Valley News Dispatch category, Page 483
Oakmont Chamber of Commerce Street Sale brings crowd, vendors to the borough
A street sale designed to give Oakmont businesses and other vendors a boost returned to the borough and so did the crowds. More than 1,200 people were estimated to have walked and shopped up and down Allegheny River Boulevard on July 31 in the return of the annual Oakmont Chamber...
Plum High teacher among newest crop of state certified computer science educators
Plum High School math teacher Tamar McPherson recently joined an elite group of educators dedicated to the future of technology-based learning. She is one of 38 teachers in the state to become certified in computer science grades 7-12 through the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The professional development opportunity was made...
Gold medalist Jade Carey has strong ties to Alle-Kiski Valley
Long before gymnast Jade Carey won gold with her nearly flawless floor routine Monday at the Tokyo Olympics, the 21-year-old from Arizona nailed a living-room floor routine in the Alle-Kiski Valley during a visit to see relatives. “We had a huge family room, and from the time she walked in...
Tarentum Mayor Eric Carter resigns just months before term was set to end
Tarentum Mayor Eric Carter has resigned from his position. Council President Scott Dadowski read a resignation letter from Carter, whose first term was scheduled to end Dec. 31. In the letter, Carter cited scheduling conflicts. “Over the past several months, my personal and work schedules have caused a dramatic change...
Lower Burrell police looking for city man accused of not returning a quad runner
Lower Burrell police are asking for the public’s help in finding a city man wanted for theft. Eric Shank, 35, is wanted for theft and receiving property, said police Chief John Marhefka. Police obtained an arrest warrant after Shank didn’t show up for his preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl...
Citizens Bank to close downtown branch in New Kensington
And then there was one. The Citizens Bank branch at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street in New Kensington is closing in mid-November, leaving First National Bank along Eighth Street as the only bank branch remaining downtown. “We continue to evaluate, evolve and adjust our branch strategy across...
Vandergrift Council appoints committee to study how to regulate home-kept chickens
Vandergrift officials are taking steps to adopt an ordinance on backyard chickens. “The only thing we have in place right now is an old ordinance for nuisance fowl,” borough Solicitor Larry Loperfito said, adding that the decades-old ordinance addresses concerns such as a noisy rooster crowing. A three-person committee created...
Blawnox’s 1st National Night Out celebration a big hit with residentsVideo
Blawnox native Christa Coban touted the borough’s first-ever National Night Out as an event with a simple goal — to have people mingle with their heroes, she said. The event, hosted Aug. 3 by the Best of Blawnox group at the borough’s Community Park, was transformed with fire engines, police...
New Kensington runaway returns home safe, police say
A New Kensington teenage runaway is back home, city police said Wednesday. New Kensington police Det. Sgt. Dino DiGiacobbe said Patience Daniella Lynn Johnson, 16, returned home Tuesday and is safe. Johnson had last been seen at her home on July 6. Police asked for the public’s help in finding...
Harrison man jailed after police say he attacked woman at Brackenridge bar
A Harrison man whom police said attacked a woman at a Brackenridge bar is being held in Allegheny County Jail without bail, online court records showed. Brackenridge police charged Keith Robert Haslett, 37, with simple assault, strangulation and harassment following his arrest early Tuesday at Devil Dog Saloon. Police said...
The Stroller, Aug. 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. Age of Aquarius concert to benefit Casino Theater Age of Aquarius, a concert of music of the ’60s and ’70s, will...
Community Health Clinic’s new medical van delivers health care to Westmoreland County residents
Community Health Clinic’s new medical van is bringing health care to people in Westmoreland County, offering covid-19 vaccinations and tests along with primary care. Headquartered in New Kensington with additional locations in Vandergrift and Greensburg, the Community Health Clinic provides low-cost health care, offering a sliding payment scale for residents...
O’Hara, Ben Avon women giving Joy Rides to people with limited mobility
Eleven-year-old Hailey Tucker of Penn Hills has multiple disabilities that have rendered her unable to speak. Still, there was no mistaking her excitement over recent bike rides at the Three Rivers Heritage Trail along Pittsburgh’s North Shore. “She gets a great big smile on her face,” said Hailey’s mother, April....
West Leechburg’s ‘accidental’ garlic grower has been at it for half-century
West Leechburg’s Jack Froncek doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He prefers garlic. Froncek, 94, has been growing garlic at his Giron Street residence for 50 years. He said he got his start in garlic growing by accident. After noticing a large dirt excavation project near his home...
ATI reports $49.2M second-quarter loss, says worker strike cost $40.3M
Allegheny Technologies Inc. lost $49.2 million in the second quarter while incurring $40.3 million in strike-related costs, the company announced Tuesday. ATI said it had sales of $616 million in April through June. Excluding costs related to the strike, which was settled in June when the United Steelworkers approved a...
The Stroller, Aug. 3, 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. Shrine Center to host Steel Mill Rising in concert The Pittsburgh Shrine Center will present a free outdoor concert featuring the...
Northbound lanes of Route 28 in O’Hara reopen after vehicle fire
A ramp leading to the Highland Park Bridge in O’Hara did not sustain any damage after a vehicle caught fire along Route 28 Monday night, officials said. Crews responded to the northbound lanes of Route 28 near the exit leading to the bridge around 8:30 p.m., according to a tweet...
Masking plans draw ire at Fox Chapel Area School Board meeting
Fox Chapel Area students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade could be required to wear masks when they return to school Aug. 24. The school board Monday night was bombarded with pleas from parents who alternately demanded mask-wearing for students and those seeking mask choice. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said, under...
Harrison parent, injured W.Va. player describe harrowing escape from Lancaster sports facility
A 16-year-old boy from West Virginia required several stitches in his arm after getting hurt during the chaos of a frantic crowd fleeing a Lancaster County youth basketball tournament over the weekend. Rafael Barcinas of Morgantown — whose team included a dozen high-schoolers from the Alle-Kiski Valley, Penn Hills and...
Police accuse Arnold man of choking woman, burning officer, hurting child
An Arnold woman told police she thought a man was going to kill her when he grabbed her by the throat Friday night, according to a criminal complaint. Arnold police said Troyan Joseph Wilkins, 28, also burned an officer’s hand with a cigarette when the officer allowed him to have...
The Stroller, Aug. 2, 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. National Night Out planned in Northmoreland Park A National Night Out celebration will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at...
Emergency crews rescue kayaker stuck in Kiski River in Bell Township
Emergency crews rescued a kayaker who got stuck on rocks in the Kiski River Sunday evening. Emergency units were helping the kayaker, who got stuck in Bell Township, around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The kayaker was injured. “They located her and they’re helping her...
Vandergrift library to offer self-guided StoryWalk
Walking is about to get more interesting with a new self-guided family program offered by the Vandergrift Public Library. StoryWalk is a self-guided initiative encouraging the public to visit local parks, learn something new and spend time together. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vt., and...
Missing Vandergrift ArtFest painting returned to artist
A painting that was feared stolen from Vandergrift’s ArtFest last weekend has been found. ArtFest chairperson Lisa Dormire posted the update to social media Sunday morning. An ocean-themed 16x20 oil painting by Alle-Kiski Valley artist JoAnn Wesolosky disappeared from a pop-up gallery last Sunday and organizers took to social media...
Kittanning man arrested after police say he set fire to home in domestic dispute
State police arrested a Kittanning man Sunday morning for allegedly setting fire to a Buffalo Township home during a domestic dispute. Joseph A. Hawk, 20, was wanted for the incident, which Trooper Timothy Reilly said happened at 12:55 p.m. Saturday in the 700 block of Bunker Hill Road in the...
