Valley News Dispatch category, Page 300
Fire guts Springdale townhouse
A Springdale townhouse was gutted by fire Saturday night, and two adjacent units sustained smoke damage as a result of the blaze, a Springdale official said. No one was reported injured in the fire at the townhouse complex along South North Street, said Bruno Moretti, emergency management coordinator for Springdale....
Building the Valley: Gourmet and bar food meet at Lock 5 Tavern in Freeport
Lock 5 Tavern, formerly the Upper Deck Sports Bar along Fifth Avenue in Freeport, might look old, but it is far from tired. Owner Matt Vogan, 40, has bumped up the pub’s offerings with gourmet bar food in a commercial building from the late 1800s only a few blocks from...
Faces of the Valley: Springdale High School musical director Anthony Martello makes theater a place where everyone feels welcome
Not too long after he learned to walk, Anthony Martello’s mother enrolled him in dance class. It was the start of something special for Martello, who discovered his passion for performance early in life. Now, as the head of the theater program at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School, he works to...
The Stroller, April 2, 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. Vaccination and microchip clinic offered by Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of...
Easter Grab n’ Go gives books to kids at Knead Community Cafe
During the few hours of clear skies on Saturday, families stopped by Knead Community Cafe in New Kensington to pick up a free lunch, coloring books, journals and other treats at the Easter Grab n’ Go. Six-year-old Hunter Karafa took a moment to sort through this bag of goodies —...
Citizen’s Police Academy resumes in Lower Burrell after pandemic hiatus
While covid prevented a lot of in-person events and regular meetings from happening for over two years, at least one has survived. On Thursday evenings at Lower Burrell City Hall, the only Citizen’s Police Academy still operating in Westmoreland County meets for two hours. The 10-week session is back this...
Fire destroys home, vacant business in Harrison
A fire destroyed a home and an empty business along River Avenue in the Natrona section of Harrison on Saturday. The blaze started at 21 River Ave. Homeowner Jeff Martinka said he was cooking home fries and went into his backyard to eat a meal. Then he turned around and...
Religion Digest, April 1, 2023
Holy Week and Easter Services Brackenridge • A community Good Friday service, “The Seven Last Words of the Cross,” will be from noon to 3 p.m. April 7 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 847 10th Ave., Brackenridge. Each word will be presented by a different local minister and accompanied by...
The Stroller, April 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. Comedy night to benefit American Cancer Society A night of comedy...
Training seminar teaches police how to handle domestic violence situations
For Harrison police Officer Colton Stebler, responding to domestic violence is an almost daily occurrence. “Sometimes it’s multiple calls a day,” said Stebler, who has spent six years in law enforcement. The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center sponsored a free training seminar on domestic violence for area law enforcement officials Friday...
Free summer lunch program in Natrona at risk of cancellation
A summer lunch program that feeds up to 20 children in Natrona Community Park is in danger of being canceled after organizers claimed there is a lack of security at the concession stand, among other liability issues. The Building Block of Natrona, a nonprofit that runs the program through a...
Burrell preps for spring musical, discovers relevance of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’
You might say “Bye Bye Birdie” is a bit like Beatlemania: a unique burst of energetic stagecraft designed to capture the essence of a musical phenomenon. In this case, it’s a musical about rock ’n’ roll superstar Conrad Birdie, who is strongly influenced by Elvis Presley. The story is based...
Swift-moving fire engulfs building in Leechburg
No injuries were reported in a swift-moving fire at a commercial structure in Leechburg on Friday. The blaze at Metco Supply Inc., 81 Kiski Ave., was reported just after 5 p.m. Leechburg Volunteer Fire Co. Chief John Foster said it took longer than he was hoping to attack the fire....
Vehicle fluid, Halloween decoration help New Kensington police track down SUV in crash
New Kensington police accused a man of crashing through a fence on Freeport Road and tearing up the yard in early November after officers tracked a fluid leak from his SUV and found a Halloween decoration from the home on the vehicle’s hood. Dillon James Lawther, 21, of the 1200...
The Stroller, March 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. Free prom gowns available April 1 at Arnold church Real Life...
Man charged in crash that caused $35K in damage to New Kensington hotel
A Gilpin man is accused of fleeing from the scene after crashing his girlfriend’s Lincoln SUV through a wall of the Quality Inn hotel in New Kensington in early February, causing $35,000 in damage. The Feb. 11 crash was the second time in less than a year that a vehicle...
Traffic restrictions to start April 10 for work on River Road in Harrison
Traffic restrictions are scheduled to start April 10 on River Road in Harrison, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced Thursday. Periodic single-lane closures are scheduled to start at 6 a.m. April 10 and are expected to end in May. Restrictions will occur between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m....
George Wolfe, Wolfie’s Pizza owner, to be honored by foundation for rock drummer he admired
One of the first things George Wolfe said to Hannah Isenberg was that he was not a “total weirdo.” Each already had heard of the other. Isenberg knew Wolfe was a big fan of the Canadian rock band Rush; Wolfe knew Isenberg was a niece of the band’s legendary drummer,...
Former Washington Township man accused of trying to rip off Richland family by posing as wealthy homebuyer arrested in Rhode Island
A former Alle-Kiski Valley man accused of posing as a wealthy homebuyer to scam a Richland Township family who agreed to sell their home and other property to him for $5.1 million was arrested in Rhode Island on Friday, according to authorities. Timothy Paul Bierly, 27, who previously lived along...
Plum church among those serving fish and fellowship on Good Friday
Every Friday in Lent is Good Friday for parishioner Faith Sisk at Our Lady of Joy in Plum. She is one of many members of Holy Family Parish who volunteer their time at fish fries each year. “We’re very blessed to have these volunteers, and people just want to give...
The Stroller, March 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. Spaghetti dinner benefit planned Saturday at Marconi Club A spaghetti dinner...
No injuries in Lower Burrell warehouse fire
Firefighters responded to a fire Wednesday night at a warehouse in Lower Burrell. Lower Burrell Fire Company No. 1 led the response by multiple fire departments just before 9:30 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher. The dispatcher identified the business in the 300 block of Greensburg Road as...
On 50th anniversary of Vietnam War’s end, veterans remember those who didn’t come home
March 29, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of the last U.S. troops leaving Vietnam, ending combat operations in what Americans know as the Vietnam War. But it’s the names — the 58,000 or so of them etched into black stone on a wall in Washington, D.C. — that linger in...
Bridge over Kiski River renamed after North Vandergrift baseball legend
A bridge spanning the Kiski River and connecting Vandergrift to Parks Township finally bears the name of a local hometown sports hero. After nearly 10 years of petitioning, the Vandergrift Bridge is now the Rudy Minarcin Memorial Bridge. “I had no idea my dad had such an impact on people,”...
The Stroller, March 29, 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. First star parties of the season planned at West Deer park...
