Valley News Dispatch category, Page 50
Harrison police get less-lethal weapons to deal with increasing crises
Harrison police are responding to more mental health crises than ever before. Since 2012, the number of calls dealing with noncompliant people has increased more than 500%, Chief Brian Turack said. Officers responded to 16 such calls in 2012 and 98 in 2023. “It’s not all mental health; it’s anywhere...
New Kensington man, fugitive since February, arrested in Pittsburgh, faces new gun charges
A New Kensington man wanted on multiple warrants now faces additional gun charges after being taken into custody Tuesday by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies. William Rodgers, 28, has been a fugitive since February when he walked out of Renewal Center halfway house on Boulevard of the Allies in Downtown...
Freeport Area School District final budget includes tax hikes
The Freeport Area School Board raised taxes as much as the state would allow in June, meaning most property owners will owe at least $100 more over the course of the 2025-26 academic year. The main reason for the hike: A $55 million overhaul of the high school that will...
Upper Burrell man, Dennis Praniewicz, knew how to make the most of life
There was only one Dennis Praniewicz. Whether it was riding a jon boat or motorcycle, making tomato moonshine, or shenanigans from sleepwalking, Praniewicz lived a life as funny and wild as it was caring and passionate, his family said. “The stories we could tell,” said Trudy Praniewicz, Dennis’ wife of...
Flooding reported in Vandergrift, Apollo elsewhere in the region
Sia Fouse knew something was up when one of her employees walked up from the first level of her business, The Sia Center in Vandergrift, at around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday. “I said, ‘Why does it look like something’s wrong?’” said Fouse, owner of the Wallace Street event venue and indoor...
Canceled: Music festival on tap for Lower Burrell; summer music series continues
A Lower Burrell music festival planned this month has been called off. The city’s parks and recreation commission announced Wednesday that the Kick it at Kotecki music festival, planned for July 12 at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park, has been canceled. “This decision was not made lightly because we...
The Stroller, July 1, 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...
Randi Shank appointed as New Kensington controller
New Kensington Council on Monday appointed Randi Shank as the city’s controller. The move is part of a chain reaction of sorts in the city’s government: Shank, 66, takes over the position from John Zavadak. Zavadak was New Kensington’s controller for nearly 24 years and, on June 2, was appointed...
Man found dead near Indiana Township rehab facility
The body of a man was found on a grassy hillside off Guys Run Road in Indiana Township early Monday afternoon. Indiana Township Police Chief Steve Colucci said his officers were dispatched at about 1:30 p.m. for reports of three shots fired near Encompass Health and Rehabilitation Hospital of Harmarville....
Leechburg Area’s budget includes 1% tax hikes
Leechburg Area School District passed a final budget for next school year that includes differing tax increases for residents in its Westmoreland and Armstrong county communities. While the district will collect about the same amount of money as during the previous school year, there will be adjustments to millage rates...
Fades for Freeport: 2nd Willy T’s Cuts barbershop set to open in borough’s downtown
After a decade spent building a loyal customer base in Tarentum, William Tavarez said he’s planning to open a second location of his Willy T’s Cuts barbershop in downtown Freeport. The shop, at 512 High St., will cater to some of Tavarez’s existing customers, many of whom come from the...
Freeport begins search for new borough manager
Down a manager, Freeport has begun the search for a new head administrator for the borough. According to Councilwoman Kimberly Barr, Freeport already has received several applications to fill the role, but the borough has not finalized a hiring timeline. The post was left vacant on June 20, when Zachary...
The Stroller, June 30, 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. Local food shuttle available...
Plum resident, firefighter suffer minor injuries in house fire
A Plum resident and a volunteer firefighter suffered minor injuries in a fire that damaged a home in Plum’s Greendale Village neighborhood Saturday. The fire at the two-story home at 1442 Greendale Drive, off Old Leechburg Road, came in at 6:45 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. A firefighter...
‘I just wanted to come back and show love:’ Skyy Moore hosts Before Your Eyes Summer Jam
Sunday marked the fourth time Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore gave back to his hometown of New Kensington. He returns each time for the kids, hoping to inspire the younger generation. “It’s all about the kids that look up to me,” Moore said. “For everybody that had a...
Woman, 39, dies after golf cart crash in Bell Township
A 39-year-old woman died after a golf cart crash Saturday night in Westmoreland County, according to authorities. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the woman as Nicole L. Brooke. Her place of residence was not provided. The crash happened in Bell Township, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. It happened...
Property’s future scrutinized as Pittsburgh Mills mall is up for sale
News that the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer could be for sale was met with reactions ranging from resignation to optimism, but all with a common question: What’s next for the Mills? The news comes in the midst of legal woes, including hundreds of township-issued citations, criminal charges and a...
The Stroller, June 29, 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. New Kensington Storywalk to...
Lower Burrell woman’s ‘achingly honest’ debut memoir tells story of love, loss
Laura Burkett’s sister, Danielle, ran away to Puerto Rico when she was 15 because she got a bad perm. That’s the opening, truthful anecdote to the 52-year-old Lower Burrell woman’s debut work, “This Is Not My Life: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Suspicion, and Starting Over.” It launched June 3. The...
Upper Burrell man, 74, dies in utility tractor accident
A 74-year-old Upper Burrell man died Saturday in an accident involving a farm tractor, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. Dennis A. Praniewicz was pronounced dead at the scene about 3:35 p.m., Carson said. The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. on Fawn Hill Lane, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher...
100th family reunion held in West Deer, but their roots came from Scotland — so did the clan’s leader
It’s in the Scottish nature to want to get together and meet up, says Madam Pauline Hunter, the 30th clan chief of Clan Hunter. Often that sees members of the clan, now scattered around the globe, returning to their roots and visiting Hunterston Castle, which is located southwest of Glasgow,...
The Stroller, June 28, 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. Golf scramble planned by...
Opa! Oakmont Greek Food Festival continues through weekend
Bob Zazac and his daughter Mia braved the elements in order to keep their father-daughter tradition of attending the Oakmont Greek Food Festival alive. The huge fundraising weekend at Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church kicked off Friday. The hot and humid afternoon gave way to thunderstorms shortly before...
Kittanning teen to be charged in connection with stealing $10,000 in goods from Harrison, Fawn
At least two homes in Harrison and another in Fawn appear to have been targeted for thefts after residents posted items for sale on social media. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said charges are pending against a 17-year-old boy from Kittanning in connection with all three incidents, which occurred June...
No injuries in Blawnox train-truck crash
A 195-car train and a tractor trailer collided Friday morning in Blawnox. Crews were dispatched just before 8:30 a.m. to the Fairview Avenue rail crossing, near its intersection with Papercraft Avenue, according to first responders. Blawnox Deputy Fire Chief Matt Kauper said the tractor-trailer was leaving the American Beverage Company...
