Valley News Dispatch category, Page 701
Units responding to Washington Township barn fire
Firefighters from multiple departments were responding to a barn fire in Washington Township Wednesday afternoon, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety reported. Several tankers were dispatched to the fire at 260 Echo Ridge Road. It was reported at 3:40 p.m. Additional details were not immediately available....
Bell Township man flown to hospital with severe burns from brush fire
A Bell Township man was flown to a local hospital with severe burns suffered in a brush fire outside his home Wednesday afternoon. The brush fire was reported just before 2:40 p.m. in the 300 block of Bell Point Road, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. Fire Chief...
Lower Burrell councilman on harassment conviction: ‘I will be vindicated’
Lower Burrell Councilman Joseph Grillo denies claims that he harassed his ex-fiancee. Grillo accused Cecelia Sharrock of making false statements before a Turtle Creek district judge as well as in a private criminal complaint she filed against him on charges of harassment and defiant trespass. “I feel that I will...
Upper Allegheny officials ‘very pleased’ with improvements to sewer systems
The Upper Allegheny Joint Sanitary Authority’s member municipalities have made progress with their state-mandated sewer improvement projects, but officials say there’s still work to be done. The communities received status reports at an authority meeting last week on what still needs to be done to satisfy the state Department of...
Snow make-ups add 2 days to Fox Chapel Area school year
The school year just got a little longer for Fox Chapel Area School District students. School board members approved tacking on two days of classes for students in kindergarten through 11th grade. The last day of school will be Tuesday, June 11. Classes were to end on Friday, June 7,...
Work begins near Route 28 ramps on Hite Road in Springdale Township, Harmar
Traffic along Hite Road in Springdale and Harmar townships will be reduced to a single lane in each direction beginning Monday as crews make preparations for a bridge repair project near ramps to and from Route 28, PennDOT said. The lane restrictions will start at 8 a.m. and continue around...
Search continues for 70-year-old North Buffalo farmerVideo
The search for a missing North Buffalo man continued Wednesday. As of this afternoon, there was no sign of Paul Walker, 70, a farmer last seen Tuesday afternoon, according to an Armstrong County 911 dispatcher. Police suspect he suffers from dementia. For the second day, the search involved people on...
Foreign exchange students shine at Highlands musical ‘Hunchback’Video
An all-female foreign exchange student troupe graces the Highlands High School stage this season. Five young ladies — Elisabetta Negrosini from Italy, Froydis “Freya” Rygh from Norway, Luna Vavourakis from Belgium, Tehreem Komal from Pakistan and Pat Sampantanarak from Thailand — will appear this week in the spring musical “The...
Freeport officials unhappy with lack of progress on sewer project
Freeport officials likely won’t have much sympathy if the contractor on a borough sewer project asks for more time to complete work. That’s because no work has been done on the first phase of the project even though it was supposed to have started in October. “They moved in their...
Butler County native’s heart donated to 10-year-old after fatal Tennessee crash
The heart of a Jefferson Township native who died Saturday in a crash along a Tennessee highway will go to a 10-year-old. Sarah Kasunic, 23, was an organ donor, according to information shared in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her funeral. The fundraising effort had taken in almost...
Apollo-Ridge support staff get new contract, raises
Apollo-Ridge School Board approved a new, four-year contract with paraprofessionals and secretarial support staff that includes annual raises. The new agreement begins July 1 and lasts through June 30, 2023. Raises during the first year of the agreement range from $1.00 per hour to $3.05 per hour, depending on the...
Police searching for missing Armstrong County man
UPDATE: Walker was found unharmed a few miles from his home about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2019, officials said. Police plan to resume their search Wednesday morning for a missing man with dementia in Armstrong County. Paul Walker, 70, was last seen at his farm on Walker Road in...
Cheswick to hold special meeting to discuss police pension plan
Cheswick Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday. The meeting will discuss amending the police pension plan and any other business that may come up, according to a legal advertisement. Details of the pension plan amendment were not immediately available Tuesday. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at...
Vandergrift man accused of child rape
A phone call to the Childline abuse hotline led to sexual assault charges filed against a Vandergrift man, according to police arrest papers. Eric Jermain Emory, 32, of Holland street, is accused of sexually assaulting a Westmoreland County girl starting when she was in kindergarten. He is is charged with...
Cheswick to explore merger with neighboring fire departments
Cheswick Volunteer Fire Department is exploring whether a potential merger with neighboring departments could save money and improve services. “We don’t want to duplicate the services, duplicate the equipment,” said Nino Pollino, president of the Cheswick department. Cheswick has asked the state Department of Community and Economic Development to study...
Judge fines Lower Burrell councilman $600 for harassment, trespassing
A Lower Burrell councilman was found guilty of harassing his ex-fiancee after she said he continued to contact her after she and a police officer told him not to. Cecelia Sharrock testified in a Turtle Creek district court Tuesday that Joseph Grillo even went to the bank where she works...
4 teachers accept early-retirement offer in Apollo-Ridge
Four Apollo-Ridge School District teachers have accepted an early-retirement offer the district made in an attempt to cut costs. The school board voted Monday to accept the retirements of technical education teacher Jeffrey Jones, math teacher John M. Simon, learning support teacher Kathleen Pryjmak and physical education teacher Jeremy Smail....
Allegheny Township to close part of Markle Road because of landslide
Allegheny Township officials are reminding drivers that a section of Markle Road will close Thursday because of a landslide. The road will be closed between Park Road and Pine Run Road, and remain closed until further notice. Traffic will be detoured. The marked detour uses Markle Road, White Cloud Road...
Join in the fun with Burrell’s ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’
Audience participation is not only expected as Burrell High School presents “The Mystery of Edward Drood,” it’s required says Burrell musical director Martin Connolly. “The audience gets to vote and decide who the murderer is at the end of the show,” Connolly says. “And then based on that we will...
Springdale takes a chance on ‘Mamma Mia’Video
The global sensation “Mamma Mia” lands on the Springdale Jr./Sr. High School stage March 29-31. “I like the fact that this musical is contemporary. We can do a lot with that,” says Emily Plunkett of her lead role as Sophie. The global smash hit musical takes place on a tiny...
Highlands High School presents ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’Video
Highlands High School presents the only Pittsburgh area high school musical production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” March 29-31. Based on the French novel by Victor Hugo and songs from the Disney animated feature, this production is the largest to grace the Highlands stage under the direction of Highlands...
Police: Arnold man ripped purse from elderly woman in Harmar
An Arnold man is accused of snatching an 89-year-old woman’s purse Monday morning moments after she cashed a $300 check at a Harmar bank. The suspect, Brandon Lee Crowe, 37, was arrested later in the day with the help of surveillance photos and information from witnesses, according to police. Harmar...
Freeport man accused of pointing handgun at women
Freeport police say they used surveillance camera video to find a man accused of pointing a loaded pistol at two women and threatening to shoot them. The women said they saw a man, later identified by police as Michael Anthony Rivera, stumbling along a sidewalk on Fourth Street at Market...
Springdale High School educator is an ‘All Star Teacher’Video
Springdale High School teacher Susan Mellon has been knocking it out of the park as a gifted support and enrichment teacher for the past 25 years. She works with students to make sure they are reaching their full potential by encouraging them to go after their dreams — even if...
Springdale Manor resident caused fire after falling asleep while smoking
A resident of the Springdale Manor high-rise fell asleep while smoking and caused a small fire in his apartment Monday morning, officials said. “Fortunately, the smoke detector woke him up and he dumped water on the fire in the carpet,” said Allegheny County Housing Authority police Sgt. Ed Mogus. Had...
