Valley News Dispatch category, Page 394
Plum Council OKs $900,000 contract to repave 20 streets
Plum officials plan to spend a little less than $900,000 to repair 20 streets. Council recently awarded this year’s paving project to Derry Construction. Derry was the lowest of nine bidders at about $892,300. The borough allocated about $775,700 in state liquid fuels tax money for street reconstruction this year....
Sneakers, jacket and car trouble lead to charges in Fox Chapel, O’Hara burglaries
Police said they used a Squirrel Hill man’s distinctive Adidas shoes and North Face jacket to link him to a series of burglaries in Fox Chapel and O’Hara over the course of a year, according to charges filed Tuesday. Andrew Clinton, 20, faces more than a dozen charges, including burglary,...
Kiski Area student found with bullets on school bus
Kiski Area School District officials and police are investigating after an elementary student was found with bullets on a morning bus route. Superintendent Misty Slavic alerted families in a letter, saying the student had two bullets but an initial investigation showed “no evidence to suggest malicious intent” and no evidence...
Tom Hanks visits Arnold as filming for ‘A Man Called Otto’ continues in Pittsburgh region
Most days, Robert Simpson is president of a reinforcing bar fabricator in Arnold. On Tuesday, the president of Simpson Reinforcing was filming movie scenes with Tom Hanks. “It’s pretty cool,” Simpson said at the end of a lunch break that came after filming the same scene over and over again...
Glass recycling bin available at Harrison Hills Park through Thursday
A dumpster to collect glass for recycling is available at Harrison Hills Park through sundown Thursday. Allegheny County is partnering for the second consecutive year with the Pennsylvania Resources Council to offer the Traveling Glass Recycling Bin program in parks throughout the region on a rotating schedule. Up next, collections...
Fireworks expert enlivens his Indiana Township neighborhood with birthday blasts, more
You could call him Pyro Joe. Joe Veltri has a blast using his love of fireworks to brighten the nights of residents in his Indiana Township neighborhood, known as Park Place. Veltri, 49, began putting on fireworks shows in the neighborhood after virtually everything — including in-person birthday parties —...
Man accused of running from Tarentum traffic stop, leaving toddler behind, faces multiple felony charges
A Wilmerding man faces multiple felony charges in connection with two incidents in Tarentum, including one in which police said he ran off and left his toddler son behind when the car he was riding in was pulled over for traffic violations. Vern Alexander Connor, 40, of the 100 block...
Police: Drug charges filed against West Deer man who said disturbance was reaction to attack by demons
A West Deer man faces a felony drug charge after telling police he woke his neighbors at 2 a.m. because he was being attacked by white demons with black eyes, authorities said. Donald A. Cowfer Jr., 34, of Tarentum-Culmerville Road was charged with felony possession of drugs with the intent...
Police: Ford City man faces felonies for hitting neighbor in head with baseball bat
A man told Ford City police that he was hit in the head with a baseball bat when he went to a neighbor’s house to retrieve items from his former girlfriend. Benjamin Peter Space, 45, of the 700 block of Fourth Avenue in Ford City, faces charges of aggravated assault...
The Stroller, April 5, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events 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. Leechburg Area High School to present, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ The Leechburg Area High School Drama Club will present the musical, “Annie...
Firefighters stage fundraisers for Arnold emergency scene photographer who lost legVideo
Steven Matto shoots some of the most intense fire scene photos ever taken. It’s just that most people don’t get a chance to see them. Matto, 54, is the official photographer for many Alle-Kiski Valley fire companies, documenting more than 700 emergencies. His photos are used by fire companies to...
Building the Valley: New Kensington Massage Therapy business flourishing
Tonie Vaughn-Clemons had no intention of opening her own business. A trained massage therapist, she worked side jobs for income while volunteering her skills at a Sarver chiropractor’s practice, for the satisfaction of the healing work. Then covid-19 hit, and the activity she cherished was shut down amid pandemic restrictions....
Kiski Area School District forms new subcommittee to help with communications, brand improvements
Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic is on a mission to improve communications and brand awareness in the district. Slavic has partnered with the school board to form a new Public Relations Subcommittee with a goal of increasing positivity in the district. “We’re trying to get our community members involved,” Slavic...
Flag-raising ceremony honors organ donation awareness at Allegheny Valley Hospital
A small crowd gathered Monday in the courtyard at Allegheny Valley Hospital to raise awareness about the gift of life. A flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m. honored those who have donated organs and called attention to the need for more people to register, organizers said. The event was outside the...
The Corner hosting events for business owners, entrepreneurs in New Kensington
Several free programs for those who own or are interested in starting a business will be offered this week at The Corner in New Kensington, including the introduction of a four-week “boot camp” open to business owners and entrepreneurs in New Kensington or Arnold. The events, beginning Tuesday night and...
Scrap yard worker burned in Washington Township
A worker was burned using a torch at scrap yard Monday in Washington Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The incident occurred around noon at B&M Auto Recycling scrap yard along Silvis Road, the 911 supervisor said. Fire units were called to the scene to extinguish some vehicles...
’80s-themed fundraiser to support arts projects in downtown New Kensington
An upcoming fundraiser that promises to be “totally tubular” will support art in downtown New Kensington. The event, ’80s for the Arts, will be Saturday, April 16 at Voodoo Brewery New Kensington. It is being sponsored by Voodoo Brewery, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, New Kensington Art Center and the...
The Stroller, April 4, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events 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. Vendor spaces available for Flea-tique season The Alle-Kiski Valley Historical Society’s Flea-tique will begin the season May 15 at the Bull Creek...
Concerts, cookies and crafts all part of National Library Week
Patrons of Alle-Kiski Valley libraries this week can buy a cheap bag full of books, build a stuffed bunny, listen to a teen singing sensation and satisfy their taste buds with homemade cookies. And maybe even check out a good book. The libraries in Harrison, New Kensington, Leechburg, Plum and...
Ground breaks on Harrison Community Garden
A small crowd that gathered for the groundbreaking of the Harrison Community Garden was “excited to get growing,” organizers said. The project from the Highlands Partnership Network and Citizens Hose Fire-EMS-Rescue will see a one-acre public garden near the firehouse off of Burtner Road. “HPN is really excited to get...
Armstrong County to present Gateway Clipper tours on Allegheny River in October
After the Gateway Clipper fall foliage tours sold out quickly last year, Armstrong County is back at it, offering another three tours throughout the day of Oct. 1. Before last year’s cruises, the Clipper fleet hadn’t offered tours in the county waters for five years. This year, organizers aren’t billing...
Faces of the Valley: Burrell student sings and writes her way into WYEP’s Reimagination Project
Burrell High School freshman Elliana Koulouris is one of 13 teens selected for WYEP’s Reimagination Project, which will highlight the recording of one of her songs. The local radio station asked applicants to submit songs and videos of themselves. “The selection committee found Elliana to be a talented singer with...
Leechburg Area High School students set to perform the musical ‘Annie Get Your Gun’
Prepare to be taken back to the Wild Wild West as Leechburg Area High School students perform the musical “Annie Get Your Gun.” The two-hour musical is a loose fictional adaption of American sharpshooter Annie Oakley’s life and her romance with Frank Butler. It made its debut on Broadway in...
South Carolina educator buys building in hopes of housing private school in Arnold
An elementary school teacher from South Carolina is planning to open a private, nonprofit middle school in Arnold starting in the fall of 2025. Matt DeHart, 26, a fifth grade teacher in Greenville County, S.C., founded the nonprofit Teach from DeHart Foundation in January 2021. He and his wife, New...
Progress being made as Lower Valley EMS works to address financial condition
Progress is coming along as the Lower Valley Ambulance Service works with the Allegheny Valley North Council of Governments to improve its financial condition. The ambulance service is seeking help through two consulting reviews to strengthen its administrative side and gain a better idea of how to reorganize. “No one...
