Valley News Dispatch category, Page 393

Kiski Township police arrested a Johnstown man on charges including disorderly conduct Saturday evening at a North Apollo supermarket. According to police, Ryan Fredericks, 27, was going down the aisles of Held’s Shop ‘n Save taking bites out of food items then returning them to the shelves at about 8:30...

A familiar face has a new leadership role at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School in Washington Township. Maggie Nicholas, a longtime teacher at the school, became assistant principal at KAUE on Jan. 3. She replaced Dan Smith, who moved to a new position as the district’s technology integration specialist. For...

Publicize your events, club meetings 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. Weather science program planned Thursday in Leechburg Leechburg Public Library will sponsor a free weather science program with author Diana Perry at...

Two Kiski Area elementary teachers have “ruled the school” for a combined 67 years. Sharon Komandt and Mary Emanuelson are the district’s most tenured educators. Both teach at Kiski Area East Primary School in Vandergrift. Komandt, a reading specialist, has been a teacher for 32 years with deep roots in...

Parks Township police took into custody a man whom they said was loitering on the back porch of a home and had an arrest warrant issued for him by authorities elsewhere in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Police responding to a report of a man trying to break into a home at...

Highlands School District police officer Joe Naviglia has the right people cheering for him in his fight against cancer. Naviglia, in his fourth year at Highlands, was among four local residents who were presented $1,000 by the district’s cheer team Dec. 17. “I was surprised but so thankful and honored,”...

First there was Pink Day 11 years ago in Leechburg to raise money for breast cancer research and have some fun. Now there’s Pink Day plus two smaller fundraisers brimming with live music and more fun that continues to faithfully draw hundreds to thousands of people annually. Even the pandemic...

It’s out with the old at Lake’s Roadhouse and in with the new — starting with a new name: Kiski River Lodge. When the pandemic forced a prolonged closure of their business, co-owners Wanda and Rick Lake of Loyalhanna Township rolled up their sleeves and got busy renovating their motel,...

A $13 million revitalization project involving the redevelopment of the former East Vandergrift Elementary School is on hold. East Vandergrift officials said Morning Sun Senior Lofts, a proposed loft-style affordable senior-living residence on McKinley Avenue, was denied about $12 million in tax credits last November from the Pennsylvania Finance Housing...

Dangerously deteriorated buildings in three Alle-Kiski Valley communities are among a dozen structures slated for demolition through Westmoreland County’s redevelopment authority. The local buildings are in Vandergrift, New Kensington and Arnold. Jason Rigone, director of the county’s planning division, said the goal is to bring all of the buildings down...

Publicize your events, club meetings 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. Highlands High School to present Alumni Cabaret Concert The 10th annual Highlands High School Musical Alumni Cabaret Concert will be at 7...

In his 38 years patrolling Parks Township, Chief Douglas Ciuca has just about seen it all. Tasked with helping to keep law and order in the township’s 14 square miles, Ciuca has responded to calls ranging from quirky to tragic. His most difficult moment? “Finding an infant, alive and unharmed,...

A 55-year-old man accused of making threats on social media to harm Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert and his family was taken into custody after a search of a home in Lower Burrell on Saturday. Matthew A. Betts was found hiding in a storage locker at a residence on Lori...

A well-known Western Pennsylvania podiatrist was arrested Friday in Armstrong County on charges that accuse him having indecent contact with patients on two occasions at a Ford City office. Dr. Matthew J. Sabo, 48, of Chicora, is was charged with two felony counts of engaging in sexual conduct and two...

Two friends from Freeport use their complementary knowledge and talents to open a coffee shop. Two friends from Sarver push each other to develop their individual artistic talents. One of the artists and one of the shop owners also are friends, and therein lies a tale. Freeport residents Virginia Lindsay...

Despite dwindling staff and fundraising obstacles, Eureka Fire-Rescue-EMS in Tarentum has added a $260,000 paramedic rescue ambulance to its fleet, enabling volunteers to continue to serve a wide swath of the Alle-Kiski Valley, as they have since the 1800s. The newest addition is more than an ambulance. The vehicle stands...

Publicize your events, club meetings 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. Natrona food pantry offers help The Natrona Community Pantry is in Natrona Community Park, 12-20 River Road, Harrison. Anyone in need is...

In a town aptly dubbed the “City of Bridges,” Friday morning’s collapse of a span carrying traffic over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park while cars and a Port Authority bus were on it might very well be the worst nightmare a local motorist could imagine. The early morning...

Taking a cookie decorating class three years ago has led a Springdale woman to open her own home bakery business. Amanda Monnich was an on-and-off teacher for 10 years before finding her passion in baking. She practiced baking and decorating her own cookies at home. While she was teaching, she...

Six projects across the Alle-Kiski Valley have received funding totaling more than $600,000 from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund. Nearly $9.4 million was disbursed to communities in Allegheny County in this year’s round, announced Wednesday. In the Alle-Kiski Valley, these projects were named: • West Deer Township Volunteer Fire...

New Kensington police have called off the search for a teen who went missing on Jan. 25. Police reported that Amir Kennedy, 14, returned home Sunday....

Their tiny hands will never hold on to their parents. Their small feet will never take a step. Their eyes will never open wide with wonder. The unthinkable death of a baby is a moment that lives on in a parent’s heart forever. The heartache of losing them is infinite....

A woman is accused of pointed a rifle at her neighbor’s dog and threatening to shoot it before turning the weapon on its owner when he told her killing the animal would land her in jail, according to Leechburg police. Tracey A. Geracia, 53, of Kirkpatrick Avenue, was charged with...

Publicize your events, club meetings 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. Shoe collection to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society A used shoe collection to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will continue through...

Recent clear and frigid nights accelerated ice formation on the Allegheny River stretching from Cheswick north past Kittanning, according to the National Weather Service. With more than 45 river miles iced over, authorities are urging residents to stay off the ice for safety reasons. The ice mass is expected to...