Valley News Dispatch category, Page 388

For a time in the mid-1970s, Donetta Ambrose was the only woman practicing law in Westmoreland County. Then in 1981, she became the first woman to be elected as a Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas judge. Later, after former President Bill Clinton appointed Ambrose to be a federal judge...

A plan to fight blight in Brackenridge is underway. Council Vice President John Stanzione Jr. said borough officials are considering a program that would award tax breaks to developers seeking to revitalize abandoned or tax-delinquent properties. The program would be conducted in collaboration with the Highlands School District and Allegheny...

New Kensington’s community garden is set to take root in a new home in the city. The vegetable garden, previously located along Fifth Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, is set to be rebuilt and replanted this year on the grounds of the Salvation Army off Industrial Boulevard. The New...

Freeport officials are grateful for the recent $11 million state grant for their new sewage treatment plant. But with a $16.9 million price tag, there’s more work to do. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST) awarded the $11 million grant last month. Borough council is seeking to pay for the...

Olympus Energy’s proposed Marcellus shale gas well operation in Washington Township is moving forward, but that didn’t sit well with dozens of residents. The township supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to grant Olympus’ application to construct the Athena well pad on a site between Kistler Road and Thompson Road. It’s not...

Publicize your events, fish fries and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Purse bash to benefit youth sports group Fun and Freedom Youth Sports will host its eighth annual designer purse Bash from 6...

Cheswick officials are looking into what caused two excavators to be submerged up to their cabs in mud and water along the Allegheny River bank. Photos circulated throughout social media Saturday of at least two pieces of heavy machinery being used below the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks by Watercrest Way...

A man is in stable condition after being stabbed in the early hours of Saturday morning in Plum, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders were called to the 600 block of Glengarry Court in The Highlands subdivision off of Old Leechburg Road, where they found a man with stab...

A revamped program aimed at teaching and reinforcing good behaviors among students is being rolled out at New Kensington-Arnold’s Roy A. Hunt Elementary School. As part of the program’s debut on Monday, the school’s 620 students will get to cheer on teachers and staff in volleyball games, first with third...

Oakmont Bakery was back in business Saturday after a large SUV slammed through a brick wall late Friday when about a dozen employees were inside. The driver of the Ford Expedition was taken to a hospital for unspecified injuries, but none of the workers was hurt. A Facebook post on...

Publicize your events, fish fries and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event planned in West Leechburg The St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Shuffle 5K and one-mile Fun Walk will begin at...

State police charged a Tioga County man with felony drug possession after he was pulled over in South Buffalo Township for driving erratically. John D. Reed, 65, of Duncan Township, was charged with a felony count of possession with the intent to deliver drugs. He also faces two misdemeanor drug...

Police from New Kensington, Arnold and Harrison worked with state and county drug agents on an investigation that resulted in criminal charges against 10 people on Friday and the seizure of narcotics, guns and cash, according to authorities. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that during the Feb. 11...

A New Kensington teenager pleaded guilty Friday to charges he shot a marijuana dealer in a Vandergrift park more than two years ago. The plea deal came as a Westmoreland County jury deliberated in the case against Ryleik Arbuckle, 17. Prosecutors contend that Arbuckle pistol-whipped a man who came to...

In just a few months from now, people might be able to prop a lawn chair along the shores of the Allegheny River and watch ballet dancers glide across an outdoor stage. A mobile performance area is expected to facilitate riverfront shows on a strip of property between Aspinwall and...

A man charged with disorderly conduct in January — for taking bites out of food at a North Apollo supermarket and returning the items to shelves — is now facing a felony drug charge after police say they found methamphetamine in his vehicle when it was searched this week. Kiski...

The St. Patrick’s Day parade organized by a community group in Lower Burrell will return this year on March 12 at 11 a.m. Parades have become so popular in Lower Burrell lately that during a recent city council meeting, Mayor John Andrejcik dubbed the town “Parade City USA.” A Christmas...

Tarentum police arrested a man accused of driving a stolen car after patrol officers spotted the vehicle traveling on Ross Street toward Route 28. Tevin Randall Williams, 28, of Talisman Lane, Harrison, was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property along with driving with a suspended license and traffic...

A youth suicide prevention program new to Valley High School will see students trained to watch for warning signs. The New Kensington-Arnold School District is getting a Hope Squad, a nationwide program founded in Utah and being promoted locally by a West Deer mother whose daughter took her own life...

A burrito with a snack food flair is creating a buzz in Parks Township. The Dorito Burrito is a specialty offering and best-seller at Niki’s Quick Six, a popular restaurant/bar/takeout place in the township’s North Vandergrift neighborhood. Owner Niki Hosack said she created the quirky sandwich so her customers wouldn’t...

As Daisha Clayton settles into her third month on Vandergrift Council, she’s keenly aware of the significance of being chosen to fill that role. When Clayton was appointed to Vandergrift Council in December, she was only the second Black person to serve as a councilperson. The late Lorelei Whaley, who...

Publicize your events, fish fries and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Online bingo to aid Addiction Recovery Ministry program Addiction Recovery Ministry in Harmar will sponsor a bingo at 2 p.m. Feb. 20...

Harrison native Tom Henschel has perfect attendance in one of the world’s most exclusive clubs. Henschel, 80, is a member of the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club. Henschel joins Gregory Eaton and Don Crisman as the only football fans on Earth to have attended all of the previous 55...

When the Rev. Robert Walker needed to clear his mind and prepare for a Sunday sermon, he hit the trails at Harrison Hills. “He loved to walk and everyone knew him for that,” said his son, Jason. “He would also walk around the neighborhood and he talked to everyone.” Rev....

A New Kensington teenager is on trial in Westmoreland County charged with the robbery and shooting of a marijuana dealer at a Vandergrift park in November 2019. Police contend Ryleik Arbuckle was just 15 when he shot 20-year-old Dale McNutt in the buttocks as he ran out of Franklin Park...