Valley News Dispatch category, Page 419
Kiski traffic stop yields unlicensed gun, drugs
Two men were arrested Saturday night after Kiski Township police say they were driving a car with marijuana and an unlicensed gun inside. Police conducted a traffic stop shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday night along Route 56 near McKinstry Hill Road. The vehicle’s occupants, Clevon Helton, 21, of Pittsburgh and...
Mardi Gras gator a big hit at Slovak American Club in Tarentum
If you want to celebrate Mardi Gras with a genuine Louisiana delicacy, you don’t need to go to Bayou country to enjoy it. Over the weekend, the Slovak American Club in Tarentum brought a full-grown alligator to its headquarters on West Seventh Avenue for its Saturday night Mardi Gras celebration....
Freeport, Highlands are ‘All in This Together’
When the curtains rise next week on Freeport Area High School’s production of “High School Musical,” Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans will be watching from the audience — sort of. Actors from Highlands High School — set to perform the show’s sequel, “High School Musical, 2: On Stage!” — will...
Deer Lakes students to present ‘Chicago’ as high school musical
Deer Lakes will be bringing a high school edition of the broadway musical “Chicago” to the stage. Co-director Matthew Derby said the show will be a “nice return to form” after last year’s spring musical being canceled amid the pandemic. The musical follows the story of a woman named Roxie...
West Deer, Indiana Township to see 42% sewage hike take effect in April
West Deer and Indiana Township residents will see a 47% sewage cost increase from the cost of the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority’s treatment plant expansion. The Deer Creek Drainage Basin Authority board passed the new rate in November. The new rate will take effect in April. The Deer Creek...
Lawsuit claims Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau failed to protect New Ken 3-year-old killed in 2020
The maternal grandfather of a nearly 3-year-old New Kensington boy beaten to death in 2020 claims the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau failed to protect the child after it received allegations he was subjected to repeated incidents of physical and sexual abuse at the hands his mother and her live-in boyfriend....
The Stroller, Feb. 27, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Prom gown...
Community garden in Harrison aims to offer food, fellowship
An old T-ball field along Burtner Road in Harrison will transform into a community garden this spring, complete with veggies, herbs and a tool-lending library. Highlands Partnership Network and Citizens Hose Fire-EMS-Rescue, with help from state Sen. Lindsey Williams, are working to provide fresh food and fellowship for Harrison residents....
Hartwood Acres’ $4.7 million grounds and sculpture garden project to finish in June
Allegheny County is planning on completing and opening its $4.7 million sculpture garden and renovations to the grounds in Hartwood Acres in June. In June 2021, Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Parks Foundation broke ground for the massive project. The parks foundation considers the effort its largest and most...
Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Arnold holds special memorial service for Ukraine
As Russian troops closed in on Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv on Saturday morning and the world wondered how long the Ukrainians could hold off Vladimir Putin’s assault, 5,000 miles away in Arnold, a Ukrainian-American pastor prayed for the dead. The Very Rev. Mark Swindle stood at the altar of...
Fish fries in the Alle-Kiski Valley
All menus are subject to change and availability. Allegheny Township Markle Volunteer Fire Department, 470 Joyce St., limited seating and takeout, 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays through Good Friday. Menu: battered fish sandwich or chicken tender dinner, with fries or pierogi and coleslaw; $12. Details: 724-727-7114. Apollo Apollo Hose No....
New Kensington’s ‘Lost Dreams Awakening’ part of national Black History Month event
A New Kensington substance use recovery organization is participating in a national virtual block party Monday celebrating Black History Month. The free event from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lost Dreams Awakening will include food, music and dance, said Laurie Johnson-Wade, a co-founding director of the organization that specializes...
The Stroller, Feb. 26, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Course available...
Bethel A.M.E. in Tarentum builds community connections through fish fry
Tom Pendergast knew better than to procrastinate ordering his fish dinner from Bethel A.M.E. Church on Saturday. “It’s always good,” said Pendergast, a Brackenridge resident who has patronized the sale for years. “And it always sells out.” More than 100 people flocked to the church along West Seventh Avenue in...
2 tenant deals in the works for Burrell Plaza – Dunkin’ and First National Bank
Deals are in the works for two new tenants — Dunkin’ and First National Bank — in the Burrell Plaza along Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. The mostly empty strip mall that once was home to Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney and other stores has not seen much action since 2017...
Woman accused of being drunk when she crashed into New Kensington hotel that caught fire
Police accuse a woman of being drunk when she crashed into a New Kensington hotel early Sunday, which caught the building on fire when her car sheared a natural gas line, authorities say. Jaden Saje Price, 27, of the 2600 block of Chestnut Street, Lower Burrell, was charged with driving...
Police say passenger fled from traffic stop leaving his 2-year-old behind, driver charged with felony
The driver of a car pulled over with a 2-year-old inside was charged with a felony by Tarentum police after the toddler’s father, who was a passenger, fled from officers, police say. Police charged John Francis Brockman Jr., 31, of Cornetti Road in Clearfield Township, Butler County, with felony child...
Upper Burrell raises fees 32% for inspection of new private septic systems
The Upper Burrell supervisors recently approved a 32% increase in fees for property owners installing new septic systems and other associated services. Virtually all homes and businesses in the township use septic systems because public sewage pipelines don’t exist. The township raised its rates for its sewage enforcement officer to...
Contractor accused of failing to do work at West Deer church after cashing $15K check
West Deer police charged a home improvement contractor with multiple counts of felony theft after the pastor of a local church reported that the contractor never showed up to do the work after cashing a $15,000 check. Ronald Lee Pirring, 61, of Fairley Road in Ross, was charged with felony...
The Stroller, Feb. 25, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. String ensemble...
New Kensington’s Leslie Reimer retiring from 42-year career as Episcopal priest
When the Rev. Leslie Reimer began the journey of her life, it was toward a destination that was, at the time, unreachable for a woman. After growing up in an Episcopal Church family in New Kensington’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood and graduating from Valley High School in 1970, Reimer went to...
Police: Stolen gun, drugs found when Arnold woman’s home raided by task force agents
An Arnold woman faces felony gun charges after police say they found a stolen gun and evidence of a drug dealing operation when they raided her house. Mariah Relyn Lewis, 25, of the 1600 block of Fourth Avenue, was charged with felony counts of illegal possession of a firearm and...
Vandergrift officer once suspended over alleged racial incident retires
A Vandergrift police officer suspended last year for his conduct on the job involving a patron at a local restaurant is no longer on the force. Officer William Moore submitted his retirement to council Feb. 7. “Council accepted it (retirement) at the last meeting. I have no details,” Vandergrift Mayor...
New Kensington closes downtown parking garage following structural evaluation
Concerns over the condition of New Kensington’s downtown parking garage have prompted the city to close it. The city last year hired a structural engineer to assess the condition of the Kensington Plaza Garage on Fourth Avenue at Seventh Street. Dedicated in December 1979, the garage has seen usage fall...
Police: Fayette County woman arrested in Arnold for trying to trade AK-47 for 2 bricks of heroin
Police say a Fayette County woman tried to trade an AK-47 rifle for heroin after a source tipped off agents from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force who were conducting a drug sweep in Arnold. Jessica Sue Thorpe, 41, of Clinton Road, Saltlick, was charged with felony counts of illegal...
