Valley News Dispatch category, Page 158
Ranch homes development in Buffalo Township nearly ready for residents
A 32-home plan in Buffalo Township geared toward older buyers could be welcoming residents as soon as late September. About nine months after getting final site plan approval from township supervisors, builder Ryan Homes has started courting families looking to downsize for the development off Sunset Drive. Prices for the...
School, pedestrian safety projects planned on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell officials have outlined a plan to make Leechburg Road safer for students, pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities. The city soon will start projects geared toward pedestrian safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance along the city’s main business artery, Mayor Chris Fabry said. Projects include flashing beacons...
Kiski Township police seek help to find missing teen
Kiski Township police are searching for a teenager who has been missing since Monday. Alexander Orr is a 17-year-old white boy with brown hair and brown eyes and is approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall and between 150 and 160 pounds, according to a description provided by police. He is...
The Stroller, Aug. 1, 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. Mt. St. Peter Parish to celebrate 43nd annual Festa Italiana The...
Leechburg eatery takes steps to grow from cafe into full-service restaurant
A coffee shop housed in a historic Leechburg mansion — and known for warm drinks and friendly faces — has seen some changes since opening in January. 1st Street Cafe is in the building formerly known as the Addison House Restaurant & Lounge. Devra Gromley, owner of 1st Street Cafe,...
Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel remains in Russia as Gershkovich, others are freed
Marc Fogel was left behind. The Oakmont teacher was not part of a historic prisoner swap completed Thursday among the United States, Russia and other countries. Instead, Fogel was seemingly abandoned, left in a Russian prison while Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Paul Whelan, Radio Free Europe journalist...
Arnold man headed to trial in fatal vehicle-pedestrian crash
A judge on Wednesday ordered an Arnold man to trial on charges he crashed into a 75-year-old pedestrian, killing him, while driving under the influence of marijuana. Tyrell Jimmie Knight, 37, is charged with homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter in connection with a Nov. 9 incident. He appeared in...
Springdale Township trimming expected budget shortfall
Springdale Township officials say they are getting an anticipated budget deficit under control. When the 2024 budget was approved in December, township commissioners projected $2.3 million in expenditures but only $1.7 million in revenue, leaving roughly $600,000 to be covered by the township’s financial reserves. Commissioner Tim Basilone said the...
Route 28 access limited near Baileys Run Road in East Deer
Motorists who’ve been dealing with a long-term closure along Baileys Run Road in East Deer might have been relieved to see the road reopen Wednesday. But they’ll have to be patient a bit longer. Another section of the road, between the Route 28 ramp and Freeport Road, closed at the...
Allegheny Land Trust seeks public help to buy and preserve 280 acres in Indiana Township
An expansive piece of land in the heart of rapidly developing Indiana Township could stay green if the Allegheny Land Trust secures pledges of $2.5 million by December. The nonprofit is eyeing 280 acres in the Deer Creek Watershed, where wildlife, trails and streams abound. Some of the property abuts...
PennDOT to study problematic stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell
PennDOT officials announced Tuesday they will begin a traffic study on a stretch of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell that has drawn ire from community members. Agency spokeswoman Laina Aquiline said PennDOT is reviewing Upper Burrell’s request for a traffic study in the 2200 block of Greensburg Road and anticipates...
The Stroller, July 31, 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. Back-to-school bash planned in Freeport Freeport Area Library, 428 Market St.,...
Pittsburgh Brewing teams with Pitt for blue-and-gold I.C. Light can
A collaboration between Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and Pitt Athletics on a limited edition Pitt I.C. Light can has been brewing for about two years. The can features royal blue and university gold team colors in addition to the recognizable “Pitt” script and “Hail to Pitt.” It is available this week...
Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy to host inaugural fun walk, 5K
Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy plans to host a new way for people to explore one of the borough’s prime recreation sites. The inaugural Fox Chapel Foxtrot 5K & 1 Mile Family Fun Run is set for Sept. 8 in McCahill Park. “The idea is to have a community event that...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to drive-by shooting of high school classmate
A New Kensington man was ordered Tuesday to serve up to 14 years in prison for the attempted homicide of two occupants of a vehicle during a drive-by shooting in New Kensington. Ernest Gary IV, 20, pleaded guilty to seven offenses including two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless...
Route 366 reopened after Tuesday evening closure due to tree falling
A tree fell across Tarentum Bridge Road on Tuesday evening and is blocking the Route 366 bypass in New Kensington. Police and firefighters are on the scene and rerouting traffic. Westmoreland County Public Safety said the road reopened around 7 p.m. after being closed for a little more than an...
Motorcyclist seriously injured in Harrison crash
A 19-year-old motorcyclist from Brackenridge was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Saturday in Harrison, police said. Officers responded at about 3:45 p.m. to Dallas Avenue and Freeport Road, near Eat’n Park, to find the man’s motorcycle had collided with the passenger side of a Chevy sedan, Chief Brian Turack...
Oakmont dementia care residents volunteer with Humane Animal Rescue Pittsburgh
Mary Brown doesn’t often participate in the programming offered at Presbyterian SeniorCare’s Woodside Place in Oakmont. She prefers to stay in her living space at the dementia care facility or feed the squirrels outside. She has named them George and Frankie. Something changes, though, when residents go on a field...
The Stroller, July 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. Lenny Collini Family Pak to play Tarentum Park Tarentum Summer Concert...
Upper Burrell residents hope to see progress on speeding issues along Greensburg Road
Many of Tim Rote’s neighbors along the 2200 block of Greensburg Road in Upper Burrell have a “horror story” about what they say is a lack of safety on the road. Bill Smith recalls getting rear-ended while pulling into his driveway about 15 years ago with his son in the...
West Leechburg residents set to take assessment complaints to county courthouse
West Leechburg residents are preparing to take their complaints about property assessments directly to Westmoreland County commissioners. After months, and in some cases years, of complaints about what residents say is an unfair property tax system, frustrations peaked this spring when Leechburg Area School District property taxes increased 10.4% in...
Oakmont, Verona chase suspect still at large after ditching gun, police say
A Penn Hills man who twice evaded police in Oakmont and Verona Tuesday remains at large. Oakmont and Verona police filed separate charges against Damian Baverso, 18, and issued separate warrants for his arrest. The chase in Oakmont began when officers tried to arrest Baverso near the Rite Aid on...
Student-turned-teacher brings ‘Safety Town’ back to New Kensington
Thirty years ago, when she was 5, Lauren Lanzino learned safety lessons she never forgot. Now, the student has become the teacher, with Lanzino bringing Safety Town back to New Kensington after an 11-year absence. “Everybody I know that has ever done this program loved this program,” Lanzino, 35, of...
Teen’s mom pleads with judge to protect community from sex offender
The mother of an Arnold girl pleaded with a Westmoreland County judge to protect the public from a man she said she fears would sexually assault another child. “It is your place to make sure he takes those (sex offender) classes so he never does this again. If he doesn’t,...
Credit card skimmer found at Plum Shop ’n Save after almost a month; 2 men charged
Two men suspected of placing credit card skimmers at grocery stores throughout the Pittsburgh area now are accused of doing the same thing in Plum, where a skimmer was in place at a store for nearly a month. Plum police filed charges Sunday against Thomas Fuchs, 34, and Alexandru Dumitrascu,...
