Valley News Dispatch category, Page 465
Newcomer challenges longtime Brackenridge mayor
A Brackenridge resident with a master’s degree in public health is challenging the borough’s longtime mayor in Tuesday’s election. Lindsay Fraser, 37, is challenging Mayor Thomas Kish, who is seeking his fourth term. Both candidates have ideas on what is needed in the borough and how, as mayor, they can...
5 candidates vying for 4 open seats on Deer Lakes School Board
Voters in the Deer Lakes School District will choose from five candidates to fill four open school board seats in the Nov. 2 election. Four of the candidates are newcomers: Brian Brown, Jeremy L. Love, Jonathan Majernik and Traci A. Stotler. The other candidate is Kristi Minnick, who is seeking...
‘The Pumpkin Guy’: Aspinwall man carves oversized gourds for charity
A giant gourd is helping one man give back. Joel Keefer, 70, of Aspinwall began decorating oversized pumpkins for the public’s enjoyment 25 years ago. “I’m known as The Pumpkin Guy,” Keefer said. Keefer initially began his Halloween tradition of carving gourds weighing more than 1,000 pounds in an effort...
Tour the haunted Cooper Station caboose on the Butler-Freeport Trail in Winfield
The public can tour the caboose once part of Cooper Station Restaurant, bedecked in creepy decorations, along the Butler-Freeport Trail in Cabot, Winfield Township on Saturday. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the tour of the 1940s caboose includes samples of Eat‘n Park smiley cookies, Soergel’s apple cider, hot...
5 candidates vie for 4 seats on the Burrell School Board
Five candidates, mostly newcomers, are vying for four seats on the Burrell School Board in Tuesday’s election. Three incumbents on the nine-member board opted not to seek reelection: Genia Koziarski, Rachel Linderman and Chris Wojcik. Incumbents running for another term are LeeAnn Guido, the sole candidate for a two-year term...
The Stroller, Oct. 29, 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. New Kensington school to salute local veterans Mary Queen of Apostles School, 110 Elmtree Road, New Kensington will host a salute...
Crossing history: First covered bridge on a public walking trail in region built in Kiski Township
It looks like something out of a fairy tale: A new rustic covered bridge nestled in the woods of Kiski Township on a walking trail. It crosses the rollicking Roaring Run stream near its confluence with the Kiski River. It’s about 1.5 miles up the Roaring Run Trail from Canal...
Warrant issued for man accused of causing Arnold rollover with 2 kids in car
A New Kensington man is accused of intentionally crashing his car into another vehicle with two young children inside and causing it to roll over. The incident was reported at the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Ewing Street about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, according Westmoreland County 911. A woman driving the...
Fox Chapel Area senior masters softball, taekwondo
A hands-on approach to life is serving up new opportunities for MacKenzie Borkovich of Indiana Township. A senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, Borkovich began playing softball and started taekwondo lessons when she was 6. More than a decade later, she’s a star pitcher for the Foxes and Ohio...
New Kensington boy, 16, remembered as ‘sweetest, kindest soul’
Isaiah Parks was too good of a person to go unnoticed. “He was honestly the sweetest, kindest soul ever,” said Jenelle Cole, a life skills teacher at Valley High School in New Kensington, who had been Isaiah’s teacher for four years. “He could be grumpy, but he just always made...
Northbound Route 28 weekend crossover scheduled in O’Hara Township
A busy last few months of road construction work on Route 28 continues this weekend. PennDOT District 11 has announced work requiring a weekend crossover on Route 28 North will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue through 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. Northbound traffic will be crossed over into...
2 candidates seeking supervisor seat in Gilpin
Gilpin residents will have a choice of two political newcomers to help represent them on the board of supervisors for the next four years. Democrat Charles Chaz Minnich and Republican Kevin M. Miller are vying for one four-year seat. Incumbent Republican Jeremy Smail is running unopposed for a six-year seat....
Harrison neighbors, former co-workers vie for 2nd Ward commissioner seat
Harrison neighbors Jamie Nee and Jeffrey “JR” Reynolds learned they were running for the same township commissioner’s seat when they ran into each other turning in paperwork at the county elections office. They had worked together for years at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, where Nee still works as director...
Body of missing Ford City man found in Allegheny River lock
The body of a Ford City man missing since Sunday was discovered in the Allegheny River on Friday morning, according to the Armstrong County coroner. Todd Tremont, 59, was reported missing by family members, police said. Initial search efforts were focused along a Rails to Trails path near the Allegheny...
The Stroller, Oct. 28, 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. Food items needed for Leechburg weekend distribution The Leechburg Food Bank and Leechburg School District sponsor the Community Providing Alternatives to...
Incumbent, familiar newcomers compete for two Harmar supervisors’ seats
An incumbent and two familiar newcomers will be contending on Tuesday for two open seats on Harmar’s board of supervisors. Incumbent Harry Lenhart, 78, was elected in 2017. He said he wants to continue to improve the township with work on roads and the sewage system while keeping taxes low....
Freeport Halloween parade includes about 200 participants, hundreds more look on
A calm and cool Wednesday night brought out a couple hundred ghouls, ghosts, hippies and high schoolers for the annual Freeport Halloween parade. The event is organized every year by the borough’s volunteer fire department. About 200 people marched in the parade led by Freeport and South Buffalo Township fire...
Kiski Township couple charged with beating toddler, lying to police
A Kiski Township woman was arrested by township police, accused of spanking a 3-year-old girl so hard that red marks and swelling were still visible days after she was struck, according to police. The woman’s boyfriend, who is the father of the child, also was arrested in connection with the...
Brackenridge homeless shelter clears zoning hurdle
The recommendation by Brackenridge Zoning Hearing Board for a former personal care home to operate as a homeless shelter is a step toward much-needed housing support in the Highlands School District, a former school board member said. “We need to lift people up when they are down,” said Misty Woody,...
Microphone disinfection turns into TikTok gold for Highlands seniorsVideo
Who would think a video of a guy spraying disinfectant on a microphone is hilarious? Millions of TikTok users, that’s who. The simple gesture to keep everyone safe during a school talent show is a viral TikTok sensation for two Highlands High School seniors. When Alli Love saw Noah Kessler...
Police: Text messages lead to baseball bat attack, shooting in Arnold
One man’s attempt to assault another man with a baseball bat backfired when the other man pulled out a gun and shot him three times, according to Arnold police. Arnold police this week charged both men they say were involved in the incident that happened shortly before midnight on Sept....
Big Bad Wheels: World’s fastest Monster Truck on display at Harrison dealership
Fans of high-powered, hill-climbing Monster Trucks can get a glimpse of the speed record-setting Raminator in Harrison. The truck is on display to mark the grand opening of the new Cochran dealership along Route 908 for the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep brands. The new dealership is on the same...
Springdale Council candidate drops out, remains on ballot in complex election
A candidate’s late withdrawal from the race for Springdale Council means more seats are up for election than there are people to fill them. Six of council’s seven seats will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, but there are effectively only five candidates. Toni Robbins, 56, said she is dropping...
New appointee to East Vandergrift Council aims to stay with write-in campaign
East Vandergrift Council last month named Jeremy Manners to fill a vacant seat. While his appointment lasts through December, Manners aims to stay on council with a write-in campaign in the Nov. 2 election. The seat became open after the July death of council member Bonita “Bonnie” Bober, who was...
Traffic restrictions expected in Harmar, O’Hara
Motorists who travel along Route 28 should be aware of two traffic shifts today. Construction crews will be working in two separate areas in Harmar and O’Hara, with both projects impacting traffic. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., bridge work in the southbound lanes will create a single-lane restriction in...
