Valley News Dispatch category, Page 224
Aspinwall council race features 6 candidates seeking 3 seats
The Aspinwall Council race has six candidates vying for three, four-year seats in November. Republican incumbent and current council president Tim McLaughlin and Democratic incumbents Patti McCaffrey and Heth Turnquist are joined in the political battle by Republican challengers Terry Taylor and Louis Curcio Jr. and Democrat Mark Chimel. Here...
Arson suspect heads to court; ‘not the type of person we want in the fire department’
Andrew Bischof, the former Arnold volunteer firefighter charged with arson in connection with four fires in Arnold and New Kensington earlier this month, waived his preliminary hearing Thursday morning before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. Police accuse Bischof, 21, of setting four houses on fire the weekend of Sept....
4 seeking 3 seats on Fox Chapel Council
Four candidates are vying for three open seats on Fox Chapel Council. Incumbent Betsy Monroe is on the Democratic ticket. Candidate Michael Pohl is running as a Republican. Incumbent Fred Leech and candidate Jonathan Colton earned enough votes in the spring primary to be placed on both the Democratic and...
LCB grants East Deer noise exemption for concerts at Pittsburgh Brewing plant
Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board has granted East Deer’s request for the township to enforce its own noise ordinance, as a concert venue at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. plans to open next summer. East Deer established its own noise ordinance in June and sought the exemption from the LCB because of Pittsburgh...
Walk for Hunger in Harrison to benefit local food bank efforts
A tradition more than four decades old is going strong to help the A-K Valley’s most needy. A Walk for Hunger, set for Sunday in Harrison, aims to raise money to buy boxed meals, peanut butter, pasta and other shelf-stable items for local food pantries. The walk is sponsored by...
West Deer police say woman arrested on felony charges for leaving 2 toddlers home alone
West Deer police arrested a Vandergrift woman after she told them she left her two toddlers unattended because she thought her estranged father broke into the basement to harass her. Ashley Dawn Miller, 25, of the 100 block of Custer Avenue was charged with two felony counts of endangering the...
Changes are coming to Aspinwall’s dog park
Aspinwall officials are making changes to access and regulation of the borough’s dog park. Dogs can roam free in the Aspinwall Recreation Area ball fields Nov. 1 through March 31. The infields are fenced off to limit damage to the baseball playing area. Residents and nonresidents will have to register...
The Stroller, Oct. 12, 2023: 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. 1940s USO dance planned Saturday in Tarentum The Tarentum Elks and...
Arnold hires former New Kensington police officer after charges withdrawn, expunged
It took several Arnold residents only minutes to raise questions about City Council’s approval of a new police officer hiring Tuesday. Council voted, 4-1, to hire Joseph Martino II, 35, who previously worked as a police officer in New Kensington. In October 2020, Pittsburgh police accused Martino of beating up...
Sharpsburg Sports Hall of Fame set to induct inaugural class at Linden Gym
The inaugural class of the Sharpsburg Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted later this month. A banner with the names of the inductees will be raised high into the rafters of the Linden Gym during halftime of the youth basketball game between the Sharpsburg Wolves and Caveman AAU on...
Old Mine Road in Plum to be renamed Mike Thomas Way in memory of borough manager
A Plum street that leads to the borough building, public works facility, Plum EMS and a fire station will be renamed in memory of a late borough manager. Michael Thomas, 57, was among six people who lost their lives Aug. 12 in a house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge...
Rain threat spurs move of some Willie Thrower anniversary events to Valley High School
Rain has forced a change in events planned Saturday in New Kensington for the 70th anniversary of city native Willie Thrower’s first snap as an NFL quarterback. Because of the anticipation of rain, the community day and cookout, as well as several other events scheduled to run from 11 a.m....
2nd electronic billboard approved in Tarentum
A second mega-sized electronic billboard is expected to go up in Tarentum by the end of the year. Council on Tuesday approved a request by Weleski Transfer, a longtime business on West Fourth Avenue, for a billboard 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide — similar to the one that...
Peck Yakopec, Zellers to vie for district judge seat
Vandergrift attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers and Cheryl Peck Yakopec, the incumbent judge, will again appear on the ballot for magisterial district justice in northwestern Westmoreland County. Magisterial District 10-1-04 includes Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Hyde Park, East Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Oklahoma Borough. In the May primary,...
Harmar police charge homeless man with threatening to kill officers
A homeless man is accused by Harmar police of threatening to fight and shoot officers after they responded to a disturbance call at a township hotel. David James Land, 48, was charged with terroristic threats, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Officers were dispatched to the Marriott hotel at...
The Stroller, Oct. 11, 2023: 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. Donations being accepted for holiday turkey vouchers Allegheny Valley Association of...
Fox Chapel Area High School student earns worldwide recognition for perfect AP score
Who says there’s no such thing as perfection? Anna Delale-O’Connor, a junior at Fox Chapel Area High School, recently earned a perfect score on the Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern Exam. Her score landed her in the company of only five other students globally. “I didn’t believe it at...
Allegheny Township appoints new officer in charge, hires full-time officer
There’s new leadership in the Allegheny Township Police Department. Supervisors appointed Sgt. Dan Uncapher on Monday as officer in charge, replacing Chief Duane Fisher, who ends his employment with the township Oct. 20. Fisher submitted his resignation in mid-September and recently was named police chief in Manheim Township, a Lancaster...
Arnold formalizes firing of city manager, names temporary replacement
Arnold Council approved starting a search for a new city manager Tuesday after firing its former manager and hiring a temporary replacement. Council voted 4-1 to fire Mario Bellavia, with Councilman Phil McKinley casting the only vote against. While McKinley previously said Bellavia had been fired on Sept. 20, city...
Attorney: Charges withdrawn against Springdale woman for not cutting grass since June implosion of smokestacks
The attorney for a Springdale woman who lives across from the former Cheswick Generating Station says the woman didn’t cut her grass because, if she did, it would reexpose arsenic and other toxins from the June 2 implosion of the plant’s smokestacks. Brittni Bair, 33, received two summary offenses in...
Ollie’s plans grand opening in Allegheny Township — 1st in A-K Valley
Matt Cevario of Hyde Park was ready for some bargain shopping Monday, but he’ll have to wait a few weeks. Cevario stood near the entrance to the new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, checking out the employees bustling about, in anticipation of the store’s grand opening scheduled for Oct. 25. “It’s exciting...
The Stroller, Oct. 10, 2023: 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. Masquerade ball planned in Leechburg Leechburg Area Community Association will sponsor...
Springdale man charged after police say he threatened neighbors, officers
A Springdale man faces criminal charges after, police say, he threatened to fight officers and his neighbors. William Vokes II, 23, faces three counts of terroristic threats — one of which is a felony count— and one count each of vandalism, resisting arrest, defiant trespass, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness,...
Witch-themed festival returns after successful inaugural run in Vandergrift
Witchy ways are returning with a nighttime Halloween-themed street fair in Vandergrift. The Witching Hours Night Market will take over Grant Avenue on Saturday in the business district. “This is an event you won’t forget,” said organizer and business owner Shannon Gourley of Vandergrift. Grant Street will be closed to...
Fall festival planned in Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall
Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall will host a fall festival Oct. 20. Activities include pumpkin decorating, food vendors, games, music, s’mores, inflatables, a hayride and much more. The festival is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Rides are planned for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Admission is free. Advance registration is...
