Valley News Dispatch category, Page 238
2 men arrested during SWAT raid at New Kensington home
Two men who are awaiting trial on drug charges were accused of making and selling crack cocaine at a New Kensington home raided by a SWAT team Tuesday morning. Police charged the homeowner, Andrew Michael “Sly” Slywczuk, 39, of the 400 block of Charles Avenue, with two felony counts of...
Former Valley math teacher named assistant principal of Deer Lakes High School
A former Valley High School math teacher is now the assistant principal of Deer Lakes High School. Joshua Tysk started his new role today. The Deer Lakes School Board approved Tysk’s hiring at its October meeting. He will be paid $86,000. “My excitement to be a part of the Deer...
Traffic stop leads to drug charges for Arnold woman
Lower Burrell police accused a woman who had a warrant out for her arrest of dealing drugs after she was pulled over for a traffic violation and offered to let police search her vehicle. Michelle Lynn Dzugan, 45, of the 1500 block of Horne Boulevard in Arnold was charged with...
Citing supply costs, Tarentum electric rates to jump 3%-5% every year for 5 years
Electric rates in Tarentum are going up in 2024 — and likely for at least the next four years afterward — to combat supply costs that are set to double. Council voted Tuesday night to approve a new rate schedule that will increase the cost from 13 cents to 15.2...
The Stroller, Nov. 15, 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. Fall play planned by Springdale HS drama department The Springdale High...
Blawnox real estate taxes to hold, other bills to increase
Blawnox property owners should not expect to pay more in real estate taxes next year. However, their water, sewage and garbage collection bills will increase slightly. Council voted 5-0 Nov. 8 to advertise its preliminary 2024 budget of about $1.557 million. Councilwomen Meghan Kennedy and Christine Carnevali were absent. The...
Toxicologist continues testimony in Springdale injunction proceedings
A Texas-based toxicologist testified Tuesday that health complaints reported by some Springdale residents following the June implosion of two towering smokestacks at the former power plant there are consistent to exposure of materials and fibers from the implosion. But the defense attorneys for the landowner and demolition company attempted to...
Pathologist testifies Apollo woman was killed by shot to back of head at storage unit
Kelly Steele was shot execution style with one round fired from a semi-automatic pistol pressed against the back of her head, according to testimony Tuesday in the second day of her husband’s murder trial. Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers testified Steele, 41, was killed as a bullet traveled through her...
Forest Hills man gets house arrest for Plum crash that left 1 dead, 1 seriously injured
Jean Armany suffered serious injuries on June 15, 2018, when her car was broadsided by a man driving recklessly in Plum. The Shaler woman had 25 fractures that required immobilizers and surgery and her lacerated lungs required chest tubes. Her 90-year-old mother, Olga Kocon, a passenger in Armany’s car, was...
Body of missing Springdale man recovered from Allegheny River
The body of a Springdale man who had been missing since Oct. 30 was recovered Tuesday afternoon from the Allegheny River. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity of the man as Sean Michael Dugan, 58, of Springdale. His body was found in the river near Penn Hills....
Harrison mom accused of nearly killing daughter with drug-contaminated cotton balls
An 11-month-old Harrison girl nearly died this summer after chewing on cotton balls soaked with remnants of the opioids her mother had used intravenously at a Union Avenue home, police said. Now, the girl’s mother is facing charges. Lenae Elizabeth Mills, 29, noticed her daughter, whom police did not name,...
Tarentum Council approves plan change at Holy Martyrs, soon to be a fitness center
A slight change of plans by the new owners of Holy Martyrs Church in Tarentum will see the building used for indoor soccer, rather than to house weights and treadmills. Legends of Pittsburgh fitness center is expected to move from the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer to the 51-year-old church...
Washington Township business accused of starting work on parking lot addition without approval
The Washington Township supervisors postponed the approval of a parking lot addition to a business which, a neighbor says, started construction without it. Tarp America and its owner, Michael Gazzo, requested the supervisors’ approval for an unlighted 60-foot-by-60-foot parking lot expansion and signs at its location, 920 Route 380. Tarp...
Ring camera video, photo lineup help police ID Vandergrift man charged with attempted homicide
Editor’s note: Through a negotiated plea deal in November 2024, Karaffa pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The two counts of aggravated assault and the recklessly endangering another person charge were dismissed. The attempted homicide and illegal possession of a firearm charges were withdrawn. He was ordered to pay court costs,...
Freeport Area could raise taxes next year based on higher state inflation index
Freeport Area school directors will have more leeway to raise real estate taxes for 2024-25 than in the past 11 years. Brad Walker, Freeport Area’s director of finance and operations, said the district’s real estate tax inflation index calculated by the state will be 7.1% for the next school year....
The Stroller, Nov. 14, 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. Monthly Breaking Bread dinner planned at Knead Community Cafe Knead Community...
‘It’s not just everyday house dust’: Expert testifies as effort continues to halt implosion of boiler house in Springdale
A toxicologist and a safety consultant were the latest two individuals to testify in the injunction case where 16 Springdale residents are seeking to block an implosion of the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station. S. Thomas Dydek, a Texas-based toxicologist, and Jon Pina, a consultant with Evergreen...
Murder trial begins for Apollo man charged with wife’s killing
Prosecutors told a Westmoreland County jury Monday there was no mystery as to who killed an Apollo woman last year at a Lower Burrell storage facility. Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker said Alfred Keith Steele shot his estranged wife in the head with a 9 mm pistol as she leaned...
Tarentum taxes expected to remain steady, but utilities will rise
Tarentum residents likely won’t see a property tax increase in 2024 after council approved the borough’s preliminary budget Tuesday. But electric and garbage collection bills are expected to rise. Supply costs for the borough’s electrical distribution system are set to nearly double, meaning the price hike will be funneled to...
Dollar General opens in Fawn, expected to create up to 10 jobs
The Dollar General along Route 908 in Fawn is open. The store sits at the intersection of Saxonburg Road, which is a convenient drive for Harrison residents who live near the township line. Fawn Secretary/Treasurer Pam Ponsart said it appears to be popular in its first week. “There’s lots of...
Atlanta man to go to trial in Westmoreland County over accusation of car insurance fraud
A Georgia man has been ordered to stand trial in Westmoreland County Court on charges that he falsified the date of a collision by a month so he could add the crashed car to his policy and file a claim. An agent with the state Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section...
Upper Burrell eyes $1.25 million budget with no tax increase
Upper Burrell’s $1.25 million proposed budget for 2024 does not include a tax increase for residents. “We have a balanced budget,” Supervisor Mike Conley said. “There’s no tax increase. We’re holding the line.” The proposal is similar to this year’s budget, Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker said. An average township home...
The Stroller, Nov. 13, 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. Leechburg to mark 175th anniversary celebration The borough of Leechburg will...
New Amazon mini-fulfillment center in South Buffalo is first of its kind in Western Pennsylvania
Amazon has arrived in rural South Buffalo. An outdoor mini-distribution center opened in mid-October in the rear parking lot of the township professional building inside RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park. Township supervisors unanimously approved a lease agreement this fall with Amazon, permitting it to operate from the parking lot. The township...
Kiski Area High School marching band earns Class AA national title in IndianapolisVideo
Adalynn Jodon could hardly keep her feet still after getting off the bus at Kiski Area High School on Sunday evening. With a combination of excitement, fatigue, joy and relief, the trumpet playing senior stepped onto the familiar parking lot a national champion. “It feels awesome,” she said standing a...
