Valley News Dispatch category, Page 355
Tarentum park to be off-limits while crews remove giant tree
The playground at Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum might need to close for at least a day or two while crews work in the coming weeks to remove a towering tree from the perimeter. Council on Tuesday approved the project after talking about the damage caused by a fallen branch...
West Leechburg, Gilpin, Leechburg, Parks fire departments to hold gun bash
Four local fire departments are coming together to raise funds by throwing a community gun bash. Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company, West Leechburg Volunteer Fire Department, Gilpin Volunteer Fire Department and Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department will hold a “Kiski Valley ’80s Beach Bash” on Saturday at the West Leechburg Fire...
New officer, police secretary hired in Kiski Township
Kiski Township continued rebuilding its police department by hiring a new part-time officer and a police secretary. Supervisors approved hiring Anthony Mangee as a part-time officer at a starting rate of $21.25 per hour. Also hired was Bethany Allera to serve as a police clerk two days per week. The...
Italian festival returning to New Kensington; Vandergrift Festa canceled
One Italian festival is returning to the Alle-Kiski Valley, while another has been canceled, possibly for good. The 41st annual Festa Italiana will be held Friday and Saturday at Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in New Kensington. The festa, not held since 2019, was replaced by drive-thru lasagna dinners...
The Stroller, Aug. 4, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Western Pa. toy run to benefit children’s charities The 33rd annual Western...
Scare tactics: Vandergrift man key figure in Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest
Nick Kardos of Vandergrift gets paid to be creepy. Kardos, 31, was inspired by horror classics including “Night of the Living Dead” and experienced a creative drive as a youngster growing up in Oklahoma Borough. He has worked seasonally for 13 years as a special effects supervisor and as a...
Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum serves free lunches for kids
Jayson Ankney of Tarentum said the free lunch served Tuesday at Central Presbyterian Church was worth the walk from his house at the top of the hill. A sixth grader in the Highlands School District, Jayson gobbled up the pancake bites and home fries doled out in the church basement...
Tarentum hires Stowe Township secretary as borough manager
Tarentum has a new borough manager. Council hired Dwight Boddorf of Bellevue on Tuesday. His start date is Sept. 1. Boddorf currently is the secretary of Stowe Township. He could not immediately be reached for comment. Boddorf will be paid $89,000. Council member Lou Ann Homa said she is eager...
Kiski Township motorcycle crash claims 2nd victim
The wife of a man killed in a Kiski Township motorcycle crash July 3 also has died from injuries related to the wreck. The victim was identified as Kimberly Stasko, 64, of Indiana, according to the Armstrong County Coroner’s Office. Stasko’s husband, Anthony D. Stasko, 58, was pronounced dead at...
Remember When: Rodgers Field in O’Hara was region’s first airport
While the multibillion-dollar renovation is ongoing at Pittsburgh International Airport, it might be a good time to recall the first airport serving the Pittsburgh region. Rodgers Field, an airstrip at the present site of Fox Chapel Area High School in O’Hara, began operations in 1925. The airfield was named after...
Allegheny Valley artists celebrate ‘New Beginnings’ in Tarentum gallery show
The Allegheny Valley League of Artists will celebrate “New Beginnings” with an exhibition by that name in the Manos Gallery in Tarentum. “We’re just getting back underway after the pandemic, so the name is apropos for the times,” said Patti Giordano of Lower Burrell, the league’s president. “New Beginnings” will...
The Stroller, Aug. 3, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Vandergrift PD to collect school supplies The Vandergrift Police Department is collecting...
Springdale Township approves replacing outdated water meters
Remote-read water meters are replacing obsolete models throughout Springdale Township under a program approved by the commissioners. The replacement program will cost the township between $260,000 and $320,000, with financing spread over a 10-year period, according to Rich Lenhart of Senate Engineering, the township engineer. Tim Basilone, the commissioners vice...
Bellevue man wanted by several towns accusing him of shoplifting, accused of stealing nearly $12k in Frazer alone
Multiple warrants are out for the arrest of a Bellevue man accused of helping to shoplift nearly $12,000 worth of merchandise from the Walmart in Frazer last year. Police are looking for 46-year-old John Gehlert, who faces 32 felony charges of retail theft and conspiracy in retail theft. Police said...
$384 million in state money could expand pre-K programs across the region
Pre-K classes soon could be available at more schools throughout Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Several schools and child care centers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties were chosen to receive part of more than $384 million Gov. Tom Wolf is aiming at early childhood education in the state. Among them are...
Arnold suspect arrested and charged in Fox Chapel burglary
An Arnold man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly participating in the burglary of Fox Chapel home last month in which a gold bar, jewelry worth thousands of dollars, an engraved wedding bank and three Rolex watches were stolen, Allegheny County Police said. Zachary Zeise, 27, was arrested in Cheswick by...
Household hazardous chemical collection set for Aug. 20 at Boyce Park
Any state resident can take their household chemicals to Boyce Park’s ski lodge parking lot for disposal from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 20. Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) and Allegheny County Health Department are hosting collection events where residents can dispose of cleaners, paints, stains, varnishes, batteries, motor oil...
Want to buy a funeral home? Krynicki’s in Harrison up for grabs for $449,000
A former funeral home is on the market in Harrison. The Krynicki Funeral Home at 1007 Freeport Road is listed for $449,000 by Howard Hanna Realty. Mark Camp, 65, has lived next door to the funeral home since 1982. He said life next to a business that deals with death...
Argonne Drive in Harrison reopens ahead of schedule
Argonne Drive in Harrison has reopened to traffic after being shut down in early July. The busy road connects Freeport Road near Highlands Middle School to Ash Street near the railroad tracks in Natrona. Work finished up earlier than expected — the road was scheduled to be off-limits until September....
Busy Harrison intersection eyed for safety upgrades
The Harrison commissioners are eyeing major safety upgrades for a busy Freeport Road intersection. Township Manager John Pallone will apply for $2 million in the coming weeks through the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund to redo the five-way intersection of Freeport and Springhill roads and Broadview Boulevard near the Harrison Hi-Rise....
The Stroller, Aug. 2, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Fort Armstrong Folk Festival to arrive in Kittanning The 50th Annual Fort...
Volunteer caretakers of centuries-old Western Pa. cemeteries have lonely jobs
Standing among weathered gray stones and freshly cut grass, it can be difficult to fathom the decades of choked-backed tears and carefully placed flowers once present in some of the quietest parts of Western Pennsylvania. The region is home to dozens of cemeteries that date to the 18th and 19th...
Trib Total Media to host job fairs
Trib Total Media is hiring. The company will hold job fairs in both Greensburg and Tarentum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. On-site interviews will be conducted and some positions are eligible for up to a $5,000 signing bonus, according to Human Resources Director Brian Osborne....
35th annual Sheldon Park Community Day on tap
Local officials will celebrate the progress of a public housing complex in Harrison while looking toward its future during a community festival Aug. 12. The 35th annual Sheldon Park Community Day will provide games and activities for children while speeches are delivered from Highlands Superintendent Monique Mawhinney, Harrison police Chief...
Armstrong man pleads guilty for teen shooting in New Kensington
An Armstrong County man pleaded guilty Monday for his role in the shooting of a teenage girl two years ago in New Kensington. Police said Deonte Joseph Slomkoski, 19, was identified as the man who shot at the girl during a fight on Sept. 18, 2020 on Freeport Street. According...
