Valley News Dispatch category, Page 143
Allegheny Valley School District retains Rajgopal as finance, business operations director
With numerous capital projects in the works, Allegheny Valley School District has retained its director of finance and business operations. Board members Wednesday approved a new contract for Hamsini Rajgopal. The contract becomes effective July 1, 2025, and expires June 30, 2030, but board President Nino Pollino said there was...
Plum School District settles discrimination claim with job applicant for $5K
The Plum School District will revise its application process as part of an agreement settling a discrimination allegation. The district agreed to pay Eile Demkee $5,000 to resolve Demkee’s claims. That amount, inclusive of attorney’s fees and costs, will be paid by the district and/or its insurance carrier. The district...
West Deer man arrested in connection to Frazer shooting
An argument at a Frazer auto salvage yard led to a shot fired and a West Deer man arrested, according to Allegheny County Police. Jonathan Nealer, 40, is charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with the shooting of a man in his leg last week at Hloznik Auto Salvage...
New Kensington-Arnold officials promise repairs to dilapidated veterans memorial
As they’ve gotten older, Michele Eckman and her husband, Richard, don’t travel back to the Alle-Kiski Valley from their home outside of Dallas as often as they used to. So when they came to the area in June, they made a point of stopping by Valley High School in Richard’s...
Sharpsburg awarded $10 million for waterfront housing, recreation project
Sharpsburg officials are hoping a growing chest of state and federal money will bring them something the borough hasn’t had since the 1800s — a direct connection to much of its riverfront property. On the heels of a $25 million federal award in June, Sharpsburg got a state award this...
Allegheny Valley looks into cellphone restrictions for students during classroom time
Is there a reason why the Allegheny Valley School District isn’t restricting students’ access to their cellphones during instructional time in the classroom? That’s the question school board directors asked administrators Wednesday to look into. Board member Larry Pollick suggested the district implement a policy restricting cellphone use in the...
Leechburg Area hires new business manager
Leechburg Area School Board members hired a new business manager at a special voting meeting Thursday night. Gregory Cessna was hired in a 7-0 vote. Board members Anthony Townsend and Andrew Pallus were absent from the meeting. The hiring comes after the district’s previous manager, Teresa Edinger, resigned in May...
Bidding process underway for demolition of Colfax Elementary School in Springdale
Plans continue for the eventual demolition of Colfax Elementary School in Springdale. The Allegheny Valley School Board on Wednesday authorized district administrators to seek contract bids for the demolition of the Colfax building, which sits along Colfax Street. The building is 99 years old. It closed in 2018 and has...
Alle-Kiski High School Reunion News – July 26, 2024
Publicize your class’s high school reunion announcement. Send information as soon as possible to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. • Ken Hi Class of 1959 will have a reunion at 4 p.m. Aug. 15 at Hill Crest Country Club,...
The Stroller, July 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. Summer festival on tap at Concordia Lutheran Ministries The 143rd annual...
Rural Ridge Tunnel in Indiana Township to close for 5 weeks
A deteriorating Indiana Township railroad bridge with cracked concrete and water damage is scheduled to close for five weeks for restoration. The Rural Ridge Tunnel along Little Deer Creek Valley Road is nearly 130 years old and signs of its age are apparent, police Chief Steve Colucci said. “The repair...
Sharpsburg Council fills vacancy with former member
A familiar face has returned to Sharpsburg Council to serve a familiar role. David Breingan was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Kayla Portis, who served as its vice president and was named the borough’s new mayor earlier this month. Council voted 6-0 on July 25 to accept Portis’...
Australian team soaks up baseball, American culture while in town for Freeport International
Kye Hodges loves baseball and loves to be on the field with his teammates. It’s that simple formula that has the 15-year-old Central Coast, Australia, resident — nicknamed Big Sexy by his hometown friends — excited to be in Freeport this week with a group of baseball players from Down...
Big ideas in store for Tarentum and Cheswick riverfronts, but planning is slow-moving
Planning for the Tarentum/Cheswick riverfront project is moving more slowly than officials would like. Cheswick Council Vice President Shawna Almes said she is “eager for things to get started” on designs for fishing and boating access and other recreation. “As soon as we get word that we can start, I...
Texas sculptor honors Corey Comperatore with statue at Buffalo Township fire hall
When retired Texas firefighter Nyal Stromberg made his latest sculpture, a process that took a month of molding and melting, he didn’t know Corey Comperatore’s name. Few people did outside of the Alle-Kiski Valley before July 13, when Comperatore was gunned down at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald...
George McBriar, longtime Blawnox fire chief beloved by many area firefighters, community members, dies
A longtime Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company chief and pioneer of swift-water rescue has answered his last call. George McBriar, also a former councilman and businessman, died Tuesday evening while surrounded by friends and family. He was 70. “It was a shock,” said Jeff Stephens, the current fire chief who served...
2 men arrested in connection with card-skimming devices in Lower Burrell, other communities
Lower Burrell police were called to the Community Supermarket on Leechburg Road on June 28 after reports of an attempted card skimming incident. George Sears, Community Market general manager, said an employee noticed the skimmer just 15 minutes after the device was planted, before anyone’s information could be compromised. Sears...
The Stroller, July 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. Free community picnic planned Saturday Fun and Freedom will host a...
Tarentum gardener marks 20 years of lily sale to benefit therapeutic riding in McCandless
Picture yourself in a saddle on horseback, traversing the tranquil surroundings of a wooded area. For Tarentum resident Cindy Bowser, such a scenario once ranked among her favorite activities, and she mentioned one of her favorite places to venture. “Harrison Hills Park is small, but it is gorgeous with that...
Leechburg Area town hall to focus on property taxes
West Leechburg residents will get another chance to talk with Leechburg Area School District officials about tax rates at a meeting Thursday. Superintendent David Keibler is organizing a town hall meeting at the West Leechburg Fire Hall. According to a letter sent to district residents, the meeting will be a...
Building the Valley: The Shop on Grant weaves its way into the fabric of Vandergrift
Worn down by the isolation of the pandemic, Debora Greene opened The Shop on Grant last year as a way to connect with friends and neighbors in Vandergrift over her love of needlework. “I was retired and I was just looking for something to do, mostly to get myself out...
Tractor Supply sets opening date for Lower Burrell store
The gears for a Tractor Supply store in Lower Burrell are in motion. Annalee Rivers, a spokeswoman for Tractor Supply, said the company plans to open a store there in November 2025. City Manager Greg Primm identified the location as 108 Greensburg Road. It is a vacant, wooded lot next...
Gospel brunch in Pine features reunited ensemble
The reunion concerts continue for a gospel ensemble that once performed at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Praise, Worship and Deliverance traces its roots back to the late 1980s and a tuneful Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance at Penn State New Kensington, where musician Roberta Breninghouse was an...
Hillis-Carnes engineering firm eyes expansion with move to O’Hara
A South Fayette engineering firm is making the move to O’Hara in an effort to grow its business in the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond. Hillis-Carnes Engineering Associates signed a 52-month lease for about 5,000 square feet at 534-536 Alpha Drive in the RIDC Park. “We made the switch because our...
Oakmont library hosts 2nd annual Meet and Bleat with riverbank’s hardworking goatsVideo
Edgewater Overlook in Oakmont was filled with laughter, songs and bleating on Friday as Oakmont Carnegie Library hosted the borough’s second annual Meet and Bleat. Children were invited to the event to listen to a book reading and meet the goats from Capricious Goats LLC, the goats hired to help...
