Valley News Dispatch category, Page 86
Plum departments begin volunteer firefighter stipend program
Five days into a new program that offers stipends for volunteer firefighters in Plum, Holiday Park VFD Chief Jim Sims said things have gone “very well.” The stipends — $15 per hour — were approved by the borough in January after the Plum Fire Chiefs Association initially presented the program...
Washington Township man sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison in 2023 fatal crash
A Washington Township man was sentenced to three to six years in state prison Friday for the death of a fellow township man in a 2023 fatal crash. David Bedick, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence in the death of Alex Orange, 21,...
Location change for Tarentum Night Market expected to shine spotlight on entire community
Changes are coming to Tarentum’s monthly street festival to boost safety and socialization. Night Market, heading into its sixth year, is eyeing a move to First Avenue, where officials believe people will be more prone to sit, eat and linger. There also would be improved traffic flow and access to...
New Ken-Arnold’s Roy A. Hunt Elementary showing academic improvement for 1st time in a decade
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck compares academic growth at Roy A. Hunt Elementary to that of a physics equation. “It’s all about momentum,” Sefcheck said. “We have every little piece, and it’s starting to fly.” Hunt, which serves third through sixth grade students in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, was...
Brackenridge Council seeking to fill 2nd Ward vacancy
Brackenridge Council will have a different look next month for the first time in several years. The borough is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy after council on Thursday accepted the resignation of member John Stanzione. He announced last month that his family was moving to Lower Burrell. Stanzione was...
The Stroller, April 4, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Lower Valley Food Bank...
Demolition crews level former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale
By March 26, the remnants of the former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale were razed after extensive demolition work throughout the month. The Allegheny Valley School Board shuttered the school in 2018 after years of declining enrollment and voted to demolish the building four years later, according to the...
TinyCause in Vandergrift now able to hold stray dogs
TinyCause in Vandergrift has received a state certification to hold stray dogs, allowing more lost or abandoned pooches to avoid euthanasia by the borough’s animal control service. The nonprofit along Columbia Avenue can hold up to three at-large dogs, according to longtime volunteer Cindy Richard. Strays will initially be held...
Burrell students square off in mock murder trial
It was literally a jury of their peers. On Thursday, students in Burrell’s Investigative Sciences and Literature course set up a mock trial in the high school board room that they called Pennsylvania v. Adam Seed; based on the real-life murder trial of Maryland v. Adnan Syed. A team of...
1 dead in New Kensington fire; 2 firemen injured
A New Kensington woman died in a house fire Thursday. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Amy L. Seguiti, no age given. She was inside the home as crews were fighting the fire, the coroner’s office said. The cause and manner of death are under investigation. An...
Then and Now: Faith United Methodist Church grew from John Fox homestead
In a small frame chapel on the old John Fox homestead, Fox Chapel United Methodist Church was established in 1891. By 1915, it became a landmark that gave Fox Chapel Road its name. A second sanctuary opened six decades later about a block away from the original church, along what...
The Stroller, April 3, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Valley High students to...
Building the Valley: Alle-Kiski Valley electric company celebrates 20 years of family-oriented service
Jim Posney knows electrical supply better than most. He should — he’s been in the business for 50 years, including the past two decades as owner of Allegheny Valley Winlectric Co. For Winlectric’s 20th anniversary celebration Tuesday, the community and customers came out to celebrate his company’s legacy. And while...
Without jurisdiction, Oakmont zoning board has no answer for borough businesses
Disputes continue after Oakmont Zoning Hearing Board officials declared they don’t have jurisdiction to settle an ongoing legal battle involving various Oakmont businesses and the borough. After two postponements, the hearing took place Wednesday night in borough council chambers. Resident John Keefe owns multiple restaurants and properties in the borough,...
Pa.’s 1st Crispy Cones, featured on ‘Shark Tank,’ set to open with free treats for first respondersVideo
A South Buffalo couple will convert their love of the ABC series “Shark Tank” with a new ice cream shop boasting unique cones featured on the show. Mike and Ronna Brestensky will be giving free ice cream to Hampton police, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel from 6 to 9...
End of an era: Tarentum VFW for sale; members consider next steps
It wasn’t too many years ago that the Tarentum VFW would fill up two floors of its East Fourth Avenue post with members and other revelers. “Bingo was a big draw,” said Quartermaster Zack Blume, a retired Army captain who served in Afghanistan. “We had a very active group. “When...
Pittsburgh Mills mall owners criminally charged with causing public nuisance
The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer has become a public nuisance, according to criminal charges filed Wednesday by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. At the root of the case is what officials called the treacherous condition of roads around the mall complex, which have been the target of public...
Leechburg baseball association’s stolen wood replaced, police investigating theft
The Leechburg Youth Baseball Association has its wood back. After about $1,400 worth of lumber was stolen from the group recently, a local hardware store donated exact replacements on Wednesday as the association prepares to begin its season. Covered with a tarp behind an equipment shed at Gilpin-Leechburg Park, the...
Tarentum church group, New Kensington’s Digital Foundry offer path to employment
A church program in Tarentum is working to provide people with a path to employment, among other services. That could mean funneling people to free training programs at The Digital Foundry in New Kensington, which offers certification programs in entry-level manufacturing to advanced engineering. “At the heart of what we...
The Stroller, April 2, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Metal bands to raise...
Small egg farms avoid shortages, keep prices stable
Art King knows egg prices nationally have been on a roller coaster ride. They still cost an average of almost three times what they did in July 2023, but not at his farm market. As co-owner of Harvest Valley Farms in West Deer, King has been selling eggs for about...
3 candidates nixed from Gilpin supervisor ballot after court ruling
Editor’s note: This story was changed to reflect that former candidate Thomas Rupert is a Democrat. The list of candidates for Gilpin supervisor in the primary is significantly shorter after a court ruling knocked three of six candidates from the May ballot. Armstrong County Common Pleas Judge Chase McClister ruled...
First draft of Burrell School District budget proposes roughly 4% tax increase
Burrell School District’s draft budget for next school year has just under a 4% real estate tax increase for property owners. The draft budget totals close to $37.7 million, which is a 3% increase from this school year’s budget, said Business Manager Jennifer Callahan. The real estate tax increase included...
West Deer man charged with attacking medical staff at Monroeville hospital
A West Deer man was charged with attacking a doctor and nurse last month at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. Gabriel A. Brewer, 34, of West Deer’s Russellton neighborhood, was taken by ambulance to the hospital on March 14 after he was found unresponsive on a bench in an Allegheny County...
Springdale Council sifts through 15 applications for borough manager position
Springdale Council is considering applications from 15 candidates to fill the borough manager’s post. After the window to submit applications closed Monday, interim Manager Jason Dailey said council’s personnel committee will rank the applicants before conducting interviews. Of the 15 applicants, Dailey said four have previous municipal experience. Though the...
