Valley News Dispatch category, Page 152
Injured hiker rescued in South Buffalo Township
A hiker that was injured near Lock & Dam 6 on the Allegheny River in South Buffalo Township was rescued by firefighters Saturday afternoon. Two hikers were walking a trail in the Clinton area of South Buffalo near the lock when one hiker took a fall and was injured, according...
Back the Blue fundraiser in Lower Burrell expands in fifth year
The Alle-Kiski community came together on a blazing hot Saturday to honor the fallen officers and those who cared for them in what organizers said was the fundraiser’s biggest event ever. The annual Back the Blue police fundraiser was held at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell on Saturday afternoon...
Plum School Board advances $30M building project at O’Block Elementary, middle school
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that board member Michelle Stepnick’s vote was officially recorded as “yes,” although she said before and after the vote that her intent was to vote “no.” The Plum School Board is taking a next step toward a $30 million building project...
Organizers of Arnold’s ‘Rockin’ Roosevelt,’ New Kensington’s ‘Band Blast’ look to hand off running of events
What started as an effort to get friends off social media and together in the real world birthed a concert series that has run for a decade in Arnold and New Kensington. But with their members moving away and getting older, those who remain of the New Ken/Arnold Social in...
The Stroller, June 22, 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. T-shirt sale to benefit Avonmore fire victim Orders are being accepted...
Firecracker 100 proves to be big draw for Lernerville SpeedwayVideo
The roar of dozens of engines was music to Buffalo Township native Tara Barthel’s ears. It was a familiar sound for her and several family members as they took in the sights and sounds of the 18th annual Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway. “It’s always been a family thing. We...
ScareHouse creeps out of Pittsburgh Mills, won’t open in 2024
Pittsburgh’s horror fans received a jumpscare earlier this week after finding out ScareHouse will not be returning to its Pittsburgh Mills location and will not open for the 2024 season. Pittsburgh Magazine reported on Monday that ScareHouse co-owner Scott Simmons announced the news last week in a private Facebook group...
Parrot Heads will have a place to dock at Iron City Brewing in time for Buffett tribute concert
Final preparations are underway at East Deer’s Pittsburgh Brewing Co. as a summer concert series kicks off next week. Crews will have installed a temporary boat dock behind the brewery before a Jimmy Buffett tribute band takes the stage June 29, said Todd Zwicker, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. president. “I work...
4 New Kensington children found sitting on couch near loaded gun during drug warrant search, police say
Authorities who forced their way into a New Kensington home during a drug investigation Friday morning found four children on a living room couch, and a loaded gun under it. New Kensington police charged Jarrell George Miller, 38, of Haser Drive in East Ken Manor with four felony counts of...
Arnold man sentenced on sex assault charges
An Arnold man was sentenced Friday to four to eight years in a state prison in connection with a sexual assault of a teenager. Alexander James Moss, 26, pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Three other charges were dismissed. Moss was ordered to spend three years on probation after...
Avonmore man who died in Export shooting will be remembered with luncheon
A man who was fatally shot in Export this week will be remembered at a luncheon on Sunday, according to his obituary. Police said Daniel T. “Slim” Chicka Jr., 65, of Avonmore, had been in a dispute over parking with another man when he was shot Tuesday on Madison Avenue....
Kiski Area continues personnel shuffle
Kiski Area School District continues to push forward with a remake of its administrative team. School board members approved a streamlined organization chart in April after Superintendent Jason Lohr introduced it and made the case for cutting two roles. That includes director of safety and security, and Lohr’s former post...
Summer program ‘brings the world’ to youngsters at Natrona Community Park
From Phipps to Warhol to the Carnegie Museum, children in Natrona can tour the city’s biggest attractions this summer without ever leaving their backyard. “Our goal is to make learning fun, which keeps children coming back,” said Bill Godfrey, president of the advocacy group Natrona Comes Together. His group has...
Vandergrift mother, grandparents charged after 2nd child suffers life-threatening dog bite
As a 3-year-old Vandergrift girl was seriously bleeding from a dog bite to her head, her mother said “to get her a Popsicle,” borough police allege in court papers. Vandergrift police charged the girl’s mother, Alexis Keys, 26; and grandparents, Michael Stankiewicz, 62, and Ida Stankiewicz, 68, on Thursday each...
Springdale High School renovations could stretch into next year
Repair and renovation work on Springdale Junior-Senior High School apparently will not start any time soon. Pre-cast concrete panels on the back of the building’s ‘D’ wing have been shifting, according to Superintendent Patrick Graczyk. The panels were part of the high school expansion and renovation completed in 2012, according...
Verona Council makes moves to increase police presence in borough
Verona Council members have been seeing returns on their efforts to enhance recruitment and retention of police officers. Borough officials have had struggles staffing the police department after its chief, Ron McLemore, was assaulted during a domestic violence call in November, leaving him unable to work. Sgt. Jerry Frankos was...
Interim principal appointed at Burrell’s Stewart; middle school principals promoted
A Burrell School District administrator will stand in as Stewart Elementary’s principal in what could be the final year of the school. Autumn Turk, Burrell’s director of curriculum and development, was appointed interim principal at Stewart for the 2024-25 school year, school directors voted Tuesday. “She’ll do both jobs for...
Kiski Township police chief no longer in charge; Southern Armstrong nixes merger talks
Lee Bartolicius is out as Kiski Township police chief, a township official confirmed, sending the department back into disarray and spoiling merger talks with Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department. Township Secretary Patrick Bono said he was informed by township supervisors this week that Bartolicius is “not here anymore,” with Officer...
Deer Lakes School Board resistant to posting meetings online, says member Leonard Verdetto
People who can’t tune in live to the Deer Lakes School Board meetings are out of luck, according to new board member Leonard Verdetto. The board meets the second and third Tuesdays of each month in the high school library. Meetings are available live on Zoom, through which people can...
The Stroller, June 21, 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. Freeport Pride Stroll planned Sunday The fifth annual Freeport Pride Stroll...
Alle-Kiski High School Reunion News – June 21, 2024
Publicize your class’s high school reunion announcement. Send information as soon as possibleto vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. • The Pegtown Reunion will be at 1 p.m. July 28 at Apollo Spring Church Sportsman Club, 1945 Route 56, Kiski...
W.L. Roenigk co-owner remembered as humble driver and loving family man
Most people dread it, but Dave Roenigk died doing what he loved: cutting grass. On Wednesday morning, he was mowing and waving to passing cars near the Buffalo Township headquarters of his family’s school bus company, W.L. Roenigk. He was trimming along a pond, with plans to teach his grandchildren...
Plum SummerFest at Larry Mills Park returns with traditional 3-day event
Plum’s three-day seasonal celebration at Larry Mills Park has begun. SummerFest kicked off Thursday evening with a mix of carnival rides and games across from nonprofit and community group booths and food trucks. It is the same layout as last year with C&L Shows providing all the bells and whistles,...
Burrell School District budget raises taxes 5.8%
Burrell School District officials say the district is suffering from stagnant property value growth, and taxpayers will foot the bill for it. The district’s final 2024-25 budget of $36.6 million includes a 5.8% property tax hike. The 6.5-mill increase will bring the district’s millage rate to 117.5, the highest of...
Growing demand prompts $2.5M expansion at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel
Books are still the star of the show at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel, but the space draws a growing number of people for classes, programs and lending of nontraditional items. “Although the library offers a place for people and small groups to work or study in quiet, patrons...
