Valley News Dispatch category, Page 119
Norfolk Southern to repair potholes at Tarentum railroad crossings
Norfolk Southern is closing several of its railroad crossings in Brackenidge and Tarentum at the same time on Monday and closing two others on Tuesday. The simultaneous closing of the crossings during the day has prompted the Highlands School District to have a remote learning day on Monday. The school...
Tapped from pandemic struggles, Buffalo Township brewpub Cellar Works to close
It’s almost last call at Cellar Works Brewing Co. in Buffalo Township. After more than seven years of business, the craft brewery will close Oct. 26. Members of the Cellar Society, an annual subscription that comes with discounts, presale priority on beer and more, are invited to a final party...
Honored alums return to Plum High School to inspire today’s students
The five graduates to join the ranks of Plum School District’s distinguished alumni this year include average students who became remarkable people. “I was a solid ‘C’ student when I went to high school,” said Jeffrey Schmeck, 66, a 1976 Plum graduate who has lived in San Antonio for 38...
Citizens Bank in New Kensington Giant Eagle slated to go virtual
Citizens will replace its bank branch inside the New Kensington Giant Eagle with a virtual assistant in January. The “interactive teller machine” includes two-way video communication, said Mark Rendulic, Pittsburgh market president for Rhode Island-based Citizens. With it, customers can do about 90% of what they would do in a...
Alle-Kiski towns to upgrade water, sewer facilities thanks to state funding
Low-interest loans from the state will pay for repairs to deteriorating sewage and water facilities in Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Allegheny Township. The Municipal Authority of Lower Burrell was awarded $9.55 million through PennVEST funding for the Chartiers Pump Station Project, state officials announced this week. The loan fully...
Plum mobile home park owner continuing fight to expand facility in a flood zone
The owner of a mobile home park in Plum is continuing to fight in court for the right to expand it, over the objections and concerns of borough officials. An attorney representing Plum Creek MHC filed a notice of appeal to Commonwealth Court after an Allegheny County judge found the...
The Stroller, Oct. 18, 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. Plum HS Sports Hall...
Plans for football/soccer field at Springdale High School move forward
The Allegheny Valley School Board is approaching crunch time on deciding where the Springdale Dynamos will play football next season. At Tuesday’s board meeting, the district will consider hiring a design professional to map out the development of a football/soccer facility at the high school and approving a request for...
Pint-sized putter passionate for golf in Fox Chapel
He’s a pint-sized putter with a big-time devotion to his favorite sport. Lucas McMahon, 6, of Indiana Township was still using a pacifier when he first showed an interest in golf. These days, he frequently takes to the course at the Pittsburgh Field Club to play nine holes. “He was...
Blawnox plans to hold line on real estate taxes
Blawnox officials plan to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s budget. The proposed 2025 spending plan was briefly discussed at a council meeting Oct. 9. However, no financial figures were released. “We’ll make the numbers work,” council President Deborah Laskey said about not raising taxes. The...
Fox Chapel Area Newcomers Club marks 50 years building connections
When Rita Ruscetti moved to O’Hara in the mid-1980s, she connected with new friends in no time. It was easy, she said, as a member of the Fox Chapel Area Newcomer’s Club, which hosted a slew of dinner parties, scavenger hunts and card games for people adjusting to life in...
Springdale teen creating a ‘scene of our community’ for mural outside library
At first, Ariana Caltagarone wasn’t sure if she wanted to take on painting a 459-square-foot mural on the wall leading up to the Springdale Free Public Library. The library had requested proposals for a mural, and her mom, Melissa, encouraged her to apply. But the 16-year-old from Springdale Township had...
Police regionalization makes progress in Leechburg, other communities
After months of discussion, the committee exploring a merger of Leechburg and nearby police departments is in what one committee member called “the last mile” of deciding the future of policing there. A draft charter agreement that would define how a merged police department would operate was presented to Leechburg...
The Stroller, Oct. 17, 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. Festival to celebrate autumn...
Fractured Allegheny Township supervisors limit their own speech in 2-1 vote
Mike Korns spent about 10 minutes Monday night making his case against a resolution that would limit the ability of citizens and his fellow Allegheny Township supervisors to speak at monthly meetings. “We are supposed to debate and deliberate on these motions,” he said. “We’re actually supposed to try to...
Harbor Freight plans January opening in New Kensington
Harbor Freight’s store in New Kensington will open in late January, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. In Riverview Plaza along Tarentum Bridge Road, it will be the company’s 67th store in Pennsylvania and fourth in Westmoreland County, said Donna Walker, a spokeswoman for Harbor Freight in Calabasas, Calif. “It will...
Burrell schools contend with whether to keep 5th grade at the middle school after next year
Burrell School District officials are grappling with one of the oldest questions in public education. For decades, schools generally have used the same format for organizing grade levels: the oldest students attend high school and the youngest students attend elementary or primary school. But what about those students in the...
Sharpsburg Community Library to offer remote item pickup, similar to Amazon lockers
By the end of the year, patrons at Sharpsburg Community Library will be able to order a book for remote pickup, much like they order clothes or other items for delivery to Amazon lockers. Leaders said the initiative will address barriers to library services, including limited transportation. Many people in...
New Kensington Democrat seeks to unseat Murrysville’s Jill Cooper in 55th State House race
In a divisive political atmosphere both locally and nationally, Democrat Davon Magwood is proud to be running a race against incumbent state Rep. Jill Cooper that puts negativity aside. “I love that we’re running campaigns where we’re not attacking one another,” said Magwood, 38, of New Kensington, who has worked...
Buffalo Township Sheetz closure imminent ahead of 6-month rebuild
The Sheetz location in Buffalo Township will be torn down and rebuilt much sooner than at least one township official expected. The gas station and convenience store along Route 356 will close Oct. 27, with an anticipated reopening sometime in April, Sheetz confirmed. Workers will be offered other jobs with...
Democratic state rep, Republican newcomer vie to replace retiring state Sen. Brewster in 45th District
Voters in the 45th state Senate race will choose between a two-term state representative from West Mifflin and a political newcomer from Plum who are vying to replace a retiring state senator. State Rep. Nick Pisciottano, 34, of West Mifflin won the Democratic primary over Makenzie White of Brentwood while...
Retired teacher keeps feeding Deer Lakes students
Retired Deer Lakes teacher Carol McCaskey was tired of seeing students come to school with a stomachache. “Us teachers knew the truth. We knew it was because they didn’t have food at home,” said McCaskey, who spent nearly three decades at East Union Intermediate Center and, before that, several years...
The Stroller, Oct. 16, 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. Free rides available to...
New Kensington police use Taser, dog to arrest man who ran from fight at Sheetz
New Kensington police used a Taser and a police dog to apprehend a man who they say ran from a fight at Sheetz on Saturday. Noah Benjamin Reed, 20, of Springdale was found to be carrying a 9 mm hand gun with an extended magazine, police said in a criminal...
Buffalo Township cutting it close on finalizing covid relief-funded remodel of offices, police station
With the clock ticking to allocate its roughly $1.2 million in covid relief funds, Buffalo Township has taken another step toward remodeling its joint administrative office and police station. Supervisors this month put out a request for proposals and expect bids to come back within 30 days. That leaves the...
