Valley News Dispatch category, Page 584
Wind propels large brush fire in Allegheny Township
Fawn police officer Keith Lazaron was at work Tuesday when he received a panicked call from his wife, Jessica, telling him he needed to get home as soon as possible. Strong winds had propelled a large brush fire toward their home in Allegheny Township. When Lazaron arrived home about 20...
Elderly couple carried out of their Arnold house as fire rips through vacant house next door
Paramedics carried an elderly couple out of their Arnold home when it was threatened by fire Tuesday. Firefighters stopped the fire from spreading from the empty house it started at, and no one was hurt, officials said. Todd Hutchison said he called 911 to report the fire in the 1300...
Small black bear spotted in Fox Chapel, O’Hara
A small black bear is making his way through Fox Chapel, O’Hara and other Lower Valley communities, according to local police. Residents of Wedgewood Lane in Fox Chapel got a glimpse of the animal, which officials are calling a cub, wandering across their lawns on Monday. “If it’s just a...
The Stroller, May 19, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com. Vandergrift church to sponsor dollar dinner Vandergrift First United Methodist Church will serve a dollar dinner from 4 to...
Highlands School Board appoints new solicitor as collector of overdue property taxes
Former Highlands School District Solicitor Ira Weiss said his firm wasn’t given a chance to defend its record collecting delinquent property taxes for the district before being ousted from the job. The school board voted 7-1 on Monday to appoint Andrews & Price as delinquent property tax collector, effective Tuesday....
Leechburg Area considers $15.3M budget with tax increase for West Leechburg residents
Leechburg Area School Board approved a $15.3 million preliminary budget for next fiscal year that would increase property taxes by 6.7% for West Leechburg residents, even though the proposed spending plan is $80,000 smaller than this year. The school district is made up of students from Armstrong County’s Leechburg and...
New Kensington seeking bids to resurface Carl Avenue, 3 other streets
New Kensington plans to resurface parts of four city streets this year. The city will mill and resurface the following streets: • Carl Avenue, from Route 366 to Craigdell Road. • Freeport Road, from 7th Street to Short Street. • Short Street, from Freeport Road to Ridge Avenue. • Locust...
Leechburg Area School District to hold graduation at Riverside Drive-In
Leechburg Area School District is giving its high school seniors the movie-star treatment this year. The coronavirus pandemic shut down Pennsylvania’s public schools in March, forcing districts to offer education online and abandon traditional graduation plans. Leechburg Area will honor its 73 graduates at Riverside Drive-In in Parks, which has...
West Deer woman to appear on ‘The Price Is Right’
Mary Kay Giarrusso is hard of hearing, so she didn’t know at first that she should come on down. But her husband, and everyone around her in the studio audience, recognized the signature call. “When I heard, ‘Mary Kay Giarrusso, come on down. You are the next contestant on ‘The...
The Stroller, May 18, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com. Free grab and go lunches offered at Allegheny Valley Church of God Allegheny Valley Church of God, 216 Catalpa...
Water main break reported in Blawnox
A water main break Sunday evening in Blawnox left some of the borough’s customers without service. The break happened shortly before 8 p.m. near the intersection of Maple Way and Cable Avenue, according to a tweet from Allegheny County. The county tweeted that officials were requesting a water buffalo to...
Lower Burrell officials want Gov. Tom Wolf to reopen businesses closed because of pandemic
Lower Burrell officials on Monday plan to send a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking him to reopen businesses that have been shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The letter, signed by Mayor John Andrejcik and council members Joe Grillo, Rosina Albanese, Rob Hamilton and Chris Fabry, said the...
White-tail deer fawn whines for mother on Murrysville webcamVideo
A rite of spring is the birth of hundreds of thousands of white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania with most fawn born within a week of Memorial Day, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. It’s not surprising that wildlife webcams in Murrysville captured footage of what looks to be a newly born...
Allegheny Township personal care home hit with unknown number of covid-19 cases
An outbreak of covid-19 cases has been reported for the Pleasant Ridge Mature Living personal care home in Allegheny Township, although authorities aren’t releasing the number of cases or if there have been any deaths. At least not yet. The Pennsylvania Department of Health plans to start releasing Monday the...
The Stroller, May 17, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com. Cabot Food Bank available for those in need The Cabot Food Bank serves residents of Buffalo, Winfield and Clearfield...
In lieu of funeral, Brackenridge mourners line streets to recall founder of Vibo’s Italian Bakery
Friends, neighbors and longtime customers of Mary Lopreiato took to the streets of Brackenridge on Saturday to mourn the woman who founded Vibo’s Italian Bakery more than 30 years ago. Lopreiato — affectionately known as “Mrs. Vibo” to many customers — died at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on May...
Transmission tower topples onto power lines after driver crashes in Harmar; 1 airlifted to hospital
Rescue crews freed a man trapped inside a mangled Volkswagen that veered off Russellton Road and smashed into a 90-foot power transmission tower in Harmar early afternoon Saturday. Medics airlifted the injured driver, a Harmar area man in his early 50s, to a nearby hospital. His name and condition were...
Consolidated polling places announced for Allegheny County; here are the Alle-Kiski Valley sites
Allegheny County Elections Division officials have announced the list of consolidated polling places for the June 2 primary election. Officials said households with eligible voters will receive a postcard prior to election day advising them of their specific polling place location. The consolidation of polling places was approved in April....
The Stroller, May 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com. Send in your Small Acts of Kindness The Stroller hasn’t heard from any one about Small Acts of Kindness...
Rain doesn’t dampen spirits during Blessed Sacrament school’s student parade in Harrison
Bad weather Friday evening couldn’t rain out a student parade outside of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament School in Natrona Heights, Harrison. Teachers hosted the parade to honor their students. Children and their families were invited to decorate their cars and make signs to salute the teachers, who...
Vandergrift amends emergency declaration, after chaotic Zoom meeting
Vandergrift Council voted Thursday to modify its existing declaration of emergency – one that had been extended just last week. The modifications, council members said, will loosen some public restrictions as Westmoreland County moves into the yellow phase of the state’s reopening plan. The modified declaration that came during an...
Springdale fire department’s jubilee canceled but ‘take and bake’ pizza offered
A social event for 91 years, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department’s jubilee is canceled this summer because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Will it be the fireworks, the parade or amusement rides that thousands of patrons will miss the most? Likely everything, said Michael Ziencik, a borough councilman and treasurer of...
Westmoreland County Housing Authority confirms 1st covid-19 case at Parnassus Manor
A resident of Parnassus Manor in New Kensington has tested positive for covid-19, Westmoreland County Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said Friday. The resident, who is not being identified because of privacy laws, notified the authority Thursday. The authority alerted residents of the high-rise the same day, he said....
Citizens School of Nursing graduates ready to work during covid-19 pandemic
Graduating from nursing school during the covid-19 pandemic made Michelle DeBernardin more certain of her decision to become a nurse. “I’m not afraid to get to work. This is what we prepared for,” she said. “It’s certainly not the ideal situation to walk into as a new nurse, but we...
Leechburg woman whose husband recently died wins $1M from scratch-off lottery ticket
Charity Stivason has to wonder if her late husband pulled some strings. The 48-year-old from Leechburg recently won $1 million off a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket she got at a local grocery store. “I still can’t feel like it’s real,” Stivason told the Tribune-Review. “I’ve always thought, ‘Do these even...
