Valley News Dispatch category, Page 635
Freeport Area cast set to bring ABBA’s hits to stage with ‘Mamma Mia’
Freeport Area High School expanded its musical theater program, adding a fall musical. A cast and stage crew of almost 60 students from grades 9 through 12 will showcase “Mamma Mia” on Nov. 16 and 17, with three performances at the Freeport Middle School Auditorium. Freeport Musical Director Tom Koharchik...
Brackenridge couple receive community service awardVideo
Heather Rodgriguez wasn’t surprised months ago when the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps League Detachment 827 reached out to her about nominating her husband, Jay Rodriguez, for an award recognizing his service to the community. “They don’t have to ask him twice, he’ll be there,” she said of Jay, a retired...
Tarentum firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. honored 20 years after deathVideo
It’s been 20 years since Tarentum volunteer firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. was killed on the job. But the sacrifice he made for his community hasn’t been forgotten. Nor will it be. Family, firefighters and community members Sunday gathered by the fireman’s memorial at Riverview Memorial Park to remember Sims,...
The fate of Colfax Elementary building in Springdale will be decided by Tuesday’s election
For most of the six candidates vying for five seats, the fate of Colfax Elementary School is still very much an issue. The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5. The current school board voted 6-3 in October to demolish the Colfax school after moving its students to the...
Veterans monument at Burrell’s Stewart School gets $8,000 facelift
After a portion of the veteran’s monument in front of Stewart Elementary School along Leechburg Road toppled earlier this year, state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, and others kicked in $8,000 to fix the deteriorating memorial for residents who served in World War II. Repairs started last week on the stone...
Freeport Area School Board will have new faces soon; the question is: How many?
There will be at least two, and possibly three, new faces on the Freeport Area School Board after Tuesday’s election. Three political newcomers, Greg Selinger, Ron Kobelenske and Adam Toncini, all of Buffalo Township, join three incumbents to make up the six candidate field. Toncini is the only one who...
Republican Michael Korns aims to unseat Democrat Joseph Ferguson in Allegheny Township
A Republican challenger is looking to unseat a longtime elected official for an open Allegheny Township Board of Supervisors seat in the Nov. 5 election. Republican Michael Korns will face Democrat Joseph Ferguson, whose term expires in December. Terms on the three-member board are six years. Ferguson, 66, has been...
Vo-tech in New Kensington looks to attract students with open houseVideo
Brandon Meanor was working as a carpenter before graduating from high school — and bought a house not long after. He was able to do that with the training and experience he gained as a student at Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center in New Kensington. He didn’t want to...
The Stroller, Nov. 2-3, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Benefit for Vandergrift cancer patient set Sunday A fundraiser to benefit cancer patient Karen Dongiovanni will be from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Moonlight Inn, 1011 La Belle Vue Road, Vandergrift. There will a lunch buffet from 1 to 4 p.m., a cash bar, basket raffle, t-shirt sale...
Cheer on wrestlers at Pioneer Hose in Brackenridge
Let’s get ready to rumble. The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, based in Lawrenceville, will showcase a number of matches Nov. 9 at Pioneer Hose Company in Brackenridge. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. “Rebel Rumble” will help raise money for Brandy Marie Cheer, nicknamed the Rebels, based in...
Pivik Elementary School in Plum rallies around classmate, 7, battling cancerVideo
A Plum child got to witness support from his elementary school in regard to his cancer recovery as teachers shaved their heads Friday during an assembly. Joey “JoeNado” Byrnes, 7, was diagnosed with leukemia in September after weeks of mysterious stomachaches, persistent coughing and a low-grade fever. He began chemotherapy...
4 incumbents, 2 newcomers vying for 5 seats on Deer Lakes School Board
Four incumbents are facing off against two newcomers for five seats on the Deer Lakes School Board in Tuesday’s election. The incumbents are Louis “Corky” Buck, III, 67, of East Deer; Larry Neidig, 41, of West Deer; Jodi Banyas-Galecki, 53, of Frazer; and William A. LuPone, Jr., 60, of West...
Vacant Pittsburgh Glass Works plant bought by Rosebud Mining Co.
Rosebud Mining Co., a coal mining company based in Kittanning, recently purchased the building formerly operated by Pittsburgh Glass Works, according Allegheny County real estate records. The building, at 150 Ferry St. in the Creighton section of East Deer, has been vacant since last year. Pittsburgh Glass Works was once...
6 cars damaged, destroyed by fire in Harmar hotel parking lotVideo
High winds contributed to several cars being damaged or destroyed when one caught fire in a Harmar hotel parking lot Friday morning. The fire at the Hampton Inn on Freeport Road was reported around 6:30 a.m., according to Allegheny County 911. The fire was not far from the front entrance...
Hulton Road opening could be delayed
A section on Hulton Road that has been closed since July is expected to reopen as soon as Thanksgiving, but could go into December, according to a PennDOT official. Steve Cowan, a PennDOT spokesman, said some utility relocation work could delay the Thanksgiving goal. He also said crews will need...
Power outage prompts Burrell to cancel classes at Bon Air Elementary
Burrell School District canceled classes Friday at Bon Air Elementary School, according to school officials. Officials attributed the closure to a partial power outage that affected the building’s heating system. The power outage does not appear to have disrupted classes at other district buildings....
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Nov. 1-3Video
Oct. 31 may have come and gone, but seasonal celebrations continue. And if you enjoy music, your weekend options include both big brass and big hair. One brewery will celebrate the Day of the Dead, while a winery plans to drown your sorrows with laughs — and maybe a little...
The Stroller, Nov. 1, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Benefit for Vandergrift cancer patient set Sunday A fundraiser to benefit cancer patient Karen Dongiovanni will be from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Moonlight Inn, 1011 La Belle Vue Road, Vandergrift. There will a lunch buffet from 1 to 4 p.m., a cash bar, basket raffle, t-shirt sale...
Alle-Kiski Pavilion in Arnold may become halfway house for federal inmates
The owners of the Alle-Kiski Pavilion, a halfway house for state inmates that recently closed on Arnold’s Fourth Avenue, said they are considering reopening as a halfway house for federal inmates. Alle-Kiski Pavilion, owned by the GEO Group Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., closed because of state Department of Corrections...
Incumbent, 4 newcomers seek seats on Vandergrift Council
There will be at least two new faces on Vandergrift Council when the borough celebrates its 125th anniversary next year. Five people are running for three open seats in Tuesday’s election, and only one of them, Council President Kathy Chvala, is an incumbent. Council members Vern Sciullo and James Rametta...
Body of Plum man missing in Lake Erie found by Canadian hunters
Marcy Burns said she felt relieved last Friday after learning that Canadian authorities had discovered her husband’s body in Lake Erie. “Closure,” said Marcy Burns of Plum, whose husband had been missing since Aug. 17. Raymond Burns, 58, had been fishing on Lake Erie when his 21-foot recreational fishing boat...
No one hurt in Harmar crash that left car sandwiched between pole, another car
No one was injured in a two-car crash Thursday morning in Harmar that left a car’s rear end propped on the side of another car and its front end smashed against a utility pole. The crash happened at Hite and Russellton roads around 8 a.m., Harmar police Chief Jason Domaratz...
Blight, redevelopment major issues for Tarentum Council candidates
Tarentum voters will fill five seats on the seven- member borough council this year. Voters across the borough will have a choice to make for one at-large representative, between Democrat Carrie Fox and Republican Tiffany Babinsack. There’s also a choice in the 1st Ward, between incumbent Democrat Erika Josefoski and Republican...
The Stroller, Oct. 31, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Night of comedy to benefit Autism Speaks Monroe’s Pit Crew will host a comedy night fundraiser to benefit Autism Speaks at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at AK Valley Park, 600 Freeport Road, building 44, New Kensington. Doors open at 7 p.m. Performers will include Gab Bonesso and David Kaye, along...
Freeport sewage project cost swells to nearly $16M
Freeport’s sewage project won’t cost $11.6 million after all. It will be $15.8 million. That’s what Freeport Council found out Monday night from Kevin M. Creagh, the new project engineer from KLH Engineers Inc. That’s an increase of 36%. According to Creagh, the $11.6 million figure was from a construction...
