Valley News Dispatch category, Page 268
Tarentum, Brackenridge police consolidation talks moving forward
Legal and financial details are being ironed out for Tarentum to absorb the Brackenridge Police Department and provide coverage to both boroughs by the end of the year. “We’ve met with the state several times and had a few formal conversations among everyone involved,” Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said....
Police say Arnold couple arrested, charged in drunken fight
An Arnold woman is accused of trying to strangle her boyfriend after a drunken argument they were having turned physical, according to authorities. Moniekia D. Erdley, 37, of the 2000 block of Constitution Boulevard was charged with a felony count of strangulation along with counts of simple assault, harassment and...
Crack, meth, guns seized during raid at Vandergrift home; 2 people face felony charges
Two people are accused of being drug dealers and having illegal guns after state narcotics agents raided their home in Vandergrift early Tuesday afternoon. The suspects are Melissa Marie Lange and Ronald Gene Sconish, both 47, and living in the 400 block of Jackson Avenue. Both were charged with two...
Libraries aim to curb summer slide, keep kids engaged in literacy
Area libraries are turning the page on another year of free summer reading programs for children. The 2023 Collaborative Summer Library Program’s national slogan is “All Together Now.” Summer reading programs date back to the late 1800s, as a way to coax school-age children to utilize libraries and foster reading...
Fox Chapel Area High School robotics team named ‘grand champion’ in national competition
Fox Chapel Area High School teacher Ryan Siniawski knew his robotics students were winners. They now have the national hardware to prove it. The team of 15 students from freshmen to seniors was named the overall grand champion in the ’Burgh Bash National Championships hosted by the BotsIQ manufacturing workforce...
‘Cool Cars, Cool Dads’ offers Father’s Day fellowship at Fox Chapel church
The parking lot at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church is bound to turn a few heads on Father’ Day. Vintage vehicles will fill the lot during the annual “Cool Cars, Cool Dads” event from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. “I originated the idea as a fellowship event following worship, though now...
The Stroller, June 1, 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. Touch-a-truck event planned Saturday in Fawn Autism support group Powered By...
What to know about the implosions of the Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks
Springdale’s biggest attraction — literally — is being imploded Friday, and officials are preparing for its demise. At 8 a.m. or soon after, the two Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks in Springdale will be imploded. Local law enforcement will coordinate with the Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, the property owner; Grant...
Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer stocked with Point Park students’ discards
Dorm room trash at Point Park University has turned into treasure for the Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer. College police, tasked with clearing rooms after students leave for the summer, had a choice whether to toss leftover food, bedding and clothes into dumpsters or put the items to...
Some look back wistfully at Springdale’s towering smokestacks, others welcome implosions
Mark Mattone of Springdale still recalls when he scaled the “stacks” on a crisp fall day in October 1973. Mattone, 73, a retired electrician, worked at what was then the Duquesne Light Power Station during the 1970s. “I was asked if I was afraid of heights, and before you know...
Part of Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell reopens after water main break is fixed
A portion of Leechburg Road was closed and several Lower Burrell residents went without water Wednesday as a result of a water main break the night before. The Lower Burrell Emergency Management Agency reported via Facebook the break occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said there was damage to the...
Teen charged in New Kensington fatal shooting to be prosecuted as a juvenile
A 15-year-old boy who is one of seven people charged in connection with a fatal shooting last summer in New Kensington will be prosecuted as a juvenile. After what was described in court records as an emergency hearing, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on Tuesday transferred the...
Field fills in but remains incomplete for 6 New Kensington-Arnold School Board seats
The May primary has filled in some, but not all, of the empty ballot spots for the New Kensington-Arnold School Board. Six of the nine board seats are up for election this year — two in each of the district’s three voting regions. But only three people were on the...
Lower Burrell man accused of dragging 11-year-old down steps ordered to stand trial on assault charge
A Lower Burrell man accused of injuring his 11-year-old son by dragging him down a staircase and across a parking lot to his car has been ordered to stand trial. Richard John Acierno, 41, of the 2800 block of Edgecliff Road faces a June 15 arraignment in Westmoreland County Court...
Plum food workers reach deal
Plum Borough School District and Plum Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ reached a new four-year agreement as their current agreement, a three-year contract signed in 2020, was set to expire. “The union and district teams have worked hard over the last six months to provide a contract that balances...
Fox Chapel Police Department hosts annual bike rodeo
Fox Chapel Police Department welcomed about 90 people to its second annual Bicycle Rodeo, according to organizer Sgt. Craig Sorg. The event took place May 23 at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church along Fox Chapel Road. Families had their bicycles inspected for free by mechanics from Pro Bike+Run in Monroeville. They...
Plum board approves contract with teachers
The Plum Borough School Board voted May 30 to approve the six-year contract that the school district signed tentatively with teachers this month. The deal will extend the current contract from 2024 to 2029. “We started in the fall,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said about the negotiating process, “on the off...
The Stroller, May 31, 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. Apollo Meals on Wheels seeking volunteer help Apollo Area Meals on...
Incumbent supervisor ousted by newcomer in Allegheny Township
After a narrow win via write-in votes, Republican newcomer Jeff Pollick has defeated longtime incumbent Supervisor John Rennick “Ren” Steele in Allegheny Township. Pollick edged Democratic write-in Allegheny Township supervisor candidate Joseph Ferguson by 11 votes, clinching a win on both ballots in the primary, according to official results from...
Certified results show 3 newcomers prevailing in Kiski Township supervisor races
Political newcomers prevailed in all three races for Kiski supervisors, ousting incumbents and all but securing victories in November, according to results certified Tuesday by the Armstrong County Elections Bureau. Republican Brittany Hilliard, the woman embroiled in a social media scandal before the May primary, easily secured one of the...
Westmoreland County Elections Bureau approves write-in results
Westmoreland voters submitted 18,000 write-in votes in the May 16 primary, a county official said Tuesday. The 2023 count for candidates in county, township and borough offices — along with school boards — topped the 12,000 write-in votes that were offered in the November 2022 election, said Greg McCloskey, director...
Candy Cottage set to open in Lower Burrell
Lisa Mroziak recognizes the irony of earning a food and nutrition degree, yet managing a candy store. But the latter is always something the 55-year-old from Lower Burrell always wanted to do. “I look at it as life’s too short, and I want to do the things I want to...
The Stroller, May 30, 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. Summer concert series coming to Syria Shrine Center The free Pittsburgh...
Hempfield ceremony, Leechburg parade honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day
On a day of remembrance, services and parades took place throughout the region on a warm and sunny Monday to honor those who gave their lives in service of the country. A Memorial Day ceremony in Hempfield paid tribute to those who have fallen. In Leechburg, a Memorial Day parade...
Alle-Kiski Valley residents remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Paula Keryeski of Lower Burrell pauses when she thinks about what Memorial Day means to her. Sitting in the shade at Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell on Monday morning, she and her husband, Michael, watched as the city’s Memorial Day parade passed by. She said her father, Richard Szymkewicz,...
