Valley News Dispatch category, Page 296

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 seeks support for program The HOPE Center is seeking...

Springdale officials don’t anticipate any tax increase in 2023, even if their proposed budget shows higher expenses than this year. Springdale’s $2.8 million proposed budget marks an increase of about 17% over the $2.4 million budget in 2022. “(The increase) was because they want to do waterline projects and get...

Aspinwall officials plan no tax increases in 2023. Budget documents indicate the property tax rate will remain at 6.86 mills. Council unanimously voted Nov. 9 to advertise its 2023 preliminary budget. “Everything’s pretty much status quo this year,” borough Manager Melissa O’Maley said. She noted there were no significant challenges...

West Deer officials have not proposed a tax increase in their roughly $9.2 million budget, said township Manager Daniel Mator. “It is just a product of a board of supervisors and a municipal staff understanding the finances of the township, being able to project future expenditures and to plan accordingly,”...

Amy and Jim Beninati raised their twins, Carly and Nathaniel, to value education. “We always thought it was important to do museums and science centers,” Amy Beninati said. “Play activities revolved around learning experiences in a fun way. They always enjoyed it, too. They seemed to have an affinity for...

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-Brackenridge Christmas parade scheduled Saturday The Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas parade will begin...

In 1971, the Kiskiminetas River was declared the most polluted river in the United States. Orange and yellow seepage from abandoned coal mines dotted the riverside where tributaries met the river. Various forms of wastewater also were predominant. A 1980 study done by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s predecessor...

Portions of Route 356 reopened to motorists Tuesday evening in Allegheny Township. Allegheny Township Supervisor Jamie Morabito confirmed the reopening about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The road is open in both directions. He said the road will remain open until PennDOT resumes construction in the spring. It’s estimated the road will...

A ramp closure on northbound Route 28 in Frazer Township is planned for Wednesday, weather permitting. PennDOT officials said it is scheduled for 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. for concrete patching on the Pittsburgh Mills Boulevard on-ramp (Exit 12A). Ramp traffic will be detoured. The detour is as follows: •...

A house in Buffalo Township sustained significant damage after a fire broke out on Tuesday morning. Multiple departments responded to the fire in the 500 block of Fleming Road at about 8:15 a.m., according to an Armstrong County 911 operator. There were no injuries reported, according to authorities. First responders...

A Leechburg native is the newest face serving on Leechburg Council. Doreen Smeal was unanimously appointed to council Oct. 18 after the resignation of former Councilwoman Ruth Bender. Bender of Leechburg served almost three years and cited a hectic schedule for the reason for her departure from council. “Personally and...

Demand for office suites at the near-century-old Murphy Building in Tarentum is outpacing available space. The large corner building that sat vacant for eight years is breathing new life into the borough’s business district, with offices on the first floor rented at capacity. Owner Dave Rankin has kicked off a...

Harrison police are seeking information on a person caught on camera entering and stealing from unlocked vehicles in the township. A handgun was among the items stolen, according to police. The suspect was captured by residential security cameras early Sunday ransacking cars along Saxonburg Road, High Street and Jefferson Avenue....

Vandergrift native Bobbie Morda opened her dream jewelry store 34 years ago with a handful of necklaces and six engagement rings. Her store, Bobbie’s Jewelers, occupies a former barbershop at 173 Columbia Ave. in Vandergrift’s historic business district. “This comes from blood, sweat and tears. This was not turnkey,” Morda...

After a nine-month setback, development plans for a new senior citizen residential complex have resumed in East Vandergrift, Westmoreland County. The Morning Sun Senior Lofts project was awarded a $1.2 million grant this month from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and $1.3 million in low-income tax credits. The low-income...

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. Basket bingo event to benefit Penn State THON Students at Penn...

A Springdale Township man who has been missing since Sunday was found Monday night, police said. Gerald Zilka, 70, was found near the Fox Chapel exit of Route 28, according to Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department chief Mike Naviglia. Zilka’s wife and daughter reported him missing after Zilka told his...

Despite rising costs, New Kensington is expecting to hold the line on property taxes next year. City Council preliminary approved a $9.2 million budget for 2023 that keeps the city’s property tax rate unchanged at 32.03 mills. The city would spend almost 9% more than its $8.5 million budget for...

Gilpin officials are seeking additional public participation at an upcoming zoning ordinance update meeting. An in-person zoning meeting is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Gilpin Township Volunteer Fire Department, 113 Fire Hall Road. Gilpin Supervisor Charles Stull said the informal meeting is open-house style, and...

Rich Bogaty wasn’t thinking about getting back into coaching when a little boredom started nipping at his heels a couple of years after retiring as a biology teacher. So when the Plum native was recruited to fill a vacancy as Highland’s head cross country coach in 2019, he had to...

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. Saxonburg woman’s club to place wreaths on vets’ headstones GFWC Saxonburg...

By spring, Highlands students will have roving access to health and hygiene supplies, clothes and classroom items to help increase their chances of success in school. The Mobile Support Station will be paid for through a $270,000 state grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency School Safety and...

Nearly 200 Highlands students will be extra toasty this winter thanks to a warm-clothes collection hosted by the school district community. Parent Christina Faltot spearheaded the Winter Ready Rams drive for the third consecutive year, bringing in coats, hats, scarves and gloves to help students in need. Faltot of Harrison...

The Leechburg Area School Board is getting serious about real estate tax scofflaws. Officials say Leechburg Area is due $900,000 from unpaid taxes. On Wednesday night, the board heard from representatives of three firms that go after property owners who owe back taxes. • Jared McClay of Muni­cipal Revenue Services...

A mixed-use development off Route 28 in Harrison is expected to move forward in the spring after several years sitting dormant. Brian Clark, consultant for R&Z Harrison Properties, said site work and infrastructure are scheduled to begin on Harrison Point, a 162-acre development near the Tarentum interchange of the expressway...