Valley News Dispatch category, Page 710
North Apollo woman, 64, dies in 1-car crash in ApolloVideo
A North Apollo woman was killed Wednesday night after the car she was driving hit a utility pole in Apollo and flipped over several times. Coroner Brian Myers identified the woman as Jacqueline C. Hellein, 64. She was traveling alone and died at the scene. She was not wearing a...
Kiski Township’s Staff Sgt. Booker to receive second-highest military honor for 2003 battle
Sixteen years to the day after he died defending fellow soldiers in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker will posthumously be presented the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award for bravery. A special Army ceremony will be held starting at 10 a.m. April 5 in Soldiers &...
Trial for Rahmael Holt, charged with killing Officer Brian Shaw, postponed until August
The capital murder trial of a Harrison man charged with the November 2017 shooting death of a New Kensington police officer has been postponed until August. The attorney for Rahmael Sal Holt, 30, said in court Wednesday that he needed more time to prepare for trial, which had been scheduled...
Egg watch is on for the Harmar bald eagles
Egg-ticipation is in full swing at the Harmar bald eagle nest, although there is no webcam to confirm the details. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is expected to confirm any day that the eagles have at least one egg based upon their behavior at the nest. This is the...
Prosecutors want John Kunco’s attorneys to turn over evidence in rape retrial
Westmoreland County prosecutors want defense lawyers for a former Harrison man accused of a brutal rape in New Kensington nearly three decades ago to turn over evidence that could be used during a retrial. Assistant District Attorneys Barbara Jollie and James Hopson filed court documents Wednesday seeking reports and mental...
Feral cat found in Frazer tests positive for rabies, fifth this year in Allegheny County
A feral cat found in Frazer has become the fifth animal to test positive for rabies in Allegheny County this year, the Allegheny County Health Department said. The cat was captured near the 2300 block of Dellenbaugh Road and brought to one of the health department’s facilities. In addition to...
Freeport Road reopens after landslide in Springdale Township
A section of Freeport Road in Springdale Township reopened Wednesday morning after a landslide shut down the road Friday. The road had been closed between the New Kensington Bridge and Riddle Run Road. About 11,000 vehicles use that section of road daily. Motorists had to use detours while the road...
Auction set for former district court offices in Washington Township
A vacant modular home owned by Westmoreland County will be auctioned off next month. The building previously housed the offices of District Judge Jason Buczak next to the Washington Township Fire Department. A new $1.25 million district court office opened in January on Beaver Run Road. The auction will take...
Highlands families sought to host exchange students in April
Host families are being sought for foreign exchange students in the Highlands School District. Families are needed to host visiting AFS foreign exchange students the nights of April 3 and 4 for “International Days” at the district’s schools on April 4 and 5, district spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg said . “This...
St. Joseph High School names 2019 ‘Spirit of Saint Joseph Award’ recipients
St. Joseph High School is honoring seven people this year with its Spirit of St. Joseph Award. Those being recognized are the Rev. Paul G. Henne; Thomas Octave; John W. Regoli Jr; Jane Thimons; and the Scott sisters, Eileen, Jeanne and Rosaleen. Three of the seven — Henne, Regoli and...
State Supreme Court to hear Armstrong County woman’s restitution appeal
The state Supreme Court will consider an appeal by an Armstrong County woman who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from three nonprofits but is fighting an order to pay restitution because the victims were organizations, not people. Beverly Kaye Steffey’s attorney, Chuck Pascal of Leechburg, said a 2016...
Vandergrift to vote on ‘Quality of Life’ tickets next month
Vandergrift Council will vote next week on a “Quality of Life” ordinance that would allow the borough to ticket residents for code violations such as junked cars, high grass and other property violations. Issuing a ticket instead of a citation wouldn’t require the involvement of a district judge, and could...
Gilpin supervisors ask Diebold to resign as constable
Gilpin supervisors want former Leechburg police Chief Michael Diebold to resign as the township’s constable. “This is due to his felony status. We don’t feel he is fit for constable,” said Supervisors Chairman Charles Stull. Diebold, 41, was sentenced to nine to 23 months in jail after pleading guilty in...
Allegheny Township provides water buffalo for residents without power
Allegheny Township provided a water buffalo Tuesday for residents with well water service who still don’t have power from Sunday’s wind storm. “Although most of the township is on public water, we still have homes that rely on well water and for them, this is their third day without electricity,”...
Generator sparked blaze that destroyed South Buffalo homeVideo
A woman was able to escape her South Buffalo home when it went up in flames Tuesday morning. Firefighters said a generator was responsible for the blaze that destroyed the home at 266 White Rock Road. “The residents had a generator running,” Freeport fire Chief 1 Tom Sweeny Jr. said....
Fetterman: Pennsylvanians mixed on legalizing recreational potVideo
Pennsylvanians have differing opinions on legalizing recreational marijuana, but Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said Monday he’s heard no opposition to the state legalizing medical marijuana. “I have gone down to many different counties and have had hundreds of conversations with Pennsylvanians all across this great commonwealth, and I have not...
Wind storm a ‘hectic’ boon to tree removal servicesVideo
It was a literal logjam Monday, especially for those in the business of cleaning up downed trees. “I’ve probably given 17, 18 bids already today,” said Kevin Kasavage of CLC Tree Service in Lower Burrell. “I’ve had people call me from Murrysville, Bellevue.” “This is the most my phone’s rang,”...
Non-invasive migraine treatment provides ‘instant’ relief for Plum womanVideo
Tracey Zalenski has suffered from migraines most of her life, but the condition became almost unbearable last year, when she experienced migraines up to 20 times a month. “It’s really just ruined my quality of life,” she said. “I hated to make plans because I didn’t want to be that...
Man accused in New Kensington YMCA assault facing new felony charges
A New Kensington man is facing new felony assault charges in an attack on three people at the Valley Points YMCA last summer. New Kensington police allege Brian Johnathan Rebold, 33, shoved a man down a flight of steps and punched two other people in the face and head after...
New Kensington medical marijuana dispensary opensVideo
Until Monday, New Kensington’s Darci Brown had to travel a half-hour to Monroeville to get the medical marijuana she uses to treat her mental illnesses. Now, she’s within walking distance of a dispensary. Cresco Labs opened its CY+ medical marijuana dispensary Monday morning at 4 Kensington Square in downtown New...
Section of Freeport Road still closed as crews work to clean landslide
A section of Freeport Road in Springdale Township remained closed Monday after a landslide shut down the road Friday. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said cleanup of the slide, which closed Freeport Road between the New Kensington Bridge and Riddle Run Road, was expected to start Monday and continue into Tuesday....
Allegheny Family Network offers free workshop series for teens, parents
Positive use of social media, job and college preparation, and relationships are among the subjects that will be covered during an eight-week series of workshops that Allegheny Family Network will host at its recently opened north office in Harrison. The free sessions will start the week of March 4, with...
State police apprehend man who escaped custody from Armstrong hospital
A man who allegedly stole a vehicle after escaping from police custody at an Armstrong County hospital Monday morning has been found, state police said. According to state police, Alan-Michael Taylor, 23, of Vandergrift was taken into custody in Vandergrift. Taylor allegedly violated a protection from abuse order around 4...
Pittsburgh couple buys 50% share of River Forest Country Club, wants to make it public
A Pittsburgh husband and wife bought a 50 percent share of River Forest Country Club in Allegheny Township and want to open the course and its restaurant to the public. Jamy and Robert Rankin of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood bought a share of the property that had been owned by...
Harmar finds cheaper way to comply with anti-pollution program
The cost for Harmar to meet requirements related to a state anti-pollution program could be lower than the township anticipated. Township Engineer Matt Pitsch told Harmar supervisors last week that he thinks it will cost about $155,000 for the township to comply with the Department of Environmental Protection’s Municipal Separate...
