Valley News Dispatch category, Page 179

Before she knew what she’d do with a vacant storefront on East Fourth Avenue in Tarentum, Melanie Malone found herself signing the rental contract. “I was browsing Facebook and thought, ‘What a neat space,’ ” she said. “I really needed to have that space, but I didn’t know what to...

Voting to begin in library quilt show Community Library of Allegheny Valley will host its 26th annual Quilt Show Thursday to March 2 online and in person at the library, 1522 Broadview Blvd., Natrona Heights. Entries will be accepted through Wednesday and voting will begin Thursday at the library. There...

The owner of a shuttered Rite Aid in New Kensington is looking to find a new tenant for the building or sell it for $2.5 million. The building’s private owner will take whichever offer is most attractive, said Ian Dupre, an adviser with SVN Three Rivers Commercial Advisors. The lease...

A few small pieces of metal can send a family on a lifelong journey of adventure and accomplishment. Such is the case for Ryan Bodick, a 2015 Burrell High School grad and Springdale resident. Bodick grew up with his father, Joe Bodick, in Lower Burrell. When he was about 6...

Thanks to Gerald McGinnis, millions of people across the world can breathe easier. The international businessman and founder of Respironics, which created the first machine to treat sleep apnea, died Thursday. He was 89. McGinnis was born in 1934 in Ottawa, Ill. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering...

Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said his officers routinely leave a call feeling like they could do more to help children after a traumatic incident. A program instituted by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit has helped to fill the gap, better connecting police with school officials. “Whether grandpa fell or the...

Plum’s largest taxpayer has reached a tentative deal that would end assessment appeals and an application by the nonprofit retirement community to be declared tax exempt on 60 acres it owns in the borough, officials said. In the first year of the eight-year deal, Plum’s Longwood at Oakmont would pay...

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. DL Middle schoolers to present ‘Oliver! Jr.’ The Deer Lakes Drama...

As the fate of the boiler house at the former power plant in Springdale is hung up in the courts, crews continue to take down other buildings at the site. “Generally speaking, we’ve been making progress on some of the other buildings throughout the site,” said Scott Reschly, vice president...

A woman who worked as a registered nurse at Longwood at Oakmont in Plum is accused of forging another nurse’s signature on a prescription for morphine cream. The state Attorney General’s Office charged Kimberly C. Graves, 58, of Penn Hills with a felony count of prohibited acts and misdemeanor charges...

A section of Nelson Road in Bell Township will close starting Monday as PennDOT crews address deteriorating slide conditions. Nelson will be closed between Route 380 and Whitesell Street. There is currently no reopening date, and PennDOT officials are awaiting approval to announce an official detour route. Drivers can check...

A Springdale woman pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with the death of her 5-year-old daughter in June. Samantha Allison McMunn, 34, of the 40 block of Duquesne Court pleaded guilty to a felony count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her daughter, Diem McMunn-Gereshenski, according to court records. Springdale...

Kiski Area East Primary School in Vandergrift was locked down Friday while police conduct a manhunt in the area. The school went into lockdown early Friday before the school day began as police searched the nearby area for a driver who crashed and fled from a stolen vehicle. What started...

Some ATI retirees fear they’ve lost a pension guarantee after recent changes by the specialty metals company. ATI purchased group annuity contracts from New York-based Athene Annuity and Life Co. and Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Co., transferring about 85% of its U.S.-qualified defined-benefit pension plan obligations, ATI spokeswoman Natalie...

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. Drive-thru Valentine meal to benefit Peoples Library Peoples Library will sponsor...

When students begin the semester in one of Mandy Harrison’s family and consumer science courses at Springdale High School, they don’t know much about home economics or kitchen skills. Some aren’t sure which pots or pans to use to make a certain food. Others don’t know how to prep the...

Two other people involved in a traffic stop during which a New Kensington police officer was hurt have been charged. Lanai Rashawn Thrower, 25, of New Kensington arrived at the scene of the Jan. 13 traffic stop on Freeport Road and Elizabeth Street, according to police. She has been arraigned...

Authorities identified an Apollo man as the victim in a Wednesday morning crash in Harmar. According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, Richard C. Bailey, 65, died just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. His car crashed into a creek near Gulf Lab Road and Anchor Drive in Harmar. It’s unclear...

Linda Merle of Arnold visits Oakmont often for medical appointments with her dogs, Mopsy and Nixon, in tow. Within the borough, dogs must be leashed and are not permitted to run at large. A proposed outdoor dog recreation site called Chateau Beach Dog Park would provide an unleashed area for...

One of about two dozen guns stolen from a New Kensington gun store was recovered when four young men were arrested Wednesday in Homestead, according to court records. All four men arrested were illegally carrying loaded 9 mm handguns, Homestead police said in criminal complaints. Only one of the guns...

West Deer’s draft zoning ordinance isn’t necessarily going all the way back to the drawing board, but it will undergo some more editing. The township held a public hearing on the draft last week. Supervisors did not vote on the proposal. “Based in part on some of the comments that...

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. Evening of music to benefit Leechburg Pink Day The Leechburg Marconi...

After eight years, Leechburg Area School District is getting new leadership, albeit in a temporary role. The school board voted 6-3 Wednesday to hire Peter Emery D’Arcangelo as acting superintendent. He will temporarily replace Superintendent Tiffany Nix, who will be leaving for Penn-Trafford early next month. D’Arcangelo served as superintendent...

Mayors in two Westmoreland County communities said demolition of dozens of dilapidated structures has improved the health and safety of local residents and set the stage for revitalization efforts in their cities. “It means we have reduced crime and reduced costs all around. It allows the concept of a reset...

Federal investigators say they’ve arrested four men who may be connected to the theft of about two dozen firearms from a New Kensington gun shop. TribLive news partner WTAE first reported the suspects in the burglary were taken into custody Wednesday after police stopped an Audi at the intersection of...