Valley News Dispatch category, Page 535
PNC to close Harmar branch
PNC Bank is closing its Harmar branch on March 19. PNC will consolidate that branch on Anchor Road near the Target department store with one less than 4 miles away at 2010 Pittsburgh Mills Blvd. in Frazer. “We constantly evaluate our branches, together with our other available channels of banking,...
Allegheny Valley toy distribution takes on different look this year, but still makes kids smileVideo
An annual Shop with a Cop toy distribution event in the Alle-Kiski Valley took on a different look this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but still sent children home with a smile. In past years, officers from the Harmar, Springdale Borough and Allegheny Valley police departments would take children...
Aspinwall eyes safety improvements for Freeport Road
Aspinwall council hopes to implement safety initiatives along Freeport Road in 2021 that could include upgraded bus shelters, bike sharrows and increased parking. The plan would follow some of the many recommendations derived from a 2019 TranSystems study, paid for by a near $13,000 grant from Allegheny County. The list...
The Stroller, Dec. 21, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Volunteers needed to prepare income tax returns Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and United Way of Southwest Pennsylvania are looking for people...
New Kensington couple launches catering business, helping people celebrate ‘any way they can’Video
After years working for others in the restaurant industry, Philip Call says frustration drove him to start his own catering business. Trained in French culinary techniques, Call, 35, of New Kensington says there is a proper and correct way to do things, “and then there’s everything else.” “I’ve always been...
Lower Burrell sewage bills to go up almost 8% next year
Lower Burrell Council agreed to raise a sewage rates by about almost 8% for the average household in 2021. The quarterly bill of an average household will increase from about $155 to $165.50, according to city officials. “The total bill increase is driven by processing costs from Municipal Sanitary Authority...
Peoples Gas demolishes eyesore in Kiski TownshipVideo
A demolition crew paid for by Peoples Gas toppled an old, abandoned three-story commercial building in Kiski Township that was so flimsy it groaned when the wind blew. Township officials are still deciding what they can do with the now-vacant property of less than an acre at 502-26 Highland Ave....
New Kensington opts to stick with garbage hauler
New Kensington Council has decided to keep its garbage hauler for at least another year. Council approved a one-year contract for garbage service with County Hauling with options for two additional years. The quarterly charge to residents will remain $78.13. According to City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti, County Hauling submitted the...
Lower Burrell fire company having success raffling off AR-15 rifles to raise money
In a year when the covid pandemic has forced many organizations to cancel fundraising events, Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (Kinloch) has had success raffling off AR-15 semiautomatic rifles to raise money. The department’s fundraising efforts have been down about $100,000 this year, but Kinloch Chief Ted Hereda...
Tarentum seeking candidates for vacant 1st Ward council seat
Tarentum will accept applications for a soon-to-be vacant seat on borough council until Jan. 4. Council on Tuesday accepted the resignation of 1st Ward Councilwoman Erika Josefoski. Her resignation is effective Dec. 31. Josefoski, 36, announced her intention to resign earlier this month. She said she did not have enough...
Pandemic changed holiday happenings but can’t stop them in one Harrison neighborhoodVideo
Harrison was shining bright Friday night. More than 20 homes located in the 1st Ward in the township participated in the inaugural Holiday Light Contest Friday night. Winners announced in three categories: “Hallmark Movie,” “Clark Griswold” and “Car Stopper.” Harrison Township Commissioner Charles Dizard said the holiday decorating contest was...
Supervisors approve 63-unit housing development in West Deer
The West Deer supervisors have approved a plan that will allow a developer to build a 63-unit development in the township. The McIntyre Heights housing development will be made up of 31 single- family dwellings and 16 duplexes. There also will be a picnic pavilion area for residents of the development,...
The Stroller, Dec. 20, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Santa Claus to visit Leechburg Tuesday Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company will transport Santa Claus around the borough on a fire truck beginning...
Beermuda seeking donations for toy drive
The Beermuda, a bar and restaurant in New Kensington, is seeking donations for a toy drive. The Beermuda has held an annual toy drive for years, with the goal of helping 16 local families, said Jadyn Sugajski, bar manager. But this year, the need is especially great. “It’s all about...
West Deer considers prohibiting on-street parking in housing plans, upping parking fine
The West Deer supervisors are considering prohibiting parking on certain township streets and fining people who continue the practice. Officials say on-street parking in certain housing plans is a safety hazard for first responders such as firefighters and for snowplow drivers. “When it comes to emergency services such as fire...
The Stroller, Dec. 19, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. St. Joseph High School accepting enrollments St. Joseph High School, Harrison, is accepting enrollments for the fall 2021-22 school year. Admission fees...
Oakmont crews ready for next round of snow
Oakmont public works crews remain undaunted by the recent snowfall, and are ready to clear a path for travelers should they be called out again. “We are always prepared to treat and clear roads within the borough,” Borough Manager Scot Fodi said via email. Oakmont has three full-time public works...
Medical examiner: Natrona Heights inmate died of heart disease in the Allegheny County Jail
A Natrona Heights man who was an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail died of heart disease last month, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Friday. Daniel Pastorek, 63, of Harrison, was found unresponsive in his cell on Thanksgiving at about 10:20 a.m., Warden Orlando Harper and the medical examiner...
Alle-Kiski Valley restaurants continue to defy governor’s order suspending indoor dining
David’s Diner co-owner Lisa Speer said Friday she will not close her restaurant to customers looking to dine in, despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to suspend indoor dining and recent visits from health officials looking to enforce the order. Representatives of the Allegheny County Health Department stopped by the Springdale...
Man claims false arrest in 1965 kept him from substitute teaching jobs at Deer Lakes, Northgate
A Baldwin man is suing Deer Lakes and Northgate school districts, alleging that both refused to hire him as a substitute teacher because of what he claimed was a bogus arrest over loud music in 1965. Anthony Gaglierd, who said in his lawsuit that he had a teaching career spanning...
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg smashes fundraising goal, netting $233,950
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg hoped its online Guardian Angel Appeal fundraising campaign would raise about $50,000. Donors smashed that goal, then kept giving. The campaign raised $233,950. “There’s no way I could express how amazed I am at the success of the campaign, not because of any...
‘Senior Secret Santa’ delivers gifts, cheer to homes of nearly 100 Apollo-Ridge studentsVideo
Apollo-Ridge School District’s Senior Secret Santa didn’t circle the world in a supersonic sleigh, but he covered 220 miles Friday in a four-wheel drive SUV delivering gifts to the district’s 96 high school seniors. Apollo-Ridge High School Principal Dan Consuegra donned the outfit of the jolly old elf to serve...
Allegheny Valley Hospital workers see ‘beacon of hope’ as they get 1st doses of covid vaccine
Kristen Miller didn’t think twice about getting the covid vaccine. The intensive care unit registered nurse at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison on Friday was among the first workers in Allegheny Health Network to get a shot of Pfizer’s vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 300,000 in...
West Deer passes $7.2M budget, no tax increase
West Deer Supervisors on Wednesday adopted a $7.2 million budget for 2021 that keeps the property tax rate at 2.99 mills. At that rate, the owner of a West Deer home assessed at $117,000 will pay $350 in taxes next year. “I’m extremely proud of this budget,” Supervisors Chairman Arlind...
Lower Burrell to fix 2 partially collapsed sewer lines with $200K grant
A $200,000 state grant is helping the Lower Burrell Municipal Authority fix sections of two sewer lines that have partially collapsed. One section is under the former JCPenney parking lot along Leechburg Road, while the other is along Wildlife Lodge Road near Leechburg Road. “This is good news for the...
