Valley News Dispatch category, Page 538
New Kensington mother awaiting manslaughter trial pleads guilty to animal neglect
The mother of a 2-year-old boy police said was brutally murdered by her boyfriend as she slept in a nearby room pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a related misdemeanor count of animal neglect. Police said Teresa Fetterman, 24, formerly of Aliquippa, did not get medical help for her 8-month-old mixed-breed...
New Kensington family recalls Biden sharing their grief, comforting a mother who lost son to brain cancer
Dolly Regoli wiped away a tear, paused and composed herself during an interview Wednesday as Joe Biden prepared to take the oath of office. The new president many hope will heal the nation’s wounds has a special place in the heart of the 81-year-old New Kensington woman. Three years ago,...
Drive-thru e-waste, hazardous household waste recycling event planned in West Deer
Noble Environmental is offering a hazardous household waste and e-waste recycling event in West Deer in March for people to get rid of unwanted electronics or household chemicals not typically picked up by garbage haulers. The recycling event will take place at the township’s municipal building from 9 a.m. to...
New nonprofit Fox Families Care quickly fulfilling mission to help students
When a Fox Chapel Area student couldn’t afford to get senior photos, the new nonprofit Fox Families Care stepped in to provide them. The nonprofit also was there for a student who needed a new bed and hundreds of others who needed breakfast and lunch during the extended covid-19 remote...
The Stroller, Jan. 20, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Drive-through food distribution planned Tuesday at Lernerville Speedway Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host a drive-through food distribution for anyone in need...
Oakmont Commons flooding solutions dependent upon grant approval
Flood mitigation projects proposed for the Oakmont Commons housing plan are contingent upon grant funding, Oakmont officials said Tuesday. The borough applied for $500,000 through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Flood mitigation Program last July. It’s a matching grant with the borough projected to shell out 15%, about $75,000, should it...
Medical expert approved for New Kensington man’s murder defense
A judge on Tuesday ruled that defense lawyers for a New Kensington man facing a potential death sentence for the death of a 2-year-old can hire a medical expert to evaluate and potentially refute prosecution evidence at his upcoming trial. Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 31, has been in the Westmoreland...
New Kensington police seeking information in JJ’s Country Tavern shooting
New Kensington police are asking the public for information about a shooting that happened this month at JJ’s Country Tavern. Detective Sgt. Matt Saxman said the shooting was reported at about 8 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Fifth Avenue bar. Saxman said several cars and a couple of buildings were...
Danny Monaco, owner of Hoffstot’s, Chelsea Grille in Oakmont, dies from covid complications
Daniel “Danny” Monaco, owner of Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco in Oakmont, died Sunday. He was 75. Monaco and his brother, Tom, started the business in 1971, taking over the Oakmont restaurant Hoffstot’s and featuring their grandmother’s Italian recipes. They later opened Cafe Monaco, a smaller restaurant with a different menu, next...
Fox Chapel Crew, started on whim with ‘crappy boat and ugly old trailer,’ marks 25 years of success
It started with 13 rowers, no equipment and a self-described inexperienced coach. Fox Chapel Crew, founded in 1995 by Mark Bellinger, has grown from a meager program into a thriving sport beloved and respected in the local rowing community. “My first boat was a used piece of junk but now...
The Stroller, Jan. 19, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Freeport Renaissance Association seeking volunteers Freeport Renaissance Association is seeking volunteer help to maintain the community gardens in the borough. The group recently...
Bell Township fire claims life of 80-year-old man weeks after blaze
An 80-year-old man has died after he suffered injuries during a fire at his Bell Township home last month, according to his obituary. Bernerd Andrew Zanavich died Friday at UPMC Mercy hospital, where he was taken following the Dec. 28 fire. His 52-year-old son, Frank R. Zanavich, also died in...
Arnold man accused of exposing himself to Westmoreland County Prison worker
An Arnold man already being held in the Westmoreland County Prison was arrested last week after, police say, he exposed himself to a female commissary worker at the jail. John D. Weathersby, 46, is charged with indecent exposure and open lewdness. The incident was reported to county detectives on Jan....
Signs in O’Hara Community Park called ‘wonderful nod’ to history after park name changedVideo
Educational signs to be erected this spring in O’Hara Community Park will deliver bits of the township’s history, tracing back to its origins when Seneca Indian Chief Guyasuta trekked through green valleys and tree-covered hills to settle nearby and serve as an advisor to George Washington. A small committee of...
The Stroller, Jan. 18, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Online bingo to benefit Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley will host a virtual Bow Wow Bingo at 7 p.m. Feb. 10...
Fallen Officer Food Drive breaks records in Lower Burrell
Beset by an unpleasant snowy, gray Saturday, donors still came out in full force for a record-breaking Fallen Officer Food Drive in Lower Burrell. The food drive, in its third year, benefits the food bank at St. Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell. The fundraiser pays homage to two police...
Cheswick passes budget with no new tax increases
Cheswick Council has passed a budget of nearly $1.7 million for this year that has no property tax hike. Passed with a 6-0 vote, the budget keeps the tax rate at 5.85 mills. The total includes 5.60 mills with an additional 0.25 of a mill to pay for maintenance at...
Burrell School District to appeal $53,000 reduction in Siemens real estate taxes
The Burrell School District plans to appeal a Westmoreland County assessment ruling that reduced the real estate tax assessment of Siemens Industry Inc. With the lower assessment, the school district stands to lose $53,000 this year. The tax challenge adds to another legal action Burrell, along with Upper Burrell Township,...
New, growing businesses moving into Tarentum’s renovated Murphy Building
Four local businesses are starting or expanding their operations in the former G.C. Murphy Building in Tarentum. Allegheny Educational Systems, based in Tarentum for nearly 40 years, is keeping its primary location on Third Avenue but needed showroom space for its growing business, building owner Dave Rankin said. Chuck Conto...
Penn State New Ken’s start of new semester, enrollment event virtual this week
Penn State New Kensington will start back for the spring semester on Tuesday with all virtual classes. But the remote operations of the campus won’t stop enrollment with the “Virtual Application Days,” on Monday. If potential students and parents attend Virtual Application Days on Monday from 1 p.m. to 2...
Kiski Area officials: State Education Department contradicts themselves with new school guidelines
As the district prepares to enter its second semester, Kiski Area is one of few that has offered in-person and hybrid instruction all school year, Superintendent Tim Scott said — staying consistent amid shifting guidelines from the state Department of Education. During a Wednesday evening school board meeting, Scott and...
One man’s mission to overhaul downtown New Kensington opening doors for new business ownersVideo
Amy Johnson’s earliest memories of downtown New Kensington include her grandfather, a doctor whose office was in the Shepherd Building on Fifth Avenue. “I remember walking down from my home in Parnassus to his office,” said Johnson, 47. “My great aunt worked at the Harts building. We’d walk to Harts,...
Jim Brewster looks forward after tight, tense Pa. Senate race: ‘At the end of the day, you’re supposed to shake hands’Video
State Sen. Jim Brewster knew the initial Jan. 5 swearing-in for members of his chamber could get dicey. He had been declared the winner of the 45th District race by the Pennsylvania secretary of State, and a legal ruling from the state Supreme Court concurred. But his Republican opponent, Nicole...
The Stroller, Jan. 17, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. West Deer Dog Shelter accepting donations West Deer Dog Shelter is now accepting donations via Venmo @westdeerdogshelter. To use Venmo, download the Venmo...
Lower Burrell American Legion to hold Mexican dinner fundraiser next Saturday
Lucy Peters of West Leechburg is sharing her love of authentic Mexican cooking with another love — service. Peters, 38, an Army veteran and member of American Legion Post 868 in Lower Burrell, will serve as chef, cooking hundreds of flautas and tamales for a Mexican-themed fundraiser hosted by the...
