Valley News Dispatch category, Page 167
Tarentum man gets probation for 145-mph Route 28 crash that killed best friend
A Tarentum man who claimed that a heart condition caused him to pass out and hit 145 mph before he crashed his sports car on Route 28, killing his passenger, was sentenced Monday to five years of probation. Frederick Fattman, 79, could have been sentenced to incarceration, but Allegheny County...
Roof of vacant Sharpsburg duplex collapses during fire; no injuries reported
A brick duplex under renovation in Sharpsburg went up in flames Sunday evening, causing half of the building to be demolished just before midnight. “We had to tear half of it down because the roof had collapsed to the basement,” said Mike Daniher, chief of Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services....
Kiski Area School Board approves restructuring of administrative duties, positions
Kiski Area School District will be operating under a new administrative structure beginning July 1. It has some similarities to the one former Superintendent Misty Slavic proposed, but the school board rejected, in February. That proposal gave more responsibilities to certain administrators but also included salary increases ranging from 7.2%...
Highlands, PA CareerLink focus on manufacturing jobs as alternative to college
Jim Rugh knows one thing for sure: Companies like his need workers to fill manufacturing jobs. As human resources manager for Washington Township manufacturer Composidie Inc., Rugh is familiar with the challenges employers face when looking for workers. “Anything we can do to help make people more aware of the...
The Stroller, April 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. Children welcome at free annual fishing derby Concordia Lutheran Ministries in...
Kiski Area principal wins statewide award after 20 years in district
Kiski Area School District can claim another award- winning principal. Brian Swartzlander, Kiski Area Upper Elementary School principal, was named Pennsylvania’s 2024 National Distinguished Principal by the Pennsylvania Principals Association. Dan Smith, then-assistant principal of the building, won an award through the state association in 2021. Swartzlander called the experience “surreal.”...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from April 18-24, 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,...
Southern Armstrong police seek man who fled police stop
Southern Armstrong police are looking for a man who fled a police stop in Gilpin Township, Saturday night, police said. The motorist, Robert Sipe, fled from his vehicle and ran into a wooded area behind the Portage Inn when police stopped it in the area of Route 66 and Johnetta...
Building the Valley: New concept in vet care, Pets After Dark, founded by Fox Chapel couple
It’s a problem that too many pet parents are familiar with — what to do when your four-legged friend is sick or injured after office hours. “The options are either go to the emergency room and wait for hours or take a chance to get them seen the next day,”...
The Stroller, April 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. Leechburg Hall of Fame dinner set for May 19 The annual...
Community-minded Leechburg spin studio provides more than a workout
Amy Capiross-Watterson of Allegheny Township has an uncanny talent of inspiring people to do hard things. And with her only goal being to make people feel good, she has united a group of about 50 cyclists who visit her spin classes each week at Accelerate Cycle Studio in Leechburg. Capiross-Watterson,...
Longtime New Ken-Arnold School District public servant honored for ‘lifetime of service’ to the community
The Rev. Kent Commodore of Second Baptist Church in Ford City had to remind his older brother Hank several times it’s OK to be appreciated. That everything is as it should be when more than 100 people pack the dining hall of MJ’s Bar & Grille in Arnold on a...
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg grads ready to move on after covid-impacted college
Brianna Bicker of Delmont recalled how strange it was for students starting at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg campus in fall 2020, where they didn’t eat their meals in the dining room, had few people attend class in person and couldn’t gather in large groups because of the covid-19...
The Stroller, April 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. Help needed at Vandergrift Meals On Wheels Vandergrift Meals On Wheels...
Crowds pack downtown New Kensington streets for first Fridays on Fifth of the season
Fridays on Fifth launched its fourth season Friday, April 26. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. the fourth Friday of each month, April through September, along Fifth Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. The remaining dates are May 24, June 28, July 26, Aug. 23 and Sept. 27....
Motorcyclist killed in Harmar crash
Allegheny County Police detectives are investigating a fatal crash that took place Friday in Harmar. Police said a Harmar officer came upon a crash involving a vehicle and motorcycle at the intersection of Freeport Road and Alpha Drive just before 4:30 p.m. Friday. The man driving the motorcycle was pronounced...
New Kensington Camera Club’s spring photography show highlights some of area’s top floral images
Nan Belli has four photos entered in the New Kensington Camera Club’s Spring Floral Photography & Art Show this year. But after seeing the other 100-plus entries, she isn’t sure hers will place among the top three when they are voted upon by the public. “I would have a hard...
Plum firefighters schedule trainings at former borough building ahead of its demolition
Firefighters from Plum’s four volunteer departments will be using the former borough building for training exercises beginning this week and running into early June, Holiday Park fire Chief James Sims said. The first sessions at the vacant building on New Texas Road will be held from 6:30 to 10 p.m....
Washington Township stable owner avoids animal cruelty charges
A Washington Township stable owner agreed to take part in Westmoreland County’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program to avoid animal cruelty charges filed a little less than a year ago. Sandra A. Hobbs, 67, owner of Victory Stables on Camp Nancy Road, initially was charged with animal cruelty and neglect, the...
Plum equipping school buses with cameras to catch drivers passing illegally
Electronic witnesses could catch drivers illegally passing stopped school buses in Plum. The Plum School District has equipped about one-third of its vehicles with external cameras and is working toward having cameras on all of them, according to Assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers. The district placed multiple cameras on 23 buses...
New Kensington police accuse man of raping girl he knew was 14
A New Kensington man is accused of raping a girl just over a year ago when he was 18 and she was 14. New Kensington police charged Nasai Minan Parker-Hill, now 19, of New Kensington on Thursday with rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, sexual assault, indecent...
Vandergrift event regulations on hold; changes planned for fall
Vandergrift officials and business leaders say they’ll use feedback from the spring and summer festival lineup this year to tweak event regulations passed in December. As it stands, an ordinance requires event organizers to submit contact information, an event description, proof of insurance and a $500 refundable cleaning deposit. They...
Remodeled home in Natrona Heights on the market
The bold hue accented with the white railings and window frames makes this Natrona Heights home stand out. Recently painted a color called Daring Indigo from Glidden, the newly remodeled 1,241-square foot house is move-in ready and on the market for $205,000. Built in 1900, there are three bedrooms and...
Assessment appeal by Hillcrest Shopping Center’s owners to cost Burrell School District $19,000
Burrell School District will lose nearly $20,000 in tax revenue following an assessment appeal settlement with the owner of Hillcrest Shopping Center. A settlement between the school district and the owners of the shopping center nestled between the Route 56 Bypass and Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads was approved by...
Tarentum Council demands pothole fix from Norfolk Southern
Anyone who drives over the Norfolk Southern train tracks — and the adjacent potholes — in Tarentum knows it’s a bumpy ride. It might be smoothed out after council voted to press the rail lines and state officials for attention to the growing craters. Specifically, council urged repairs for the...
