Valley News Dispatch category, Page 109
Fundraiser for Burrell’s Unified Bocce team pairs up students for new experience
Bocce season for area high schools will start to heat up soon, but Burrell’s team was serving up some cool drinks Thursday morning in New Kensington. Burrell’s Unified Bocce team, now in its third year, is part of the Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports program. Sixteen students are on the...
Drone operators need certifications, license from FAA for public safety and commercial uses
People who want to operate a drone for public safety and commercial purposes are required to get a license or certificate through the Federal Aviation Administration. Some of the regulations state that an operator cannot fly more than one drone at a time and cannot fly one near manned aircraft...
Eyes in the sky: O’Hara police drone, operator serve multiple communities, purposes
O’Hara police Officer Maria Sciacca had a bird’s-eye view over the land where former President Donald Trump was shot and former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Corey Comperatore was killed. Two others also were wounded in the July 13 assassination attempt of the Republican presidential nominee July 13 at...
No tax increase planned in Fawn
Fawn residents haven’t incurred a property tax increase in 26 years, and they’re not likely to see one in 2025. Supervisors approved a tentative budget of nearly $1.8 million. The proposed tax rate would remain 3.04 mills. The owner of a home with the township’s median assessed value of $72,750...
Tarentum Lions Club charity event returns from pandemic hiatus; tickets selling fast
A longstanding Alle-Kiski Valley charity fundraiser is making an in-person return after being sidelined by the pandemic. The Tarentum Area Lions Club will host its Jack Marino Charity Dinner with the goal of raising money to help people in and out of the region. Proceeds benefit the Allegheny Valley Association...
Blawnox officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes, restore paving program
Blawnox officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes next year while restoring the borough’s paving program. Council voted 4-0 to advertise its preliminary 2025 spending plan of about $1.65 million. Council President Deborah Laskey and members Mark Lombardi and Elaine Palmer were absent. Budget documents suggest the...
The Stroller, Nov. 21, 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. Allegheny Township to celebrate...
Alle-Kiski Valley railroad crossings among ‘riskiest’ in state, feds say
Western Pennsylvania is home to nine of the state’s 20 riskiest rail crossings, according to Federal Railroad Administration data. Three of the crossings are within about 7 miles of each other in the Alle-Kiski Valley, between Cheswick and Brackenridge. The Cheswick crossing, at the borough’s Blockdale Street, ranks as the...
Ruling on Springdale boiler house doesn’t mean structure is coming down soon, attorney says
A state Superior Court ruling seemingly clearing the way for the implosion of the former power plant in Springdale doesn’t necessarily mean the structure is coming down anytime soon. John Kane, an attorney representing the 16 borough residents seeking to block the implosion at the former Cheswick Generating Station boiler...
Allegheny Shores moves forward with site prep, thanks to $1 million infusion from state
Sharpsburg Councilman Corey Ochai believes that the transformation of a 52-acre brownfield along the Allegheny River will grow the borough in the right direction for all. “I don’t think we’re outgrowing the town’s DNA but improving on it,” said Ochai, of the Allegheny Shores project that broke ground in 2022....
Severe storms knock out power to thousands; possible tornado being investigated
Did a tornado move through east-central Allegheny County on Wednesday? That’s what the National Weather Service in Moon Township will look to find out as they conduct a survey Thursday, according to a post from the agency on social media. Heavy rain and wind blew through the region Wednesday, knocking...
Defense questions DNA evidence, proposed death penalty in New Ken case of father accused of killing son
Attorneys for a Brackenridge man accused of murdering his 9-year-old son in New Kensington argued Wednesday in Westmoreland County Court that homicide charges against their client should be dropped, as they took issue with DNA and other evidence prosecutors have indicated links him to the crime. Public defenders Wayne McGrew...
Springdale assessment appeals prompt 19% tax hike
Reassessments on industrial properties in Springdale have led to a loss of $11 million in expected revenues, and borough property owners will likely foot the bill. The borough is considering hiking real estate taxes by 19% next year to cover the assessment losses in addition to a spike in the...
South Buffalo plans 15th year of no tax increases
South Buffalo is maintaining a 15-year streak of no tax hikes as part of its proposed $2.5 million budget. Supervisors approved a preliminary spending plan after a series of public budget workshops, with formal passage scheduled for Dec. 16. The property tax rate is expected to remain at 5.7 mills....
No tax hike expected for Vandergrift property owners
Vandergrift has no plans to raise real estate taxes next year, according to its preliminary spending plan. The proposed budget would keep the property tax rate at 28 mills. Expenditures are projected to hit about $2.5 million, roughly $30,000 more than expected income. That gap would be covered by leftover...
Frazer tax rate to hold steady but assessed values could go up, raising tax bills for some
Frazer officials don’t plan to raise property taxes next year, but some homeowners could pay more nonetheless. The township’s $1.3 million budget will maintain a tax rate of 3.5 mills, but Supervisor/Township Secretary Lori Ziencik said the board plans to reduce the Homestead Exclusion from $40,000 to $20,000. That means...
Estimated building project cost comes in $10M over Plum School District’s borrowing ability
An addition and renovations at two schools are expected to cost the Plum School District nearly $10 million more than officials have said the district can borrow. The total estimated cost of the work is about $39.6 million, representatives of HDG Architects reported this month to the school board. The...
The Stroller, Nov. 20, 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. American Cancer Society seeks...
Woman hit by car in East Deer
A woman was struck by a car Tuesday evening while walking across Freeport Road, near its intersection with Murrayhill Road, in East Deer. Responders were dispatched at 5:18 p.m. to the intersection, where the woman was hit by a car turning left from Murrayhill onto Freeport Road, said Jack Bailie,...
Superior Court: Boiler house at former Springdale power plant can be imploded
The boiler house at the former power plant in Springdale can be imploded via explosives, the state’s Superior Court ruled Tuesday, reversing a decision from an Allegheny County judge pausing the demolition. In a 24-page ruling, the Superior Court determined that Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr....
West Deer native pens supernatural young adult novel set in his hometown
Anyone who grew up in West Deer Township during the 1990s may feel a spark of familiarity reading Josiah Golojuh’s new young adult novel “The Paper Boy.” That’s because the author grew up there and modeled the book’s setting off of his own childhood experiences. “It’s not a true story,...
Car fire slows Route 28 traffic in Harrison
Northbound traffic on Route 28 was snarled briefly Tuesday when a car caught fire shortly after 9 a.m. between Exits 15 and 16 in Harrison. No injuries were reported, and all travel lanes have reopened....
Kiski leaves police regionalization discussions; Leechburg forges ahead
Kiski Township has dropped out of discussions about forming a regional police force with nearby Leechburg, Parks, Apollo and North Apollo. Leechburg Councilman DJ Zelczak, a member of the steering committee exploring the merger, said he did not want to speak for Kiski officials in declining to say why that...
The Stroller, Nov. 19, 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. Allegheny Valley Association of...
Aspinwall property owners likely won’t see a borough real estate tax hike in 2025
Aspinwall officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes with next year’s budget. Council unanimously approved advertising its 2025 spending plan Nov. 13. Budget documents show the millage rate remains 8.36 mills, including 0.5 mills for public safety. One mill generates about $150,000 in revenue. Projected revenue and...
