Valley News Dispatch category, Page 602
Highland Park Bridge project meeting canceled, information given online
PennDOT will provide details online of the $55 million Highland Park Bridge interchange project — in lieu of a meeting that was scheduled to be hosted Thursday at Fox Chapel Area High School. This comes in the wake of state-mandated closures of schools and gatherings of more than a handful...
Man struck by car in New Kensington hospitalized
A man hit by a car Tuesday on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington apparently stepped into the road before the crash, said police Chief Bob Deringer. “No charges will be filed against the driver at this time,” Deringer said Wednesday, but that the investigation is continuing. Deringer said the...
Cheswick borough office closed but services still available
Cheswick has closed its borough offices for visits from residents because of coronavirus concerns, but residents can reach out to the borough by telephone and email, officials said. Office staff can be reached during normal business hours by calling 724-274-5125 or sending an email to boroughsecretary@cheswick.us or assistantsecretary@cheswick.us. Residents can...
Highlands accepting emails for vacant school board seat
Highlands School District will now accept applications for a vacant school board seat via email. The district had previously specifically prohibited people from submitting application electronically. The Region 2 seat became vacant when Misty Chybrzynski, former board president, resigned after moving out of the district. Region 2 covers Brackenridge and...
Enclosed portion of Pittsburgh Mills mall closes indefinitely over coronavirus outbreak
The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills will close at 6 p.m. Tuesday and remain closed “until further notice,” the mall announced on its Facebook page. The closure applies to the enclosed mall only. The mall advised shoppers to check with other stores outside the mall about their status. “In response to...
Alle-Kiski Valley police begin responding to some calls by phone
Some police departments in the Alle-Kiski Valley will be responding to some nonemergency calls over the phone. New Kensington officers “will use their discretion” in deciding if a nonemergency call can be handled with a phone call or if they need to respond to the scene, police Chief Robert Deringer...
Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame banquet canceled
The Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame’s 48th annual induction banquet, scheduled for April 26 at Laube Hall in Freeport, has been canceled, the organization’s secretary, Dennis Wolfe, confirmed Tuesday. The decision came in a unanimous telephone vote of the board of governors Monday evening in conjunction with the continuing...
State Rep. Pyle closes district offices, but public can still call, email
State Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, announced his office will be closed to visitors, but constituents will be able to call and communicate online with his office. Pyle, who has district offices in Buffalo Township and Ford City, said he is following directions from the state House to lessen the...
State Supreme Court Justice Wecht self-quarantines family after son has presumed coronavirus
An Indiana Township man is recovering from a presumed case of the coronavirus, while officials in Fox Chapel Area School District are warning that two of the man’s siblings were at the high school Monday after being in contact with him. Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht identified the man as his...
Highlands settles former principal’s federal lawsuit
Highlands School District has settled one of two federal lawsuits accusing the district and its superintendent of violating employees’ leave rights. The school board approved a settlement with Heather Bigney, former principal of Highlands Early Childhood Center, at a meeting Monday. A lawsuit filed by former fourth-grade teacher Jason Smith...
Band Together Pittsburgh founders earn international Communitas Award for autism programsVideo
Music can be a stabilizing force and an anchor in one’s life. It’s certainly been that for Ron Esser of Frazer Township, whose longstanding love for live music — the blues in particular — led him to become the owner of Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox. Esser and...
Fox Chapel Area School District offering grab-and-go food distribution during closure
Fox Chapel Area students who receive free or reduced-price lunches can get a week’s worth of food during the mandated statewide school closures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Grab-and-go style distributions will be scattered throughout the district at sites in Blawnox, Indiana Township, O’Hara and Sharpsburg. Times are 9 to...
Fox Chapel Area School District cancels plans for students to collect belongings from schools
Bus runs scheduled today for students to collect belongings from Fox Chapel Area School District are canceled. The district had planned to transport students to the high school and Dorseyville Middle School to collect paperwork, books or other supplies they might need for online instruction during the mandated school closure...
The Stroller, March 17, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Send cancellations...
Gyms, day cares among nonessential businesses closing; banks, repair shops, convenience stores stay openVideo
The Legends of Pittsburgh bustled Monday with hand sanitizer-armed gym rats sweating through one more hard workout before the coronavirus pandemic cut off access to their club indefinitely. Monday marked their last chance to do so for at least the next two weeks. The fitness center anchoring a corner of...
Greensburg Diocese suspends Mass, cancels fish fries amid coronavirus spread
The Diocese of Greensburg has suspended public Masses, canceled Lenten fish fries and modified other church events due to the spread of coronavirus in the region. “Tuesday will be our final day of public Masses until further notice,” diocese officials write in a news release Monday. “Where possible, churches will...
Leechburg restaurants step up by offering free meals to students
Some Leechburg area restaurants are getting creative during the coronavirus crisis. Three restaurants—CoCo Coffeehouse, Fox’s Pizza Den and Cicero’s Bar and Grill—are offering free takeout meals beginning Monday and Barefoot Bar and Grill in Gilpin Tuesday for Leechburg area students during the state mandated school closures ordered by Gov. Wolf....
Western Pennsylvania food distributions help keep children fed
Kate Heller was grateful Monday that Riverview School District is continuing to provide both breakfast and lunch to its students while schools are closed statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic. Heller walked to Verner Elementary in Verona to pick up breakfast and lunch for her son, Chris, 8, and daughter,...
Car crashes into Motor Mart in Cheswick, 2 injured
Two men were severely injured Monday after a car crashed into a building in the 1400 block of Pittsburgh Street in Cheswick. Allegheny Valley police received a call about a reckless driver on Pittsburgh Street, said Sgt. Craig Cummings. Around 8:30 a.m., police went looking for the car and found...
Western Pa. towns declare states of emergency to prevent spread of covid-19
Communities in the Alle-Kiski Valley began declaring states of emergency Monday to prevent the spread of exposure to the coronavirus. New Kensington Mayor Thomas Guzzo said the emergency declaration he signed Monday morning will last for five days unless city council extends it. “The city will remain open to assist...
‘Kilowatt Korner’ planned for redesigned space inside Springdale Junior-Senior High School
The Allegheny Valley School District should use a $50,000 grant to redesign part of a conference room at Springdale Junior-Senior High School into a student lounge, according to people working on the project. Brett Slezak, district technology supervisor and the point person for the project, and Daniel Engen, president of...
Grab a seat, have some meat at Verona’s newest BBQ spotVideo
There’s a new meaty eatery in Verona. Off The Rails Barbeque and Drafthouse opened March 14, serving up hearty, slow-roasted barbecue from Ken Shields, the man behind the well-established food truck Oakmont Barbeque Co. “This is a hobby-turned-business, and I always wanted to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant,” says Shields, 52,...
The Stroller, March 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Seminar for...
Remember When: March 16
100 years ago County farmers against daylight saving system Westmoreland County farmers are against any attempt to revive the daylight saving system. The county farm bureau said previous daylight savings “worked more hardships on the farmer and his family than other thing that could be devised.” 75 years ago Lt....
Western Pa. restaurants offer free lunches to schoolkids during hiatus over coronavirus fearsVideo
School lunches are getting an upgrade from restaurants around the area that are offering free mid-day meals to children in light of a two-week shutdown of schools amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Many owners said they felt the need to help after Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday ordered all...
