Valley News Dispatch category, Page 387
Remember When: Female teacher coached 1943 high school football team at Bell Township
It was 1943, and World War II was raging. Thousands of Alle-Kiski Valley troops were away from home, fighting battles in Europe and in the Pacific. Locally, at Bell Township High School, all of the male teachers were serving in the military. As the high school football season approached, about...
Convicted sex offender charged with escape for leaving West Deer facility
A convicted sex offender was charged with a felony for leaving a West Deer behavioral facility where he was living under court order. Brandon Jamal Baker, 32, who last listed his address as Surrey Lane in Elizabeth Township, was charged with one count of felony escape along with making terroristic...
Pittsburgh man federally indicted on charges related to several robberies in Allegheny County
A Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with four armed robberies in March, including two in which people were shot, now faces federal charges. Eric Jones, 32, of the city’s East Hills neighborhood has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of robbery, attempted robbery and firearms violations, authorities...
Officials identify man, woman found dead in Springdale apartment
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the two people found dead Monday in a Springdale house as Robert Devaughn Williams, 36, of New Kensington and Morgan Kurpakus, 24, of Springdale. Their bodies were discovered after 3:30 p.m. Monday in a house in the 1000 of block of Pittsburgh...
Police: Man with 16 prior theft convictions faces felony charge for stealing from Frazer Walmart
A Homestead man who police say has 16 previous convictions for theft was charged with a felony and barred from all Walmarts because, authorities said, he tried to steal $134 worth of lighters, batteries and golf balls from the store in Frazer. Robert Carl Harris, 57, of the 100 block...
Vandergrift residents sought for Spring Cleanup on Saturday
Volunteers are needed for Vandergrift’s annual Spring Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, April 30. The boroughwide community cleanup returns after a two-year hiatus caused by the covid-19 pandemic, said co-organizer and Vandergrift Councilwoman Marilee Kessler. Co-organizers include Vandergrift Police officer Joe Gray, the Vandergrift Improvement Program, Vandergrift Neighborhood Watch, borough officials...
The Stroller, April 26, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. High school show choirs to combine voices at annual concert Highlands High School will host the annual Alle-Kiski Show Choir Festival...
Building the Valley: Upper Burrell’s new 3740 Cafe offers combo of coffee and community
It’s a family affair at 3740 Cafe in Upper Burrell. Located along the winding and rural Milligantown Road, 3740 Cafe seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere. It is anything but. Mike and Christy Albert strategically chose the one-story building at 3740 Milligantown Road because it is within two...
Tarentum Recreation Board touts exciting summer lineup
Tarentum Recreation Board has released its summer lineup, with a schedule of events aimed at drawing people to the borough’s riverfront park and beyond. “They have something for everyone,” resident Cathy Fajbik said. “The fact that it’s free helps a lot, but, really, to look out at the boats and...
Police: Harrison woman tries to bribe officers after DUI arrest
State police say a Harrison woman offered to pay troopers $60 if they’d take her home instead of to jail after arresting her for driving under the influence Sunday, April 17. State police said Tabatha Mae Jack, 33, of Village Green Drive resisted arrest that morning, injuring herself and a...
Mother describes ‘nightmare’ after blast destroyed her family’s Plum home
It was a normal Friday night for Laura Petty and her family at their new home on Hialeah Drive in Plum. It was shortly after 11 p.m. She was sleeping, and her husband, Jake Rabb, had fallen asleep in the living room. Of their three sons, Dean, 2, and Colin,...
Vandergrift woman’s murder trial ends with plea deal to lesser charge
A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, putting an end to her homicide trial during which prosecutors claimed she intentionally fired three shots, killing her cousin in 2018. Ashley Marie Croft, 38, will serve a 15- to 30-year prison sentence under terms of the plea deal. Croft did...
Brackenridge seeking money from Allegheny County to fight blight by razing vacant buildings
Brackenridge Council is seeking money from Allegheny County to launch an anti-blight effort. Council last week voted to apply for about $129,000 to raze several vacant or dilapidated structures. Most are residential properties, Borough Secretary Denise Tocco said. “All of them have been vacant a long time,” she said. Borough...
Deer Lakes High School students plan walkout Friday to protest bullying, discrimination
After what he called “countless empty promises by the administration,” Deer Lakes High School senior Kevin Hoffman said he is compelled to speak up about bullying against him not being handled by the school. Since middle school, he said, he has faced racism, sexual harassment and threats. Each time he...
1 of 2 missing New Kensington teens back home, tips sought on 2nd missing girl
One of two runaway teenage girls that the New Kensington Police Department has been searching for has returned home safe. Monae Matthews, 15, who left home in March returned over the weekend, according to authorities. Police are still seeking the public’s helping locating the second girl, Sarah Chessario, 14, who...
Proposed subdivision could lead to another development on Tarentum Bridge Road
A new restaurant may be coming to Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington. It would be located on a parcel city officials are considering creating between Shamey’s Gulf Service and the main entrance to Giant Eagle, in front of the Quality Inn. City Council is scheduled to vote May 2...
The Stroller, April 25, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Four-day river trip planned in June The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy will sponsor the Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh River Sojourn June 2 to 5. The...
Faces of the Valley: Harrison’s David Bowser ready to run at Florida’s National Senior Games
David Bowser was in his mid-40s before he laced up his first pair of running shoes. The Harrison resident, now 71, hasn’t stopped hitting the pavement, the treadmill or the trails ever since. “Back in 1995, my son went out for cross country at Highlands,” Bowser said. “I started to...
2 bodies found in Springdale
A man and a woman were found dead in a Springdale apartment Monday, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said their bodies were discovered shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Pittsburgh Street. They suffered apparent gunshot wounds, police said. The police scene extended to Hoeveler Street, which...
Plum family whose house exploded treated at hospitals, 1 child with burns; no gas leaks found
Authorities are still investigating the cause of a house explosion Friday night along Hialeah Drive in Plum that sent a family to local hospitals. Although the family of five — a husband, wife and three children, ages 2, 6 and 11 — escaped the house safely, one child suffered burns...
Wildfire firefighters train with controlled blazes in Parks Township
The crackling sound and the odor of burning weeds were unmistakable and necessary for a training exercise for wildfire firefighters from 15 volunteer fire companies in the region Sunday in Parks Township. These firefighters train every spring to prepare for wildfires during warm weather. Extinguishing wildfires demands a lot of...
Alle-Kiski students come together for ‘One Song’ concert
Musical theater students from several Alle-Kiski Valley school districts will converge on stage Wednesday to convey unity and hope during the “One Song” Show Choir Festival at Highlands. Students from the host district, along with those from Freeport Area, Kiski Area and Springdale, will perform. The concert is at 7...
Vandergrift Pool to open this season with new manager
The popular Vandergrift Pool in Allegheny Township will open this season with new leadership. Michelle Terry of Vandergrift has taken over from longtime pool manager Daisha Clayton, who stepped down after being appointed to Vandergrift Council in December. Clayton described Terry as a “great fit” for the pool. “I’ve spent...
Upper Burrell man killed in motorcycle crash
An Upper Burrell man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday not far from his home, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. William A. Montgomery, 59, was traveling on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle at 4 p.m. on Seventh Street Road, also known as Route 780, near Upper Drennen Road when authorities...
Tarentum police responding to domestic incident charge woman with marijuana-growing operation
A Tarentum woman was accused of running a marijuana-growing operation out of her apartment after her boyfriend called police to report that she pointed a loaded pistol at him during an argument. Shaunnon Barnes, 39, of the 500 block of East Eighth Avenue, was charged with a felony count of...
