Valley News Dispatch category, Page 108
New Kensington fire hall shooting ruled suicide, coroner says
The death of a man found outside New Kensington’s No. 5 fire hall Tuesday has been ruled a suicide, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office. A shooting at the fire hall in the 500 block of Camp Avenue was reported to county 911 shortly after 4:30 p.m. The man,...
Brian Leri, longtime chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, remembered for devotion to restaurant, customers
Brian Leri, 51, of Natrona Heights, the longtime executive chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco in Oakmont, died Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Leri spent 30 years at the eatery after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1994. He became the restaurant’s executive chef in 2002....
Charah subsidiary sues demolition contractors over Springdale chimney, boiler house implosions
The June 2023 implosion of two chimneys at the former power plant in Springdale, and the lawsuit that followed, now has the plant’s property owner and its demolition contractors at odds legally. Attorneys representing Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group — a subsidiary of Charah Solutions — filed the lawsuit Monday...
Vandergrift man sentenced to up to 24 years for shooting at homes in 2021
A Vandergrift man was sentenced Friday to 12 to 24 years in a state prison for firing more than a dozen shots into three occupied homes in 2021. Javon Michael Thorn Lambert, 25, entered a general plea Friday to 17 charges against him, which included aggravated assault, discharge of a...
New Kensington woman accused of striking woman with SUV in Giant Eagle parking lot
A New Kensington woman is accused of hitting another woman with her SUV on Monday after arguing in the Giant Eagle parking lot. New Kensington police charged Tyonna Lashay Kirk, 29, with felony counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle and accidents involving death or personal injury. She also...
No property tax hike planned for North Apollo
North Apollo’s proposed budget for 2025, if passed, would come with no increase to real estate taxes. The millage rate would remain at 12.09 mills, meaning the owner of a home with the median assessed property value of $25,000 would continue to pay $302 a year to the borough. Expenses...
Lower Burrell man accused of shooting at neighbors through apartment wall
A Lower Burrell man is behind bars after police accused him of shooting through his apartment wall at his neighbors early Saturday. Lower Burrell police charged Khalil Shawn Pryor, 23, with attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts each of recklessly endangering another person and simple assault, and...
North Apollo mayor quits as the borough’s police options dwindle
North Apollo may have no choice but to stick with Kiski Township for police coverage as alternatives dwindle and the force’s leading critic, former Mayor June Kilgore, leaves office following her resignation. Since September, Kilgore has been asking council to consider another option for police coverage, when she raised doubts...
Harrison expects nearly 10% tax increase; no paving budgeted in 2025
It’s been a tough budget season, according to Harrison officials. Ongoing tax assessment appeals are expected to result in a 10% dip in real estate revenue while commissioners are tasked with crucial expenses next year that include new police hires and EMS funding. “This challenge is compounded by the fact...
Morning Roundup: Paving to restrict, close Route 910 in Harmar; Allegheny Township bridge restricted
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024: Paving to restrict, close Route 910 in Harmar Traffic on part of Route 910 in Harmar will be restricted during the day Tuesday ahead of an overnight closure for paving, PennDOT announced. Traffic will be...
The Stroller, Nov. 26, 2024: 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. Cub Scouts collecting items...
Western Pa. communities use Facebook as integral tool to connect with residents
Tom Bell starts his shift at 4:30 a.m. each day as Greensburg’s streets superintendent. While most people take the same route to work, Bell takes a different way almost daily. Instead of listening to music or the morning news, he logs onto the public works department’s Facebook page to record...
New Kensington cat rescue Frankie’s Friends receives new roof
Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue is having a new roof installed Monday on its Fifth Avenue building in downtown New Kensington. Frankie’s Friends provides low-cost spay and neuter services, medical facilities and rescue. It takes in about 500 sick or injured cats each year, rehabilitates them and finds them homes. Those...
Burrell work program provides real-life experience, lessons to special-needs students
A new program in the Burrell School District is giving Life Skills students a dose of reality with an emphasis on preparing them for postgraduate living. The new Instruction in Work and Independent Living program launched this year at Burrell High School is a culmination of life skills, speech and...
Former treasurer sentenced to 5 years probation for stealing $21K from New Kensington church
A woman was sentenced Friday to five years on probation for stealing more than $21,000 from a New Kensington church while she served as its treasurer, according to a sentencing order. Cheryl M. Garnett, 75, of East Deer, pleaded guilty to a theft charge, avoiding a trial. Prosecutors dismissed a...
Leechburg Area wins award for food service efforts outside school hours
Tess Diehl loves to feed people. She shows that love every day as Leechburg Area’s food service director. “I rather enjoy taking care of people through food and nutrition,” she said. During her second year at the district, Diehl has combined her creativity, passion and knowledge of nutrition to create...
The Stroller, Nov. 25, 2024: 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. Annual Christmas for Vets...
Efforts underway to ensure bright holidays for troops overseas
St. Joseph High School teacher Megan Morrow leads her students not only in drawing and sculpting but in the art of community service. Teens at the Harrison school put their talents to use crafting Christmas cards to be shipped to troops deployed overseas. “I did a similar project when I...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Nov. 14-20, 2024
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, TribLive’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate, please...
The Stroller, Nov. 24, 2024: 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. Annual Christmas show planned...
Sweet treats, customized art draw hundreds to Oakmont Christmas event
Kelly Shilala weighed truffles on a scale Saturday afternoon. Bill Hickey sliced fudge. But one of the biggest stars of Oakmont’s Big Hometown Christmas & Parade, which drew hundreds of visitors who packed Allegheny River Boulevard, was clearly Julie Hwostow. Hwostow drew smiles from visitors young and old as she...
‘It’s a lot about family and community.’ Tradition brings crowds to fill A-K Valley streets for Christmas parade
Storm clouds and winter temperatures don’t faze Jamie Ganss. The power of tradition brings the Brackenridge woman every year to the corner of Corbet Street and Third Avenue in Tarentum to watch the Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas Parade. Her annual ritual to kick off the holidays has generated a deeper meaning since...
East Deer woman charged with bringing unlicensed gun to airport
Allegheny County Police have charged an East Deer woman with bringing an unpermitted handgun to the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. Lynda R. Lee, 61, of Creighton, East Deer, was going through the U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday morning when officers noticed the...
Fire volunteers from multiple towns respond to Logans Ferry Heights fire
A house fire Friday night on Zandona Street in Plum prompted a large response from fire companies in neighboring communities. The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on the 700 block of Zandona in the borough’s Logans Ferry Heights neighborhood. Logans Ferry Heights Fire Chief Stephen Marsh said the...
New Kensington, surrounding fire companies undergo training drill at county housing apartments
Fire drills aren’t just for school students. For the men and women who fight fires on a regular basis, a drill is a chance to test out the logistics of their department’s response, to see what does and doesn’t work and to find out how to adjust emergency procedures. Members...
