Valley News Dispatch category, Page 12
New members join Plum Council, leaders named
November’s four election victors officially joined Plum Council on Monday, Jan. 5. Ryan Delaney, James McBride, Raymond Rall and Phoebus Apollo were sworn-in to their posts by District Judge Mike Doyle at the borough’s reorganization meeting. The four were part of a Democratic slate that swept aside Republican incumbents Paul...
Rising utility costs cause record demand for assistance
A record number of requests has been made this winter to a Pittsburgh nonprofit that doles out funds to help people pay their rising utility bills. As of late December, Dollar Energy Fund had processed $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October — a 131% increase over the same...
Here’s how to shop for lower utility costs
For Western Pennsylvania consumers worried about the costs of heating their homes this winter, there are options. Customers could find some relief on the marketplace, but it’s not entirely without risk. Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence said shopping for better rates on the Pennsylvania Utility Commission’s PaGasSwitch and PaPowerSwitch web...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 2026: 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. Bingo bash planned by...
Building the Valley: Secondhand shop for kids ‘fills need’ in Vandergrift
Dylann Sowers says she opened her new storefront in Vandergrift with the community in mind. Kiski Kids Closet, located downtown on Grant Avenue, is a secondhand shop focused on affordable children’s clothing. It opened in mid-December. Sowers, 28, of Parks Township has three young boys of her own, which offered...
Orthodox Christmas to be celebrated Wednesday across region
The Christmas season isn’t over, at least not for the handful of Orthodox Christian churches that follow the Julian Calendar and are celebrating Christmas on Wednesday with special liturgies, dinners and holiday decorations. “Universally, it’s accepted as Christmas, but, in our faith, it is really called the Nativity of the...
Blawnox councilwoman crafts mini Moondog’s to celebrate business owner, music charity
Blawnox native Katie Specht-Coban sees her borough as a small world filled with big-hearted people. The daughter of the late Charles Specht, former president of the Pittsburgh Miniature Society, has carried on her father’s passion of crafting tiny locations and keepsakes. In December 2024, the councilwoman presented miniature scenes for...
Sewage, recycling rates increase in Lower Burrell
Recycling and sewage rates will increase in Lower Burrell, and officials say there wasn’t much, if anything, they could do about it. An average sewage bill in the city will increase by $48, about 5%, this year. Recycling will increase $8, or 12.5%. “We take any fee increase seriously, but...
1 injured in Lower Burrell rollover crash
Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell from Chester Drive to Craigdell Road was closed for about an hour Tuesday afternoon following a three-vehicle crash in which one car rolled over. About 11:30 a.m., a car exiting Michigan Avenue hit another car traveling west on Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell police Chief John...
Highlands Family Center gets food pantry boost
Highlands Family Center in Tarentum is getting some much-needed help to address a surge in food needs in the wake of the federal government shutdown and state budget stalemate late last year. The organization, run by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, was awarded $5,000 from The United Way and Heinz Endowments....
Oakmont looks into new technology for busy intersection
Travelers through Oakmont might be able to get to their destinations faster come 2027. The borough is beginning a project to update the traffic light system at the intersection of Allegheny River Boulevard, Allegheny Avenue and Hulton Road. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said the area has long been a headache...
The Stroller, Jan. 6, 2026: 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. Fund aids animals with...
Website aims to boost community involvement in plans for paid EMS authority
Officials trying to start a regional, paid EMS service are hoping a new website explaining the plans will bolster public involvement in the creation of the service. The authority will cover Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum and aims to continue 24/7 ambulance service by merging Eureka Community Ambulance in Tarentum and...
Children’s book inspired by Alle-Kiski Valley mother’s love for her son
As a little boy, Conor Sammartin was hesitant if he had to face something new. He often replied to his mother, Barbara Bedner, with the phrase, “Yeah, but…” in an attempt to avoid unfamiliar things. Bedner, who was born in New Kensington and grew up in Springdale, would encourage her...
Steelers fans revel in ‘nail-biter’ victory over Ravens, berth in NFL playoffs
Knicky Nelson was dressed head to toe in Pittsburgh Steelers gear, but that didn’t stop her from perusing the merchandise at Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Waterworks on Monday in search of a deal. Nelson was still smiling from the Steelers’ improbable, heart-stopping 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on...
Sharpsburg manager recognized for distinguished service
Sharpsburg officials know they have something special in borough Manager Christine DeRunk. Other entities are starting to take notice. She was given the 2025’s Distinguished Public Service Award from the Keystone State Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration. It was bestowed to the borough’s top administrator by Keystone...
Burrell School Board seeking new member
Burrell School Board will start the new year with a new board member. Jean Schager submitted her letter of resignation effective Dec. 31, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner. Schager was elected in 2021 and won reelection last year. Schager said her decision to leave the board came when her employer,...
Authorities unable to determine cause of fatal Tarentum fire
The cause of a Dec. 13 fatal fire in Tarentum remains unclear, authorities said. Kasey Reigner, spokesperson for the county’s Department of Emergency Services, said the fire was investigated by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office and the “origin and cause will remain undetermined.” The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office...
10 ‘unsafe’ structures could come down in Tarentum
Tarentum is targeting 10 homes for demolition this year, all of which are deemed unsafe by borough officials. The structures are abandoned and in such disrepair that it would be cost prohibitive to rehab them, according to a memo by Anthony Bruni, code enforcement officer. The list includes: • 913,...
ATV, UTV permit process streamlined for Gilpin, Bethel, Parks townships
Starting this year, ATV and UTV riders in Gilpin, Bethel and Parks townships will have to do a little less work to prep for riding. According to a Facebook post Saturday from Gilpin Supervisor Charles Stull, an ATV or UTV permit acquired in Parks, Bethel or Gilpin is now valid...
Newly elected Arnold Council members want to make a difference for the city
Two newly elected Arnold Council members hope to help move the city forward after winning an election race that didn’t garner much attention or competition. Frank Radeshak and Terrilyn Cheatham Prescott will be sworn-in Monday. Two four-year council seats were on the November ballot, but Radeshak was the only candidate...
Allegheny County DA drops charges against Cheswick man previously accused of raping child
Allegheny County prosecutors dropped more than a dozen charges — many of them felony sex crimes — against a Cheswick man previously accused of raping a child. Jeremiah Segan, 42, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in December as part of a negotiated plea. He was sentenced to 30 months...
The Stroller, Jan. 5, 2026: 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. Harrison holiday concert rescheduled...
Burrell physical education teacher channels creative side with wooden ornaments
Rich Thome is an elementary physical education teacher by day and a talented wood carver by night. So talented, in fact, 18 of his wood-crafted Christmas ornaments raised about $760 for the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh through a silent auction among Bon Air Elementary faculty this winter. “I get...
New Huston Middle School class to create radio advertisements for Burrell grads’ local businesses
Burrell graduates who own businesses in the area might be able to get some help with publicity from current students in a new class at Charles A. Huston Middle School. Teacher Brian Querry is seeking local businesses owned by Burrell grads to help with a project for seventh and eighth...
