Valley News Dispatch category, Page 439
Armstrong County humane officer helps create ‘action network’ of shelters to deal with animal hoarding
Chris O’Donnell was only two months into her job as a state humane officer for Armstrong County before she realized that none of the local rescue shelters were equipped to handle a case of abuse or neglect involving a large number of animals. A specific case she responded to on...
Leechburg police charge man with drunken driving with kid in car
Leechburg police charged a man with drunken driving while his 10-year-old daughter was in the car. Jared K. Koeller, 43, of McKean Street in Kittanning, faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child along with five other charges, including reckless endangerment, driving under the influence and traffic...
Southbound Route 28 reopens in Harmar following crash
Southbound Route 28 is open again after being closed for about two hours because of a crash. A multi-vehicle crash was reported around 7:50 a.m., an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The number of vehicles involved was not immediately known. The crash location was just after the southbound on-ramp from...
The Stroller, Jan. 24, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Knead Community Café welcomes donations Knead Community Café, New Kensington, is accepting donations to help the daily operation of the café, 1011...
Pandemic pushes innovation for student registration at Burrell
When multiple families attended in-person registration for kindergarten at Burrell School District every January, the process took several days. That was pre-pandemic. Now, it takes 10 minutes of in-person time at the school. Before the pandemic, parents met with the principal, school nurse and district employees handling the registration paperwork....
Hot Topic closes Pittsburgh Mills store
The Hot Topic store at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills welcomed customers for a final day of shopping before permanently closing on Sunday. The closure was announced Jan. 14 on the store’s Facebook page. According to the announcement, the store was not conducting “any deep sales or all-must-go sale and...
Valley High alumni volunteers sought to be career coaches to today’s students
Ron Eckman Jr. took off from New Kensington and 25 years later landed in Las Vegas. Eckman, 48, enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from Valley High School in 1991. He was an aircraft electrician, working on fighter jets at bases around the world and even traveled with the...
Historical cemetery in Westmoreland, where Revolutionary War hero rests, launches effort to restore fallen tombstones
At St. James Lutheran Cemetery, one of Bell Township’s oldest graveyards, more than 40 tombstones have fallen over. The patina and names have faded. The cursive writing engraved on some of the oldest stones is there but barely visible. Some stones are so old, they have been wiped clean of...
Indiana County woman reported missing in Kiski Township is found safe
A woman reported missing early Sunday in Kiski Township, Armstrong County, was found safe more than eight hours later in Indiana County. According to township police, Robin Bohannon, 36, who lives in the Clymer area, was considered endangered when she was reported missing about 1:30 a.m. She left a residence...
East Deer Commissioner Tony Taliani reflects on 50 years of service, receives commemoration
East Deer Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani learned it takes time to see your work reflected in a township. It is why the 74-year-old has been serving as a commissioner for East Deer for 50 years. “I enjoyed what I was doing and took great satisfaction in the projects we were...
Owner of Lock 3 Bait & Tackle shop puts ‘gone fishing’ sign out for final time
Lee Murray didn’t do market research or create a formal business plan when he opened the Lock 3 Bait & Tackle shop on Freeport Road in Harmar in March 1986. But the avid fisherman knew that, like him, there were other people who value the personal service that comes with...
Valley High senior organizing blood drive as supplies reach historic lows
A Valley High School senior is organizing a blood drive at a time when blood inventories are at historic lows. Brooke Alcorn Ferry, 17, of New Kensington is staging the Feb. 28 blood drive as part of the community service hours she needs to graduate. It will be open to...
The Stroller, Jan. 23, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Allegheny Valley Association of Churches accepting donations for food bank Donations are welcome for the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches food bank...
Public hearing Monday for Harrison dog daycare
An ongoing fight to bring a doggie day care to Freeport Road in Harrison will culminate in a public hearing Monday. People can weigh in on the request by Ringer’s Pet Dog Training to offer the service at 3041 Freeport Road, a former car dealership that Kim Ringer and her...
Key Club Talent Show back at Kiski Area schools
Live theater is back with an annual talent show returning to the Kiski Area School District. The Kiski Area annual Key Club Talent Show will showcase the talent of students with a variety show on Friday. All proceeds from the event, which is sponsored by the Key Club, will be...
Tarentum’s Winter Market a chance for people support local vendors
Saturday’s frigid temperatures may have kept many people from venturing outdoors to visit the Winter Market in Tarentum, but those who did brave the cold found a nice variety of locally made crafts and gifts from which to choose. The market, which benefits Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum, was held...
Burnin’ love: Wood-fired pizza at Gus Franco’s of Lower Burrell is hot itemVideo
Orders at Gus Franco’s Pizza should be made in advance because the artisan pies are hot — real hot. Boasting a top-of-the-line, wood-fired pizza oven from Italy, Gus Franco’s sizzles dough with an air temperature reaching 900 degrees, which is more than 100 degrees higher than many commercial pizza ovens....
The Stroller, Jan. 22, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Winter market planned today in Tarentum Organizers of the Tarentum Night Market events will host a winter market from 10 a.m. to...
Pittsburgh’s Ukrainian community keeps nervous watch as Russia threatens invasion of homeland
The Rev. Timothy Tomson, whose grandparents are from Ukraine, is among those in the Pittsburgh area with Ukrainian roots watching warily as fears of a Russian invasion continue. Tomson is vice president of the Ukrainian Community of Western Pennsylvania, which he helped found in 2009, and pastor of St. Mary...
Lenny Calderone remembered as beloved ‘ambassador’ of Vandergrift
Leonard Rocco “Lenny” Calderone, a Vandergrift native known for intense pride in his hometown, died on Sunday. His sister, Elizabeth Calderone, said he died suddenly at home from a heart attack. He was 78. While Calderone never held a position in local government, he was widely considered the unofficial ambassador...
Kentucky firm to dismantle Cheswick Generating Station for potential redevelopment
The Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale Borough, slated to close on April 1 after more than 50 years of operation, has been purchased by a Kentucky firm that specializes in remediation of coal-fired power stations. Charah Solutions, based in Louisville, said Thursday it will dismantle the plant and potentially use...
Kiski Area student leads team trying to raise $100K for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
A Kiski Area High School student is hoping to raise big money for a charity close to her heart. Junior Allison Thompson of Washington Township formed Team WISH (Warriors of Invincible Strength and Hope) on a mission to raise $100,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For her efforts, Thompson...
The Stroller, Jan. 21, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Volunteers needed at cat rescue Kiski Valley Cat and Kitten Rescue is seeking volunteers to help at the shelter, located in Allegheny...
Feds: New Kensington resident serves federal prison time for illegally receiving pandemic jobless benefits
A New Kensington man served six months in a federal prison after he was convicted of receiving pandemic unemployment compensation that he didn’t qualify for. Erick Woods, 23, of New Kensington was sentenced to time served (six months) and a two-year term of supervised released, after he was convicted of...
Freeport lands $11 million grant to pay for most of new sewage treatment plant
Freeport officials have landed a huge state grant — $11 million — to help pay for a new $16.9 million sewage treatment plant. The borough’s 50-year-old plant discharges partially treated sewage during heavy rains into Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. The plant needs upgrades to meet state...
