Valley News Dispatch category, Page 150
Barb Kalina marks 25 years as St. Joe’s costume designer, making kids’ comfort her priority
When Barb Kalina began lending a hand with St. Joseph High School’s theater program in 1997, she spent a week washing and ironing 40 white aprons for the production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” “That was my entire duty,” said Kalina, a Lower Burrell resident and retired reading specialist from...
The Stroller, June 30, 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. Concordia speakers bureau offers presentations The Concordia Lutheran Ministries Speakers Bureau...
The Waterworks Fine Wine and Good Spirits store on the move
The Fine Wine and Good Spirits Premium Collection in The Waterworks near Aspinwall is moving a few doors down. A sign posted on a store window informs customers that the current location in the strip shopping center along Freeport Road will close July 14. A new location will open the...
‘It just keeps expanding’: Oakmont Greek Food Festival celebrates 50th anniversary
Frank and Karen Sansosti have been married for 50 years, as long as the Oakmont Greek Food Festival has been around, and almost as many as they’ve attended it. The allure is simple for the North Huntingdon couple. “The food,” Frank Sansosti said. “You don’t get lamb every day.” Whether...
As interest in WNBA grows, so does stylist career of Burrell standout Sydney Bordonaro
Lower Burrell native Sydney Bordonaro now can add fashion to the list of her basketball successes. As a Burrell High School student, Bordonaro led the Bucs to their greatest seasons in basketball history from 2011 to 2015, setting numerous school records and making the all-state first team her junior and...
The Stroller, June 29, 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. Independence Day event to feature recitation Nick Triveri will read the...
Westmoreland County coroner: Woman identified who died in Lower Burrell porch fire
A woman died after suffering burns in a porch fire Friday night in Lower Burrell, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Carson identified the victim on Saturday as Jennifer Bates, 42, Lower Burrell. Carson said her death was the result of a residential porch fire. Lower Burrell police and...
Leechburg Area passes final budget for 2024-25 school year that includes tax hike, tax decrease
Leechburg Area School District members passed a final budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes a tax increase for some residents and a slight decrease for others. While the district will collect about the same amount of real estate taxes as the school year that just ended, there will...
Weather forecast not stopping inaugural Buffett tribute concert at Pittsburgh Brewing Co.
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. officials are hoping Saturday’s stormy weather outlook will be “Nothin’ But a Breeze” as plans march on for the inaugural Jimmy Buffett tribute concert at the East Deer site. “We are moving forward with having the concert and festivities,” brewery spokeswoman Rachel Semelbauer said Friday. “We are...
Permitting process nearing completion for demolition of Colfax school in Springdale
The process aimed at demolishing Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale is continuing with permit applications to the state, architect Antone Canzian reported to the Allegheny Valley School Board. Canzian said about 80% of the contract documents needed for the project have been completed. He intends to have the project...
Family-oriented movers Weleski Transfer marks 115 years in Tarentum
Mary Anne Oshnock decided to work part time at Weleski Transfer Inc. in 1974, when she was in high school, for job experience before college. A student at Highlands at the time, Oshnock was interested in getting into the business field. She ended up staying a Weleski employee for 50...
Junior Fire Camp in Aspinwall, Sharpsburg draws a dozen teens
The first Junior Fire Camp hosted by the Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services was a hit, officials said. A dozen local teens, 13 to 17, participated in the two-day event. Hosted June 22-23 at the stations in Sharpsburg and Aspinwall, participants learned the ins and outs of fire safety and...
Leechburg homeowner embraces a ‘no-mow’ lifestyle
A Leechburg man has found an eco-friendly solution to his aversion to pushing a lawn mower. “I hate mowing lawns,” said Danny Hilliard, a steel industry writer, international traveler and avid fisherman. Hilliard decided to implement a “no-mow” lifestyle three years ago with the purchase of a historic residence along...
The Stroller, June 28, 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. Dinner to aid Avonmore fire victim A dinner to benefit Mackenzie...
Sharpsburg Mayor Brittany Reno resigns; letters of interest being accepted
Sharpsburg’s first female mayor has resigned with more than a year remaining in her first term. Council unanimously accepted the resignation of Brittany Reno on Thursday, June 27. She was not at the meeting. Her letter of resignation was obtained by TribLive after the voting session. “I thank you all...
Sheldon Park event aims to build positive relationship between residents, police
Something as simple as letting children check out a police car and blare the vehicle’s sirens can make a lasting impact, according to Allegheny County Housing Authority Police Chief Mike Vogel. As a flurry of children at Harrison’s Sheldon Park interacted with township and housing authority officers Thursday, Vogel said...
Arnold reopens Roosevelt Park as city officials grapple with how to handle vandalism
While a spate of vandalism prompted Arnold officials to close Roosevelt Park this month, it won’t deter the city from moving forward with plans to improve it, officials say. The park, completely fenced in with gates on Drey and Rankin streets, was closed for about two weeks after teens dumped...
2.65% tax hike OK’d for Allegheny Valley School District property owners
Property owners in the Allegheny Valley School District will be paying 2.65% more in real estate taxes for the coming school year. The school board approved a $25.8 million budget Tuesday increases the millage rate by 0.552 mills, from 20.8377 to 21.3899. “We’ve been as conscientious as any district,” board...
East Deer opts into exploratory committee to save Eureka ambulance service
While the clock is ticking on the potential closing of Eureka Community Ambulance Service in Tarentum, another of the municipalities it covers has joined an effort to save the ailing EMS. East Deer commissioners on Wednesday opted into an exploratory committee that will research the formation of an ambulance authority....
The Stroller, June 27, 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. Community outreach set Friday in New Kensington Westmoreland Community Action will...
Foxwall EMS has a new chief and ambulance
Foxwall EMS has a new chief and a new ambulance. The official ambulance service provider of Aspinwall and Fox Chapel is now run by Ben Shopland of Pittsburgh’s North Side. He was selected out of multiple candidates and five finalists to formally replace the late Tony Cuda, who died Oct....
Sharpsburg mural artists selected
Emily Paige Armstrong had hoped to make a positive impact on her new community. The 2015 Valley High School grad had recently bought a home in Sharpsburg with her twin sister, Catherine. Still in the process of settling in, Armstrong found an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. A request for...
Duquesne Light promises improvements, touts upgrades in wake of power outages
Cathy Schantz was among the tens of thousands of people whose homes lost electricity during storms amid last week’s heat wave. The Richland resident, who lives in a housing plan near Bakerstown Road, said she lost power for more than three days — a total of 73½hours. The next outage...
Suspected electrical fire displaces 2 in New Kensington
Two New Kensington residents were displaced Wednesday evening when an apparent electrical fire began damaging their home. Firefighters from New Kensington, Arnold, Tarentum and Logans Ferry Heights responded to the call shortly before 9 p.m. at 19 Cherry St. The home is tucked away at the end of the block...
Brother: Gillian Tones, Montana park drowning victim, ‘had a natural gravitation toward helping people’
Dillon Tones once asked his younger sister, Gillian, why she wanted to get into nursing. He was curious why people chose the field because nurses often see people at their worst. “She said, ‘You’re right, but I also get to be there to do as much as I can,’ ”...
