Valley News Dispatch category, Page 546
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...
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fundraisers struggle in pandemic year
The Salvation Army’s famous red kettles are a lot lighter than usual this year, and there are fewer of them to be found around Westmoreland County. “As of right now, we’re not even at half our goal, and we have six kettle days left,” said Lt. Donna Hannan, assistant corps...
New Kensington police charge man in hotel fight with 3 other men
A New Kensington man was arraigned Wednesday on a felony charge of aggravated assault stemming from a fight in which two men suffered brain bleeds and one had skull fractures. Police charged Kenneth Lorenzo Johnson Jr., 32, on Nov. 17 in connection with the fight that happened June 12 at...
Lawsuit: Allegheny Health Network failed to accommodate Cheswick nurse with asthma during pandemic
A Cheswick registered nurse is suing Allegheny Health Network because she said the health network discriminated against her and failed to accommodate her when the covid-19 pandemic began in the spring. Samantha Eiler, who was hired by the health network in January 2019, was diagnosed with asthma when she was...
Leechburg native Msgr. Larry Kulick named new bishop of Diocese of GreensburgVideo
Catholics in the Greensburg Diocese are celebrating an early Christmas gift from Rome: the appointment of one of their own, Msgr. Larry J. Kulick, as bishop-elect. Pope Francis announced the appointment of Kulick, a Leechburg native, as the sixth bishop of the diocese early Friday. The appointment of the 54-year-old...
The Stroller, Dec. 18, 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 to visit West Deer with township firemen Santa will travel through West Deer with the township volunteer fire companies this weekend....
Pittsburgh-based Rycon Construction to build new $12 million Plum municipal center
Plum officials have taken the next step in developing a new municipal center. Council approved a $16.5 million contract from Rycon Construction Thursday night. The Pittsburgh company was the lowest of 11 bidders. The so-called town center would house a police station, municipal offices, gym, a plaza and a community...
Plum holds the line on taxes with 2021 budget, park upgrades included
Plum homeowners will pay the same real estate tax rate in 2021 they have been for the fourth straight year. Plum Council unanimously voted Dec. 17 to pass a $13.7 million budget and maintain the tax rate at 4.78 mills. The vote was conducted at a virtual meeting broadcast on...
Saint Joseph offering new ‘Spirit’ scholarship to enrolling freshmen
St. Joseph High School in Harrison is offering a new scholarship to help families afford a Catholic education as the school seeks to enroll students for the 2021-22 school year. The St. Joseph Spirit Scholarship is available for next school year’s enrolling freshmen, said Shane Palumbo, director of admissions and...
Lower Burrell says recent Right-to-Know requests are excessive and ‘vexatious’
Lower Burrell plans to send a cease-and-desist letter to a Plum man whose Right-to-Know Law requests have, officials claim, become excessive and “vexatious.” Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law entitles the public and media to secure most records from public agencies in the state within five days of a request. Dave Bayne, 73,...
Allegheny Valley Hospital doctors, nurses expected to get covid vaccine
Physicians and nurses at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison are expected to be among Allegheny Health Network’s first caregivers to receive covid-19 vaccinations Friday morning, an AHN spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman JoAnne Clobus could not say how many employees of the Harrison hospital would be getting shots Friday. Employees were busy...
New Kensington-Arnold concerned about students not participating in remote classes
New Kensington-Arnold School District administrators and board members are concerned about the number of children who they say have not been participating in school since the district moved all students to remote instruction. The district started the school year with students receiving instruction fully online or fully in person. The...
Fox Chapel woman teams with winemaker whose sales benefit charitable groupsVideo
Giving back never tasted so good. OneHope is a winery in the Napa Valley that pairs charity with cheers, offering online wine sales and fundraisers nationwide with a mission of changing the world, one bottle at a time. What began in 2007 with eight friends selling wine from the back...
Arnold woman tried to take Lower Burrell officer’s gun during arrest, police say
Lower Burrell police said an Arnold woman who wrecked her car at Burrell Lake Park on Saturday tried to take an officer’s gun and Taser, and hit, kicked and spit on officers as they arrested her. Michelle Pusateri, 37, also faces charges of child endangerment because police said she was...
New Kensington-Arnold hires school boards association to conduct superintendent search
New Kensington-Arnold School District will spend up to $13,000 to find a new superintendent. The school board voted unanimously Tuesday to hire the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to conduct the search. The district will pay the association $5,000, plus up to $8,000 for additional costs. “Our longstanding relationship with school...
Tarentum police investigating theft of packages
Tarentum police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman who they say is a package thief. The department said Wednesday on its Facebook page that it was investigating a theft of packages in the 300 block of East Sixth Avenue. No other information was provided. Police provided...
Pandemic drives Pittsburgh region’s food insecurity to new heights, reshapes assistance efforts
Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Pittsburgh region, made much worse by the covid-19 pandemic. Area food banks have responded by redoubling their efforts while facing new challenges. With pandemic restrictions putting many American breadwinners out of work or reducing their hours, food banks this year have been...
The Stroller, Dec. 17, 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. Local volunteer fire companies to escort Santa on Saturday In preparation for his trip around the world on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus...
