Valley News Dispatch category, Page 576
Upper Burrell to discuss allowing ATVs on some township roads
Upper Burrell Supervisors are considering allowing all-terrain vehicles to use locally owned roads. The Gilpin Township Supervisors approved a measure earlier this month to designate certain township roads as “joint use” for motor vehicles and ATVs, and that appeared to inspire Upper Burrell to explore enacting a similar measure. Both...
Bar sponsors free event for Springdale Township residents to dispose of large household items
Springdale Township will hold a free event Sunday in which people can dispose of large household items in a dumpster at the township building on Plate Drive. The special disposal event, scheduled from noon to 3 p.m., is sponsored by the Bear’s Inn on Hite Road. “It’s easier for residents...
Injury leads to early retirement for 23-year New Kensington police officer Anthony Grillo
Anthony Grillo knew as a boy that he wanted to be a police officer, and that’s what he became. “I’ve been in uniform my whole life,” said Grillo, 49, a native of Lower Burrell. “I just knew what I wanted to do in life.” Grillo is retiring from law enforcement...
Hearing for Fawn police officer fighting for his job cut short
A hearing for a Fawn police officer fighting for his job was cut short Monday over concerns a township supervisor participating by telephone could not hear. Complicating matters was that, because of covid-19, the hearing was held outdoors with participants wearing face masks and physically distanced. Keith Lazaron II, 35,...
The Stroller, July 27, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Follow @VNDStroller on Twitter for a daily link to The Stroller. TryLife Center accepting donations The TryLife Center in Lower Burrell is accepting donations of gently used children’s clothing in sizes newborn through 4T, maternity clothes, highchairs, pack n’ plays, walkers and infant seats. Other items needed include diapers, wipes...
Michael Ropelewski retires from Harrison police force after 42 years
Sgt. Michael Ropelewski has some good stories about his 42-year tenure with the Harrison Township Police Department. Once, he said, a man approached him while he was having dinner with his son at a local pizza shop. The man thanked Ropelewski for arresting him a few years before. He said...
Hartwood Acres wildflowers aren’t just easy on the eyes; they’re reducing maintenance costs, floodingVideo
A 5-acre patch of Hartwood Acres has been transformed into a meadow with a blazing sea of yellow black-eyed and brown-eyed Susans. The wildflowers, known as Rudbeckia, weren’t planted at the park just for their visual appeal. “The idea was to reduce the amount of grass in the parks,” said...
Nursing home operator using Lower Burrell site to care for covid-19 positive patients
A Lower Burrell nursing home is being used by its parent company to house and treat covid-19 patients. In a statement issued Sunday, Guardian Elder Care confirmed it is using Belair Healthcare & Rehabilitation on Little Drive as a dedicated covid-19 recovery unit. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health,...
The Stroller, July 26, 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@tribweb.com or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Casino Theatre seeking donations The Casino Theater in Vandergrift is...
Allegheny Valley school board sets meeting to discuss reopening plan
Allegheny Valley School Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the district’s health and safety plan for reopening schools. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar. Residents can attend the meeting in person, listen in on their phone or watch...
The Stroller, July 25, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Follow @VNDStroller on Twitter for a daily link to The Stroller. Concordia Ministries to hold Kids’ Fishing Day Concordia Lutheran Ministries will host the last of three Kids’ Fishing Days for children 14 and younger from 8 to 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 1 at Saxony...
Fire at Springdale plant sends firefighter to hospital
A firefighter was taken to a hospital for possible heat exhaustion Friday after battling a fire at the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale. Multiple fire and EMS companies responded to the plant along the 100 block of Porter Street around 5:40 p.m. Springdale fire Chief Kevin Wilhelm said insulation on...
Police: Speed a factor in Gilpin man’s fatal crash
Speed was a probable cause of a fatal crash that killed a 26-year-old Gilpin Township man Tuesday night, police said. Christian Joshua Cuffia died after losing control of his car on Ice Pond Road, near Shearer Road around 7:30 p.m. The car traveled about 80 feet off the road before...
Harrison teacher adapts to pandemic with outdoor Kindermusik classes
For 19 years, Christa Beck has encouraged local children to move with the music at her Kindermusik program. A pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. Beck described Kindermusik as “interactive music and movement classes that focus on whole-child development using music.” She feels strongly that children need such programs —...
The Stroller, July 24, 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@tribweb.com or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Knead Community Café accepting donations Knead Community Café, New Kensington,...
Arnold man accused of rape pleads guilty to lesser charge
An Arnold man originally accused of raping a woman in 2017 pleaded guilty Thursday to a lesser, misdemeanor offense. Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed felony charges of rape, sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault Anthony Chico, 34, in connection with an alleged...
Driver of Officer Brian Shaw’s killer wants $2,500 returned from New Kensington stop
A New Kensington man who police said drove the vehicle from which convicted cop killer Rahmael Holt ran before fatally shooting a city officer wants police to return $2,500 they seized from him. A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday said he will conduct a hearing to reconsider the request from...
Springdale Township cancels summer concerts, to give away TVs instead
Springdale Township canceled its summer concert series because of the covid-19 pandemic, but officials still wanted to give residents something fun. So why not a free television? The township is getting ready to give away 50-inch televisions to residents on Aug. 3 and Sept. 1. Residents don’t have to enter...
Murrysville company will help test systems for lunar lander
In the summer of 2021, Pittsburgh tech company Astrobotic plans to launch an unmanned lunar landing mission after being awarded a contract by NASA. But before that can happen, someone needs to make sure all of the lander’s systems are functioning correctly and working in concert with one another. That’s...
Attorney seeks more time to argue for release of Arnold man accused in 2016 killing
The lawyer for an Arnold man accused of killing a 16-year-old girl in the city in 2016 said she needs more time to prepare for a hearing to argue for the pretrial release of her client who claims he has been in jail too long. Cashaan Williams, 21, appeared Wednesday...
The Stroller, July 23, 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@tribweb.com or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Women’s golf outing scheduled Aug. 11 A women’s golf outing...
Lower Valley communities launch T-shirt fundraiser to stand against racism
On the heels of a unity rally earlier this summer, Lower Valley communities are banding together to stand against racism with a T-shirt fundraiser. Hosted by Aspinwall Neighborhood Watch (ANW) and Fox Chapel Area Residents for Social Justice, the sale of T-shirts and stickers will benefit the fight for equality....
$12.25M in state loans paying for wastewater, stormwater projects in Westmoreland County
About $12.25 million will be coming to Westmoreland County for wastewater and stormwater projects, the state announced Wednesday. The Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority and the City of Arnold got loans for wastewater projects, while Penn Township received a loan for a stormwater project. The money was part of $66 million...
Westmoreland water officials hope goats are solution to invasive weedsVideo
Goats could be a key factor in ridding Beaver Run Reservoir property of an invasive weed that is hindering tree growth around the drinking water source. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials, with the help of a Saint Vincent College student and professor, are studying how goats react to the...
Vandergrift Artfest moving most events to digital format
Vandergrift’s Artfest was supposed to be a healing experience. The theme, “Take Your Broken Heart, Turn it to Art,” was focused on wellness and mental health. “When we chose that theme, we really just had no idea how our lives would be fractured so badly over the last few months,”...
