Valley News Dispatch category, Page 86
Taking one for the team: Brave souls take a dip in frigid Buffalo Creek to aid Freeport Youth Baseball
For Nate Scott, the anticipation was the worst part. Scott gazed over Buffalo Creek in Freeport shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday, wondering just how cold it would feel when he and nearly 50 other Alle-Kiski Valley residents leaped into it to support a local fundraiser. The whole thing was over...
Tarentum man says Peace Corps still critical even after 64 years
Dennis Mialki enrolled in the Peace Corps in 1978 and found himself — at 22 — as the city engineer of Siguatepeque, Honduras, a farm town in the mountains of Central America. The Tarentum resident spent two years engineering roads, building kindergarten classrooms and establishing a building code. “I was...
Sharpsburg to launch new community police program with pizza
Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis and the borough police department hope to foster friendly relationships with residents one slice at a time. They have partnered to present the inaugural Pizza with the Police & Mayor Portis on March 4 at Ketchup City Creative. Food and drink will be provided by Gino...
The Stroller, March 1, 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. Free transportation available to...
Armstrong County Children, Youth and Family Services caseworkers get new deal, higher wages
After working without a contract for eight months, union members who work for Armstrong County Children, Youth and Family services and the county Assessor’s Office reached an agreement with the county that increases the starting wage to $20 an hour. That was a main sticking point during negotiations between the...
Apollo-Ridge superintendent to step down, take over as intermediate unit head
Apollo-Ridge School District Superintendent Matthew Curci is leaving his post at the end of the school year to take over as executive director of ARIN Intermediate Unit 28. “It’s definitely bittersweet,” Curci said. “Apollo-Ridge is my home.” Curci got the nod from the intermediate unit earlier this month. The former...
ATI reaches tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers
A tentative agreement was reached between ATI and the United Steelworkers on Friday, according to statements released by both the metals company and union officials. The union released a statement saying it’s a six-year deal impacting 1,000 union members across locations including Brackenridge, Harrison, Vandergrift, Latrobe, Washington, Pa., and Lockport,...
2 new hotels slated in Harmar
Two new hotels soon will be added to Harmar’s landscape after approvals from township officials this week. Plans call for razing the Days Inn hotel, off Landings Drive, to make way for a Home2Suites and a Fairfield Inn at the site. The township supervisors approved the land development plans for...
2025 fish fries in the Alle-Kiski Valley
All menus are subject to change and availability. Allegheny Township Markle Volunteer Fire Department, 470 Joyce St., 4 to 7 p.m. or until sold out Fridays through Good Friday. Dine in or takeout. Menu: hand battered fish sandwich dinner, $15; chicken tenders meal, $12, include coleslaw and fries or pierogi;...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in early morning Plum fire
Here are a few news items for Friday, Feb. 28: No injuries reported in Plum fire No injuries were reported in a fire early Friday morning in Plum’s Renton neighborhood. Four fire companies responded to a home on the 200 block of Plum Street at 3:48 a.m., according to Renton...
Living with periodic paralysis: Ryan Csupak’s fight for awareness on Rare Disease Day
In the past 15 years, Ryan Csupak has been in an emergency room 30 to 40 times, unable to move his legs and arms. He’s experienced shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and weakness. This is the reality of having hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, a rare muscle disorder characterized by episodic attacks...
Springdale resident ready for power plant demo: ‘I just want it over’
Lorraine Parks of Springdale was quick to answer when asked her thoughts about the upcoming demolition of the boiler house across the street from her house. “I just want it over,” said the Porter Street resident. After plans and legal back-and-forths spanning about a year-and-a-half, the demolition of the boiler...
The Stroller, Feb. 28, 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. Gun safety seminar offered...
Court records reveal identity of man targeted, shot in East Vandergrift police raid
Court documents obtained this week by TribLive shed light on details of a police-involved shooting in East Vandergrift that state troopers have thus far declined to reveal. Lyle Cessna, 52, of East Vandergrift was shot by law enforcement on Feb. 14 outside his McKinley Avenue residence. Cessna remains hospitalized in...
New Kensington man’s past crimes cited for lengthy prison sentence
A New Kensington man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 14 years in prison for the illegal possession of a firearm, a continuation of what Westmoreland County prosecutors said has been a lifetime of crime. Alejandro David D’Argan, 28, was convicted last December of two charges — a weapons...
Schedule finalized at Burrell’s Bon Air Elementary, task forces to share with school directors
Three months of planning and reviews of reconfigured buildings at Burrell’s Bon Air Elementary and Huston Middle schools for next school year has come to a close. Superintendent Shannon Wagner said schedules at Bon Air Elementary School were approved by the task force “by a majority vote.” Since the school...
Monroeville woman stole $21K from 7-Eleven at Turnpike plaza in Plum, police say
A Monroeville woman is accused of stealing nearly $21,000 from a 7-Eleven convenience store on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Plum. State police charged Leigh Ann Wentzel, 49, on Wednesday with a single count of second-degree felony theft. There was an active warrant for her arrest on Thursday, according to Plum...
Fox Chapel police seek to ID package thieves
The use of new cameras and license plate readers in Fox Chapel may have led to theft suspects being identified in Greensburg. Police Chief Michael Stevens said officers received a report of packages being stolen from a home along North Drive on Feb. 13. Borough cameras caught images and a...
Sex offender arrested after being found near school in West Deer
A registered sex offender was arrested after allegedly being found on the campus of Deer Lakes School District’s East Union Intermediate Center on Tuesday afternoon. Mark Campbell, 60, of West Deer was seen by an officer walking on the front sidewalk of the school. Campbell is a lifetime Megan’s Law...
Aspinwall parking study findings, recommendations revealed
A national consulting firm is proposing a number of recommendations to help mitigate parking issues in Aspinwall. Among the suggestions offered on Feb. 20 by Walker Consultants were: • Charge for residential parking permits and place limitations on them; • Increase signage and communication of parking policies; • Use new...
High school counselors weigh options as Penn State branch campuses hang in the balance
Burrell High School guidance counselor Sandra Oskin thinks Penn State New Kensington is still a good option for prospective students, despite the Upper Burrell campus potentially closing in two years. “I’m hoping it remains a viable option — especially for Burrell,” she said. “It’s been a great resource. It’s convenient...
The Stroller, Feb. 27, 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. Coffee with a Cop...
Arnold councilman champions regionalizing New Kensington, Arnold police forces
If New Kensington and Arnold are able to share a school district, the cities should also be able to share a police department, according to an Arnold councilman. “It’s time,” said Aaron Moore, who was elected to Arnold Council in the 2023 election. He said he received positive feedback to...
New technology, culture shifts give cold cases from latchkey-kid era new hope
In the American latchkey era, if a child went missing, law enforcement and the local community utilized tools of the time, milk cartons, print publications and a community network, to gain and share information to help find the missing child. Time has since afforded progressions in culture and technology that...
New garbage carts rolling out for Shank customers in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell residents who use Shank Waste Service for garbage collection will have to make sure all of their trash fits into the new cans they’re getting — and they won’t be alone. The Lower Burrell-based waste hauler is moving to automated collection, with garbage trucks that use a mechanical...
