Valley News Dispatch category, Page 704
Highlands sets calendar for 2019-20 school year
Students in the Highlands School District will start the 2019-20 school year on Thursday, Aug. 29. The school board on Monday approved the calendar for next school year. The Thanksgiving break will start with a half-day for students on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with no school on Nov. 28 and 29....
Highlands to publish names of tax delinquents
It would be foolish for those who owe back property taxes in the Highlands School District not to pay up or start making payments by April 1. The school board Monday approved publishing the names of property owners who are delinquent in their real estate taxes beginning on April 1....
Highlands makes superintendent’s job permanent
The Highlands School District will have a full-time, permanent superintendent as of April 1. The school board Monday unanimously approved a five-year contract for Monique Mawhinney that will pay her $150,000 in the first year. She will be eligible for 3 percent raises each year, based on her performance review....
Highlands taps Texas firm for security
After rescinding a contract with a security firm over what Highlands School District officials called “disturbing” social media posts, the school board Monday approved a two-year agreement for guard services with a Texas firm. The agreement with Champion National Security started Monday. The company, based in Richardson, Texas, will provide...
Police say Frazer murder scene, photo didn’t match
One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene of a 2017 fatal shooting in Frazer testified in an Allegheny County court Monday that he found the dead man clutching a loaded pistol in his right hand. The testimony came during the first day of the non- jury...
Alle-Kiski fire, ambulance companies get grants from state gaming proceeds
Several Alle-Kiski Valley Area fire departments and ambulance companies are getting money from the Pennsylvania Fire Company and Ambulance Service grant program. The money comes from state gaming proceeds. It can be used to build, repair or renovate a fire company or ambulance service’s primary structure; buy or fix firefighting,...
New Freeport senior elective could set up students for $40K-plus job at Oberg
Freeport Area High School students will have an opportunity to take an advanced manufacturing elective with Oberg Industries, where graduates could snag a job starting in the low $40,000 range after graduation, according to company officials. The Freeport Area School Board approved an apprenticeship and career exploration program earlier this...
Arnold woman a no-show for hearing related to killing of New Kensington cop
An Arnold woman awaiting trial on charges she helped the man accused of shooting New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw during a traffic stop in late 2017 is on the run. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Lisa Harrington on Monday after she failed to appear in court for a...
Bouquet Park Pool raising money to open this summer
Bouquet Park Pool in Springdale could remain closed for the summer if its board of directors can’t raise another $3,000 to cover mounting expenses. “We’re trying to raise a total of $20,000 to open up the pool,” said Richard Kern, pool board member. “We’re up to $17,000 now.” The membership-based,...
Harmar to fill vacancy on board of supervisors
Harmar officials are expected to fill a vacant seat on the township’s board of supervisors when they meet Thursday. Township secretary Ian Fitzgerald said two people applied for the position by Thursday’s deadline. The seat was left empty after Patricia Janoski submitted a letter of resignation effective Feb. 12. No...
Freeport Road restrictions planned in East Deer when bridge project resumes
Construction on a Freeport Road bridge over Baileys Run in East Deer is expected to resume the first week of April. The project began last summer and the bridge, located in front of the Creighton post office, was reduced to one lane with traffic alternating using temporary traffic signals. Both...
Police charge 2 men with transporting cocaine, pot on Route 28 in South Buffalo
Two men were arrested Saturday night after state police said they were driving on Route 28 with illegal drugs in their vehicle. State police said Fabian Fitzroy Douglas and James Pierre Louis had more than a half-ounce of cocaine and more than a pound of marijuana when they were pulled...
One injured when car flips in Allegheny Twp.
One person was injured Monday when their car flipped in Allegheny Township, according to Westmoreland County 911. The one-vehicle crash happened shortly before 5 a.m. at the corner of Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road, dispatchers said. The driver was taken to a local hospital. The crash scene has...
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament teacher honored
The minute this woman meets you she reaches out to wrap her arms around you. She is a hugger. As the first-graders entrusted to her care leave school for the day at Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Natrona Heights, she squeezes them close and tells them how...
A-K Valley museum hosts American Legion talk in former Tarentum Legion post
Paul Kennedy has made it his mission to educate Pennsylvanians about everything the American Legion does for its members and the communities they serve as the organization celebrates 100 years of service. Kennedy, a past vice commander of American Legion in Western Pennsylvania, spoke to about 20 people on Sunday...
Kiski Area goes classic with ‘The Sound of Music’Video
Everyone’s favorite singing nun returns as Kiski Area High School presents “The Sound of Music” March 27-30. “Coming off the heels of a no-dialogue show like last year’s “Joseph,” this year’s show will provide audiences with a nice contrast as we return to a more traditional and classic musical favorite,”...
Tarentum teen, 15, dead after being hit by train early Sunday
A Highlands High School student died early Sunday morning after he was struck by a freight train passing through Tarentum, according to authorities. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Kodey Heckman, 15, of Tarentum. The accident occurred at 6:23 a.m. on the Norfolk Southern train tracks...
Democrats pick IUP professor to run for retired state Sen. Don White’s seat
Democratic committee members have nominated Susan Boser to be their candidate in the race to fill the remaining term of former state Sen. Don White. Brandon Cwalina, press secretary with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, confirmed Boser was nominated Sunday afternoon by members of Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, and Westmoreland Democratic committees....
Freeport Area School District opts against using borough field for high school baseball games
Freeport Area School District will not use Swartz Field for athletic events for an additional two years, which does not sit well with Freeport’s mayor. A two-year addendum to a lease agreement between the Freeport Baseball Association and the school district has been approved by the school board. The agreement...
Power restored to 1,000 in Plum after transformer fire
The lights are back on for about 1,000 Duquesne Light customers who lost power in Plum Saturday evening when a pair of electrical transformers caught fire, according to police. The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. along Holiday Park Drive, police said. The affected homes were along Holiday Park Drive...
Arnold teen has been missing since Tuesday
A 15-year-old girl has been missing since Tuesday afternoon, Arnold police said. Ayanna Guy may be wearing a dark blue JROTC uniform or a purple sweatshirt, police said. Her mother reported her missing after she didn’t come home from school; she told police Ayanna has runaway before. They live on...
Bonfire Short Cut reopens after crash in Allegheny Township
Bonfire Short Cut in Allegheny Township has reopened after a one-car crash Saturday, according to Westmoreland County 911. Nobody was hurt in the crash at the corner of Bonfire Short Cut and Leechburg Road, which happened around 11:40 a.m. One vehicle was disabled and first responders shut down the road...
Bumped compact car bounces into Tahoe at foot of Tarentum Bridge
A compact car that had been struck by a truck Friday afternoon jumped a curb and smashed into a new pickup on display at Nick Chevrolet at the foot of the Tarentum Bridge in Tarentum. A Lower Burrell woman told Tarentum police she was stopped the ramp from West Seventh...
Bowling fundraiser set at Nesbit’s Lanes for Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley
St. Patrick’s Day for most will be a time for celebration and merriment, but it can also be an opportunity to support local charities. Folks at Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, a no-kill shelter in New Kensington, plan to achieve both at the 12th annual Pins for Pets fundraiser Sunday...
New Kensington police find woman who had been reported missing
New Kensington police have located a woman who was reported missing on Thursday. New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said Dana Nicole Pfund, 30, was found Friday afternoon by Detective Sgt. Sam Long at a residence along Johnson Street in Lower Burrell. Family members reported her missing on Thursday. “Ms....
