Valley News Dispatch category, Page 14
Verona, Oakmont open student councilperson applications for Riverview students
Riverview students can have a seat at the table. Oakmont and Verona councils have opened applications for student representatives to join the conversation. The programs allow selected Riverview students to attend monthly council voting and workshop meetings, budget sessions and community events. Both boroughs encourage the student representatives to participate...
Police drop charges against man previously accused of firing shots during road rage incident
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that charges against Dillon Schaub were withdrawn. State police have withdrawn all the charges against a man previously accused of firing several shots from a handgun at another vehicle during a supposed road rage episode in North Buffalo on Friday. On...
Victim identified in fatal shooting outside New Kensington Elks Lodge
Police continue to investigate a homicide that took place early Saturday morning outside the New Kensington Elks Lodge, 932 Third Ave. Jeffrey Ballard, 46, was shot and killed outside the bar at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, said Melanie Jones, a spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office. Ballard is...
Longtime Brackenridge secretary retires
Brackenridge administrator Denise Tocco submitted her letter of resignation to council last week. Tocco served as office manager, secretary and treasurer for 43 years. She will officially retire Friday. Tocco was not at the meeting, but her letter was read aloud. She thanked council for “the opportunity to be part...
Plum prepares for 25th edition of Make-A-Wish telethon, hopes to crack $1.25M mark
Plum’s annual Make-A-Wish telethon is set to return later this month for its 25th edition. The livestreamed event has raised $1.19 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation since it began in 1999. But organizers are hoping to crack the $1.25 million mark this year, according to Plum High School teacher and...
The Stroller, Dec. 8, 2025: 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. AK Valley Historical Society...
Monessen man charged after 24 shots fired during fight outside Springdale restaurant
Springdale police have charged a Monessen man after two dozen shots were fired outside a borough business late Saturday night. Police charged Armando Antonio Diaz, 22, with robbery, theft, aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment, and firearms offenses, according to court records. According to a criminal complaint, an officer monitoring...
Tattoo artist plans new studio, community hub at former Manos Gallery in Tarentum
The former Manos Gallery in Tarentum will continue to be filled with art, albeit a different medium. Artist Chris Provenzo plans to open Golden Rule Tattoo Co. on Jan. 3 in the building along East Fifth Avenue. “Tattoo design is versatile, and I’ve worked very hard to try to create...
Alle-Kiski Senior Citizen News – Dec. 7, 2025
Armstrong County Senior Centers Apollo Thursday: Christmas party with $5 gift exchange. Covered dish optional. Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Details: Charlotte at 800-368-1066 or Amy at 724-478-1410. The center is at 707A N. Fifth St., Apollo. Freeport Tuesday: money bingo. Friday: Christmas party. The center is at...
The Stroller, Dec. 7, 2025: 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. Toy drive to benefit...
Elected officials eye Springdale data center proposal as borough council prepares to vote
The decision to approve or reject a developer’s proposal to build a massive data center in Springdale is ultimately up to its borough council. With a decision set to be handed down in just over a week, state and local politicians say they, too, have been keeping an eye on...
2nd community meeting planned in Springdale ahead of data center vote
Springdale residents and other locals will gather for a second community meeting ahead of borough council’s vote on a massive proposed data center at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at From Italy Pizza in Springdale. Organized by...
Highlands community shocked after popular teacher, photographer accused of sexually assaulting 2 boys
Sean Dicer was a familiar face in the Highlands School District community. He’d be seen at various sports events and activities, taking pictures of students. He was a popular teacher. That made the news that broke Friday about Dicer, 53, being accused of sexually assaulting and extorting two boys at...
1 dead in shooting outside New Kensington Elks Lodge
New Kensington and Westmoreland County police continue to investigate after a man was shot dead early Saturday morning, a spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said. County detectives were called to assist New Kensington police outside the Elks Lodge on Third Avenue around 3:30 a.m., said Melanie Jones,...
Substitute teacher shortages leave some districts scrambling to avoid ‘vicious cycle’ in schools
During Allegheny Valley School District’s two-month search for a consistent high school biology teacher, Superintendent Patrick Graczyk said other teachers, outside substitutes and even school principals stepped in to keep the science class going. Eventually, the district found a long-term substitute with an emergency biology certification to fill the role...
The Stroller, Dec. 6, 2025: 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. Festival of Trees raffle...
21% tax increase in Brackenridge attributed to rising costs, recent $1.2M bond
Brackenridge residents will pay 21% more in property taxes next year after council approved the borough’s $1.5 million budget Thursday. The plan calls for an increase in the tax rate from 7 to 8.5 mills. The owner of a home assessed at the median value of $50,900 will pay $432, an...
Man killed in Upper Burrell vehicle crash
An Allegheny Township man died Friday morning in a two-vehicle crash in Upper Burrell. Brian Edward McCormick, 60, was driving a Nissan Sedan at 6:56 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Manchester Hill Road and Route 780 when he collided with another vehicle, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office....
Former Leechburg police chief sees latest felony charge dropped
Former Leechburg police chief Michael Diebold’s most recent felony charge, claiming he had not reported all of the internet sites and apps he had been using, has been dismissed. After pleading guilty in December 2018 to soliciting sex online from a state trooper who was posing as a 14-year-old girl,...
Upper Burrell teen’s project to fill ‘significant gap’ in Holocaust education
An Upper Burrell teenager’s efforts to educate the younger generation about girls’ roles during the Holocaust is coming to fruition. Lily Sassani, 18, will launch her Holocaust Education Patch from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Chatham University’s Mellon Board Room, 5799 Chapel Hill Road, Pittsburgh. The two-year initiative was...
Former Highlands teacher charged with sexually assaulting, extorting 2 minors
A former Highlands School District teacher is charged with sexually assaulting and extorting two young students at his Brackenridge home. Sean M. Dicer, 53, is accused of assaulting the boys, who are now 16, when they were 11 and 12 years old, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. One...
Long-time Pine resident keeps up exercise regimen, positive attitude at 98 years young
Esther VanCura is living proof the benefit of exercising has no age limit. The 98-year-old and her wellness coach, Nick Majoris, devote part of a morning each week to strengthening the senior’s core, maintaining muscle and keeping her mind sharp. “It’s never too late,” said Majoris, who designed a program...
Corey Comperatore Foundation will honor fallen firefighter, aid first responders, family says
About a year and a half after Corey Comperatore was slain during the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a political rally in Butler County, the former firefighter’s family plans to start a foundation in his name. The Corey Comperatore Foundation will be a 501(c)3 nonprofit aimed at financially...
The Stroller, Dec. 5, 2025: 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. Winter market to feature...
Even in digital era, in-person shopping is still a part of the holiday experience
In an era when people can buy gifts with the click of a mouse or push of a button, in-person retail shopping is still an important part of the American holiday shopping experience. A study from JLL, a real estate services company, found that only 16.3% of consumers plan to...
