Valley News Dispatch category, Page 442
No tax increase in East Deer 2022 budget, but commissioners approve rise in water rates
East Deer Township residents would not see a tax increase from the proposed $1.3 million budget for 2022. Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the preliminary budget during their Thursday evening meeting. The board will vote to approve the final budget Dec. 31. The property tax rate would remain at 4.9...
The Stroller, Nov. 5, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Annual Christmas for Vets event planned Dec. 5 Five Forces will host its sixth annual Christmas for Veterans event Dec. 5...
Hockey organization issues discipline to Armstrong club after vulgar chants directed at female goalie
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League officials have announced disciplinary measures as a result of their investigation into an incident at a game between Armstrong and Mars Area high schools. Armstrong students were chanting vulgarities at Mars’ female goalie Oct. 28 at the Belmont Ice Arena near Kittanning. It’s the Armstrong club’s...
Mail-in ballots impact Leechburg Council race, boost 2 incumbents and knock out another
Mail-in votes for Leechburg Council broke a tie in favor of two incumbents while sealing the fate of another. Armstrong County election numbers updated Thursday show newcomer John Mrvan remained the top vote-getter with 246 votes, which was a boost of 23 votes from the night before. Democrat incumbents won...
Upper Burrell supervisors call for 20% real estate tax hike for 2022
After more than 16 years without a real estate tax increase, Upper Burrell supervisors have tentatively agreed to raise taxes by 20% next year. If the tax increase is finalized in December, the average homeowner with a property assessed at $22,000 will pay $44 more in township real estate taxes...
Tarentum incumbents Homa, Kerr retain council seats
Tarentum residents in the 1st Ward will be represented by two familiar faces on council. Republican incumbents Lou Ann Homa and Ray Kerr were vying for two seats up for grabs, one a four-year term and the other a two-year term. Homa captured the four-year term, winning with 210 votes...
Freeport officials hope to secure $11 million in PennVEST funds for sewer plant project
Freeport officials are seeking $11 million in Pennsylvania Investment Authority funds to help pay for a new sewage plant. Council unanimously passed a resolution to that effect Monday night. Kevin Creagh of KLH Engineers said the deadline to apply was Wednesday, and PennVEST officials may approve the request in December....
Write-in ballots may make a difference in Gilpin supervisors race
A Gilpin supervisors race may come down to write-in ballots. Unofficial returns from the Armstrong County Election Bureau indicate Republican Kevin Miller defeated Democrat Charles Minnich for a four-year seat. Miller received 279 votes to Minnich’s 213. There were 66 unresolved write-in votes as of Thursday. If all of the...
Highland Hose in Tarentum celebrates a pair of 50-year members
Highland Hose lifetime member Allen Simmers recalls hanging around the Tarentum fire station nearly every day as a young child. “They would take us kids to Pirates games and have Christmas parties, all kinds of stuff,” said Simmers, 72. “My dad was a member and I just grew up there.”...
Newcomers oust incumbents for pair of Springdale Township commissioners’ seats
Two new faces will replace two incumbents on the Springdale Township board of commissioners after winning Tuesday’s election. Republicans Tim Basilone and Bradley Stanzione won the two open seats, replacing incumbents Tim Sweet and Shirley Redman, both Democrats. Basilone led in votes and received 31.9%, according to unofficial results. Stanzione...
Promoting smart fashion for all women, East West Boutique to open storefront in Vandergrift
They’re two best friends with a passion for fashion. Alle-Kiski Valley natives Dessie Mitcheson Pilek and Jen Zatko Atchison met as cheerleaders in seventh grade and graduated together from Kiski Area High School in 2009. These days, they are business partners expanding their online clothing business — East West Boutique...
Apollo man charged with raping woman sheltering with him after PFA order against her husband
Apollo police arrested a borough man on charges he raped a woman staying at his house with her daughter after she split with her husband. Joshua Allen Gibbon, 20, of Woodward Avenue, was arrested on Oct. 30. The police acted after the accuser provided them with a detailed layout of...
3 newcomers elected to Burrell School Board, along with 2 incumbents
Tuesday’s election brought change to the Burrell School Board, with three newcomers joining the two incumbents who were reelected. Four at-large seats were open this year. Timothy Vinkovich, a former Tarentum councilman, received 22.6% of votes, the highest share. Newcomer Nikki Watson brought in 21.5%, incumbent Rick Kaczor attracted 20.6%...
New Kensington woman sentenced to probation in drug scheme at Westmoreland jail
A New Kensington woman was sentenced to three years of probation Thursday for a minor role in what authorities have described as a year-long scheme to get drugs into the Westmoreland County Prison. Sandra Gonzalez-Morales, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility. “I’m just looking...
‘Pumpkin Guy’ on target to hit goal for Project Bundle-Up
It’s the gourd that keeps on giving. Donations are still rolling in for Pittsburgh’s Project Bundle-Up, thanks to the dedication of one Aspinwall resident. Joel “The Pumpkin Guy” Keefer, 70, of Fourth Street began carving elaborate oversized pumpkins for the public 25 years ago. After collecting and donating $89,000 over...
Kiski Area students experience 9/11 history with Flight 93 Memorial visit
Kiski Area Upper Elementary sixth graders are experiencing a field trip to a sacred field this week. Almost 300 students are visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial on three days, in three groups, in Shanksville. “For those that remember 9/11, it’s living history. But for the kids, it’s history,” Kiski...
New Kensington police investigating bathroom bullying incident at Valley High School
New Kensington police are investigating a bullying incident in which garbage was dropped on at least one student in a bathroom at Valley High School. Students found to have been involved could face discipline ranging from detention to expulsion depending on the severity and their own disciplinary history, Superintendent Chris...
The Stroller, Nov. 4, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Springdale chiropractic clinic hosts food drive Frazetta Family Chiropractic’s 28th annual Thanksgiving food drive for Lower Valley Food Bank will be...
Leechburg Council race yet to be decided, resolution could come Thursday
Armstrong County Elections results show a tie between two incumbents in the Leechburg Council race, while a well-known Leechburg pharmacist earned the most votes cast Tuesday at the polls. Democrats Chuck Pascal and Alan Tarr each earned 179 votes, according unofficial returns posted by the elections bureau. Both currently sit...
Victor in Tarentum mayor’s race still unclear
Tarentum mayoral candidates Carrie Fox and Bob Lang still were waiting midday Wednesday for Allegheny County to declare a winner in the borough’s top race, more than 18 hours after the polls closed. “I haven’t heard a word,” said Lang, who ran as a Republican candidate after securing a write-in...
Federal Street in Harrison gets new trees thanks to partnership with ATI, Western PA Conservancy
Jim Mazur grew up in the 1950s along Center Street in Natrona, just a block away from the former Penn Salt Manufacturing Co. and an accompanying row of Federal Street homes where his grandfather, the local justice of the peace, lived. The houses, about 20 of them, are long gone,...
Incumbent, newcomer secure 2 Harmar supervisors’ seats
An incumbent and newcomer will be taking seats as Harmar Township supervisors. Newcomer Sam Boak, a Democrat, came out on top with 29.18% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Allegheny County Board of Elections. He was followed by incumbent Harry Lenhart, also a Democrat, with 27.57%. First-time...
Incumbent, 3 newcomers elected to Deer Lakes School Board
Voters in the Deer Lakes School District selected an incumbent school director and three political newcomers to fill the four open seats on the school board in Tuesday’s general election. Five candidates were vying for the four seats. Three of the four board members whose four-year terms expire at the...
Republicans sweep ballots in Plum mayoral, council races
In the Plum mayoral race, Republican Mayor Harry Schlegel beat Democrat David Biondo, 3,524 to 3,390, for another four-year term. Eight candidates were on the ballot to fill four seats on Plum Borough council. The top vote-getters were all Republicans: incumbents Paul Dern and Mike Doyle, as well as newcomer...
No city real estate tax increase planned for Lower Burrell next year
Lower Burrell Council voted unanimously Monday on a $10.77 million preliminary budget that holds the line on real estate taxes for next year . The city’s proposed 2022 budget will keep real estate taxes at 24.75 mills. That means a property assessed at $20,000 would be subject to a real...
