Valley News Dispatch category, Page 94
Plum School Board primary election packed with incumbents, familiar faces
Of the 11 candidates vying for four open seats on Plum School Board this year, only three have never sought or held office before. Three of those running are incumbents, one was recently appointed, two are previous office holders, and two ran and lost in past elections. Both Democrat and...
Orange flags to support pedestrian safety in Aspinwall
Bright orange flags will be popping up on Aspinwall’s busiest streets. Funded by the advocacy group Aspinwall Neighbors, the initiative will see pedestrian flags in at least two spots along the Brilliant Avenue business corridor. “Pedestrians will be encouraged to carry a flag while crossing the street and deposit it...
Sharpsburg parks and recreation commission adds new member
The Sharpsburg Parks and Recreation Commission has a new member. Resident Barbara Pugliese was sworn in to the volunteer position by Mayor Kayla Portis on April 24. The retired United Steelworkers accounting department employee said she was looking for an opportunity to help her town. “I decided this would be...
2 running for Kiski Area School Board in Region 3
Two candidates are running to represent Region 3 on the Kiski Area School Board. Incumbent Nicole Kamer is cross-filed and will appear on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots May 20. Newcomer the Rev. Trista Lucas of Vandergrift is running only as a Republican. If Lucas were to win the...
The Stroller, May 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. Lacrosse tournament to benefit...
New Kensington woman’s self-love journey channels into children’s affirmations book
Obianuju Anyaogu can remember times in her life when she chose to turn obstacles into stepping stones rather than allowing them to become setbacks. When she was in college at Slippery Rock University, she overcame deep depression and suicidal thoughts. She’s raising her son, Nehemiah Chidrebere Anyaogu, 10, as a...
Fox Chapel Area School District closed Friday due to outages; free meals to be served
Fox Chapel Area School District officials announced school is canceled for students Friday due to power outages, multiple road closures, and downed electrical wires. There will also be no online learning from home. The district will offer free meals to all students and their families on Friday. Anyone wishing to...
Around 150,000 remain without power as crews continue restoration work
Though power was restored to more than 300,000 customers in Western Pennsylvania since Tuesday’s severe weather, about 150,000 remained without electricity in the region as of 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. And Duquesne Light and West Penn Power said it will be at least several more days before power is restored...
Freeport Towers residents look back on harrowing 37 hours
Joe Bodick has never loved the smell of hot dogs more than he did Wednesday night. Bodick, president of Freeport Towers tenant association, was one of the more than 80 high-rise residents who went without power for 37 hours after Tuesday’s violent storms. With mostly seniors living in the high-rise,...
Power companies tap out-of-state help to restore power, give target restoration dates
Power company workers from multiple states are helping West Penn Power restore service to thousands of residents without electricity since Tuesday’s storms. The workers set up a base in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “We have more than 4,000 FirstEnergy crews and external resources, including...
Key witness in police shooting to testify on tape amid concerns of potential flight, overdose
Prosecutors have valid concerns that a key witness against a Clairton man accused in the 2023 shooting of a Monroeville police officer could flee or die before next month’s trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. The witness, according to prosecutors, was a passenger with Bruce Alvarado as he fled in...
Whistleblower says ‘excuses,’ lack of documentation led her to alert police to pet cremation scandal
Tiffany Mantzouridis had a hunch that something was off with her employer, Patrick Vereb, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorials. “He would throw away crematory tags and keep handwritten notes of where which pets should go, but he never could name the crematory he was using for...
ATI posts first quarter revenue of $1.1 billion
ATI leaders on Thursday credited strong revenue growth to a thriving aerospace and defense industry. The specialty metals company released its first-quarter results, with sales of $1.1 billion — up 10% from the same period last year. Growth was driven by a 23% increase in aerospace and defense, officials said....
Pet cremation scandal victims urged to honor pets on May 9
Tina Moore of Greensburg paid to have her cats — Pickle, Daisy and LaLa — cremated. She learned this week they may have been thrown into a landfill instead. “I’ve spent the past three days so angry and bitter,” Moore said. “I need to concentrate my energy on positivity rather...
New zombie rock musical ‘Romero and Juliet’ features local actors
A new musical is set to hit the stage at Saint Vincent College in Unity next month. But according to its lyricist and co-creator Scott Logsdon, the whole concept is the result of a typo. Several years ago, while corresponding with a friend about auditions for a showing of Shakespeare’s...
Help available for those still without power
The following events are planned to help residents with the power outages: Buffalo Township • Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, 565 Sarver Road, will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. today for food, water, ice and charging cell phones. Freeport • Freeport Fire-EMS will offer charging and light refreshments...
For those without power, experts offer next steps after severe storms
As hundreds of thousands go without electricity after severe storms battered the region, officials and experts have begun weighing in with guidance about how to proceed. Though some customers have had their power restored since the storm, Duquesne Light said it could take five to seven days to fully restore...
SAVES Good Friday fish fry finds a new home in Sharpsburg
Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services may have found a new permanent home for its annual fish fry. The combined Aspinwall and Sharpsburg volunteer fire departments, led by Chief Mike Daniher, moved this year’s Good Friday fundraising operation to Camp Guyasuta in Sharpsburg and offered a dine-in option for the first...
The Stroller, May 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. Artisan festival planned in...
Fox Chapel, O’Hara councils approve joint paving project
Fox Chapel and O’Hara officials recently approved this year’s paving projects. Both communities authorized contracts with Bakerstown-based Shields Asphalt Paving. The company was the lowest of six bidders for a joint project that included Fox Chapel, O’Hara, Blawnox and the Fox Chapel Authority. Larry Kurpakus, director of public works for...
Blawnox centennial book reveals tiny borough’s big history
A 52-page book to celebrate the Blawnox centennial might surprise readers with its eye-opening tidbits about the rivertown. The limited edition “Blawnox: 1925-2025,” authored by O’Hara historian Tom Powers, will reveal the clothing store millionaire who funded the community of Hoboken — the borough’s original name. It also will detail...
School districts deal with lost power, cleanup
Schools throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley and well beyond were shuttered Wednesday, and maybe longer, after Tuesday’s fast-moving thunderstorms. Several trees, two power poles and a transformer were brought down by strong winds at New Kensington-Arnold’s Valley High School and a portable toilet was flipped upside down. The district canceled school...
Harrison under mandatory water conservation order after damaging storm
Harrison residents are under a mandatory water conservation until further notice. The township water authority issued an alert Wednesday that calls for residents to curb water use. Laundry, gardening and dish washing are not essential, they said. The mandate comes after heavy storms rolled through the region Tuesday. Large trees...
Harrison funeral home tied to pet cremation scandal expected to be sold
The listing agent facilitating the sale of Vereb Funeral Home in Harrison said he was unaware the owner was entangled in alleged criminal activity. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged Monday by the state Attorney General’s Office with theft of almost $660,000 after taking money for pet cremations but...
Tarentum natives donate $3 million to Allegheny Health Network
Joe and Kathy Guyaux were without health insurance when their first child was born in 1972 at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. “I paid $15 a month with no interest. I’ll always remember that,” said Joe Guyaux, a Tarentum native who now lives in Fox Chapel. “We know what it...
