Valley News Dispatch category, Page 281
Lack of candidates marks primary for New Kensington-Arnold School Board
While voters in other communities have an overabundance of candidates from which to choose to fill school board seats, those in New Kensington and Arnold will find mostly blank ballots for the May primary. Examples of many include Plum, where 13 are vying for five seats; Highlands, where 11 are...
David Leech Elementary Color Fun Run brings fun — and funds — to Leech Elementary School
The kids might not have known running could be as much fun as it was on a rainy Saturday morning at Gilpin- Leechburg Park. More than 100 Leechburg elementary school students and adults raised money and made history as they took part in the inaugural David Leech Elementary Color Fun Run....
Wilkinsburg man wanted on parole violation taken into custody
A Wilkinsburg man accused of violence against women has been taken into custody. Laron Robinson, 33, was wanted on a probation violation involving a 2022 case where he pleaded guilty to strangulation and making terroristic threats, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Saturday. Robinson also is facing an active warrant from...
‘Living history’ unfolds during reenactors’ training session on the Kiski RiverVideo
Nine years ago, IT consultant John Stevenson brought some antique firearms into a Pittsburgh-area gun shop, where a man invited him to a Civil War reenactment. The rest, as they say, is history. Stevenson — who’s been taking part ever since in historically accurate reenactments that organizers call “living history”...
The Stroller, April 22, 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. Floral photography and art show hosted by NK Camera Club The...
Arnold couple opening The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse, a tabletop gaming store, in New Kensington
Jim and Christine Radeshak are hoping to roll a natural crit when they open their tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington. The Arnold couple will take advantage of the crowds drawn to the city’s popular Fridays on Fifth to launch The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse. They are planning a soft...
2 vying for Tarentum at-large council seat; incumbent plans write-in campaign for 3rd Ward post; other races uncontested
Voters in Tarentum might need a manual to follow candidates and which council offices they are seeking in the May primary. Residents will have their choice of two residents to represent the borough at-large. Democrat Scott Dadowski, current council president, will face newcomer Margaret “Maggie” Smith, a Republican, for the...
Leechburg church kicks off fundraiser in hopes of reviving silent bell tower
The Rev. James Arter climbed a narrow ladder several stories Wednesday to reach the bell tower at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg. As he manually rang one of the 28 bells, the melodic tone produced by the nearly 3,500-pound bell brought a smile to his face — and sent...
Blawnox Cleanup Day rescheduled
Best of Blawnox officials have postponed their Earth Day cleanup event due to inclement weather. It has been moved from April 22 to May 13. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon to beautify the borough. Registration and supply pickup begins at Blawnox Fire Station at 376 Freeport Road....
Everyday Hero program at Highlands renamed to honor late Brackenridge chief
District Judge Carolyn Bengel imparted a wise bit of advice to Highlands fifth graders during a school assembly Friday afternoon. “Dance like no one’s watching,” she told the group of preteens at the Harrison middle school. What that means, she said, is don’t seek recognition for being their best selves....
New Kensington’s Fridays on Fifth returns for 3rd season with 6 dates
Fridays on Fifth, the food truck event that has lured throngs of people to downtown New Kensington, will launch its third season this month. Returning favorites including Del Vecchio’s Sausage will be among a dozen food trucks expected for the opener April 28. Among the newcomers is Cilantro & Ajo,...
New president named to Allegheny Valley Hospital
A new president has been named to lead Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. Allegheny Health Network tapped Dr. Mark Rubino to head the campus. Rubino is the president of Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. He will maintain that responsibility as he also leads the 188-bed acute care hospital in the Natrona...
U.S. marshals arrest New Kensington bank robbery suspect in Central Pa.
A Tarentum man accused of robbing a New Kensington bank in December has been arrested, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday. The U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested Anthony Burda, 37. He was taken into custody in the Central Pennsylvania region of Cambria and Blair counties, said Melanie Jones,...
Brush fire snarls morning commute on Route 28 near RIDC Park
Southbound Route 28 traffic was slowed to a crawl Friday morning when a brush fire broke out on the wooded hillside near the RIDC Park exit in O’Hara. Haze from the fire covered the highway and traffic was reduced to a single lane headed toward Pittsburgh during the morning rush...
Some Westmoreland polling locations changed
Westmoreland County’s election board on Thursday approved location changes for in-person voting on May 16 at precincts in Irwin, Lower Burrell and Monessen. In Irwin’s third and fourth wards, the polling location will be moved from the First Presbyterian Church that is currently undergoing renovations to the First United Methodist...
The Stroller, April 21, 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. Comedy night planned May 20 to benefit women’s veteran charity A...
Fire at vacant Arnold house under investigation
A state police fire marshal is investigating a fire Thursday evening at an abandoned house in Arnold. Firefighters from Arnold, New Kensington and Lower Burrell responded to calls for a fire at 1931 Woodmont Ave. around 6:15 p.m. No injuries were reported and no utilities were on in the two-story...
Salvation Army in Brackenridge sends Love in a Backpack to Highlands students
Hugs for Highlands students in need were delivered Thursday by the Brackenridge Salvation Army in the form of granola bars, juice and bananas. Nearly 100 in all, the care packages dubbed Love in a Backpack made their way to three of the district campuses, as they do every week of...
Arnold code officer, fire company president charged with felony assault, will remain on the job
An Arnold man who works as the city’s code enforcement officer and is president of one of the city’s fire companies is accused of beating another man during a brawl outside a social club late Saturday. Albert Colelli Jr., 51, of the 200 block of Victoria Avenue was charged with...
Tarentum and Brackenridge in talks to consolidate police departments
Residents in Tarentum and Brackenridge could be covered by one police force if a potential department consolidation moves forward. Officials are eyeing a merger to enhance coverage and improve services for the combined 7,500 residents of the two towns that sit side by side along the Allegheny River. The idea...
New Kensington seeking bids for road resurfacing
New Kensington is planning to resurface parts of five roads this year. The city is seeking sealed bids for the work until 10 a.m. May 3, when they will be opened and read in the meeting room at city hall. The contract calls for milling and paving about 7,630 square...
Fox Chapel Community Safety Day moved to May 13 because of weather
A forecast of bad weather has prompted Fox Chapel School District Police to move the second-annual Community Safety Event to Saturday, May 13. The event had been scheduled for Saturday, April 22. The event will from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Aspinwall municipal parking lot, 241 Freeport Road in Aspinwall....
Arnold man sought on abuse of corpse charge arrested in New Kensington
An Arnold man police were looking for in connection with a body found in Scott Township last year was arrested Thursday morning in New Kensington, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said. Sheriff’s detectives and New Kensington police found Bradley Smith, 33, at a home on Sixth Street. He was...
Dog owners eager for new off-leash space to open at Harrison Hills Park
Amanda Trocki and her dog, Nugget, are counting the days until the new dog park opens at Harrison Hills Park in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison. “He can’t wait to make some new friends,” said Trocki, who visits regularly, waiting for the gates of the play space to be...
2 lifelong Harrison residents vying for 3rd Ward nomination
Two Harrison residents well-known throughout the community will face off for the Democratic nomination for 3rd Ward commissioner. Gary Hines and Eric Bengel, both lifelong residents, are seeking the only available four-year term on the board. No other Harrison neighborhoods have contested races. Incumbent Chuck Dizard is running unopposed in...
