Valley News Dispatch category, Page 40
Vote on Upper Burrell injection well rules could come soon
A decision on Upper Burrell’s proposed injection well ordinance could come within the next month, said township supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III. “There’s more information we want to consider,” Walker said. “We’ll take most everything into consideration if it’s positive and if it keeps us from passing an ordinance...
A-K Valley High school class reunions, Aug. 8, 2025
Publicize your high school’s class reunion for free in The Stroller. Send information as soon as possible to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. • Freeport High School Class of 1955 will have...
13-year-old Josie Sal to play Horseshoe Amphitheatre in Russellton
It takes a whole lot of personality and talent to sing on Nashville’s Broadway at any age, but Venetia, Pa., native Josie Sal is doing it at just 13. Sal will be coming back to her home region soon, performing Friday at the Horseshoe Amphitheatre in Russellton, opening for country...
Springdale data center could be one of many in region
Brian Regli thinks folks in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the Pittsburgh region in general should embrace the idea of data centers. The data center he’s pushing for in Springdale, he said, may only be the beginning of a much larger current in Western Pennsylvania. As consultant for the proposed center’s...
The Stroller, Aug. 8, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Street fair returns to...
New Kensington fire station renamed, memorial hosted for city’s only firefighter to die in the line of duty
There wasn’t a dry eye on the lawn as the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Convention kicked off in New Kensington with a memorial service for Eric L. Mangieri, an Arnold native and New Kensington firefighter. Mangieri died in the line of duty while fighting a fire on Aug. 7, 1995. Thursday...
After 75 years, New Kensington native Pfc. Roland Bowser laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
For 75 years, Paul Bowser’s had the same last memory of his older brother, Roland. It was in 1950, when Paul was 13. Roland marched down the front steps of his family home in Mount Vernon, New Kensington, hopped in a coupe with his girlfriend, Ruthann, and left to serve...
New Kensington man’s murder retrial ends after 2nd jury unable to reach a verdict
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli on Thursday said her office will seek a third trial for a New Kensington man charged in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of an Arnold drug dealer. After 10 hours of deliberations over two days, jurors failed to reach a verdict for charges...
Police continue to investigate caltrops found in Brackenridge
Tarentum police now have about a dozen reports of caltrops on First and Brackenridge avenues in Brackenridge. They continue to investigate the origin of the small multispiked metal objects, said police Chief William Vakulick, whose department covers Brackenridge. They haven’t had any reports since Tuesday evening. Vakulick said the caltrops...
Building the Valley: New Lower Burrell dance studio aims to build students’ confidence
Tara Crowe remembers being asked why children should sign up for dance lessons. Her answer? For them to have fun, grow and have positive experiences. A lifelong dancer, Crowe hopes to do just that at her new studio, TC Dance Collective, which opened this summer at 3012 Leechburg Road in...
The Stroller, Aug. 7, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Lower Valley Ambulance plans...
Residents see 1st glimpse of proposed Springdale data center
Springdale residents got their first look at a proposed massive data center at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station on Wednesday. At a well-attended planning commission meeting, representatives from the site’s land developer, Allegheny DC Property Co. LLC, presented their preliminary plans for what could be a massive...
Jury deliberations to continue in New Kensington murder trial
A Westmoreland County jury will resume deliberations Thursday morning in the retrial of a New Kensington man charged with the murder and robbery of an Arnold drug dealer. Jurors heard three days of testimony and deliberated nearly six hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the case against Letresse Williams....
Vandergrift, surrounding communities rally for 5 abandoned children
Two women are facing charges after Vandergrift police said five children were left alone for days without food or water in a home officers described in court papers as an “absolute disgrace.” Leslie Ann Keller, 69, of Parks Township, the children’s maternal grandmother, and mother, Heidi Lynn Beer, 35, of...
Leechburg Area School Board makes controversial hire, members face backlash
School boards usually get applause for hiring more teachers, but Leechburg Area School District directors are getting public criticism for who they didn’t hire. During a special voting meeting July 30, the board hired Makenna Goldinger as an emotional support teacher for kindergarten through second grade students. The vote was...
2 women face charges after police say 5 children left in unsanitary Vandergrift home
Two women are facing charges after Vandergrift police said five children were left alone for days without food or water in a home officers described in court papers as an “absolute disgrace.” Leslie Ann Keller, 69, of Parks Township and her daughter, Heidi Lynn Beer, 35, of Vandergrift were charged...
Lack of fire hydrants in Harmar neighborhood concerns residents, fire chief
Residents of Harmar’s Werner Camp neighborhood, tucked along the Allegheny River, have great views of the water and little traffic. But it’s what they don’t have that should be of concern: fire hydrants. “It’s definitely not safe,” said Allegheny Valley fire Chief Jay Zangrille, following a weekend fire there. Harmar...
The Stroller, Aug. 6, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. HS marching bands plan...
Tarentum police find spiked ‘caltrops’ on Brackenridge streets
Tarentum police received reports — and later discovered — small spiked “caltrops” scattered in Brackenridge on Tuesday. Police said they confirmed reports that the caltrops — multi-spiked metal objects designed to puncture vehicle tires — were found in the area of First Avenue as well as Brackenridge Avenue. Police said...
Witnesses link New Kensington man to 2020 murder of Arnold drug dealer
A New Kensington woman testified Tuesday that her former boyfriend confessed to his role in a fatal shooting of an Arnold drug dealer nearly five years ago. Shawnti Lee told a Westmoreland County jury that Letresse Williams made a frantic call to her in the late afternoon of Jan. 15,...
Fire crews fish truck out of Allegheny River in Harmar
When firefighters arrived at the Deer Creek Boat Ramp in Harmar on Monday, it wasn’t a boat they found in the Allegheny River. The crews instead found a white Chevy Colorado pickup mostly submerged in the water, according to Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Jay Zangrille. The driver, who escaped without...
The Stroller, Aug. 5, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Tarentum Summer Concert series...
Retrial begins in 2020 New Kensington fatal shooting
For the second time in 14 months, Westmoreland County prosecutors will attempt to convince a jury that Letresse Williams killed a suspected drug dealer during a botched robbery attempt. Assistant District Attorney Anthony Iannamorelli said the Jan. 15, 2020, fatal shooting of Anthone Williams warrants a second-degree murder conviction. (Letresse...
Saturday fire in New Kensington considered suspicious
A fire early Saturday in New Kensington is considered suspicious, authorities said. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that police are investigating the blaze along Sixth Avenue as potentially intentional. “On behalf of the New Kensington police department, we can confirm that police and a Pennsylvania State Police fire...
South Buffalo bridge to remain closed for weeks as township plans informational meeting
A wooden bridge that provides one of only two access points to South Buffalo’s Clinton neighborhood is set to remain closed for at least a few weeks, according to a spokesman for the railroad that owns the structure. Last week, crews closed the 115-year-old bridge, which carries Clinton Road over...
