Valley News Dispatch category, Page 61
Questions remain unanswered on 12th anniversary of Trib employee’s disappearance
Dan Niehaus preferred actions over words. Despite being prone to silence with the occasional “hello” and “thank you,” Niehaus of Penn Hills was known as a reliable man and a hard worker. “Dan was a nice guy, but he didn’t talk at all,” said Todd Besh, Trib Total Media production...
Feud among fire departments flares during Memorial Day blaze in Springdale Township
Seven fire departments and about 50 firefighters responded to a blaze that destroyed a home in Springdale Township on Memorial Day, but Springdale Volunteer Fire Department members, who were close enough to watch smoke rise from the fire, were not among them. According to Dan Copeland, a borough council member...
Threat of rain prompts Plum School District to reschedule graduation
The threat of rain has prompted the Plum School District to reschedule its graduation ceremony. The district announced Tuesday that it has pushed the ceremony ahead a day, from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Plum High School stadium. “While the extended forecast is still subject to...
Burrell students teach, mentor younger generation on environment
Chad Clair wants to make science fun. By the looks of students from Stewart Elementary and Burrell High schools at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park in Lower Burrell last week, mission accomplished. Students in Clair’s new Environmental Field Study course at Burrell, and members of the Environmental Club taught...
Prospect of Springdale data center meets mixed reactions among neighbors
Dale Remai likes the idea of a data center in Springdale where a power plant used to stand. A resident of Shady Avenue, adjacent to the former power plant site, Remai, 69, thinks it could be a boon to the borough in terms of attracting other employers. At least, it’s...
Lower Burrell man dead after motorcycle crash in city
A Lower Burrell man died Monday after his Harley Davidson motorcycle collided with a sedan in the city. The incident occurred just before 4 p.m. The motorcycle rider, William Hartman, 20, died about an hour and a half later, according to a report from the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office. The...
The Stroller, May 27, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Volunteers needed for Kick...
Allegheny County Parks create economic spillover in nearby municipalities
Dave Brooke spends at least three days a week at Harrison Hills Park, checking for nesting success in the wooden bluebird boxes that dot the lawns in the Allegheny County-owned space. Birding and conservation are among a number of activities that draw people to the 500-acre park off Freeport Road...
Communities mark Memorial Day with parades, salutes to honor those who died in fight for freedom
As a cacophony of marching bands Monday helped power Memorial Day parades that snaked through small-town streets — marchers and onlookers alike draped in red, white and blue — it was the small details that resonated loudest for one Alle-Kiski Valley veteran. Don Donahue, a Veterans of Foreign Wars commander...
Neighbor pulls man off property after blaze guts his Springdale Township home
Editor’s note: This story was updated to show the location of the fire is in Springdale Township. Della Mayfield didn’t think much Monday morning when she saw smoke starting to billow from her elderly neighbor’s Springdale Township home. She just looked out her window, then ran. “There was so much...
East Deer lays out steps for delinquent service payments
Employees and customers of East Deer’s water department are getting firm regulations to follow when it comes to delinquent payments. Commissioners approved a formal policy regarding such payments, not only for water bills but also for refuse collection and sewer maintenance payments. “It’s just a policy that (township Manager) Chrystal...
Leechburg Area students worked the polls thanks to innovative program
Leechburg Area students Rocco Vigna, 17, and Nevin Steele, 17, spent election day serving their community. The two juniors from West Leechburg were the first students to participate in a program that allows students living in Westmoreland County to work at polling places. The boys spent half a day at...
The Stroller, May 26, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. This Memorial Day, we...
Arnold woman opens The Battle Life, a transitional living home for women in the fights of their lives
An Arnold woman is remembering a friend who lost her battle as she prepares to help other women who are still fighting their own. Amanda Wheeler on Sunday celebrated the soft opening of The Battle Life, her transitional living home, which she is dedicating to her friend, Jon’Trae “JT” Mathis....
Allegheny Township OKs stormwater fee to meet MS4 compliance
Allegheny Township approved a stormwater fee Tuesday as the deadline looms to meet state and federal mandates on runoff management. The ordinance saddles homeowners with an $8.50 monthly payment to help fund about $1.6 million in improvements needed to make good on the township’s MS4 plan, short for Municipal Separate...
The Stroller, May 25, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Food distribution set Tuesday...
Future of PSNK property uncertain after college closes in 2027
Area leaders hope the future of the soon-to-be-shuttered Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell is one that will benefit the community’s long-term needs. “I think it’s important that we continue to engage the community that lives there, and how and what they’d like to see,” said state Rep....
Experts say Penn State’s campus closures the harsh reality
Decades ago, the good times rolled at Penn State. In the 1990s, the state’s flagship was one of the most popular institutions nationwide, claiming to receive more SAT scores from high-school seniors than any other college, according to reports at the time. Pennsylvania was expecting its college-going population to swell,...
Fox Chapel Garden Club’s Gardenfest blooms at O’Hara park
The Fox Chapel Garden Club’s Gardenfest brings people with green thumbs and others just touching the topsoil together for a common goal. “We all love to garden,” event chair Ronna Riffle said. “We encourage native plantings. We encourage good environmental stewardship.” The annual agriculture extravaganza took place at the O’Hara...
Brackenridge mayor, an independent, seeking re-election; may be challenged by write-in
Brackenridge was without a mayoral candidate on the primary ballot, but that doesn’t mean the current mayor wouldn’t like to keep her job. Incumbent Lindsay Fraser announced on primary election day that she is running for a second, four-year term. A registered independent, Fraser was not able to be on...
The Stroller, May 24, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Leechburg celebration to include...
Allegheny County launches 1st-of-a-kind free audio tours at Hartwood Acres sculpture garden
Visitors to Hartwood Acres can pop in their headphones to hear highlights of Pittsburgh’s industrial legacy while taking in the park’s impressive sculpture garden. It’s part of a mission to provide more people access to world-class art. Allegheny County on Thursday launched a new initiative to offer free, self-guided audio...
Judge rejects defense call to dismiss death penalty case in New Kensington son’s slaying
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected claims from a Brackenridge father facing a potential death penalty that prosecutors are biased and have insufficient evidence to prove he killed his 9-year-old son three years ago in New Kensington. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio in a 19-page ruling found there was...
Buffalo Township mother isn’t sure whose pet’s ashes were added to her daughter’s
Kadyn Jack and her dog Blue were inseparable. Where the girl went, like a furry shadow the mini Australian shepherd followed. Her mother, Kristi Jack, 52, said Kadyn would find any way to include Blue — named by 10-year-old Kadyn after her favorite color — in her day. Sometimes she’d...
Penn State closing vote draws harsh reactions
Over the past two years, Darcy Holtzman worked with her fellow teachers at Burrell High School to provide more hands-on, real-world career experience for her students. Part of that included visits to the Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell. “Penn State New Kensington has been a huge help...
