former St. Alphonsus Church in the borough. The tree was...
‘It’s inevitable:’ Residents mull what growth means for future of Buffalo Township
For all the consternation about a wave of residential development in Buffalo Township, Drew Klemens saw it coming 13 years ago, when he moved across from a cornfield now slated to become 627 units of upscale town homes and single-family houses. “Nobody is going to come out to this area...
The Stroller, Nov. 16, 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. Pet food, supplies needed...
Ambulance authority inching forward to relieve Eureka, Citizens from financial burden
Local EMS funding issues could be on a path to health by early next year. A steering committee continues to inch forward with plans for an emergency medical services authority to serve East Deer, Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum. “All that has been approved at this point is the four communities...
After wild 2nd half, Dock Mennonite gets past Springdale to repeat as Class A state champs
MECHANICSBURG — There was a mix of tears in the eyes and pride in the hearts of the members of the Springdale girls soccer team in the moments following a 4-3 loss to District 1 champion Dock Mennonite in Friday’s PIAA Class A title game in Mechanicsburg. Dynamos coach Marc...
Riverview School Board member faces backlash after political post, a trend in local politics
The president of the Riverview School Board is the latest local official caught up in a presidential politics kerfuffle. A resident this week publicly called for Jennifer Chaparro to resign, citing a social media post expressing her personal views about the presidential election results. Chaparro posted a dark screen with...
Springdale’s girls soccer team electrifies community; group heads to state championship
Lincoln Haas just couldn’t help himself. The first grader was one of roughly 450 Acmetonia Elementary School students who lined the school’s halls Friday morning, patiently waiting for the parade of the state championship-bound high school girls soccer team to walk by their classroom. As the teachers and students waved...
Tarentum property tax could jump 9% next year to help fire companies
Tarentum real estate owners would see their taxes go up 9.1% in 2025 under council’s proposed budget. The $4.7 million proposed budget would raise taxes by one-half mill from the current rate of 5.48 mills. The increase is specifically targeted to benefit the borough’s three fire companies as a fire...
Allegheny Valley School District considers 1st step to improve athletic field
The clock is ticking when it comes to planned improvements at Springdale High School’s soccer field, according to Allegheny Valley School District administrators. They’re recommending the school board get started with geological and infiltration testing and a site survey for potential installation of artificial turf at the field. “Time is...
Abatement on former Colfax school in Springdale underway; demolition nears
Asbestos abatement at the former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale started this week, said Jan Zastawniak, Allegheny Valley School District spokeswoman. Permits have been secured, and a plan is in place to complete the demolition after abatement, Zastawniak said. Architect Toni Canzian said the project is going according to...
New Kensington becoming a sweet spot with addition of 2 new bakeries
Historically known as the “Aluminum City,” New Kensington is on a path to becoming the sweet spot of the Alle-Kiski Valley. By the end of November, the city’s downtown will have five bakeries, all within a short walk of one another. Hailey Sabot and Daisy Lamberson will open Wildflower Bakery...
The Stroller, Nov. 15, 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. Donations sought for annual...
627-home mixed-use plan proposed for Buffalo Township a clear sign of accelerating growth
A Lancaster-based firm wants to transform a slice of farmland in Buffalo Township into a town within a town, boasting more than 600 homes and about 20,000 square feet of retail space. The ambitious plan, proposed near the intersection of routes 28 and 356, reflects a seemingly insatiable appetite for...
Eccentric and comical, the Illustrious Order of Makesmiths opens in Blawnox
Part gallery, part toy shop is the best description for the Illustrious Order of Makesmiths, a quirky new addition to Blawnox. Opened by West Deer residents Chief and Steve O’Hearn, both artists, the storefront at 334 Freeport Road welcomes visitors to find joy in professional art as well as bizarre...
Aspinwall hosts Pittsburgh Regional Transit meeting about proposed bus line redesign
Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus riders in Aspinwall may lose access to the South Side and the Strip District, but gain stops in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and Downtown Pittsburgh as part of a bus line redesign project. Riders would also see 20- to 30-mile trips shortened and increased direct connections to neighborhoods...
Childhood interest in cooking stirs culinary passions in O’Hara chef
Television cooking shows proved to be a career catalyst for O’Hara-based executive chef Blakely Aluise. Aluise grew up reading cookbooks and binge-watching The Food Network in her quest to learn about the culinary world and cooking. “I’d find myself in our kitchen at home trying to re-create what I’d seen...
‘Constellations’ offers a spellbinding journey of choice and destiny
Choices — and their infinite trajectories — are explored in Riverfront Theater Company’s fall production of “Constellations.” The two-person show takes the audience on a spellbinding, romantic journey that follows decisions of a physicist coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis and her beekeeper husband. Written by British playwright Nick...
Proposed Sharpsburg budget has no real estate tax hike, maintains sewer rates
Sharpsburg officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes and sewage fees as part of next year’s budget. Council is expected to delineate its proposed 2025 spending plan during a workshop meeting Nov. 14 with possible adoption slated for Nov. 21. Municipalities must adopt a balanced budget by...
Shop for florals that ‘Glitter & Glow’ at Fox Chapel Garden Club’s premier event
A cornucopia of florals, wreaths and plants will be table- and mantle-ready at this year’s Glitter & Glow, the premier holiday shopping bazaar by the Fox Chapel Garden Club. “We use greens from our own gardens, and we make arrangements that you can literally put on your table and enjoy...
