Valley News Dispatch category, Page 541
New Redemption nondenominational church to open in old Hillcrest Alliance Church in Lower BurrellVideo
At a time when churches are closing across the region, Fred Neal, along with help from another church, is opening a new Christian nondenominational church in the former Hillcrest Alliance Church in Lower Burrell. Redemption Church, whose congregation has been meeting at the Knead cafe in New Kensington recently, has...
Estimated $2.4 million renovation in progress at Hartwood Acres stablesVideo
About $2.4 million in renovations will convert the former Hartwood Acres stables into a wedding and special events center. The upgrade includes a new $1.4 million slate roof and nearly $1 million in other renovations that will convert what was an equestrian complex built in 1927 for Mary Flinn Lawrence...
The Stroller, Jan. 10, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Online parenting program offered Wesley Family Services and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania will sponsor an online parenting program, “The Incredible Years, “from 6...
Tarentum awards 2 contracts to tear down 16 blighted buildings
Tarentum is on the verge of getting the vast majority of the borough’s blighted and abandoned buildings torn down, code enforcement Officer Anthony Bruni said. Bruni said bids for 16 upcoming demolitions came in under budget, which he said could allow council to seek bids on more properties. At its...
The Stroller, Jan. 9, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Help available from HOPE Center hotline If social distancing has forced you into an unsafe situation, help is available by calling the Alle-Kiski HOPE...
Harrison includes hazardous, electronic waste collection in new garbage contract
Harrison will no longer host events twice a year so residents can dispose of electronic and hazardous waste because residents will be able to get rid of them from their homes year-round, Commissioner William Heasley said. Commissioners have approved adding household collection of hazardous waste as part of a new...
Raymond Kerr, former Tarentum councilman, fills vacant 1st Ward seat
A former Tarentum councilman was the only qualified candidate to fill a vacant seat on borough council, officials said. Raymond Kerr, 70, was appointed Tuesday to replace Erika Josefoski as one of two council members representing the borough’s 1st Ward. Mayor Eric Carter swore Kerr into office that night. “We’re...
Frazer hires 3 new police officers, including Officer Brian Shaw Scholarship recipient
Frazer has hired a police officer and two recent police academy graduates to replace three part-timers who resigned to take positions elsewhere. Two of the new hires, Andrew Hakos and Alexander Carmody, recently graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy, police Chief Terry Kuhns said. The third new hire, Olivier...
Belle Voci women’s choir using off-time during pandemic to fuel camaraderie
The Fox Chapel-based women’s choir, Belle Voci, is using the covid-19 pandemic to fuel camaraderie and strengthen spirits. In many ways, the group is connecting more deeply than when their time was focused strictly on rehearsing, Pamela Bruchwalski, marketing director, said. “We may not be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, but...
The Stroller, Jan. 8, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Knead Community Café accepting donations Knead Community Café, New Kensington, is accepting donations to help the daily operation of the café, 1011 Barnes St....
Freeport Area School District students to return to classroom
Freeport Area School District will send elementary students back to school four days a week, with middle and high school students returning to the classroom in a hybrid model beginning on Monday. Fridays will remain an asynchronous remote learning day for all students. This decision to return students to in-person...
Plum woman rescued from her burning home by police and neighbor
A 77-year-old Plum woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation Thursday afternoon after being rescued from her burning home by her neighbor and borough police. Resident Butch Bankert said he was going back and forth between his house and shed along the 200 block of Frontenac Road when he...
Burrell graduate is 57th woman ever to graduate from elite Army Ranger School
Lower Burrell native Samantha Shepherd graduated from the legendarily rigorous Army Ranger School late last year to become just the 57th woman and first Army Medical Officer to do so. “I’m just really grateful for my opportunity to go to ranger school,” said Shepherd, who lives in Nashville and is...
Jim Brewster waits, works as 45th Senate race remains unresolved
Jim Brewster, the McKeesport Democrat who was a Pennsylvania senator until Tuesday, was working as usual for people who live in the 45th Senate District. “My staff is functioning with constituent issues,” Brewster said Thursday. But, he said, “I can’t do anything official.” On Tuesday, Republican leadership took control of...
New Kensington-Arnold using hybrid model as students return to schools
New Kensington-Arnold School District students will return to school buildings Jan. 14, but the district will use a hybrid instruction model and break students into two groups. The district closed schools and put all students in remote instruction beginning in November in response to substantial spread of covid-19 in the...
Rather than putting on the ‘quarantine 15,’ 4 Alle-Kiski Valley residents used 2020 to lose weightVideo
Losing never felt so good. Meet four residents of the Alle-Kiski Valley who lost more than 225 pounds combined last year during the covid-19 restrictions. After lockdowns forced people nationwide to endure changes in lifestyles and eating habits, the term “Quarantine 15” was coined — referring to the accompanying trend...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Rotary offers annual scholarships The Bob Williams Memorial Rotary Scholarship, sponsored by Rotary District 7305 Foundation, will award eight $5,000-per-year scholarships to 20-21 academic...
Plum School District recognized by Google for its strides in educational technology
Plum School District was recently recognized for its use of technology to benefit its students’ education. It was named a Google for Education Reference District, which is a distinction held by schools that demonstrate excellence and leadership through use of Google products, such as G Suite for Education and Chromebooks,...
PennDOT postpones Route 28 project until next week due to weather
PennDOT officials said cold weather will delay a Route 28 project designed to add lanes and improve safety near the Highland Park Bridge. Preparatory work such as painting lines and sign installation along the main thoroughfare was expected to begin Wednesday. Officials said those efforts, and subsequent single-lane restrictions, have...
Leechburg Area appoints new board member, prepares for return to in-person classes
Leechburg Area School District has a new school board member. Teresa Edinger, 51, of Leechburg, was appointed during a virtual Zoom meeting Monday night. She replaces Lisa Gregory, who resigned Dec. 9 with one year remaining on her term. Edinger previously was employed by the district as business office manager...
East Deer passes 2021 budget, no tax increase
East Deer residents won’t be paying more in real estate taxes next year despite an increase in spending. Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said commissioners approved a $1.5 million budget for 2021 that keeps the property tax rate at 4.9 mills. The final budget, adopted Dec. 31, was roughly the same...
Pittsburgh man accused of robbing friend with friend’s gun in Upper Burrell
Upper Burrell police charged a Pittsburgh man with robbery, saying he used a friend’s gun to rob the man in his own home, according to a criminal complaint. Tezhon Delvon Thompson, 23, faces felony charges of robbery, burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and illegally possessing firearms. He was released from...
Suspect in Southwest Greensburg hit-and-run arrested in Armstrong County
A former Greensburg man was taken into custody Wednesday in Armstrong County on charges he was driving during a hit-and-run in Southwest Greensburg 13 months ago. North Buffalo Police Chief Jason Hufhand said Justin Lamont Hudspath, 38, was arrested with help of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force at a home...
Winter lantern festival to launch Fox Chapel’s new parks conservancy
A winter lantern festival in Fox Chapel first delayed by rain is rescheduled for sundown Friday. The event will launch the borough’s new parks conservancy by installing a sea of flickering lanterns across the field at McCahill Park along Squaw Run Road. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., people can enjoy...
Aspinwall holds tax rate steady despite increase in spending plan
Aspinwall officials are crediting a strong housing market for helping to maintain the property tax rate in 2021, despite increased spending and pandemic impacts. Aspinwall Council approved the borough’s $2.8 million budget, which holds the real estate tax rate at 6.86 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000...
