Valley News Dispatch category, Page 718
New Kensington tax business reopens after devastating fireVideo
Troy Owen vowed to reopen the tax business he lost in a devastating fire that tore through the heart of New Kensington’s downtown business district in September. On Monday, he did officially – just in time for tax season when Liberty Tax Service has traditionally seen anywhere from 1,000 to...
4 generations of Fawn family celebrate milestone at Allegheny Valley Hospital
As Allegheny Valley Hospital marked the 110th anniversary of accepting its first patients Monday, a Fawn family reflected on four generations of their own history at the hospital. The legacy started with Barb Kutchko’s mother, Monie Hanford, who was a switchboard operator there until the late 1970s or early 1980s....
Armstrong County Jail inmate faces more charges for throwing feces
An inmate at the Armstrong County Jail is accused of throwing feces on his cellmate and threatening correctional officers. Edward Daniel Wilson Jr., 18, of Kittanning is facing a felony charge of aggravated harassment by a prisoner as well as two misdemeanor counts of harassment, said Trooper Michael Dunlap of...
Allegheny Township looks to borrow money for $1.6M building project
Allegheny Township is seeking proposals for bank loans to help it pay for an anticipated $1.6 million in improvements to its community Building. The proposals are due by Feb. 6. Township supervisors are expected to pick one of the proposals in the next few months, and construction could start as...
Lower Burrell police identify man asking for gas money
Lower Burrell police have identified a man accused of going around the city and asking residents for gas money. The man is not suspected to have committed any crime other than Lower Burrell solicitation ordinance violations, police said. “Lower Burrell Detectives positively identified and contacted this person. He is not...
Harrison man goes back to school to tell Birdville history
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley people and the notable things that they do. Decades ago, approaching planes would send elementary students in Harrison running back to their classrooms. The two-man, single engine propeller-driven planes would come in low near Birdville School, using...
Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley shows off its larger shelter as renovations beginVideo
Visitors got a last glimpse of the former child care center on Church Street in New Kensington on Sunday before renovations begin to turn the vacant building into an animal shelter. The plans to move Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley from its 3,000-square-foot home on Linden Avenue to the Church...
Former Leechburg police chief released from county jail after serving sentenceVideo
Former Leechburg police chief Mike Diebold walked out of the Westmoreland County Prison a free man just before noon Sunday. Diebold, 41, wearing a white T-shirt, cargo shorts and a baseball cap, said community members shouldn’t be concerned about his release. “I don’t think they have anything to worry about...
Harrison judge slams commissioners for not reaching deal with police chief
An obviously exasperated District Judge Carolyn Bengel tore into the Harrison commissioners in public Thursday night, taking officials to task for not reaching an employment agreement with the township’s longtime police chief that would facilitate his retirement. In May, commissioners deadlocked 2-2, with one absent, to approve a four-year contract...
Apollo moves to fill borough official vacancies
Following a rash of resignations and redefining positions, Apollo is hoping to move forward after a series of appointments Thursday night. However, one of the council members resigned Thursday night. Council members said salaries of Thursday’s appointees have yet to be determined. Borough council appointed Deanne Shupe as part-time borough...
Mike Diebold’s pending release from jail irks some Leechburg residents
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold’s plan to move into his mother’s Siberian Avenue home after his expected release from prison on Sunday is irking some residents, who say the convicted sex offender shouldn’t be allowed to live there because it’s too close to three schools. But there’s nothing they...
Upper Burrell asks court to order voting redistricting
Upper Burrell officials on Friday filed a lawsuit asking a judge to order Westmoreland County to redraw the township’s two voting districts. Township supervisors filed the court action, along with a petition from 20 registered voters, contending that 75 percent of the town’s residents are forced to vote in one...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers show up en masse to remind board a contract isn’t done
With at least 70 teachers watching Thursday, the New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a 2019-20 preliminary budget with the same teachers’ payroll number as this school year. Whether that number increases when the final budget is approved in June remains to be seen as negotiations between the district and the...
Union Avenue, Sycamore Street eyed for new trees in Harrison
More trees could be coming to Harrison. Part of Union Avenue in the Natrona Heights neighborhood and Sycamore Street in Natrona are being considered for planting, said Tom Cajka, chairman of the township’s tree committee. A total of 50 trees are being considered. Of those, 30 would be planted along...
Trial for Arnold woman accused of helping accused police killer is delayed until April, at least
An Arnold woman’s trial on charges she helped a friend avoid apprehension after the fatal shooting of a police officer was delayed until at least April. The case against Lisa Harrington, 33, was postponed Thursday to allow for a new defense attorney to represent her. She faces charges that she...
Public can see preliminary Highlands school budget beginning Tuesday
Highlands School District residents can get a look at the district’s preliminary $46 million budget for the 2019-20 school year beginning Tuesday, according to a legal notice from the district. The district will seek approval from the state Department of Education to increase property taxes by more than its state-imposed...
Bogus AT&T rep tried to scam Allegheny Township resident
Allegheny Township Police are warning residents of unsolicited phone calls from someone falsely claiming residents are eligible for a phone service upgrade. Police say someone claiming to be a representative of AT&T called a township resident recently and tried to scam them into releasing credit card information. The bogus caller...
Leechburg Area students thriving at Lenape Tech
Leechburg Area students continue to thrive at Lenape Technical School. That’s the word from Wesley Kuchta, administrative director at the vocational technical school in Manor Township. “In 2018, 12 of the 13 seniors from Leechburg achieved advanced or proficient on national exams,” Kuchta said. “Our students average just below 90...
Armstrong County drug task force arrests 3, uncovers stolen handgun, in Ford City
The Armstrong County drug task force arrested three individuals in Ford City on drug-related charges Tuesday. Laval Bruce, 23, of Pittsburgh, Ericka Jean Golden, 23, of Braddock and Melissa Jane Kladny, 47, of Ford City, will face various charges regarding possession of and intent to deliver controlled substances, as well...
Vandergrift proposes more handicap parking spaces for residents
Vandergrift council will vote on an amendment to expand the number of handicap parking spaces in town during their regular meeting on Feb. 4, at the borough building, 109 Grant Ave. “The intent of council is to expand the handicap parking opportunities in our town,” said Larry Loperfito, borough solicitor....
Tarentum police searching for 2 people involved in hardware store theft
Tarentum Police are trying to identify two men accused of stealing a shovel from the Tarentum Hardware store on First Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Chief Bill Vakulick said. Security camera footage posted to the department’s Facebook page shows two men — one wearing a bright green, hooded sweatshirt and...
Anglers to get back Tarentum bait and tackle shop, along with its knowledge
After an October blaze shut down the only local bait and tackle store between Harmar and Kittanning, Allegheny Angler in Tarentum will soon be back in business. The owners, who will be in their 31st year of selling minnows, shiners, worms and rods and reels of all kinds — as...
East Deer bridge near Sheetz finished, open to traffic
Work to replace the bridge over Crawford Run on Freeport Road in East Deer is finished and the new bridge is open to traffic, the contractor announced Wednesday. Work on the bridge, near Sheetz, started in July. It was scheduled to be finished in December, but was delayed into January...
Youth basketball tournament to remember Highlands coach, support Callender family
The shock of the loss of a beloved Highlands coach is subsiding, but the need to help his family and keep his memory alive remains. The second annual Coach Tom Callender Memorial Basketball Tournament will bring people together to celebrate his life and help his family, said Kate Bielak of...
Lower Burrell police warn of man asking for gas money in the city
Lower Burrell police are warning residents about a suspicious man allegedly going around the city, asking residents for gas money. Police shared information about the situation on Facebook on Wednesday, asking residents to call 911 if they are approached by the man. “There is a local Facebook post circulating about...
