Valley News Dispatch category, Page 147

Allegheny County’s 45th state Senatorial District has attracted more candidates than any other race in the region, in a contest that could be crucial in determining which party controls the state legislature’s upper chamber next year. And, at least on the Republican side, there are a bit of fireworks. Kami...

For the first time since 1982, the Democrat ballot for Pennsylvania’s 32nd House District won’t feature Tony DeLuca. The late lawmaker of 40 years died in October 2022, one month before the general election and too late to print new ballots. He won nonetheless, triggering a special election. Joe McAndrew...

Western Pennsylvania’s Sprankle family made the trip to Atlanta in May to tape an episode of “Family Feud” that’s expected to air at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, on WPKD-TV, Channel 19. They’re inviting the community to join the celebration under a tent at the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company Carnival...

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. Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame tickets on sale Alle-Kiski Valley Sports...

Freeport Area School District officials agree that the district’s aging high school, at a minimum, needs renovations. The challenge ahead is figuring out how far the district can afford to go. The school board recently released the results of a feasibility study by HHSDR Architects and Engineers offering ways to...

A Leechburg police officer has been issued two citations stemming from a traffic incident in Parks Township. Clarence Lee Schumaker was charged April 9 by state police for careless driving, obedience to a traffic control device warning of hazardous conditions and disorderly conduct. According to Leechburg police Chief Jason Schaeffer,...

No matter how much baklava Amy Johnson makes, it’s never enough for some warm-weather Fridays in New Kensington. Johnson opened her specialty bakery, Sweet Tillies, in December 2020. It has been open for each of the city’s annual Fridays on Fifth events, which began in 2021 and launches its fourth...

Springdale Council is taking a closer look at its water rates in the wake of the borough increasing rates by $1.25 per 1,000 gallons for all customers in this year’s budget. Council on Tuesday authorized a study into the rates at a cost not to exceed $18,500. Valuation and Rate,...

A mock crash Friday morning outside Valley High School in New Kensington was meant to teach students about the dangers of distracted driving. The district staged the crash for juniors and seniors with New Kensington police and several emergency service providers. A Life Flight helicopter was among the emergency vehicles...

Before entering Nick Spehar’s economics class at Spring­dale High School, Casey Sprinkle wasn’t sure what the difference was between the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Now, at the end of the year, he and two of his peers, Shane Parsons Jr. and Owen Scheuring, are budding stock market experts....

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. Local food shuttle expands hours, service areas The Fresh Food Shuttle...

Plum’s rejection of a mobile home park’s expansion plan, in part because of flooding concerns, denies the people already living there protection from flooding that the expansion would provide, the owner argues in court filings. Following a hearing last September, Plum’s zoning hearing board in November rejected a proposal to...

O’Hara officials want to remind residents to be extra cautious of calls or emails seeking personal information in order to avoid possible scams. Police Superintendent Jay Davis said his department fields at a few calls a week from residents concerned about people claiming to be from credit card companies, banks...

A New Kensington man will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges of sexually assaulting and raping a preteen girl two years ago. District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. held for trial Thomas Lee Burruss, 48, after a preliminary hearing Thursday that featured the testimony of the alleged...

Kiski Area’s school directors didn’t look far to find their choice as the best qualified person to be superintendent. That turned out to be Assistant Superintendent Jason Lohr, whom they unanimously voted to succeed Misty Slavic. Board President Todd Sterlitz said after the news about Slavic’s sudden resignation broke in...

The Plum School Board hired a new assistant principal for the district’s middle school. Ashley DeVito is coming to Plum from Propel Braddock Hills High School, where she was an assistant principal. DeVito, 31, of Penn Hills will start at Plum upon release from her position there. Her salary was...

Highlands parent Liz Myers was beside herself when she learned that the efforts of an out-of-town teen will help protect the privacy of her teenage daughter at the middle school. Washington & Jefferson freshman Grace Vensel will provide Menstruation Stations at the district’s middle and high schools through her nonprofit...

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. Recycling event to celebrate Earth Day An Earth Day celebration will...

Westmoreland County is taking bites out of blight in five communities. The county commissioners this month approved spending up to $244,000 from Westmore­land’s Act 152 Demolition Fund to raze rundown buildings on four properties in Arnold, three in Jeannette, two in Derry Township and one each in Derry Borough and...

The Plum School District’s proposed $74.3 million budget for next school year carrying a 6.2% property tax increase is a step closer to approval. The school board voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve the district’s proposed budget for 2024-25. Board member Ronald Sakolsky was present at the start of the meeting,...

As the Allegheny River Development Corp. prepares to head to the nation’s capital to lobby lawmakers for money to keep locks open along the river, they’re looking for as much support as they can get. The ARDC, a grassroots organization based in Armstrong County, works with the Army Corps of...

Jennifer Evashavik hopes more people answer the call of the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Queen front man Freddie Mercury: “Get on your bikes and ride.” The ninth annual Spin Your Wheels fundraiser is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27 at the Lauri Ann...

Artists are being sought for a major mural project in Sharpsburg. Artspiraton, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale through the arts, has put out a request for qualifications for a 240-square-foot art piece on the side of Conicella Family Dentistry, 701 Main St. The project is through...

“You Should Be Here” is what the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. might be saying to country music fans as it announces its third concert for the summer. Country music star Cole Swindell will take the stage Sept. 1 at the brewery’s amphitheater in the Creighton neighborhood of East Deer. Brewery spokeswoman...

Two Western Pennsylvania men are the latest accused of raping or sexually abusing girls stemming from a statewide grand jury investigation of child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Ronald W. Mangone, 69, of Lower Burrell and Roger E. Zellars, 68, of Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood are separately accused of...