Valley News Dispatch category, Page 697
Harmar bald eagles suspected to have hatched an eaglet
The Harmar bald eagles reportedly welcomed a newly hatched eaglet early Friday in their nest on a hillside above Route 28. Confirmation was still pending Saturday morning from the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. Without the benefit of a live webcam, observers including a photographer documented the birds likely feeding...
Police: Vandergrift man robbed by 3 others — including an armed boy, 15
Two Vandergrift men and a teen are charged with armed robbery and other counts in the holdup of another resident. Officer Bill Moore said the incident took place Friday afternoon along the 100 block of Custer Avenue. He said the victim, a man in his early 30s, went to visit...
Upper Burrell considers fire tax
The Upper Burrell supervisors are considering adding a 2-mill fire tax in what would be the township’s first tax increase in more than a decade. Supervisors are expected to vote on the new tax when they meet May 1. Upper Burrell’s real estate tax rate is 10 mills. At that...
So you want to be a farmer: Farm Service offers beginning and under-served farmer loans
The USDA Farm Service Agency has loans available for under-served groups and beginning farmers in Allegheny, Armstrong and Butler counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines under-served farmers as those who have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice. For program purposes, USDA targeted under-served groups are women, African...
Upcoming Washington Township auto parts swap meet still a crowd pleaser
While volunteer fire companies are famous for their fish fries and bingos, they do come up with some original fundraisers, too. More than 25 years ago, the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company presented its first auto parts swap meet and it continues to go strong many years later. Their upcoming...
Lower Burrell awards final major contract for $3.1M City Hall project
Lower Burrell Council awarded a contract of nearly $356,000 to Marc Service Inc. to handle heating, ventilation and air conditioning work for the $3.1 million renovation of City Hall that’s expected to begin this month. Marc Service Inc. of Windber turned in the “lowest responsible bid” among four bidders, according...
Back to drawing board for rental inspection rule in Upper Burrell
The Upper Burrell supervisors tabled a proposal to require inspections of rental units after some residents who are landlords complained about the proposed regulations and potential costs. After a draft of the inspection proposal circulated, township landlords such as Pearl Jones asked supervisors to reconsider passing it Wednesday. Supervisors Chairman...
Apollo’s ‘Big Spring Cleanup’ needs volunteers for April 13 event
The Apollo-Ridge Education Foundation is holding its Big Spring Cleanup in the borough on Saturday, April 13. Volunteers are needed. Cleanup organizers are also looking for a few more pickups for hauling. Volunteers are asked to meet at 9 a.m. at the Apollo Plaza near the stone arch. The cleanup...
Kiski Township’s Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker receives military’s second-highest honor
Thirty-one soldiers who participated in the Thunder Run mission near Baghdad on April 5, 2003, received the Silver Star for valor. Only one of them — Army Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker of Kiski Township — has had that award upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross, the military’s second-highest honor, according...
ATI lands $45M pipeline contract, plans to hire workers in Harrison
Allegheny Technologies Inc. secured a $45 million contract for a pipeline project in South America, and it comes at a time when the company is hiring new workers in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The specialty steelmaker’s $1.1 billion hot rolling mill and processing facility in Harrison played a key role in...
State DEP investigating Plum well water contamination
State Department of Environmental Protection officials are investigating complaints of well water contamination in Plum. The department received two complaints in August, a few months after the drilling for natural gas at Monroeville-based Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration’s Midas well pad on 92 acres near Coxcomb Hill Road in the...
Police arrest Pittsburgh man in fatal Arnold shooting
A Pittsburgh man faces charges in an early Friday shooting that left a 27-year-old Arnold man dead, according to detectives. Shawden L. Ross, 32, of Pittsburgh is charged with homicide and other charges in the shooting death of Lamont Simmons, 27, investigators said. At about 4 a.m. Friday, police responded...
Cheswick approves police merger with Springdale Township
The proposed Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department took another step toward reality Thursday night. Cheswick Council voted unanimously to approve a merger of police services with neighboring Springdale Township. Soon, Springdale Township will take a similar vote that, if it passes, would make the merger happen. The combined force could...
Firefighter saves woman in New Kensington fire, 2nd woman jumps from window
Several New Kensington residents were left homeless, a woman was hurt and a dog died when fire broke out Thursday afternoon at an apartment house along Seventh Street. One of the residents credits a firefighter who, by chance, was driving by with saving her life. The fire broke out in...
New Kensington Bridge to be inspected next week, lane restriction to occur
An inspection of the New Kensington Bridge will create a traffic restriction next Tuesday, April 9, through Friday, April 12. PennDOT announced the inspection will result in single-lane, alternating traffic each day on the bridge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., April 12 The bridge carries Ninth Street over the...
Missing New Kensington girl returns home safe
A 13-year-old New Kensington girl missing since Monday is back at home. “She is safe and sound,” Detective Sgt. Dino DiGiacobbe said Thursday afternoon. Patience Johnson, 13, was last seen Monday morning in the city wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black and white pants, brown knee-high boots and silver hoop...
Vandergrift man charged in wreck that seriously injured a Leechburg woman
Allegheny Township police are accusing a Vandergrift man of causing a wreck that seriously injured a Leechburg woman. Brett William Mego, 23, of Sherman Avenue is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and 13 related offenses in connection with a March 22 wreck along South Leechburg Hill Road in which,...
Jacoby Road in Harmar to close for bridge repairs
Jacoby Road in Harmar will close this month while Allegheny County replaces part of the bridge that carries the road over Little Deer Creek. The closure will begin April 15 and is expected to last through the end of July. Drivers will have to use a posted detour utilizing Nixon...
Springdale Township seeks volunteers for clean-up day
Springdale Township is looking for volunteers to help with its Community Clean-Up Day. The clean-up will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 27 beginning at the township building, 100 Plate Dr. The event is held to clean-up litter from the streets and parks. Safety vests, gloves and...
Freeport Area Education Foundation offers tax credits for business donations
Businesses within Freeport Area School District can get a tax break for donating to the district’s foundation. The Freeport Area Education Foundation recently received state approval for an Education Investment Tax credit. That means a business can get a credit against business taxes. Businesses can claim 75% on any donation...
Apollo to mark 50th anniversary of moon landing with scaled-down celebration
Apollo has scrapped its traditional weeklong celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing, but it is planning several public events and has invited NASA to town to commemorate the landing’s 50th anniversary on July 20. “We didn’t want it to slip by unnoticed after all the years we’ve done it,”...
‘Heroin took him away’: Freeport grad’s opioid death featured in addiction film
Spreading awareness of opioid addiction, encouraging family support and hope for recovery are ways Dan and Jeannie Sundo keep the memory of their son Kyle alive. “We’re trying to educate people, trying to get the message out there,” Jeannie Sundo said. Kyle Sundo, 21, was a 2012 Freeport Area High...
No injuries in early morning Buffalo Township fire
No one was injured when fire broke out in the attic of a Buffalo Township house early Wednesday, Sarver Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike George said. The fire broke out just before 4:30 a.m. in a newer home on Ashton Court in the Woodberry neighborhood behind the movie theaters, George...
New Kensington police ask for information on missing teenager
New Kensington police are seeking the public’s help in locating a missing teen. Officers said Patience Johnson, 13, was last seen Monday morning in the city wearing a black hoodie, black and white pants, brown knee-high boots and silver hoop earrings. She’s described as a black female with shoulder length...
Arconic to cut health care benefits to retirees
Arconic, the Alcoa spinoff with roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley, told retirees in recent letters it is making drastic cuts to their health care benefits and eliminating life insurance it had provided. Arconic told retirees about the move in letters dated March 29. Arconic has about 300 employees in a...
