Valley News Dispatch category, Page 156
Jury finds New Kensington man not guilty of 1st-degree murder, deadlocks on remaining homicide counts
Following marathon deliberations that lasted more than 14 hours over two days, a New Kensington man was found not guilty of first-degree murder while the jury failed to reach a verdict on remaining counts that included allegations he shot and killed another man during a botched robbery four years ago....
New playground will offer opportunity for activity at Acmetonia Elementary this fall
When Amy Sarno enrolled her son at Acmetonia Elementary School two years ago, they were disappointed to learn the school had no playground. “I really just assumed all elementary schools had a playground,” said Sarno, who is now a member of the Allegheny Valley School Board. For the first time...
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet eyes location at Village at Pittsburgh Mills
The carousel of businesses leaving and entering the Village at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer is gaining another store, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The store plans to open in September, a company official said. Township Secretary Lori Ziencik verified that the new Ollie’s location will fill the vacant storefront at the former...
Tarentum restaurant owners announce closing after relocation attempt fails amid dispute
Community members are gathering in support on social media after owners of Cindy’s Hometown Restaurant, Bob and Cindy Hatajik, announced the diner’s closing this week on their Facebook page. In the post, Cindy Hatajik cited a dispute with the owner of the building as the reason for the closing. The...
Golf tournament to benefit 4 families who lost loved ones in Rustic Ridge house explosion
An upcoming golf tournament benefiting the four families who lost loved ones in the Rustic Ridge house explosion in Plum last year is personal for Nick Davis, one of its organizers. Davis, 39, of Monroeville has known Jen Clontz since they were in kindergarten in the Gateway School District. He...
Lincoln Beach property awarded to Upper Burrell neighbors group
Vacant property in Upper Burrell’s Lincoln Beach neighborhood will end up staying with neighbors. The Upper Burrell Supervisors on Wednesday awarded roughly 3 acres of land along Mosaic Boulevard in Lincoln Beach to “members of the Lincoln Beach community.” A $20,000 bid was submitted by the group that, in their...
Westmoreland County seeks federal funding for New Kensington, Irwin projects
The Westmoreland County commissioners are seeking a total of $3.5 million in federal money for projects in New Kensington and Irwin. At their Thursday meeting, held in the evening at Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township, the commissioners agreed to seek a little more than $1 million to help remediate acid...
Upper Burrell shifts from police regionalization to improving its own force
With police regionalization off the table for now, Upper Burrell is focusing its efforts on bolstering its force. Fifteen months ago, the township supervisors cited staffing issues as it sought interest from Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Allegheny and Washington townships on the possibility of a regionalized police force. Upper...
Alle-Kiski High School Reunion News – June 7, 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, Lower Burrell....
The Stroller, June 7, 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 camps offered at St. Joseph High School St. Joseph High...
Jury in New Kensington murder trial will resume deliberations
The jury in the case against a New Kensington man accused of a murder 4½ years ago will continue deliberating Friday morning. They are deciding the fate of Latresse Williams, who is accused of slaying Anthone Williams in New Kensington in January 2020. The attorney for Latresse Williams, 33, on...
Motorcyclist injured in collision with car in Fawn
A motorcyclist and car collided Thursday morning at the intersection of Bull Creek Road and the Route 28 southbound off-ramp in Fawn. The crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. Fawn police were not immediately available for comment. Rich Fry of Shaler said he was driving on Bull Creek Road from Tarentum...
As Hillcrest Plaza auction looms, outlook positive on strip mall investment, experts say
The state of strip malls and shopping centers isn’t all doom and gloom, experts say. “Open-air shopping centers are in a pretty good spot into the future,” said David Caputo, a data scientist with Moody’s Analytics. “There was a lot of concern with the pandemic, but that hasn’t been the...
Plum’s 3-day ‘SummerFest’ to begin on first day of summer, June 20
The summer season starts June 20, and Plum will waste no time beginning to celebrating it. The borough’s annual “SummerFest” will start that Thursday and run through Saturday, June 22 at Larry Mills Park at 199 Fontana Drive. All-you-can-ride tickets will cost $20 for Thursday and $25 on Friday and...
The Stroller, June 6, 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. FamilyLife Network to sponsor Walking for Babies fundraiser The annual Walking...
Leechburg Area’s proposed final budget includes tax changes
Leechburg Area School District members presented a proposed final budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes a tax increase for some residents and a slight decrease for others. While the district would collect about the same amount of real estate taxes as during the school year that just ended,...
Leechburg Area tax rebate proposal may run afoul of state constitution
Leechburg Area School Board’s proposed tax rebate program for West Leechburg residents may be illegal. Chuck Pascal, an attorney and Leechburg councilman, warned school officials the plan likely violates the state constitution. “I understand that you made a political promise to the people of West Leechburg — some of you...
State police doubt claim that woman is Cherrie Mahan, missing since 1985
Pennsylvania State Police say a woman claiming to be Cherrie Mahan likely is not. Police say a woman recently posted to a social media site and left a phone message with Butler state police claiming to be Mahan, who disappeared from a rural school bus stop almost 40 years ago....
Cooper-Siegel, Sharpsburg libraries promote summer reading with adventurous videoVideo
Books can serve as educational tools, historic documentations and even doorways to galaxies far, far away. They often take readers on an adventure, which is what many Allegheny County libraries are stressing with the summer reading program theme “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel and...
Longtime Aspinwall-area postman recognized for decades of service
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night could keep longtime postman Donnie Bauerle Jr. from the swift completion of his appointed rounds. The O’Hara resident delivered the mail to Aspinwall and Sharpsburg residents and businesses for 37 years. His last day was April 30. Aspinwall Mayor Joe...
U.S. Senate calls on Russia to release Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel
The U.S. Senate is officially calling for the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher arrested nearly three years ago by Russian authorities for possessing medical marijuana. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution June 4 calling for Fogel’s release and declaring that the Russian government gave him a disproportionate criminal...
U.S. Senate calls on Russia to release Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel
The U.S. Senate is officially calling for the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher arrested nearly three years ago by Russian authorities for possessing medical marijuana. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling for Fogel’s release and declaring that the Russian government gave him a disproportionate criminal sentence....
New Kensington Council rejects liquor license for Valero gas station
New Kensington Council, citing concerns about crime, denied a liquor license transfer to a city gas station and convenience store. Council unanimously denied a license for the Valero at Seventh Street and Constitution Boulevard. It would have been transferred there from Guy’s Tavern in Avonmore. Council began a public hearing...
$47.6M New Kensington-Arnold School District budget approved with 1.5% tax increase
Property owners in the New Kensington-Arnold School District will see a 1.5% property tax increase in their school tax bill. The school board Tuesday approved the district’s $47.6 million budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes the tax hike. The district’s property tax rate will increase from 97.64 mills...
Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont to host Washington County crime novelist
As a fourth-generation resident of Washington County’s Smith Township, author Annette Dashofy has spent her whole life in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It should come as no surprise, then, that the region’s rolling hills and bucolic countryside have served as the setting for many of her books. The latest, “What Comes Around,”...
