Valley News Dispatch category, Page 647
Pet of the Week Chloie is looking for laid-back homeVideo
Everyone, meet Chloie! This loving gal is TribLive’s Pet of the Week, and she’s available for adoption at the East End location of Humane Animal Rescue in Pittsburgh. Age: 10 years old. Breed: She’s an American pit bull terrier mix. What she likes: She likes to go on leisurely strolls...
Go back in time at the annual Penn’s Colony FestivalVideo
The aroma of a freshly baked loaf will greet you upon entering. Enjoy a slice, topped with melting apple butter. Homemade bread is just one of the enticing reasons to attend the 36th annual Penn’s Colony Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 21 and 28 and 10 a.m....
Avonmore has taken its licks, but it still celebrates with Harvest JubileeVideo
“We got the wings.” The director of Avonmore’s Harvest Jubilee excitedly told its former director that another purveyor had been found after the original chicken wings vendor pulled out. They were checking final details Wednesday for the festivities that take place Friday and Saturday. The jubilee is free. It features...
Butler woman ordered to stand trial in Arnold homicide last summerVideo
A Butler woman was ordered to stand trial Thursday for allegedly luring a man to a robbery in June that prosecutors say led to his death in Arnold. Bailey Ann Hines, 25, allegedly conspired with Allen Duwayne Herring, 32, of Braddock to rob Gregory Wynkoop of East Franklin on June...
Harrison’s Honor Roll memorial partially restored
Crews with Greensburg-based Allegheny Restoration completed masonry work this week on the veterans’ Honor Roll memorial at Freeport and Springhill roads in Harrison. Over three days, the company removed mortar between the limestone memorial’s stones, repointed it, pressure washed it, replaced broken stone, applied caulking on its cap stones, and...
Highlands OKs $3K performance bonus for business manager
Highlands School District’s business manager has received a $3,000 performance bonus. The school board approved the payment to Lori Byron this week. School board President Debbie Beale said Superintendent Monique Mawhinney recommended the bonus for Byron. Mawhinney did not respond to request for comment through district spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg. Beale...
Sex charges held to court against 2 men in alleged assault outside Leechburg Elks
Two men have been ordered to stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting a woman outside the Leechburg Elks this summer. District Judge James Andring dismissed an attempted rape charge against Justin James Beattie, 30, of Leechburg and Ethan Dempsey, 23, now of Greensburg However, Andring ordered the men to...
Burrell School Board reconsiders artificial turf for stadium improvement
After a strong showing by parents last week, urging the school board to reverse its vote to renovate the Burrell High School stadium field with natural grass, the board Tuesday night agreed to seek contract bids for artificial turf as well. The decision is part of a renovation project at...
Harmar officials relieved to get $157,000 grant for stream bank restoration
Harmar officials have received a state grant to help remove sediment from it streams as part of complying with its state-mandated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) plan. The township received nearly $157,000 in state Watershed Restoration and Protection Program funding for stream bank restoration along Little Deer Creek. “We...
No students hurt in crash involving Highlands school bus
No children were hurt when a Highlands School District bus was involved in a crash on Freeport Road Wednesday afternoon, according to the district and Harrison police. The crash happened around 3:15 p.m. near Montana Avenue, police Chief Mike Klein said. Montana Avenue goes back to the district’s high school....
Springdale councilmen irked by latest water project cost overrun
The cost of Springdale’s water system renovation has increased again, adding another $132,000 to a project already plagued by unforeseen expenditures. It is payment for additional paving to Kukurin Contracting Inc., the general contractor for installing the new water lines that are part of the project. The project, estimated at...
Alle-Kiski Valley’s marching bands have perfect night for 73rd band festival
High school marching bands showed off their season’s routines Wednesday night at the 73rd annual Alle-Kiski Valley Marching Band Festival. Organized by the Alle-Kiski Valley Band Directors Association, the festival allows area marching bands to perform their full routines outside the time constraints of football game halftime shows. Organizers have...
Judge rules New Kensington Elks can renew its liquor license
A Westmoreland County judge overruled a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board decision last year that rejected the license renewal for the Elks Club in New Kensington. In a ruling made public Tuesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. found that evidence of repeated citations and criminal activity at or...
Traffic restrictions to occur on Gulf Lab Road in Harmar
Single-lane restrictions will take place on Gulf Lab Road in Harmar through next week so crews can perform drilling operations for a future project, PennDOT said. The restrictions will be between Old Route 910 and William Pitt Way. They will take place weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They...
Vandergrift pool finally lands $165,000 grant for new liner
State Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Washington Township, announced Wednesday that the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded $165,000 for a much needed new liner and other improvements to the Joseph A. Petrarca Memorial Pool in Vandergrift, named in honor of his late father, also a state legislator. The pool grant also includes installing...
Grant to help handicapped access to Laube Hall in Freeport
A $240,000 state grant will add handicapped parking at Laube Hall in Freeport as well as improve the parking lot. The grant was announced Tuesday. When the hall was built in the 1960s it didn’t have handicap access. “It’s quite a distance from the parking lot to the front doors,”...
Alle-Kiski Valley group celebrates 7th year of thanking police officers
Police officer’s wife Felicia Junod knows just how much it means to her husband when someone shows appreciation for what he does or tells him “thank you.” That’s one of the reasons she decided to start a group that assembles and bring gifts to Alle-Kiski Valley police officers and state...
Kiski Area School District hopes to cash in on bond refinancing
The Kiski Area School Board is moving ahead with a bond refinancing that is expected to result in a major savings for the district. The board has agreed to issue just under $33 million in general obligation bonds. The purpose is to refinance bonds issued in 2010. Peggy Gillespie, the...
New Kensington’s Dattola Theater gets lifeline from business leaders
Three local business leaders on Wednesday announced their plan to buy the former Dattola Theater in downtown New Kensington. Corey Pistininzi, Sean Watson and Dante Cicconi, under the name “NK 50,” have an agreement to buy the Fifth Avenue theater from the city’s Redevelopment Authority. The purchase price is not...
Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh to throw free star-gazing party at Kunkle Park
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, Inc. will throw a free star gazing party at Kunkle Park in Washington Township on Sept. 28, starting at dusk, weather permitting. If the skies are accommodating, observers can see brightly colored double stars, star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy, distant galaxies, the...
Northmoreland Park on deck for potentially millions of dollars in upgrades
Westmoreland County is asking the public what it wants at Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township for phase one of a park master plan with an estimated $1 million to $1.5 million in improvements in 2021-22. A disc golf course? An amphitheater? A destination playground? All are possibilities and have become...
Freeport Community park gets $240K state grant
Freeport Community Park is getting a $240,000 Commonwealth Finance Authority grant to repair parking lots and walking trails. State Sen. Joe Pittman and Rep. Jeff Pyle said Tuesday some of the state’s Marcellus Impact fee was earmarked for community parks through the state’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation program. The repair...
Lower Burrell’s Veterans Central Park gets state money for upgrades
Lower Burrell will get $50,000 in state money to make repairs to Veterans Central Park. The city requested a little more than $172,400 to upgrade the park at Bethel and Schreiber streets. The park is one of several maintained by the city. The Commonwealth Financing Authority grant was announced by...
Harrison police arrest man after claiming to smell pot in his car
A Harrison police officer used his nose to thwart a potential drug deal Monday when he smelled what he suspected to be marijuana coming from a Tarentum man’s car. Police said they pulled over a car driven by Philip N. Narcisse, 44, on Garfield Street at about 8 p.m. A...
Middle school assistant principal among Highlands hires
Highlands Middle School has a new assistant principal. The school board approved hiring Rebecca Bragan, who started Tuesday. Her annual salary is $75,000. Bragan, previously dean of students at Highlands High School, replaces Debbie Beucker, who retired June 30. Bragan also was an assistant athletics director at Highlands. The board...
