Valley News Dispatch category, Page 162
Search of Vandergrift home results in 2 arrests, police say narcotics recovered
A pair of Vandergrift residents face several drug charges after borough police and Westmoreland County detectives raided their Delaware Avenue home early Thursday. Kaeona Booker, 26, and Eugene Iagnemma, 54, were taken into custody after law enforcement executed a search warrant and seized “several items related to drug activity,” according...
Firetrucks, K-9 Midas a hit at Curtisville Primary’s Safety Day
Firetrucks, police officers and a special guest, Midas the K-9, all were a big hit with students at Curtisville Primary during the school’s annual Safety Day on Thursday. Youngsters in kindergarten through second grade were excited to learn about the first responders who serve the Deer Lakes communities. On hand...
Burrell School District now considering 5.8% increase for property owners
Burrell School District is now thinking of a 5.8% tax increase in its proposed budget for the upcoming school year. The district released a proposed budget that includes an increase of 6.5 mills, which would account for future bond payments for capital improvements and construction, said Finance Director Jennifer Callahan....
Former Valley High School music teacher to remain in jail pending new sentence
A former Valley High School music teacher who pleaded guilty in 2022 to sending sexually themed text messages to two teenage students will remain in jail while he awaits a new sentencing hearing. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Sean Timothy O’Neil, 37, of North Apollo could face a potential state prison...
Lower Burrell school property won’t revert to original owners if school closes
Historians and officials say if Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell closes and goes up for sale, the land would not revert back to the Stewart family, despite rumors to the contrary. Lower Burrell historian Ray Rieser said, despite popular belief, the Burrell School District purchased the land from the...
Police arrest New Kensington woman who crashed car while fleeing with child
A woman crashed her car into a house while fleeing from police early Thursday in New Kensington, police said in a criminal complaint. Her young son was in the back seat of the car, which caught fire after the crash. The boy, whose age was not given, suffered a bloody...
Host a gathering: Aspinwall business owner writes book about charcuterie boards
Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill calls them gathering boards. They are more than meats and cheese and fruits and vegetables artistically arranged on a wooden board. Charcuterie boards are the vehicle which brings people together to share food but more importantly to gather for celebrations of sharing special life moments. Charcuterie is...
The Stroller, May 16, 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. Free picnic planned Saturday by Fun and Freedom Fun and Freedom...
Season’s 1st farmers market arrives Sunday in Allegheny Township
Come Sunday, Allegheny Township residents won’t have to leave town to have their pick of fresh produce, flowers, breads and more with the arrival of the season’s first Allegheny Township Farmers Market. Sunday’s market — from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — will be the first of five throughout the...
Foxwall EMS launches annual subscription drive
Foxwall EMS, the main ambulance company of Fox Chapel and Aspinwall, has launched its annual subscription drive. Mailers were sent out this month to homes and apartments in both boroughs. The company saw a 22% return on the thousands of subscription forms that were sent out last year. The drive...
Aspinwall Memorial Day plans include a flyover, service, parade with 26 units
Aspinwall will honor military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice with a parade and service on Memorial Day. Festivities will begin with a flyover and service at 11 a.m. May 27 outside American Legion Post 77 along Commercial Avenue. There will be a color guard and a 21-gun salute along...
Lower Burrell man charged in connection with church disruptions, threatening to exorcise priests
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is applauding the capture of a Lower Burrell man accused of disrupting church services across the region, including at churches in New Kensington and Freeport. Wendell Hissrich, the diocese’s director of safety and security and former Pittsburgh public safety director, said that, given the climate...
No tax increase expected at Highlands
New tennis courts and a revamped track are among the projects in the tentative Highlands School District budget, but the $1 million worth of work isn’t expected to cause a tax increase. The proposed $53 million spending plan would maintain the property tax rate at 25.13 mills. If approved, the...
‘Force of nature’ Patty Ameno dies at 72
The Kiski Valley is missing one of its most dogged, outspoken voices. Longtime environmental activist and Kiski Valley resident Patty Ameno has died. Ameno, 72, of Hyde Park died Friday, according to friends, who are flooding social media sites with expressions of grief and condolences. Ameno was known by friends,...
A snapshot of Michael Werries, who spent his life photographing the Alle-Kiski Valley
Take any sports event, emergency scene or community gathering in Springdale over the past 50-some years, and there’s a good chance Michael “Mick” Werries photographed it. A devoted documentarian and diehard Dynamo, Werries started capturing football games after graduating from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School in 1969 and never looked back....
Plum School Board censures member, calls for resignation
Plum School Board’s president called for fellow board member Ronald Sakolsky’s resignation late Tuesday following a vote to censure him. The resolution to censure Sakolsky, approved in a 7-2 vote, accused him of publicly sharing confidential or false information about the school district and its superintendent. “Time that should have...
The Stroller, May 15, 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. Local food shuttle expands hours, service areas The Fresh Food Shuttle...
Plum recognizes first responders to Rustic Ridge tragedy
What Peter Troxell remembers most about the August day when a house exploded in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood is that it was hot. As a fire police officer with the Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department, it was Troxell’s job to make sure the first responders who needed to get to...
Immune therapy drugs show promise in treating esophageal cancer
Gary Hines didn’t want to lose his hair. The Harrison resident, diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2021, worried about looking his best for his son’s wedding. “I was all worked up,” said Hines, 60, retired after 30 years with the Harrison Township Water Authority. “Turns out, I never lost one...
Riverview budget would raise taxes 5.3% next year
Riverview School District taxpayers could see a 5.3% tax increase next year under the district’s proposed budget. The 1.279 mill real estate tax hike for next year will be used to cover expenses associated with rising health insurance rates, updated curriculum, two new teacher positions and hiring a director of...
Cooper-Siegel, Sharpsburg libraries get $80,000 computer upgrade through Allegheny Regional Asset District
New computers at Cooper-Siegel Community Library and its branch site in Sharpsburg are expected to provide a smoother experience for patrons. The project also will provide a boost to the library budget because the computers were upgraded for free. The purchase by the Allegheny Regional Asset District was part of...
Leechburg woman dies in house fire
A Leechburg woman died Tuesday morning in a fire at her home. Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers identified the victim as 60-year-old Betty Bail. The state police fire marshal’s office said pets also perished in the fire in the 300 block of Logan Avenue. In a release, Myers said the...
1 injured in head-on crash in Lower Burrell
One person was injured after two vehicles crashed head-on Tuesday morning in Lower Burrell. The wreck happened around 6 a.m. at the intersection of Greensburg Road and Dutchman Run Road, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. One person was flown to the hospital from the scene, the dispatcher said....
Kiski Area School Board approves $25M middle school renovation project
One of four contractors chosen for Kiski Area School District’s $25 million middle school renovation project has drawn opposition from two school board members. School board members Amy Halter and Dawn Mellinger voted against paying $14.6 million to general contractor Liokareas Construction. The company served in the same role for...
The Stroller, May 14, 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. June 1 5k/10k to benefit Freeport Area HS cross country team...
