Valley News Dispatch category, Page 633
Allegheny Township fire department’s annual craft show draws 200 people
Paintings, handmade wrought iron candle stands and homemade jewelry couldn’t be more different. But they do have one thing in common: The sales of those items will help keep gear on the backs of the firefighters who serve the Markle Volunteer Fire Department. “Every little bit helps out,” fire Chief...
Police: Springdale Township diner broken into, nothing taken
David’s Diner in Springdale Township was broken into early Sunday, but the suspect didn’t make off with anything, Allegheny Valley Regional Police said. The break-in was reported shortly after 4:30 a.m. The Facebook page for the diner said the restaurant would be closed for the day. It is normally open...
More than 120 volunteers come to Harrison to plant treesVideo
Kathleen Rankin didn’t let the frosty weather keep her from doing some good for her community on Saturday morning. She was among more than 120 volunteers who turned out for a tree-planting event in Harrison, despite temperatures that hovered in the 30s. “I especially wanted to help plant trees at...
The Stroller, Nov. 10, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Holy Martyrs Parish to host Vilija dinner Dec. 7 Holy Martyrs Parish, Tarentum, will host a traditional meatless Vilija Dinner at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the church, 353 W. Ninth Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $16. The menu will include baked fish, pierogies, farina, bobalky, sauerkraut...
Owls, beer on tap for Audubon outing in Buffalo Township
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is offering a double header event, combining nature with the partaking of microbrews, later this month. The event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 30, starts with an owl prowl at Audubon’s Buffalo Creek Nature Center in Buffalo Township led by an...
Sweet competition benefits the Leechburg Public Library
You don’t have to cross an ocean to see who is crowned the next best baker. Just come to Leechburg. An upcoming spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Leechburg Public Library will include a baking contest for a chance to be the named “Star Baker of Leechburg.” The idea came from...
The Stroller, Nov. 9, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Food drive to benefit Rosedale Food Pantry Lori Hummel of Howard Hanna Real Estate, Oakmont, will host a Thanksgiving food drive from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at REV22 Juice and Wellness Bar, 527 Allegheny Ave., Oakmont. Most need items include flour, sugar, canned pumpkin, vegetables, fruit and sweet potatoes,...
Verona wildlife rehab center receives donation after outrage from shot bald eagleVideo
While rescuing a bald eagle with a fatal shotgun wound was an act of human kindness, so is raising the money to pay for its medical bills at a nonprofit wildlife rehab center. Dorothy Pierini-Rodgers, 61, and her husband, Bill Rodgers, of Blairsville donated about $1,660 of $2,660 raised through...
Lower Burrell’s Ron Hereda elected president of Pa. Firemen’s Association for second time
Ron Hereda, who is synonymous with Lower Burrell’s Kinloch Volunteer Fire Department, has been elected president of the Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association for a second time. Lower Burrell Council honored Hereda, 68, with a certificate of recognition for his longtime service to the city during a council meeting Monday. In addition...
Freeport’s cyber charter school is helping district save money, officials say
Freeport Area School District’s new cyber academy has reduced the flow of district money to outside cyber charter schools, according to Superintendent Ian Magness. Public school districts throughout Pennsylvania are required by state law to pay tuition costs for students who live within their boundaries but choose to attend a...
Heroin falls from driver’s shorts in Tarentum traffic stop
Two men face drug and other charges after police said they pulled over a car in which the men were riding Monday along Route 28 in Tarentum and found heroin and crack cocaine. The northbound car driven by Brad E. Waldbaum, 41, of McKeesport, had been tailgating the vehicle in...
Day 5: DNA, bullets take spotlight in Rahmael Holt murder trialVideo
No DNA or fingerprints place Rahmael Holt at the scene of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw’s murder, according to testimony Friday in Holt’s ongoing capital murder case in Westmoreland County Court. Testimony from another expert witness called into question the ability of a witness to identify the type of...
Veterans Day events planned in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Veterans Day events are planned throughout the Valley. They include: Apollo Curran-Shaffer Funeral Home will host the 16th annual Apollo Area Veterans program at noon Nov. 11 at the funeral home, 100 Owens View Ave., Apollo. Funeral director Norman E. Connors will celebrate the lives, contributions and impact of each...
The Stroller, Nov. 8, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Turkey Trot to aid Kiski Area Youth Network The Kiski Valley Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Walk to benefit Kiski Area Youth Network will be Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 at Kunkle Park, 985 Pine Run Church Road, Washington Township. Serious and casual runners and walkers of all...
New Kensington veteran rewarded for his service with keys to free SUVVideo
New Kensington’s Naseem Choudhry earned the free ride he received Thursday at a Monroeville dealership. Choudhry, who served in the Marines from 2009 to 2014, was given a refurbished SUV through Progressive’s Keys to Progress program, which aims to provide military veterans with reliable transportation. “There’s a lot of emotions...
Carrie Fox wins 2 seats on Tarentum Council, her 3rd Ward seat needs to be filled
One candidate claimed victory for two different seats on the Tarentum Council on Tuesday. Carrie Fox was elected to be council member at-large and also to represent the 3rd Ward. Fox, a Democrat, defeated Republican Tiffany Babinsack for the member at-large position, taking 60.4% of the vote to Babinsack’s 38.1%,...
Route 366 in Lower Burrell to re-open to 2 lanes Friday or early next week
PennDOT could reopen the Route 366 bridge near Millers Lane in Lower Burrell to two-lane traffic as early as Friday or early next week, according to Valerie Petersen, PennDOT spokeswoman. Route 366, also known as Greensburg Road in Lower Burrell, has been limited to one-lane of traffic regulated by a...
New Kensington Bridge inspection planned
A traffic restriction on the New Kensington Bridge begins Saturday in East Deer and New Kensington, weather permitting. A routine inspection will restrict traffic to a single, alternating lane on the bridge. Crews from the Markosky Engineering Group will perform the inspection. The traffic restriction will be in place from...
Bullet casings found at Brian Shaw shooting came from .40-caliber gun, detective testifies
Slain New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw died primarily from blood loss caused by two gunshot wounds, a forensic pathologist testified Thursday, the fourth day of the trial of his accused killer, Rahmael Holt. Shaw was hit by three bullets the night of Nov. 17, 2017, after he tried to...
Leechburg Road reopened after morning crash
A pickup truck was bent into a V on Thursday morning in a crash on Leechburg Road in Allegheny Township. The crash happened at about 8:45 a.m. Thursday when a driver ahead of the pickup was making a left turn into Sevic Landscaping along the 4000 block of Leechburg Road,...
Apollo-Ridge Elementary evacuated during bomb threat
Apollo-Ridge Elementary School was evacuated Wednesday as officers responded to a bomb threat, according to a statement from district Superintendent Matthew Curci. The threat was found in the school Wednesday morning, Curci said. Officials notified law enforcement and took students to the nearby high school while police and bomb dogs...
The Stroller, Nov. 7, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Valley High School to present murder-mystery comedy The Valley High School Drama Club will present the comedy, ”Madam’s Been Murdered, Tea Will Be Late,” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the high school auditorium, Stevenson Blvd., New Kensington. Tickets are $5. For tickets, visit vhsdrama.org/boxoffice/ or at the door....
Riverfront Theater Company takes comedic look at sibling rivalry
Riverfront Theater Company is gearing up for its 2020 season by treating audiences to a special production of Christopher Durang’s comedy, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” for two weekends in November. The comedy, which won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, is being presented Nov. 7-9 and...
Super Bowl champion Lower Burrell Flyers, Recruits honored by city councilVideo
An overflow crowd gathered Monday in council chambers at Lower Burrell City Hall, but it wasn’t a hot topic or controversial that packed the room. Instead, double Super Bowl wins by the city’s youth football teams — the Lower Burrell Flyers and Recruits — drew the crowd. City council and...
2 newcomers, 1 incumbent elected to Vandergrift Council
Two newcomers will join Vandergrift Council, and incumbent Kathy Chvala will return for another term, according to unofficial Westmoreland County election results. Five candidates ran for three open council seats. John Uskuraitis, who cross-filed as both Democrat and Republican, got the most support, collecting 27.4% of the vote. Republican Karen...
