Valley News Dispatch category, Page 649
Fire destroys Freeport home, no injuries reported
A fire ripped through the upper half of a Freeport home shortly before midnight Thursday, drawing dozens of neighbors out of bed and onto their porches and front yards to watch firefighters extinguish the flames. The fire damaged the house beyond repair, said Tom Sweeny Jr., chief 1 of the...
Westmoreland judge awards Allegheny Township woman $600K in slip-fall case
An Allegheny Township woman has been awarded $600,000 for injuries she suffered two years ago outside of a township mini-mart. Following a two-day trial, a Westmoreland County jury ordered Graft Oil of Oci Inc., the owners of the Honey Bear Mini-Mart on Route 356 in Allegheny Township, to pay for...
Armstrong County man tells police he’s ‘too fat’ to run from arrest
An Armstrong County man suspected of driving under the influence Wednesday in New Kensington told police he tried to run away because he was wanted on a warrant, but was “too fat” to get away. Now, Danial James Hilton Dopson, 31, of Cadogan, faces charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest,...
Chick-fil-A wants to be in O’Hara
A Chick-fil-A restaurant soon could be coming to the Alle-Kiski Valley. Chick-fil-A last month filed for a building permit in O’Hara for construction in Fox Chapel Plaza along Freeport Road where the now-closed Rita’s Italian Ice building is located. “We look forward to working through the approval process with …...
Don’t look now, but Fawn is keeping an eye on illegal dumping
Fawn Township is about to go high-tech in trying to combat illegal dumping in the township. The township will employ cameras at one of several locations throughout the community where dumping has occurred, according to supervisors Chairman David Montanari and Township Secretary Pam Ponsart. Ponsart said the set of three...
Longtime Kiski Township Supervisor Jack Wilmot Jr. steps down
After 35 years as a Kiski Township supervisor, Jack Wilmot Jr. has stepped down, though he still remains interested in public service. Wilmot turned in his resignation Monday, and supervisors on Wednesday started the process of getting a replacement for the longtime township fixture. “I’m not happy with the way...
Harrison blocks billboard along Alter Road, visible from Route 28
A man wanting to place a billboard visible from Route 28 in Harrison says he may try to do it in another municipality after being denied a variance to put one on land in the township. Harrison’s zoning hearing board denied the variance requested by John P. Oliver of Oliver...
Traffic snag on Brackenridge side of ATI’s steel mill wreaks havoc for its Stieren neighbors
Stieren Avenue in Brackenridge is just too dangerous for Katy Thies to let her children play in front of her home. Because nearby Mile Lock Lane is one-way in the opposite direction between Stieren and First Avenue, more traffic comes down the narrow one-way street. “We used to let them...
West Leechburg man accused of bank robbery waives charges to court
Leechburg police say that when Carlin Mitchell Quinn allegedly dug through two building walls to rob a bank, he made off with — change. No bills, about $1,400 in coins. “That’s my understanding,” Patrolman Mark Pollick said. Quinn, 27 of West Leechburg, is charged with robbing the Leechburg First Commonwealth...
Belvedere Hotel demolition postponed, Orr Avenue remains open
The demolition of the Belvedere Hotel, aka the Tin Hut, in Oklahoma Borough, is postponed, according to PennDOT. Demolition was to begin this week with the closure of Orr Avenue at Route 66 but was called off at the last minute. Demolition was expected to last through the month of...
Gilpin police adding body cameras, computers
Gilpin police officers are updating their on-the-job technology. The department was authorized by supervisors Monday to buy four body cameras for officers. Police Chief Chris Fabec also was authorized to install computers in the two patrol vehicles. He also will buy two desktop computers for use by officers in the...
Arnold man charged with assaulting woman, leaving blood trail to apartment
An Arnold man is accused of beating a woman so severely Sunday she left a puddle of blood on a sidewalk, according to police. Arnold police said they responded to a reported domestic dispute in the 2200 block of Leishman Avenue at about 7:20 p.m. A caller told police she...
Hiring part-time officer sparks debate between Arnold mayor, council
Arnold City Council voted Tuesday to hire two police officers over an objection from Mayor Karen Peconi. Council, including Peconi, voted unanimously to hire Bruce Wigton as a full-time officer. But Peconi cast the lone dissenting vote against hiring Frederick Hockenberry as a part-timer. Both officers will earn a starting...
18 years later, the need to remember the courage, sacrifices of 9/11 still burnsVideo
They came to remember at a time when they fear too many have forgotten. An American flag was suspended 30 feet between ladder trucks from New Kensington and Arnold volunteer fire departments at the American Legion Post 868 in Lower Burrell for a Sept. 11 ceremony Wednesday observing the 18th...
Allegheny Valley School District struggles with future of Colfax Upper Elementary
Allegheny Valley School Board hopes to come to a final decision in October about the future of the now-closed Colfax Upper Elementary School. The board had planned to make a final decision to sell the building in August. Among the possibilities being considered, the board could decide to sell the...
New Kensington woman among inventors honored in Ms. Monopoly game
The first game in the 84-year-old Monopoly franchise to celebrate women trailblazers will hit store shelves soon under the name Ms. Monopoly, Hasbro announced Tuesday. “While Mr. Monopoly is a real-estate mogul, Ms. Monopoly is an advocate whose mission is to invest in female entrepreneurs,” Hasbro said of its latest...
Leechburg aims to break $100K mark with Pink Day this year
Leechburg continues to think pink for breast cancer awareness with a celebration and fundraiser on Sept. 21. Pink Day, in its eighth year, has grown substantially, said organizer Sherry Price. “We are excited about the growth. I’ve had to turn vendors away,” Price said. “Last year, we had about 3,500...
7 face charges in connection with brawls at Harmar hotel
Seven people, including a man who claimed to be a Pittsburgh police officer, are facing charges in connection with what Harmar police described as drunken fights at a Harmar hotel over the weekend. Harmar police said they were called Sunday to the Days Inn about a large fight in the...
Health department says Harrison dust is lime
The Allegheny County Health Department on Tuesday identified as lime the dust coating cars in a Harrison neighborhood and said it’s coming from a nearby company. The department began investigating after getting complaints in August from residents on Opal Court and nearby High Street in the Natrona Heights area of...
Highlands is doing away with school suspensions at 2 schools
Highlands School District is hoping to make out-of-school suspensions a thing of the past on the elementary and middle school levels. Highlands Elementary and Highlands Middle School have created what the district calls a Rams Reflective Room where students spend time with specialists to address problems that led to a...
Lane closure to affect Route 28 south traffic on Wednesday and Thursday
PennDOT will close one lane of Route 28 southbound between the 40th Street and 31st Street bridges from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday for maintenance work. Work crews will remove debris to improve drainage along the roadway, according to a PennDOT release Tuesday....
Freeport woman suffers smoke inhalation at house fire
A Freeport woman was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire late Monday night in her Washington Street home, fire officials said. There were no other injuries. The woman, her husband and child were at home but able to get out, Freeport police Chief Jeff Swiklinski said. The family names...
Second full-time officer working in Gilpin
Gilpin Supervisors on Monday hired a second fulltime police officer and two part-time officers. It may be the first time in more than a decade for the township to have two full-time officers, Supervisor Chairman Charles Stull said. Police Chief Chris Fabec said Patrolman Chad Shoupe is now a full-time...
New Kensington cleanup planned ahead of Wine & Beer Fest
Volunteers are needed to “redd up” New Kensington in advance of a wine and beer festival. The Alle Kiski Strong Chamber is holding its second annual Wine & Beer Fest on Fifth Avenue, between Eighth and 10th streets, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. The chamber has organized...
Lower Burrell man solves mystery surrounding great uncle’s 1925 death
Jason Devlin’s family never really got over the death of his great uncle nearly a century ago. And, making matters worse, no one in the family seemed to know any details about how Hugh Devlin died at the age of 18. “A hunting accident” is all his family seemed to...
