Valley News Dispatch category, Page 254
Parks Township police chief exits for new post as lieutenant with regional department
A familiar face in law enforcement has returned to his roots in Gilpin. After 28 years in uniform, former Parks Township Chief John Arce reported for his first shift with the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department on July 3. Arce resigned in June, after 17 years as a full-time officer...
New Kensington-Arnold plans outdoor lounge, ‘Think Tank/Brain Space’ room at high school
New Kensington-Arnold School District is preparing an outdoor lounge area and an interactive classroom space in the high school’s planetarium for the upcoming school year. Valley Junior-Senior High School is transforming its planetarium into a “Think Tank/Brain Space” room. Funding for the new room, amounting to $30,000, was granted to...
The Stroller, July 17, 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. HOPE Center shares summer wish list The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center,...
Concrete floor crumbling under weight of newest engine at Harrison Hills VFC
The Harrison Hills Volunteer Fire Company should see improved response times, if only slightly, thanks to a new floor at its garage on Freeport Road. Installation of a concrete floor began last week because the old one was crumbling under the weight of the engines, Chief Jim Bartolovich said. “Our...
Washington Township’s top cop to retire; new chief named
The Washington Township supervisors have set the structure for a change in the police department’s leadership. Chief Scott Slagle is retiring after serving as chief for 27 years and working in the department for 33. His departure is not a surprise, though. He filed for the Deferred Retirement Option Program,...
Part-time officer to be new chief of Parks Township police department
Part-time Parks Township police Officer Kyle Lewis will be announced as chief of the department on Monday. Supervisor Chairman Greg Artman said Lewis will take over for recently departed John Arce, who left June 30 for the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department. “Kyle’s a good kid,” Artman said. “I think...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from July 6-12, 2023
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: Pup-friendly ice cream joint has tongues and tails waggin’ in Vandergrift
A beloved pet is the inspiration behind a new business venture in Vandergrift. Vandergrift native and business owner Stephanie Crooks, 40, designed the logo for her ice cream shop, Scoops on Jackson, using the likeness of her late pup, Brody, who loved to eat ice cream. “I made the logo...
Remember When: Stunt pilot with Alle-Kiski Valley ties became sensation for ‘accidental’ transatlantic flight
National Wrong Way Corrigan Day is celebrated every year on July 17. Named for Tarentum’s “adopted son,” the day commemorates the 1938 transatlantic journey of stunt pilot Douglas Corrigan, who made an unauthorized flight between Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ireland. Corrigan has ties to the Alle-Kiski Valley....
The Stroller, July 16, 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. Shiners Band to play in Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park Tarentum Summer...
Allegheny Township officials finds out how much its sewage system is worth: Not enough to interest the county
Allegheny Township supervisors wondered how much the township sewer system would be worth to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The answer, at least in their eyes, turned out to be not enough. At their July meeting, the supervisors voted unanimously to inform the county authority that any interest they...
Playground surface, tree removal on tap at Brackenridge Memorial Park
The wait was worth it for Brackenridge officials. Council last month dismissed a bid of more than $200,000 for safety improvements at Memorial Park and were able to green-light the work for half the price. The project includes removing trees and installing a new rubber surface at the fenced-in park,...
Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue provides a chance to ‘Swine and Unwind’
Everyone at a Saturday yoga fundraiser in Frazer agreed their favorite position was downward-facing hog. The exercise event, hosted by the nonprofit Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue at its 25-acre farm, featured sweet-natured sows and well-behaved boars that ambled among the participants. Dubbed “Swine and Unwind,” proceeds help feed the 11 resident...
East Deer looks to revise billboard regulations; request on 4 signs still pending
East Deer officials saw the sign. When the township commissioners met Thursday, they voted to advertise an ordinance that would revise the township’s zoning code to update its billboard regulations. The move follows a zoning hearing board meeting in June where Butler-based America First Enterprises, which does business as Oliver...
Pirates host Fields for Kids celebration with the Deer Lakes Youth Baseball Association in West Deer
A week that began at the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Seattle for Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller ended on a youth baseball field in West Deer on Saturday morning. Keller was one of three Pirates players taking part in a Pirates Charities Field for Kids celebration for the Deer...
Proposal for 3rd Dollar General in Plum sees store downsized
A proposal to build a third Dollar General has returned in Plum, with a smaller building and more parking spaces. The store still would be built on about 2 acres subdivided from a 9-acre parcel along Saltsburg Road at Clements Road, according to revised plans submitted to the borough for...
Police say baby was in home when New Kensington man arrested with guns, body armor, drugs
A New Kensington man is accused of having body armor in his apartment along with a semi-automatic pistol loaded with armor-piercing ammo, police said, and drugs that were within easy reach of his 18-month-old child. Cameron Robert Blystone, 22, of the 700 block of Carl Avenue was charged with possession...
The Stroller, July 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. Verona dental office to offer free dental care Verona Dental Care,...
Harrison police advise residents to stay alert to phone scams
Harrison police are issuing an alert to residents to be on the lookout for phone scammers. Chief Brian Turack said his officers are investigating a high-dollar fraud in which a resident was duped out of thousands. He said he could not release specific information because the case is active. “We...
‘Will lighten the community up’: Tarentum billboard raised Friday morning
The sky in Tarentum is going to get a little brighter. On Friday morning, an electronic billboard was raised on Fourth Avenue in Tarentum, next to the Tarentum Bridge. The two-sided billboard is about 90 feet tall, with its face about 14 feet high and 48 feet wide. The billboard,...
Frazer police accuse Ohio man of shoplifting $22K worth of perfume, clothing
Frazer police accused an Ohio man of stealing $22,000 worth of perfume and designer clothing from Macy’s after they arrested him in the parking lot with a garment bag altered to stop security scanners from going off at the registers. Angelo Aaron Dowdell, 25, of Warren was arrested Tuesday and...
Eagle Scout project beautifies veterans area at Lower Burrell City Hall
When Camden Seidel was younger, he would go to his mother’s office in Lower Burrell City Hall, play outside with friends and notice the nearby veterans memorial. “We would see this memorial, and it was just a monument on top of a white pile of rocks,” said Seidel, 18, of...
The Stroller, July 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. Golf outing to raise funds for Relay for Life The Armstrong...
Thieves unsuccessful in removing 1,800 pounds of stolen copper from shuttered ATI plant in Gilpin
Police are investigating two separate incidents of theft and trespassing at the shuttered ATI plant in Gilpin. Southern Armstrong Regional Police Lt. John Arce said Thursday that police were notified by ATI security around 9:45 p.m. Sunday of three people entering the locked Bagdad plant. According to police, the three...
Planning commission OKs student housing development in downtown New Kensington
A proposed downtown New Kensington student housing development took a first step toward reality by gaining approval from the city’s planning commission. The commission voted, 4-0, Tuesday to approve a plan put forth by Jake Lydick, a downtown businessman. The plan would convert three vacant Fifth Avenue properties — 713,...
