Valley News Dispatch category, Page 120
Driver who died after Lernerville crash identified as Chicora man
The driver injured Sunday in a crash at Lernerville Speedway has died, a family member and the speedway confirmed in social media posts. Both identified him as Shane Nolan of Chicora. “Lernerville Speedway and the Tomson family are deeply saddened by the passing of Shane Nolan, a cherished member of...
Oakmont Council eyes ordinance to limit feral cat population
Oakmont cat owners will have to look into spay/neutering, microchips and collars with tags if council passes an update of the borough’s feral cat ordinance. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said 412 Animal Rescue, a nonprofit, no-kill, all-volunteer and foster-based rescue organization in Penn Hills, reached out to officials earlier this...
Kiski Township man acquitted of sexually assaulting child
Wayne Lawrence Birch Jr., a Kiski Township man accused of sexually assaulting a minor, has been acquitted. A jury rendered the not guilty verdict Oct. 9, ending nearly two years of proceedings for Birch, 55. In December 2022, he was charged with one felony count each of aggravated indecent assault...
The Stroller, Oct. 15, 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. Harmar concert series to...
Burrell to close Stewart Elementary School; will move 5th grade to the middle school for 2025-26 year
After almost 100 years of serving students in the Burrell School District, Stewart Elementary in Lower Burrell will close its doors next year. The Leechburg Road school, which currently houses about 260 fourth- and fifth-grade students, will cease operations beginning with the 2025-26 school year. The school board made the...
New Kensington’s Knead Café joins hurricane relief efforts, donating revenue from sales
Alle-Kiski Valley residents can help victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton by having lunch this week in New Kensington. Knead Community Café announced it will donate all revenue from food sales this week to World Central Kitchen, which is providing meals to those affected by the natural disasters. That will...
Skunk situation in Harrison stinks, neighbors say
Jeff Pennington moved to Harrison in April and started seeing skunks almost immediately. In the roughly half-year of living in the Campton section of the township, his dog has been sprayed by skunks twice. While Pennington has lived in rural areas before, he said he was surprised by the number...
Plum hires Norwin board president as assistant superintendent
The president of the Norwin School Board has been hired as the assistant superintendent at Plum School District. Matthew P. Thomas of North Huntingdon, who has been the student services director for the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 since June 2018, was hired Oct. 8 by the Plum School Board at...
Faces of the Valley: Deer Lakes’ Carrson Vioral lives by the motto ‘never give up’
Carrson Vioral likes to keep himself busy. The 18-year-old Deer Lakes senior has found himself immersed in the school’s basketball and bocce teams and plans to join the swim team this winter. He also is involved in the school’s coffee shop and Best Buddies, a club fostering mentorship and leadership...
The Stroller, Oct. 14, 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. Donations sought for Thanksgiving...
Input sought on $20M Verona to Plum bike-hike trail plan
The committee in charge of a 13-mile, $20 million trail from Verona through Oakmont, Penn Hills and Plum wants to hear from residents. There is some disagreement about the path the VOPP Trail should take as it follows Allegheny River Boulevard and the viaduct connecting Oakmont to Verona, according to...
Driver hospitalized after crash at Lernerville Speedway
A driver Sunday was flown via helicopter to an area hospital after an on-track accident at Butler County’s Lernerville Speedway. Authorities have not released the man’s name or extent of his injuries. Emergency crews were dispatched to the Buffalo Township race track at 2:37 p.m., a Butler County 911 dispatcher...
Trunk-or-treat events add another opportunity for Halloween fun
Several vehicles are lined up, their trunks wide open, decorated and filled with candy and other treats. It’s a different version of trick-or-treat, where children dress in costume and walk door to door and collect candy on Halloween or some night close to Oct. 31, depending on the community where...
The Stroller, Oct. 13, 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. Marine Corps 249th anniversary...
Lower Burrell eyes stormwater drainage improvements to Reed Street
Lower Burrell officials are looking to address what they call “inadequate stormwater management” on Reed Street. Existing infrastructure on the roadway leads to poor drainage and erosion of the ditch line along the road. Those issues, according to the city, not only compromise the integrity of surrounding infrastructure, but also...
As Irwin-area Catholics lament Rev. Moineau’s reassignment, New Kensington flock awaits his arrival
As Irwin-area Catholics lament the loss of a beloved longtime pastor, their counterparts in the New Kensington area say they are happy to gain a fourth priest in their parish. The Rev. John Moineau was cleared by his doctors and Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick to return to work after resigning...
Natrona group celebrates community in park, focuses on the future
Over Bill Godfrey’s right shoulder, crumbling brick row houses line Penn Street, their former tenants all workers who toiled for Natrona’s storied Penn Salt Manufacturing Co. Over his left shoulder, on Federal Street, stood an evenly spaced queue of wooden, one-story cottages built in the 1850s — where Penn Salt...
Plum woman returns to Arnold roots, turns ice cream stand into new cafe
April Barnes dreamed of owning her own eatery since she was 16, working her first job at a King’s restaurant in Plum. “I worked there and I loved it,” said Barnes, 38. “I loved the hustle and bustle and the running. I missed all the moving around and high-pressure service.”...
The Stroller, Oct. 12, 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. Freeport Area HS Key...
Suspect in New Kensington tried to jump out window, police say
A man tried to jump out a third-floor window of a Valley Royal Court apartment in New Kensington, where police said they later found drugs hidden inside a toilet, according to a criminal complaint. Police charged Sean Barr, 27, of New Kensington on Thursday with felony and misdemeanor drug offenses...
Urgent wait for treatments: The race against time in the fight against FSHD, a genetic muscle disorder
Mark J. Christman continues to wait, but time is of the essence. Ongoing research and clinical trials are underway, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved any treatments to stop the progression or increase muscle mass in people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a genetic disorder...
Tarentum declines police dog gifted by singer Brian Kelley
Tarentum will have to wait for a police dog. Borough officials declined a surprise gift from country music star Brian Kelley of a police dog during an August benefit concert. Kelley donated an 18-month-old German shepherd, Ikon, during an Aug. 9 concert in West Deer that doubled as a fundraiser...
Firefighters encourage clean furnaces, air ducts as colder weather approaches
With October being Fire Prevention Month and as colder weather moves in, Upper Burrell firefighters are urging homeowners to clean their furnaces and chimneys — and make sure their smoke detectors are in working order. Firefighters put out a blaze earlier this week in the Lincoln Beach section of the...
Arnold needs almost half-million dollar upgrade to pump station
Arnold needs to renovate a malfunctioning sewage pump station on Riverside Drive to the tune of almost half a million dollars. Council is asking Westmoreland County to approve its request to the state Commonwealth Financing Authority for a $479,000 grant from the Local Share program. City Public Works foreman Joe...
The Stroller, Oct. 11, 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. Donations being accepted for...
