Valley News Dispatch category, Page 260
Springdale Township man faces drug charges after traffic stop
A Springdale Township man faces charges after more than 4 ounces of marijuana was found in his car during a traffic stop in Westmoreland County, police say. Demitri Lee Fritch, 20, of Springdale Township was charged with intent to distribute drugs, two counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance...
Building the Valley: Family atmosphere key to success at Tarentum’s Magic Shears Styling Salon
Since opening in 1988, Magic Shears Styling Salon in Tarentum has been like home to clients from the Alle-Kiski Valley. That’s because through 35 years of owning the business, the Altfather/DeVita family has treated clients as family members. And it’s that menality that has kept the doors revolving. It helps...
Remember When: Balloonist looking to be country’s 1st airmail pilot crashes in Tarentum
The first attempt to deliver mail by air in Western Pennsylvania occurred in 1840, about 63 years before the Wright Brothers made their first flight. Richard Clayton, a balloonist, took off from an amphitheater in Allegheny Town, now the North Side area of Pittsburgh, on May 4, 1840, to carry...
Indiana Township boy is youngest recipient of Boy Scouts of America’s prestigious Meritorious Action Award
An Indiana Township boy received a rare honor when the Boy Scouts of America’s Laurel Highlands Council convened for its annual meeting June 13. Cameron Aziz, 8, a member of Cub Scouts Pack 381, received the organization’s national Meritorious Action Award for saving his 9-month-old brother, Cyrus, from choking in...
The Stroller, June 25, 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. Tarentum concert to feature Murphy’s Music Center Band Tarentum Summer Concert...
Plum woman accused of texting and driving before hit-and-run with house
Police said a Plum woman was texting while driving, causing her to lose control of her car and crash into a home. Natalie Mains, 24, was charged with misdemeanor accident involving damage to property and four other traffic charges, including reckless driving, stemming from an incident June 17. A preliminary...
Rachel Carson Trail serves up adversity, accomplishment
Overcast skies were a welcome sight for the hundreds of hikers who braved the Rachel Carson Trail on Saturday. It kept the brutal sun from beating down on folks traversing the physically demanding 36-mile stretch between Harrison Hills Park and North Park. But the occasional rain meant some paths on...
Diocese of Pittsburgh welcomes salesman, butcher, pilgrim into priesthood
A salesman, a butcher and a pilgrim — three men who chose to exit the secular world and don the priest’s collar. On Saturday, a morning Mass marked the ordination into the priesthood of Daniel James D’Antonio, Thomas Glynn Kadlick and Jacob Henry Gruber at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s...
Summer festival returns after 17-year hiatus in Allegheny Township
After a 17-year absence, Allegheny Township Community Day returned Saturday on the grounds of Kiski Area High School. Held as a partnership between the township and Kiski Area School District, the day featured, food, live bands, games and visits by police, fire and other emergency vehicles for kids to explore....
Colorful turnout for Vandergrift PRIDE festival
Saturday’s mix of rain and sun was a perfect recipe for a rainbow and visitors to Vandergrift’s first PRIDE in the Park festival made sure there were many to see. Supporters of the LGBTQ+ community wore rainbow-themed clothes and even had PRIDE-themed desserts to enjoy at Kennedy Park. Shannon Gourley,...
Oakmont man accused of biting, choking, trying to drown woman
Police accused an Oakmont man of biting, choking and trying to drown a woman in a kitchen sink. Oakmont police charged Dylan Dempsey, 24, of the 700 block of Allegheny Avenue with felony strangulation, terroristic threats, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and two misdemeanor counts of possessing marijuana in...
The Stroller, June 24, 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. Volunteers needed to aid seniors Open Your Heart to a Senior...
Automated service takes the place of garbage collectors July 1 in Tarentum
Tarentum residents will say goodbye to their garbage collectors on July 1, when Waste Management rolls out its automated collection system, all but eliminating any personal service that previously was part of the contract. The biggest difference for residents: no more unlimited trash pickup and only one garbage can per...
Building renovations drive Kiski Area tax increase
Kiski Area School District residents will pay more in real estate taxes for the 2023-24 school year. The board voted 8-0 to raise taxes by 5.37 mills, a 5.7% increase, for the district’s Westmoreland County communities and 2.19 mills, a 5.1% increase, for Parks Township, the district’s only Armstrong County...
Religious items from closed Guardian Angels Parish find new home — across the globe
Two ornate altars that graced St. Ladislaus Church in Natrona for more than 100 years will be used again for prayer — across the globe on the South Pacific island of Tonga. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Nukualofa acquired the cream-colored altars, a baptismal font,...
Holiday Park VFD summer camp teaches youth about safety, emergency response skills
Youth from across Allegheny and Westmoreland counties learned a bit about what it takes to be a firefighter as part of a Plum summer camp. Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department hosted its annual camp June 19-23. Activities included cadets learning from firefighters on how to handle various scenarios at the...
Aspinwall Democrat earns enough write-ins to be on Republican ballot in November
An Aspinwall Democrat who lost his bid for a party nomination for a council seat in November earned enough write-in votes to be on the Republican ticket, according to returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Lou Curcio Jr. came in fourth in a five-person race for the Democratic nod...
Medical examiner: Remains found in Sharpsburg might be part of burial ground
Skeletal remains uncovered this week in Sharpsburg are human, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday. The remains were found by a utility crew earlier in the week while working on private property along Short Canal Street. The Medical Examiner’s Office said it is continuing its investigation of the...
Suspect identified with help of DNA pleads guilty in Lower Burrell robbery
An Allegheny County man was ordered to serve up to five years in prison for the armed robbery of a beer distributor in Lower Burrell. Blair Adam Payne, 29, of Mt. Oliver pleaded guilty to robbery, theft and receiving stolen property in connection with a heist police said was solved...
Pittsburgh Roller Derby hosting tournament in Harmar
When Heather Groll was 12 years old she made sure to do all of her homework after school, especially on Wednesdays. “If my sister and I finished our homework, our dad would take us roller skating,” said Groll, of those times at Roll R Skate in Canonsburg. “We would meet...
Harmar elevates part-time officer, bringing police force to 9 full-timers
Harmar supervisors expanded the township’s police department to nine full-time officers by elevating part-time Officer Erik Brannock to full-time status. Township officials said Brannock has been employed by the township as a part-timer for about seven months. Brannock will earn the starting salary of $57,676. Supervisor Bob Exler said Brannock’s...
Tarentum Bridge restrictions to continue next week
PennDOT announced that single-lane restrictions will continue next week on the Tarentum Bridge. Restrictions will include: Monday: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., westbound and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastbound for concrete patching. Tuesday: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. westbound for concrete patching. Wednesday and Thursday: 12:01 a.m. Wednesday through...
2 face drug charges after Allegheny Township traffic stop
A New Kensington man and a Harrison woman are facing drug charges after a traffic stop. According to court records, Allegheny Township police charged Michael Luffey, 38, of the 1500 block of Leishman Avenue, with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, misbranding a controlled substance, possessing drugs and...
Police charge man in connection with work not completed at Lower Burrell gas station
Lower Burrell police charged a Findlay Township man with theft of services because the owner of a city gas station said contracted work was not completed. Gregory Alan Scott, 33, of the Clinton section of Findlay Township was charged with two felony counts of deceptive business practices and theft by...
$52 million Highlands budget includes no tax increase for residents
Highlands School Board Vice President Nicole Kocon said the district’s conservative budgeting combined with growing local revenue has helped hold taxes steady for the 2023-24 school year. The board approved the $52 million budget, maintaining the property tax rate of 25.13 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000...
