Valley News Dispatch category, Page 146

Blawnox Council has a new member. Council voted 5-0 May 8 to appoint Matt Stanczak to fill the vacancy created by former Councilwoman Meghan Kennedy, who resigned from her elected post last month. Councilwoman Katie Specht-Coban was absent. Kennedy was appointed to council in 2016 and has since served as...

Leechburg Area’s David Leech Elementary School library had a buzz of excitement Wednesday night. After months of uncertainty about leadership, the Leechburg Area School Board made the school district’s interim superintendent, David Keibler, its superintendent. Keibler was appointed, 8-0. Director James Dunmire was absent. The vote received an ovation from...

Fewer students and an aging building could spell the end for Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell. Burrell School District directors scheduled a public hearing for next month on permanently closing the school that sits on prime real estate along Leechburg Road in the heart of the city. A public...

Dr. Charles Ashe is a familiar name for many Alle-Kiski Valley natives — he may even have been one of the first people they ever met. For about 40 years, Ashe worked as a private practice doctor and, later, as an Allegheny Valley Hospital pediatrician. He was willing to drop...

A small property tax increase will help to keep the New Kensington-Arnold School District moving in the right direction, according to board President Tim Beckes. The school board voted 8-0 Tuesday night to approve the district’s $46.2 million proposed final budget for 2024-25. Board member Terry Schrock was absent. It...

Travel can be expensive and, with the Alle-Kiski Valley’s rich history, area residents have plenty of options this summer to enjoy “staycations.” The Allegheny-Kiski Historical Society and Heritage Museum in Tarentum aims to make that easier by laying out the options this weekend at a free event. “Our history can’t...

After passing on the opportunity a few months ago, Lower Burrell officials will participate in a blight inventory study. Council on Monday entered into an agreement with Westmoreland County to participate in the study on behalf of the Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council Cooperation Group. The cost for the program is $14,180,...

The new executive director of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization is hoping to continue more than a decade of work in the nonprofit sector, this time helping to improve the quality of life in the quaint river town. Jodi Klebick will take the reins of the group, founded in 2014 with...

Rikki Haas and Elizabeth Pribanic were at school Tuesday but had their eyes in the skies. The duo — as calm and as focused as could be — were operating drones outside the gymnasium of Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar after school. The 11-year-olds were able to maneuver their drones...

PennDOT officials announced the following road work and related closures: • A portion of Hecla Road between Aster Road and Mt. Pleasant Road will closed beginning May 13, as work crews complete the new Route 981 and Hecla Road approach to the roundabout. The work is part of the $55.2...

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 fishing derby scheduled by Concordia Lutheran Ministries Concordia Lutheran Ministries...

A New Kensington man was among three people arrested by state police Monday after leading them on a high-speed chase in Somerset County that at one point reached up to and over 120 mph. Pharoah Sewell, 20, of New Ken­sington was charged along with Davontae Trevon Clayton, 19, of Belle...

Pepsi Gamble fears alcohol sales at the Valero gas station in New Kensington could lead to trouble. Speaking during a public hearing Monday on a liquor license transfer for the store at Seventh Street and Constitution Boulevard, Gamble cited “the amount of not civil society” she sees in the area...

New military veteran bricks have been added to the War Memorial in Blawnox in time for the borough’s Memorial Day parade and service. The bricks have the name of a soldier, military branch, service years and, if space allowed, commendations such as a Purple Heart and other medals. About 30...

A Burrell High School senior is hoping to capitalize on the success of an event last fall that boosted not only people’s mental health, but their physical well-being as well. Grace Nesko, 18, will be hosting a 5K wellness run and walk June 1 at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial...

Each of the items for sale in Meredith Hedeen’s New Kensington gift shop has a story behind it. They come from all over the world: hand-painted ceramics made in home studios in San Juan de Oriente, a town in Nicaragua; hand-sewn goods made by a seamstress at a cooperative workshop...

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. Open house Wednesday at Apollo library First-timers and regular patrons alike...

Science writer Jason Bittel knows that talking about exotic animals or adventure-seeking experiences to a group of fourth grade students can elicit amazement. But Bittel’s message to students at Acmetonia Elementary School on Monday was that taking in your own surroundings — even if just in the Alle-Kiski Valley —...

Nearly 9,200 write-in votes were cast by Westmoreland County voters in last month’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the county elections board is expected to issue a preliminary certification of results on Tuesday. Those results will include a victory for one candidate who did not...

An explosion at a scrap recycling business rocked Tarentum early Monday afternoon, shaking homes across the borough and sending people scrambling for answers. Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said police responded at about 1 p.m. to P.J. Greco and Sons in borough’s West Tarentum section, where they were told a gas...

Plans for an Aldi grocery store in Harrison appear to be up in the air, following a two-year construction delay. J.R. Perry, Aldi divisional vice president, said previously that work would start this year for the proposed store at 4024 Freeport Road, on the property formerly occupied by Harbison Nursery....

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. AVH Auxiliary plans Mother’s Day plant sale Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary...

Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, the Tribune-Review’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate,...

When they were growing up, sisters Karen Johnston and Paula Cunningham would bake cookies in their Easy Bake Oven. In November, after getting family members hooked on their cookie trays, they bought a shoebox space in Vandergrift and went after their dream. Simply Sisters Bakery opened on April 3. Each...

A passion for music runs in Diane Umile’s family. The Harrison resident has orchestrated a way to stoke that passion for others through a new nonprofit, Pete’s Heartstrings. Run from her home along McWilliams Drive in the Birdville section of the township, Umile’s efforts provide musical instruments to people in...