Valley News Dispatch category, Page 318
Police say Saxonburg man used Christmas tree in assault on woman
An argument near Saxonburg led to a blow delivered with a Christmas tree, according to state police. Michael Bandi, 35, of Saxonburg, is charged with harassment and simple assault in the altercation reported at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday on Oak Leaf Drive in Jefferson Township. Police say Bandi had an argument...
Missing Armstrong County teen found safe at friend’s house, police say
A missing Armstrong County teenager was found “safe and sound” Friday morning, Manor police Chief Chris Robbins said. The teen, 13, of East Franklin was at a friend’s house in West Kittanning and had spent the night there, Robbins said. The teen had last been seen about 4 p.m. Thursday...
New Kensington man faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal child porn charges
A New Kensington man could spend decades in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to distributing child pornography, authorities announced. Robert Pacek, 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Dec. 6, to seven counts of distributing images of children being sexually abused using a website on the Tor network, according to a...
Plum police detective becomes department’s first public information officer
A Plum detective has been named the police department’s first public information officer. Joseph Little took the weeklong FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association class in Pleasant Hills to take on the role. “I provide the community with the most accurate, up-to-date information,” he said. “As you would imagine, during...
Vandergrift man accused of slapping 3-year-old in face so hard it left a hand-shaped welt
Vandergrift police accused a man of repeatedly slapping a toddler in the face so hard that it left a handprint and a bruised and swollen welt. Timothy John Turner, 47, of Franklin Avenue in Vandergrift, was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault of a child under the age...
No tax increase planned in Gilpin
Gilpin residents won’t see a township property tax increase next year. The tax rate is expected to remain at 11 mills. Township supervisors recently approved their preliminary 2023 budget, which includes $810,300 in projected revenues. “Far too long has the Public Works Department and its equipment been put on the...
Meet Charlie: Highlands School District’s first-ever therapy dog
Trotting through the halls at Highlands Middle School in Harrison, an 8-month-old Labrador retriever is the district’s newest tool to help improve student success. The puppy, Charlie, will be tasked with more than looking cute. “He will increase the overall well-being for students,” said the dog’s owner, Principal Becky Bragan....
New Kensington-Arnold fires security guard accused of assaulting 5-year-old student
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board fired a security guard who had been accused of assaulting a 5-year-old elementary school student last year. Lori Ann Waltonbaugh, 59, of Greensburg entered a negotiated guilty plea Sept. 29 to a charge of recklessly endangering another person, according to court records. She was sentenced...
Holiday happenings in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Santa Claus and his helpers will be visiting many locations in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Here is a list for you to check twice: Allegheny Township Photos with Santa will be from 10 a.m. to noon at Taco Bell, Route 56. The first 150 children 10 and younger will receive a...
The Stroller, Dec. 8, 2022: 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. Springdale students to present, ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ The Springdale Jr.-Sr....
O’Hara adds social worker to provide residents another service
A new social worker in O’Hara is helping residents access to mental health and other services. Jalen Byrd began working in the township about a month ago. So far, he has helped homeless people with temporary housing, assisted with several referrals from the police department and township administration and been...
Imprisonment by the Nazis could not stop Freeport’s Rod Chapman, who died Sunday at the age of 101
Freeport icon and World War II hero Joseph Rodney “Rod” Chapman, 101, died of natural causes on Sunday, Dec. 4. In addition to his military duties, Chapman was a Freeport area historian, author and a mail carrier then the chief clerk at the borough’s post office for 35 years. Federal...
Medical examiner IDs missing Frazer woman
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Wednesday identified the remains of a woman found in a wooded area in Armstrong County as those of Darlene Harbison of Frazer. The identification comes after Allegheny County Police on Monday reported that a license plate number on a motorcycle that was found and...
Plum police, Rotary Club present donations to Meals on Wheels
Some fuzzy faces in Plum’s police department are helping making Christmas brighter for people getting help from Meals on Wheels. Police Chief Lanny Conley presented a $1,340 check Tuesday to Samantha Lamorte, manager of the Meals on Wheels program at the Plum Community Center. The money came from the department’s...
Allegheny Township man suffered head, back injuries when struck by tree limb
An Allegheny Township man was injured when part of a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon, according to authorities. Police Chief Duane Fisher said the 69-year-old man, who police did not identify, was helping a neighbor trim tree limbs at a home in the 100 block of Lynn Lane at...
Allegheny Township’s proposed budget includes no tax increase
Allegheny Township residents won’t see a property tax increase next year. The 2023 proposed budget includes a general fund budget of $4.27 million, according to the budget presentation by township Manager Greg Primm. The tax rate will remain at 13.35 mills. “I’m pleased that for the 13th consecutive year our...
Gatto’s eyes former Brackenridge fire hall for storage facility
A former fire hall along Morgan Street in Brackenridge could become a storage facility for Gatto’s Cycle Shop. Owner George Gatto hopes to purchase the building at 922 Morgan St. to store cars. He said a boat also would be kept there in the winter. “We don’t have room for...
No tax increase expected in Springdale Township’s 2023 budget
No tax increase is anticipated in Springdale Township’s 2023 budget despite an increase in expenditures. The roughly $1.2 million proposed budget, with taxes to remain at 6.5 mills, marks a 30.4% increase over the 2020 budget, which came in at $907,000. But that increase might seem misleading, as a large...
Frazer approves budget with 40% tax increase
Frazer property owners can expect a 40% tax hike next year after supervisors unanimously approved the 2023 township budget Tuesday. The $1.3 million budget calls for a property tax increase from 2.5 mills to 3.5 mills, which officials have said is necessary to bolster the police department and to cover...
Tarentum investigating after falling victim to online scam for nearly $140,000
Tarentum police are trying to figure out how someone managed to swindle nearly $140,000 from the borough in an online phishing scheme. Manager Dwight Boddorf said an investigation is underway after the borough was the victim of theft through email spoofing. Details of the theft were not released as the...
The Stroller, Dec. 7, 2022: 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. Church youth group to host parents night out The youth group...
Student-run credit union opens at Kiski Area High School
An on-campus credit union is open at Kiski Area High School in Allegheny Township. The Kiski Area Cash Stash, run by students, opened Monday. In partnership with Pheple Federal Credit Union, the credit union is a fully functioning branch office, staffed by three high school students. It’s the first on-campus,...
New Castle native prepares to enter the cage at Bellator MMA event
He may train in Florida these days, but at Bellator 289 on Friday night, it will be Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia when Western Pennsylvania native Dalton “Hercules” Rosta takes on Philly middleweight Anthony Adams in a mid-card fight. “I always watched UFC growing up — Brock Lesnar, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz,...
Felony charges dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s guilty plea
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault of three juveniles after prosecutors dismissed more serious felony charges. Lawrence William Barber, 67, was charged in January with multiple counts of child endangerment, corruption of minors, indecent assault and terroristic threats in connection with claims that he engaged in...
The Stroller, Dec. 6, 2022: 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. Live Nativity to be presented at Concordia Lutheran Ministries Concordia Lutheran...
