Valley News Dispatch category, Page 122
Natrona group celebrates community in park, focuses on the future
Over Bill Godfrey’s right shoulder, crumbling brick row houses line Penn Street, their former tenants all workers who toiled for Natrona’s storied Penn Salt Manufacturing Co. Over his left shoulder, on Federal Street, stood an evenly spaced queue of wooden, one-story cottages built in the 1850s — where Penn Salt...
Plum woman returns to Arnold roots, turns ice cream stand into new cafe
April Barnes dreamed of owning her own eatery since she was 16, working her first job at a King’s restaurant in Plum. “I worked there and I loved it,” said Barnes, 38. “I loved the hustle and bustle and the running. I missed all the moving around and high-pressure service.”...
The Stroller, Oct. 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. Freeport Area HS Key...
Suspect in New Kensington tried to jump out window, police say
A man tried to jump out a third-floor window of a Valley Royal Court apartment in New Kensington, where police said they later found drugs hidden inside a toilet, according to a criminal complaint. Police charged Sean Barr, 27, of New Kensington on Thursday with felony and misdemeanor drug offenses...
Urgent wait for treatments: The race against time in the fight against FSHD, a genetic muscle disorder
Mark J. Christman continues to wait, but time is of the essence. Ongoing research and clinical trials are underway, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved any treatments to stop the progression or increase muscle mass in people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a genetic disorder...
Tarentum declines police dog gifted by singer Brian Kelley
Tarentum will have to wait for a police dog. Borough officials declined a surprise gift from country music star Brian Kelley of a police dog during an August benefit concert. Kelley donated an 18-month-old German shepherd, Ikon, during an Aug. 9 concert in West Deer that doubled as a fundraiser...
Firefighters encourage clean furnaces, air ducts as colder weather approaches
With October being Fire Prevention Month and as colder weather moves in, Upper Burrell firefighters are urging homeowners to clean their furnaces and chimneys — and make sure their smoke detectors are in working order. Firefighters put out a blaze earlier this week in the Lincoln Beach section of the...
Arnold needs almost half-million dollar upgrade to pump station
Arnold needs to renovate a malfunctioning sewage pump station on Riverside Drive to the tune of almost half a million dollars. Council is asking Westmoreland County to approve its request to the state Commonwealth Financing Authority for a $479,000 grant from the Local Share program. City Public Works foreman Joe...
The Stroller, Oct. 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. Donations being accepted for...
‘Operation Ghoul Busters’ aims to crack down on Halloween DUI incidents
New Year’s Eve and Thanksgiving historically are known as big drinking holidays, with police stepping up DUI enforcement in an effort to curb drunken driving. PennDOT doesn’t consider Halloween a “holiday season,” so it doesn’t specifically track crashes and DUI incidents as it does for Christmas, the Fourth of July...
Rock Against Cancer: Night of music in West Deer benefits supportive nonprofitVideo
From George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh to four decades’ worth of Farm Aid shows, musicians have a long history of lending their talents to support worthy causes. Add Mike Fitzgerald and friends to the list. On Oct. 19, the fourth annual Fitzgerald-organized Rock Against Cancer event will take place, with...
Plum School District working to cover costs of adding electric buses to fleet
The Plum School District needs more money for its plan to partially convert its bus fleet to electric vehicles but sees long term savings in the move. The district was one of seven in Allegheny County and 21 statewide to receive a share of federal grant dollars to replace diesel...
Supply issues slow down Freeport’s $18.6M sewage plant, but it still could meet schedule
Work on Freeport’s new $18.6 million sewage treatment facility is going slower than expected, with possible change orders looming. Robert Horvat, the project’s engineer from KLH Engineers, estimated that if “everything goes perfect and we get a little lucky,” the plant will be ready during the third quarter of next...
2nd runaway sheep found safe, reunited with previously rescued animal on the lam
Storm and Baby are reunited. The runaway sheep from Plum spent three weeks on the lam, creating social media buzz with sightings from Lower Burrell to Tarentum. “It’s been a nightmare,” owner Rick Borowski said. Storm, a 180-pound black-and-white male sheep, was captured Monday in Brackenridge Memorial Park with help...
The Stroller, Oct. 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. Fall fun day set...
Everything you need to know before the Stewart Elementary vote
The time is finally near for the Burrell School Board to make a decision on Stewart Elementary School’s fate. The board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to consider closing the building, which serves fourth and fifth graders, effective next school year. Superintendent Shannon Wagner recommends the board close Stewart...
A Western Pennsylvania native, college student and Florida visitor all brace for Hurricane Milton
Kyle Swan evacuated from the Tampa area Wednesday morning after official notice that his family’s Sarasota, Fla., home would be in the path of impending Hurricane Milton. “It was very worrisome,” he said. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a Category 5 hurricane.”...
Verona police identify cigar theft suspect, issue arrest warrant
Verona police are looking for a Buffalo, N.Y., woman suspected of stealing nearly $1,500 in high-end cigars. Caitlin Connelly, 40, was caught on Verona News and Cigars security footage taking six boxes of cigars by West Tampa Tobacco, a high-end cigar company based in Florida, without paying on Sept. 26,...
Plum man to face trial for sexual assault of 14-year-old girl
A Plum man will face trial on charges of sexually assaulting one of two girls he took to his home after encountering them outside a borough bar in June. John Dale Vorous, 61, was shackled and wearing prison garb when he waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday before...
Death penalty dropped against Allegheny Township man in Blawnox workplace slaying
An Allegheny Township man won’t be facing a possible death penalty when he goes to trial on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend at their Blawnox workplace in March. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office rescinded its intention to seek the death penalty against Sean Black, 43, because of opposition from...
Game Commission pitches in $1.3 million for Indiana Township land purchase
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will cover half of the $2.6 million cost to buy 280 acres in Indiana Township as part of an Allegheny Land Trust-led conservation effort. Game commissioners voted unanimously last week to put $1.3 million toward purchasing two parcels near Emmerling Community Park, along with additions to...
Feeling marginalized, Freeport mayor to call it quits
Freeport Mayor Zack Gent is planning to step down at the end of the year due to his new, on-the-road job and what he called clashes with council over fiscal responsibility. The five members in attendance at this week’s council meeting barely reacted when Gent informed them of his surprise...
New Kensington fire station named for city’s only firefighter to die in the line of duty
New Kensington’s only volunteer firefighter to die in the line of duty has been gone longer than he lived, but he has not been forgotten. Eric Lee Mangieri was 25 years old when he became trapped in a burning house on Freeport Road on Aug. 7, 1995. A memorial to...
The Stroller, Oct. 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. Evening of activities planned...
Mega Millions lottery ticket price and jackpots to jump next year
Michelle Majocha figures the odds are pretty good that more than doubling the cost of the Mega Millions lottery ticket from $2 to $5 next April won’t help sales of a lottery game that offers a jackpot of millions. With the news this week the consortium directing the 45-state Mega...
