Valley News Dispatch category, Page 617
The Stroller, Jan. 3, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Vandergrift Library seeking secretary for board of directors Vandergrift Public Library is accepting applications for the position of secretary on the Board of Trustees. This is a volunteer position and applicants must live in Vandergrift or the communities served by the library. Responsibilities include attending the meeting at 6:30 p.m....
Buffalo Creek in running for Pennsylvania River of the Year
Buffalo Creek in Butler County is in third place in online voting being conducted to identify the Pennsylvania River of the Year. State residents have until Jan. 17 to cast their vote at the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website. The group that nominated the winning river will receive...
Man injured in 2-car East Deer wreck
A man was injured Monday afternoon in a two-car wreck in East Deer, police said. East Deer police Chief John Manchini said a black Impala followed by another car crossed the New Kensington Bridge into East Deer at about 1 p.m. Monday. For an unknown reason, the Impala’s driver stopped...
Former Vandergrift cop gets probation in retribution scheme
A former Vandergrift police officer was sentenced Thursday to serve two years of probation for attempting to coerce a local couple to participate in a retribution scheme against his supervisor. Jared Edward Kepple, 28, of Hyde Park pleaded guilty in October to one misdemeanor count of official oppression in connection...
Researchers from Duquesne, Chatham to study water quality of Little Buffalo Creek
Researchers from Duquesne and Chatham universities will conduct testing of Little Buffalo Creek and its tributaries to try to determine the source of pollution that is sullying their waters. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania landed a $13,700 grant to pay for the testing, which will be done this year...
The Stroller, Jan. 2, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Peoples Library seeking tutors Peoples Library in New Kensington is seeking adult volunteers to tutor elementary students in its afterschool program. Adult tutors work one-on-one with at-risk students from the New Kensington-Arnold School District from 4 to 5:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the New Kensington library, 880 Barnes St....
Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara open after power outage
Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara has reopened after a power outage Friday morning. The center along Powers Run Road was closed temporarily while Duquesne Light crews worked to resolve the issue. Officials said early this morning that they were trying to keep the doors open for programs and...
The Stroller, Jan. 1, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Happy New Year! May the year ahead be a healthy and prosperous one you and your family. Academy Singers seeking members The Academy Singers Community Choir is looking for new voices to join their group. The Academy Singers is for singers who want to learn more about choral singing. Selections...
East Deer adopts $1.4M budget with no tax increase
East Deer Commissioners voted Tuesday to adopt a $1.4 million budget for 2020 that keep the real estate tax rate at 4.9 mills. The largest expenditure will be nearly $219,000 for police coverage and related services, while the public works department is allotted $174,000 for street maintenance. The budget includes...
East Deer looks to demolish 3 homes damaged by natural gas fire
East Deer officials said three homes along Freeport Road that were severely damaged Friday when a pickup crashed into a gas meter and sparked a fire will be demolished. Efforts are being made to get one company to demolish all three buildings, officials said. A family of six was left...
Benefit Deer Lakes hockey game exceeds fundraising goalVideo
A hockey game dedicated to raising money for mental health care programs in the Deer Lakes School District exceeded its fundraising goal. Organizers of the inaugural Maura C. Rupprecht Alumni Hockey Game, held Sunday at the Frozen Pond Arena in Middlesex, hoped to raise $5,000 for those initiatives. They raised...
Pig on the run eludes capture in Springdale Township until owner shows up
A wayward pig eluded capture for several hours Monday in Springdale Township after attempts by residents and police to lure and lasso the 100-pound, black-haired swine failed. No one was injured but jokes abounded on the Facebook page “Springdale Borough News,” with one poster wryly noting that Monday was National...
Bumpy ride: $250K grant to fix pothole-riddled Low Grade Road
Harmar, Cheswick and Springdale Township were awarded a $250,000 state grant — about half of what they requested — to fix the pothole-riddled Low Grade Road. The road, almost a mile long, has been plagued by major drainage problems for years. State Sen. Lindsey M. Williams, D-West View, pushed for...
The Stroller, Dec. 31, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Christmas tree recycling offered in Allegheny County Allegheny County is offering its annual Christmas tree recycling program from 8 a.m. to dusk through Jan. 14 at all nine regional parks. Local parks include: • Boyce Park, Plum: soccer fields parking lot • Deer Lakes Park, West Deer: Veterans Shelter parking...
Alle-Kiski Valley top stories of 2019
The Alle-Kiski Valley’s biggest story of 2019 unfolded over less than two weeks in a Westmoreland County courtroom, with a jury of nine women and three men finding Rahmael Holt guilty of murdering New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw and then sentencing Holt to death. In other major stories, the...
Arnold auto technician’s passion for cars continues through the agesVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Steve Mike’s career as an automotive technician started at...
Property tax hike needed to maintain services, New Kensington officials say
A property tax increase is needed for New Kensington to maintain its services, officials said as council unanimously approved the city’s 2020 budget and tax rate Monday. Police protection is among those services. The city hired five new officers this year, which accounts for much of the 3% increase in...
J.V. Manufacturing founder John C. Vecchi dies at 96
When John C. Vecchi began his manufacturing career at Allegheny Ludlum Steel in Brackenridge nearly 80 years ago, he made history. While serving as a tool-and-die apprentice, Vecchi helped build the world’s first carbide progressive die, an integral part of a process in which coiled metal is used to produce...
Smoke alarm helps mother, young son escape fire in Arnold
A smoke alarm helped a woman and her 4-year-old son safely escape a fire that heavily damaged a two-story duplex in Arnold on Monday afternoon. The fire in the 2000 block of Proctor Alley was reported around 2 p.m. Firefighters had it put out within about 30 minutes. Kayla Pirozzi...
Lawmakers want answers about future of Avonmore’s Akers plant
State lawmakers who represent Avonmore said Monday they are concerned that the new owners of the Akers National Roll plant haven’t been more forthcoming about their plans for the site. “Documentation shows that the plant was sold, but we are unsure who the new owners are and what they ultimately...
Popular flea market for hunting, fishing, camping items returning to ArnoldVideo
Looking for a decades-old lure from the South Bend Bait Co. or a new handmade turkey caller? The Alle-Kiski Valley’s oldest and, perhaps only, fishing and sports flea market is set for January at the Arnold No. 2 Volunteer Fire Department social hall. The 15th annual Tri-County Trout Club Sports...
The Stroller, Dec. 30, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Hospital auxiliary sponsors vacation raffle Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring a raffle for a seven night Hilton Head Hideaway vacation. The prize includes seven nights in a condo at Shelter Cove Harbor in Hilton Head, S.C. The winner will choose one of three available weeks to vacation. Meals and...
Deer Lakes Hockey Club holds event to raise awareness about suicide
Maura Rupprecht was never one for the spotlight. But she would be glad to know her death might just help save a life, her mother believes. Maura was a Deer Lakes High School sophomore who died by suicide in March. She was 16. “I really think that she would be...
East Deer family left homeless by fire to move into new place Monday
An East Deer family of six left homeless after a Friday morning fire is expected to move into a new place in the township Monday. The Red Cross initially assisted Aaron Ciccanti, his fiancee, Andrea Small, and Small’s four children, two boys and two girls, with a temporary place to...
‘Kill for Thrill’ murderer remains on death row 40 years after Western Pa. killing spree
Jim Clawson hopes that one day he will watch the last breaths of the man who killed his friend and fellow police officer 40 years ago. Clawson has been waiting for decades to be summoned as a witness to John Lesko’s final day. He wants to be seated behind a...
