Valley News Dispatch category, Page 165
Questions about crime, remodeling plans delay New Kensington vote on Valero liquor license
Pepsi Gamble fears alcohol sales at the Valero gas station in New Kensington could lead to trouble. Speaking during a public hearing Monday on a liquor license transfer for the store at Seventh Street and Constitution Boulevard, Gamble cited “the amount of not civil society” she sees in the area...
Blawnox War Memorial upgraded with new bricks to honor veterans
New military veteran bricks have been added to the War Memorial in Blawnox in time for the borough’s Memorial Day parade and service. The bricks have the name of a soldier, military branch, service years and, if space allowed, commendations such as a Purple Heart and other medals. About 30...
Burrell High School senior prepares her 2nd 5K for mental health awareness
A Burrell High School senior is hoping to capitalize on the success of an event last fall that boosted not only people’s mental health, but their physical well-being as well. Grace Nesko, 18, will be hosting a 5K wellness run and walk June 1 at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial...
New Kensington gift shop, Ethical Hope, seeks to make a difference around the world
Each of the items for sale in Meredith Hedeen’s New Kensington gift shop has a story behind it. They come from all over the world: hand-painted ceramics made in home studios in San Juan de Oriente, a town in Nicaragua; hand-sewn goods made by a seamstress at a cooperative workshop...
The Stroller, May 7, 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. Open house Wednesday at Apollo library First-timers and regular patrons alike...
National Geographic author inspires Acmetonia students to explore nature in their own backyards
Science writer Jason Bittel knows that talking about exotic animals or adventure-seeking experiences to a group of fourth grade students can elicit amazement. But Bittel’s message to students at Acmetonia Elementary School on Monday was that taking in your own surroundings — even if just in the Alle-Kiski Valley —...
New Kensington cook wins Democratic primary to run for state House seat
Nearly 9,200 write-in votes were cast by Westmoreland County voters in last month’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the county elections board is expected to issue a preliminary certification of results on Tuesday. Those results will include a victory for one candidate who did not...
Explosion rocks Tarentum; no injuries reported
An explosion at a scrap recycling business rocked Tarentum early Monday afternoon, shaking homes across the borough and sending people scrambling for answers. Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said police responded at about 1 p.m. to P.J. Greco and Sons in borough’s West Tarentum section, where they were told a gas...
Plans for Harrison Aldi, twice-delayed, appear uncertain
Plans for an Aldi grocery store in Harrison appear to be up in the air, following a two-year construction delay. J.R. Perry, Aldi divisional vice president, said previously that work would start this year for the proposed store at 4024 Freeport Road, on the property formerly occupied by Harbison Nursery....
The Stroller, May 6, 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. AVH Auxiliary plans Mother’s Day plant sale Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from April 25-May 1, 2024
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, the Tribune-Review’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate,...
Building the Valley: Simply Sisters Bakery making Vandergrift a little sweeter
When they were growing up, sisters Karen Johnston and Paula Cunningham would bake cookies in their Easy Bake Oven. In November, after getting family members hooked on their cookie trays, they bought a shoebox space in Vandergrift and went after their dream. Simply Sisters Bakery opened on April 3. Each...
Faces of the Valley: Harrison’s Diane Umile connects children with music through Pete’s Heartstrings charity
A passion for music runs in Diane Umile’s family. The Harrison resident has orchestrated a way to stoke that passion for others through a new nonprofit, Pete’s Heartstrings. Run from her home along McWilliams Drive in the Birdville section of the township, Umile’s efforts provide musical instruments to people in...
The Stroller, May 5, 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. Hard-to-recycle event scheduled at Pittsburgh Mills The Pennsylvania Resources Council will...
Helping hands: Donations exceed $875,000 for those affected by Plum house explosion
Rafal Kolankowski and his family have felt the full embrace of the Plum community since August — some of it in the form of bracelets, lemonade and yard signs. The Kolankowskis are among about a dozen families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged when a nearby house exploded in...
The Stroller, May 4, 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 rides available to medical appointments Wesley Family Services now offers...
Indiana Township lands 2 new police SUVs through state grant
Indiana Township police log a lot of miles patrolling the 17-square-mile community. With the addition of three full-time officers this year, for a total of 13, Chief Steve Colucci said police are on the road a lot and “the miles add up.” One of the department’s SUVs racked up 120,000...
Deer Lakes Middle School provides gaming club to build skills, friendships
For gamers like Deer Lakes seventh grader Lucas Channel, a school club dedicated to Super Smash Bros. and Minecraft sounded like a dream come true. “I love this club,” Channel said. “It’s a bit of time after school where you get to play in a nice surrounding.” The 13-year-old is...
New restaurant incubator Frontier Kitchen opens in Sharpsburg
Aspiring business owners with a passion for cooking now have a professional resource in Sharpsburg. Virginia-based Frontier Kitchen is the newest business incubator assisting entrepreneurs in navigating the culinary world. “Our mission is to empower people to achieve their entrepreneurial goals and create strong, sustainable companies,” said co-owner and CEO...
The Stroller, May 3, 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. Leechburg church to rededicate bell tower and carillon First Evangelical Lutheran...
Rabkin Gardens is Tarentum’s hidden gem
When Michael Rabkin purchased the 1890s 2nd Ward Public School Building in Tarentum to house his medical practice, the view was less than inspiring. “There was a hideous termite-infested shack that my office overlooked,” said Rabkin, a Brooklyn native and retired skin pathologist. “I figured I could spend the rest...
Residents of Plum neighborhood hopeful outside cleanup is start of help for hoarder
Residents of a Plum community are hopeful the cleanup outside a hoarded house Thursday is the start of getting the woman who lives there the help they say she needs. Residents of Plum’s Edgemeade neighborhood say it was about two years ago that the hoard inside retired school teacher Janice...
Pittsburgh man faces drug, fleeing charges after crash in Harmar turns up $15,000, 2,000 stamp bags
Harmar police are searching for a Pittsburgh man who, they say, had about 2,000 stamp bags of heroin or fentanyl and more than $15,000 in a vehicle he abandoned to flee from police. Romello Edward Jones, 25, is being charged with one felony count each of carrying a firearm without...
USGA tees up for 2025 U.S. Open with $4.8M Oakmont Country Club expansion
With the U.S. Open golf tournament returning to Oakmont in just over a year, the United States Golf Association is working to expand and upgrade the Oakmont Country Club in anticipation of massive crowds flocking to the Allegheny Valley borough. The golf association is in the midst of a $4.8...
Fox Chapel Area School Board has an accomplished new member
A former Los Angeles educator turned Fox Chapel resident was appointed the school district’s newest board member. Fox Chapel Area’s school directors unanimously voted at a special meeting April 29 to appoint Jessica Haselkorn to a seat left vacant by the departure of Kimberly Andrews. Andrews resigned from her Region...
