Valley News Dispatch category, Page 579
Burrell works on new covid-19 school plan, hikes school taxes 3%
Burrell School District is holding meetings with staff and families this month to address concerns about covid-19, which played a large role in the district’s recent school tax hike of nearly 3% for 2020-21. Late last month, the school board approved a $32.1 million budget that includes a 3 mill...
Leechburg Area to resume in-person classes in August, offer online instruction to those who want it
Leechburg Area School District plans to reopen Aug. 26, and will offer online-only classes for students who aren’t comfortable going back to an in-person school setting. Because the school buildings are in Armstrong County, the district will be following that county’s guidelines. The district is made up of students from...
Covid concerns spread through Vandergrift
A Vandergrift borough employee who became ill and was directed by his doctor to get tested for covid-19 was awaiting test results Monday. “We do not know anything, whether he’s tested positive or negative at this point,” Borough Secretary Stephen J. DelleDonne said early Monday afternoon. DelleDonne did not identify...
New Kensington Salvation Army’s new leadership to develop new home, eventually more programs
In two years with the Salvation Army in New Kensington, Capt. Phillip and Lt. Angelys Davies guided the organization to realizing a goal decades in the making. Then, they accomplished in months another task their superiors thought would take years. The couple last week oversaw moving the New Kensington Worship...
The Stroller, July 13, 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. Online couponing and budgeting seminar offered Allegheny Family Network will...
Lower Burrell hosts ‘Rise Up Against Racism’ event
The national conversation about race and racism in America made its way Sunday to the predominantly white small town of Lower Burrell. Between 40 and 50 people braved a steady rain for an event billed as Rise Up Against Racism on the soccer field at Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park....
Dispatcher: Verona authorities rescue person who fell off Jet Ski in Allegheny River
A person who fell off a Jet Ski in the Allegheny River near Arch Street in Verona on Sunday, July 12, was transported to an area hospital, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Verona police and fire departments were dispatched at about 7 p.m. They could not be reached...
Tarentum man dies in motorcycle crash on Route 366 in Murrysville
A Tarentum man died Sunday afternoon when his motorcycle crashed in Murrysville, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on Route 366, the dispatcher said. Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha identified the victim as Patrick G. Dzugan, 59, of Butler Street, Tarentum. According to...
The Stroller, July 12, 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. Drive-through food distribution set for Tuesday at former Sears store...
Natrona man survives near-drowning on Allegheny River in Plum
Cliff Jones isn’t second-guessing his decision to buy a kayak on Friday. What he does regret is nearly drowning Saturday on the Allegheny River and throwing a scare into the people who came to his rescue. Jones, a 55-year-old property manager from the Natrona neighborhood of Harrison, took his new...
Vandergrift pool closed due to possible covid-19 exposure
Residents of Vandergrift will have to find new ways to beat the heat for the time being. Vandergrift’s Joseph A. Petrarca Pool is closed, at least temporarily, due to a pool employee possibly being exposed to covid-19. “To be clear, this is not a confirmed case but rather a possible...
The Stroller, July 11, 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. Concordia Ministries to hold Kids’ Fishing Days Concordia Lutheran Ministries...
Oakmont adds email option to alert system
Oakmont officials recently added an email option to the borough’s alert system in an effort to reach more residents. The borough last year launched a free mobile phone text alert notification to provide emergency and nonemergency communications to residents and businesses. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said they added another option...
Details released for Rise Up Against Racism event Sunday at Lower Burrell’s Kotecki Park
Details were released Friday for the Rise Up Against Racism event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday in Lower Burrell’s Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. Coordinated by Trista Armstrong, 17, of Upper Burrell, the free event, which she is calling an educational event and not a protest, will feature a...
Deadline extended to submit name corrections for Harrison World War II memorial
Delays in the restoration of Harrison’s World War II Honor Roll memorial brought on by the covid-19 pandemic are allowing more time to make sure its names are spelled correctly. “Since there has been a delay, we have extended the time period where residents can check the accuracy of the...
Allegheny Valley Regional Police force moves office over covid-19 concerns
The Allegheny Valley Regional Police moved its office from the Springdale Township municipal building to Cheswick’s borough building as a precaution to prevent the spread of covid-19 and to make more room for other township employees. “This is more a shift to an office than a move,” said Michael Girardi,...
The Stroller, July 10, 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. Annual St. Joseph golf fundraiser set for Sept. 18 The...
Market Street Pizza in Leechburg opens successfully amid coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on businesses across the country, including local restaurants like the Twisted Thistle in Leechburg. But instead of looking outside the box, owners Joe Hesketh and Linda Alworth looked inside the box — literally. On June 22, the pair opened Market Street Pizza...
Riverview High School students teach youngsters worldly lessons before graduating
Four Riverview High School graduates were able to leave their international mark on school district youngsters before leaving to take on the world. Marina Pietz, Francesca Lio, Mikaela Colins and Emily Pietragallo each earned a Global Scholars Certificate through the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia this past school year. They...
Tarentum updating law that assesses $50 fee for ‘excessive’ police calls
Tarentum residents who make excessive calls to police could find themselves paying for them. Council is considering updating a 14-year-old ordinance that imposes a $50 charge for each police response in excess of three every 30 days to the same location. Although the ordinance already exists, Borough Manager Michael Nestico...
Deer Lakes cancels in-person commencement amid latest coronavirus-related restrictions
Deer Lakes School District has canceled its Class of 2020 in-person commencement. The event was scheduled for July 16, but had to be canceled due to coronavirus-related restrictions recently imposed by the Allegheny County Health Department, which limited gatherings of more than 50 people for two weeks to help mitigate...
The Stroller, July 9, 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. Community Library adds local history department Community Library of Allegheny...
Freeport Theatre Festival opens 31st season Friday with pandemic safety protocols in place
The curtain will go up at the Freeport Theatre Festival for a 31st year. This season, there will be noticeable changes at the summer barn theater. Because of the coronavirus pandemic the Allegheny Township theater will seat fewer people. The usual meet-and-greet sessions with actors won’t be taking place. “We...
Vandergrift councilwoman gets no support in quest to form a shade tree commission
Vandergrift Council isn’t interested in starting a shade tree commission. Councilwoman Karen McClarnon, head of the council’s tree and light committee, asked council on Monday to formally establish such a commission. No other council member agreed to move forward with the idea at its virtual meeting. Shade tree commissions are...
Preliminary hearings continued to Sept. 4 for defendants in death of Oakmont toddler
The preliminary hearings for three Oakmont residents accused of the physical and psychological torture, and eventual death, of a toddler have been continued to September, according to court records. Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr., 29, and Laura Ramriez, 27, were charged June 24 with homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault of a child,...
