Valley News Dispatch category, Page 365

When George Fleming first began a career in social work, he immediately noticed a lack of interest in reading by children. A supervisor for Allegheny Family Network, which has offices in Harrison and Oakland, Fleming was startled to learn that nearly two-thirds of low-income families have no books at home...

Projects in two Alle-Kiski Valley communities are among 56 highway, bridge, transit, bike and pedestrian projects in 28 counties selected for $47.8 million in state funding, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Thursday. • Arnold is getting $53,000 for improvements to Rankin Street from Woodmont Avenue to Freeport Road. The improvements...

A charitable closet inside Kiski Area High School offers more than just clothes. Staffed by 10 students from the high school’s Life Skills Program, the Cavalier Closet is a free student store offering donated clothing, accessories, shoes and toiletries to any student in need. The closet concept was created in...

The lawyer for a Vandergrift woman told a Westmoreland County jury Thursday that marijuana, combined with medications she takes for ongoing mental health issues, left her unable to form an intent to kill her cousin nearly four years ago. “She was suffering from an altered state of consciousnesses,” defense attorney...

The Allegheny Township man who prosecutors say raped and sexually assaulted six women dating back to the early 2000s told a Westmoreland County jury Thursday he is not guilty of the allegations. Eric Wright, 50, testified during the third day of his trial . He denied having any improper sexual...

Several years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy biologists documented the first freshwater mussels — eight species in all — found in the Kiski River in over a century. Then, last summer, the biologists implanted some baby mussels in concrete silos in the Kiski, as well as a dozen other waterways, to...

The Highlands School Board on Tuesday gave its initial approval to a controversial educational equity measure. The educational equity measure, opposed by most of the residents who commented on the proposal, is recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The measure now requires a second reading that, under school district...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free paper shredding event planned at Clearview Federal Credit Union A free paper shredding event and electronics collection will be hosted...

Testimony in the murder trial of a Vandergrift woman accused in the 2018 shooting death of her cousin is expected to begin Thursday morning. A jury was seated Wednesday in Westmoreland County to hear evidence in the case against Ashley Croft. Prosecutors claim Croft, 38, shot and killed her 31-year-old...

A mariachi band will perform Sunday in downtown New Kensington as part of the opening of the city’s newest restaurant. Taqueria El Pastorcito will be open from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday, with the band playing for a couple of hours in the mid-afternoon, owner and chef Jose Tecuanhuehue said....

Part of Saxonburg Boulevard in West Deer is reduced to a single lane after a large sinkhole opened between Russellton-Dorseyville Road and McClure Road. West Deer police posted on Facebook Monday morning cautioning motorists to be careful driving on Saxonburg Boulevard in that area. The sinkhole is in the northbound...

The largest office building in downtown New Kensington was successfully sold through an online auction. The winning bidder for the building at 901 Fifth Ave., which until November housed a Citizens Bank branch, is from California, said James Kelly, a managing member of KeWe New Kensington, which has owned the...

Police arrested an Arnold man they had under surveillance because of multiple reports of drug dealing at his apartment and confiscated nearly 6 ounces of cocaine and an ounce of heroin. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced this week that agents from her office, the state Attorney General’s Office...

West Leechburg officials have decided not to pursue a merger with Allegheny Township. The decision comes after council reviewed the study conducted by the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The study looked at the impact of consolidation. “It was very nonspecific, and it didn’t show it would be...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Spring bird hike planned at Harrison Hills Park Friends of Harrison Hills Park will sponsor a spring Bird Hike from 8:30...

Members of the Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America will be back in action for their annual spring plant sale after a two-year covid-related break. “After two years with no sale, it will be great to see and talk with friends and gardeners once again,” club member...

The Alle-Kiski Valley has been blessed with great inventors over the years. Among them is Natrona’s Samuel Kier, inventor of the oil-based lamps that illuminated homes and businesses before the incandescent light bulb came along. Another was New Kensington’s Stephanie Kwolek, a chemist at DuPont who invented Kevlar, the material...

Ten Fox Chapel roads are expected to be rebuilt this year as part of the borough’s road paving program. Council unanimously voted April 18 to award a $1.369 million contract to Wampum-based Youngblood Paving. Borough Manager Gary Koehler said the company was the lowest of four bidders and has done...

Fox Chapel resident Bill Kolano believes his town has an image problem. Specifically, the image that serves as the borough’s logo, on street signs and newsletter. “It’s time for a refresh,” the longtime graphic designer told council at its April 18 meeting. Kolano, president of Kolano Design, presented a couple...

A Westmoreland County prosecutor on Tuesday told jurors the case against an Allegheny Township man charged with rape and sexual assault based on allegations from six accusers was “messy.” “This is a case of a sexual predator who hid in secret for more than a decade who was brought down...

An Arnold woman was arrested on Sunday after a police officer investigating a complaint at her home said he witnessed her throw a puppy across a room. Brittney Kinsey, 20, of the 1400 block of Fourth Avenue, was charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and torture...

Leechburg Area School District Superintendent Tiffany Nix is fully aware of the challenges facing students in this era of the covid pandemic. At a school board meeting last week, she related the story of a student having a mental and emotional breakdown during class. “It is real, and it is...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame tickets on sale Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame will have its 51st induction banquet at...

A man from Homestead faces felony drug dealing charges after Arnold police and narcotics agents said they arrested him with more than 2 ounces of cocaine in his vehicle. Marco Dane Crowe, 34, 0f the 100 block of West 10th Avenue, was charged with two felony counts of possession of...

What started as a vision for an ice cream shop evolved into a coffee shop and cafe, Barnyard Coffee & Creamery, offering experimental taste twists at the No Offseason Sports complex in Russellton. Barnyard owner Holly Johnston, a Richland resident and Shaler native, worked for years as a sales rep...