Valley News Dispatch category, Page 44
Workers clear asbestos from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School as renovation work continues
Workers finished clearing out asbestos from the lobby area of Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School this week ahead of further renovations set to begin next month, according to Allegheny Valley Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Jay Zangrille. The asbestos, original to the 65-year-old building, was encapsulated behind tiles in the lobby and...
Another grocer eyed to replace Community Supermarket in Harrison Heights plaza, owner says
Another grocery store is being sought to replace Community Supermarket in the Harrison Heights plaza, a spokesman for the owner of the plaza told TribLive. Benbrooke Development asset manager Richard Lubkin said his company will seek a grocery tenant to fill Community Supermarket’s location in the plaza. It’s the latest...
Efforts underway to restore Massy Harbison cabin in New Kensington
New Kensington-area historians and officials are hoping to turn an often-overlooked cabin on Stevenson Boulevard into a more visible educational site. The Daughters of the American Revolution Massy Harbison-Fort Hand chapter and the city of New Kensington are working to restore the cabin and Massy Harbison Park, at Oates Boulevard...
Circus coming to Vandergrift
It’s not often a circus comes to town. That’s why Carl Ward, owner of All Visions Media, was surprised when he came across an ad for the Zerbini Family Circus. Ward thought traveling circuses faded away decades ago. Intrigued, he became involved with the production company that is bringing Zerbini’s...
Indiana Township paving project to begin soon
Paving will soon be underway in Indiana Township. Supervisors recently awarded this year’s road repair project to Bakerstown-based Shields Asphalt Paving. They were the lowest of six bidders seeking to repave 12 streets in the township’s Indianola neighborhood. Public works crews were doing asphalt prep work along multiple roads this...
New mobile app could help save honeybee hives, protect $20 billion in agriculture
Honeybee colonies in the United States are projected to decline by up to 70% this year, entomologists say. And that could spell economic disaster. According to the American Beekeeping Federation, honeybees contribute about $20 billion to the value of crop production in the country. But master beekeeper Joe Zgurzynski of...
Lawmakers introduce legislation regulating pet cremation after local scandal
Pennsylvania legislators introduced identical bills in the state House and Senate that would regulate animal cremation services after a scandal involving a local funeral director. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged in April by the state Attorney General’s Office with taking money for pet cremations but instead disposing of...
The Stroller, July 24, 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. Firemen’s festival set Saturday...
Embroiderers at Glenshaw Public Library document Pa.’s history for ‘America’s Tapestry’ project
Local embroiderers are spending their Thursday evenings for the next year at the Glenshaw Public Library, stitching the Pennsylvania panel for the “America’s Tapestry” exhibition, which is scheduled to be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing. Raven Fagelson, state co-director of the Pennsylvania...
Close call! Passing train scuffs side view mirror of tractor-trailer rig parked next to tracks
A tragedy was barely averted Wednesday when a passing train scuffed the side-view mirror of a truck parked next to the train tracks in Natrona. Harrison police responded to the Vine Street railroad crossing after receiving a report that a train had clipped the side of a tractor-trailer. Police found...
Fraud case dismissed against Leechburg contractor
A judge on Wednesday dismissed the criminal case against a Leechburg contractor charged with defrauding a Unity couple in connection with a $59,000 home improvement project they claimed was never completed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ruled prosecutors had insufficient evidence to prove that Dawayne W. Redmond,...
Community Supermarket in Harrison set to close
Harrison is losing one of its longest-standing grocery stores. Community Supermarket in Heights Plaza is set to close this fall. Richard Lubkin, asset manager of Heights Plaza Shopping Center, called the store a mainstay appreciated by thousands. “We are deeply disappointed that Giant Eagle affiliate, Community Market, has opted to...
Buffalo Township man dead after ATV accident in Armstrong County
A Buffalo Township man was pronounced dead by the Armstrong County coroner on Monday after a fatal ATV accident. Michael McGuire, 60, was last seen on Friday, July 18. The coroner said the ATV he was operating went over an embankment and rolled into a ditch near McGuire’s camp in...
The Stroller, July 23, 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. Annual Artfest to honor...
Plum mayor, neighbors hope Rustic Ridge lawsuits will bring answers
After families of six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum sued multiple companies for alleged negligence and wrongful death Tuesday, the borough’s mayor and neighbors in the Rustic Ridge housing plan say they hope the suits will offer some answers nearly two years later. Filed in Allegheny...
Back-to-School Bash spaghetti dinner offers ‘great meal, greater cause’
A plate of pasta will go a long way at the first annual Back-to-School Bash spaghetti fundraiser in Brackenridge. Hosted by Highlands School Board member Elijah Majocha, the festival-themed event will serve up food, music, baked goods and more than 60 raffle baskets — all to benefit students and teachers...
‘It’s hard not to break’: Daughter of Plum house explosion victims continues to grieve without closureVideo
Wherever Taylor Oravitz goes, her childhood home goes with her. The Plum native had her Rustic Ridge Drive home’s GPS coordinates tattooed on her forearm, though not for nostalgia’s sake. Rather, it’s a kind of memorial in ink and flesh. On Aug. 12, 2023, a massive explosion at her family’s...
‘Series of failures’: Lawsuit blames fatal Plum house explosion on pipeline leak, water heaterVideo
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published on July 23. It’s being reposted on the two-year anniversary of the tragedy in Plum. Families of the six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge subdivision have sued multiple companies for negligence and wrongful death, blaming them for...
Councilman voted new chief of Springdale Volunteer Fire Department
After the resignation of longtime Chief Kevin Wilhelm this month, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department selected borough Councilman Dan Copeland as its new man in charge. Copeland, who also serves as Springdale’s water committee chair, has been an officer at the department for 17 years, including 13 years as captain....
Oakmont parish looks to expand child care offerings
The Holy Family Parish-St Irenaeus is hoping to expand its day care services by transforming four classrooms. Quintin Kittle, an architect for Q K Architecture and representative for Holy Family presented proposed plans for the site during the Oakmont Council meeting last week while seeking conditional use for the property....
The Stroller, July 22, 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. Summer concert series to...
Springdale opts for parking restrictions as new football field nears completion
Springdale Council voted in favor of a parking ordinance that is set to place restrictions on some streets near Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. The vote comes as Allegheny Valley School District continues construction of a new turf field that’s set to host Dynamos football games near the school this fall....
Man charged with kidnapping after high-speed chase from New Kensington to Pittsburgh Mills
A Ross man is behind bars after a high-speed police chase Saturday from New Kensington to the Pittsburgh Mills mall with a woman and her 7-year-old son in the car. Charges against William Joseph Anick, 62, include kidnapping a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor, receiving stolen property, endangering the...
Oakmont intersection work postponed
Planned daily closures of the Allegheny River Boulevard and Hulton Road intersection in Oakmont are delayed indefinitely. The closures for sanitary sewer repairs were scheduled to occur daily this week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A notice from the borough released Tuesday, said the property owner has delayed the...
Blawnox borough manager retiring at the end of the year
The search is on for a new Blawnox borough manager as Kathly Ulanowicz plans to call it a career at the end of this year. Council voted 6-0 on July 9 to post the top administrative position. Councilman Mark Lombardi was absent. Borough officials plan to advertise it through the...
