Valley News Dispatch category, Page 497
Twisted Thistle in Leechburg temporarily closes amid staffing, cost issues
An upscale eatery in Leechburg has closed for the summer months. Twisted Thistle on Market Street announced the news on social media Saturday. Co-managing partners Linda Alworth and Joe Hesketh said the decision to close to the dining public was necessitated by staffing issues and increased food prices and poor...
Arnold eyes spray park, other recreation projects
Arnold Council appears ready to allocate a large chunk of its 2021 Community Development Block Grant funds to recreation. On Tuesday, council gave preliminary approval to allocating $69,000 out of its CDBG allocation of nearly $312,000 with an eye toward creating a water spray park for children similar to one...
The Stroller, June 14, 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. Free GED prep class offered in Harrison and online Allegheny Family Network North in Natrona Heights, Harrison, offers a free adult...
3 Freeport EMTs recognized for lifesaving work
Three Freeport emergency medical technicians are being recognized for their work to save a Freeport woman’s life. Daniel Kline, Kaylee Polena and John Zotter worked to save a Freeport woman after she went into cardiac arrest in her home in early April, according to Mike Greiser, Freeport’s fire marshal and...
Tarentum bridge reopens to traffic headed toward New Kensington
The Tarentum Bridge reopened Sunday to traffic going toward New Kensington. The bridge closed Wednesday to all traffic, and the closure for vehicles headed toward Tarentum is expected to remain in effect through June 27. The closure is needed for a $3.4 million rehabilitation project, which is expected to be...
Former Yankees star Joe Page inducted into Allegheny Valley School District alumni Hall of Fame
Any Springdale athlete wondering if it’s possible to go from a small town known for its mining history to big time professional sports, need look no further than Joe Page’s story for inspiration. Page, who went from the coal mines of Springdale to being a World Series MVP pitcher for...
Freeport Area School District property taxes to increase between 2.5% and 3%
Homeowners in the Freeport Area School District will pay more in property taxes next school year — either 2.5% or 3%, depending on which county they live in. The district’s final $36.8 million budget for 2021-22, which a divided school board passed Thursday in a 5-4 vote, includes different tax...
Pandemic wreaks havoc on school food service, transportation budgets
As school leaders across the region debated the best way to keep students safe during the covid-19 pandemic, budgets for food and transportation services largely went bust as both districts and outside companies were left with fewer bodies queuing through cafeteria lines or riding buses. With schools bringing students back...
More storms pelt Pittsburgh area with rain, wind, hail
A line of thunderstorms clogged roadway drains, downed trees and left standing water on roadways throughout the region Sunday. The weather cleared for much of the day until about 6 p.m., when more storms blew through, bringing with them more rain, wind and hail that pelted Pittsburgh and its northern...
Vandergift installs surveillance cameras at Kennedy Park
Sections of Kennedy Park in Vandergrift are now under 24/7 video surveillance. Vandergrift officials approved the purchase and installation of the cameras during a council meeting in April. In an effort to deter and stop ongoing vandalism and littering, borough officials recently installed six video cameras on the stage building...
The Stroller, June 13, 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. Summit Hose accepting donations for fireworks display Summit Hose Volunteer Fire Company in Tarentum is accepting donations to offset the cost...
As Principal Tom Rocchi retires, Hunt Elementary staff praise his impact and leadership
Even after 60 years in education, Thomas Rocchi sometimes wonders if he made a difference. The answer came in hugs at the door of Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold on Monday, where Rocchi, the school’s principal, welcomed back members of Valley High School’s graduating Class of 2021. Dressed...
Burrell prepares for virtual instruction next year
The Burrell School District’s Academic Approach team is making plans for virtual instruction for next school year. The district is planning to offer five days of virtual instruction and five days of face-to-face instruction, Superintendent Shannon Wagner told the school board earlier this week. Each student will have have access...
Audubon opens nature center and park in Buffalo TownshipVideo
About 12 years in the making, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania opened its Babcock Nature Center and Buffalo Creek Nature Park on Saturday in Buffalo Township. The six-acre site at 154 Monroe Road is nestled between Little Buffalo Creek and the Butler-Freeport Community Trail. The parcel is owned by...
Introducing the Apollo-Ridge High School Class of 2021
Apollo-Ridge High School held its graduation ceremony on Friday, June 11. Here is the Apollo-Ridge High School Class of 2021: Alivia Renee Acevedo, Delaney J. Ashbaugh, Gavin Patrick Barrick, Adeline Marie-Lynn Baustert, Morgan Nicole Baynar, Mira Grace Bernat, Halyn Michelle Biddle, Anthony Paul Blackgrove, Alexis Marie Blake, Emily Grace Bonelli,...
Giant Eagle employees honored for saving Buffalo Township shopper’s life
Eileen Harvey was running errands at the Giant Eagle in Buffalo Plaza around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 13. She was buying dog treats and a TV dinner. Then she collapsed in the checkout line. “Apparently, I got to the register and I paid for it, but I never got any...
Freeport Area bus driver honored for 50 years behind the wheel
Terry Bergbigler doesn’t like meetings, but the one he was summoned to Tuesday morning will probably go down as one of his favorites. Bergbigler’s colleagues at W.L. Roenigk successfully surprised him with an event to commemorate his 50 years as a school bus driver with the company. With the drivers...
Pennsylvania wants kids to get agriculture experience, farmers see technology as future
As the summer growing season gets underway, the agricultural industry continues its perennial mission of looking for a new crop of young people to enter the workforce. “Pennsylvania has long faced a looming agricultural workforce shortage, at one point estimating a deficit of 75,000 workers as farmers retire and new,...
The Stroller, June 12, 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. Carnival returns to Lower Burrell Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 will host its annual carnival from 6 to p.m....
Electronics recycling event coming to Freeport Area Middle School
People can toss their old computers, cellphones and gaming consoles during an e-waste collection at Freeport Area Middle School. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 19. Hosted by Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania (ASWP) and the Pennsylvania Resources Council, the recycling initiative was identified as...
Tarentum Book Club gives archives to Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society’s museum
More than a century’s worth of history has been given to the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society’s Heritage Museum in Tarentum. The Tarentum Book Club has given four boxes to the museum containing minutes, scrapbooks and programs dating to the club’s founding in 1901. The archives previously had been kept in...
Introducing the Deer Lakes High School Class of 2021
Congratulations to the Deer Lakes High School Class of 2021: Haley Lynne Allen, Tori Lynne Allen, Bruce Henry Allman, Wyatt Andrew Arbuthnot, Makaylee Lane Ashbaugh, Matthew Barie, Brooke Elizabeth Barnes, Madison Elizabeth Bauer, Brandon Russell Bedillion, Abigail Elizabeth Boulos, Christopher Joseph Braden, Abigail Rose Breneman, Nathanial Breninghouse, Tara Elizabeth Brick,...
Introducing the Riverview High School Class of 2021
Riverview High School had 58 graduates in the Class of 2021. Commencement ceremonies took place Thursday evening on the field at Riverside Park in Oakmont adjacent to the high school. Graduates include: Ryan Aber, William P. Alcorn, Alexis Rae Allis, Dominic A. Armenti, Sofia Evelin Bear, Nicole Briann Bennett, Dominic...
Butler Logan Road in Frazer to close for 2 weeks
A nearly one-mile stretch of Butler Logan Road north of the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer will be closed for two weeks, PennDOT announced Friday. The road is scheduled to close at about noon Monday between Clarks Pike and Log Cabin roads, weather permitting. Through traffic will be prohibited around-the-clock...
WAKE distributes donations to Allegheny Valley Association of Churches
Karen Snair carried two vacuum cleaners down a set of steps at the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber in Harrison on Friday. The appliances were among hundreds of items for the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison. She and four volunteers made 12 trips to load a Suburban and back...
