Valley News Dispatch category, Page 17
Oakmont council discusses deer population solutions
Oakmont is taking the next steps toward deer population management. During Oakmont Council’s agenda meeting Tuesday, Luke Leonard, owner and operator of Suburban Whitetail Management, spoke about deer management program options available to the borough. Council member Deborah Ormay said 10% of Oakmont’s population responded to a borough survey sent...
Flipped truck closes stretch of Golden Mile Highway in Plum
A short stretch of Golden Mile Highway in Plum has reopened after a tri-axle truck flipped on its side Thursday morning. PennDOT reopened the section of the road between Old Frankstown and New Texas roads just before 2:30 p.m., Holiday Park VFD Jim Sims said the accident, which took place...
Harmar officials seek emergency access road to hilltop neighborhood
Officials from Harmar and Curtiss-Wright are discussing the possibility of building an emergency access road to a hilltop community that’s only accessible by way of one road. Curtiss-Wright’s Electro-Mechnical Division sits on a 120-acre plot between Low Grade Road and Route 28, and south of the Springdale exit of Route...
Former Valley News Dispatch reporter returns to her roots in new contemporary, romantic fiction
When former Valley News Dispatch reporter and editor Patricia Vido started writing her debut novel “For Love of Billie” 10 years ago, she was sure of one detail: its setting in the Alle-Kiski Valley. “That’s the most important piece of a story,” Vido said. “The Alle-Kiski Valley is where I...
Former congressman Jason Altmire among those trying to leave Dubai
Former U.S. congressman Jason Altmire is one of thousands of American citizens stranded in Dubai as military conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran escalates. Altmire is a Kittanning native who served as the Democratic U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District, which included several counties in the region, from...
Another Freeport Council resignation has borough looking for a replacement
Freeport Council needs another member as of Monday. That’s because Councilwoman Sara Conroy resigned from her post after about two years in office. Conroy did not respond to TribLive requests for comment. Council President Pete Wesolosky said Conroy planned to move out of the borough after accepting a new job....
Community-driven program aims to beautify West Deer business district
The Deer Lakes Regional Revitalization Committee is taking the next steps to beautify West Deer’s Russellton business district. Committee members are reaching out to business owners to gauge interest in a Russellton Neighborhood Facade Program, said committee president Leonard Verdetto. The Revitalization Committee is considering applying for various grants that...
The Stroller, March 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. Super bingo to benefit...
Phone-free policy at Shady Side Academy Senior School making a difference, administrators and students say
Shady Side Academy Senior School senior John Ludden has one less thing to occupy his time during the school day. His cellphone. Ludden and his 400 fellow senior school students were met with a new cellphone policy implemented in August, exclusive to the Senior School, prohibiting students from using their...
House party with 66 minors ends in felony charges for Plum couple
A Plum couple is facing charges after police busted an alcohol-laden party that included 66 minors at their house, according to court documents. Ian Dryburgh, 50, and Corrinne Dryburgh, 45, are facing felony charges of endangering the welfare of children as well as misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors, recklessly...
Pittsburgh regional gas prices spike as Mideast conflict creates oil uncertainty
The pain at the pump has returned for Western Pennsylvania motorists as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran create uncertainty over the global oil supply, a volatility that economists say could wreak havoc on the local economy. Gas prices across the Pittsburgh region jumped between Monday and Wednesday as the...
Highlands Frozen Rams take the plunge for Special Olympics
Highlands School District students raised a cool $3,990 for Special Olympics last week. The Frozen Rams Student Team, organized by teacher Scott Silverman, participated in the Polar Plunge at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore Friday. Among 73 participating schools, Highlands ranked 12th in total fundraising. More than three dozen...
$1 million-for-life winning lottery ticket sold in Freeport
There may be a new millionaire in the Freeport area since a winning scratch-off ticket was sold at a borough gas station. The lucky ticket, a $50 scratch-off, was sold at the BP gas station on Buffalo Street, according to a Pennsylvania Lottery release. The ticket is the winner of...
New Kensington’s St. Patty’s Day Pub Crawl returns for 5th run
Downtown New Kensington will be a one-stop shop Saturday for green beer, “leprechaun sangria” and small Irish-inspired plates during the fifth annual St. Patty’s Day Pub Crawl. Participating business owners, who lauded the event’s success, said it’s a great opportunity to expand customers’ dining horizons. Johanna Walters and David Atkinson,...
The Stroller, March 4, 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. Burrell HS cabaret concert...
Woman’s death at Westmoreland prison was suicide by hanging, coroner says
A woman who was found dead in her cell at the Westmoreland County Prison in October died from asphyxiation due to hanging, according to a ruling from the county coroner’s office. Amber Knepshield’s death was deemed a suicide, chief deputy coroner Ken Bacha said Tuesday. Knepshield, 32, was pronounced dead...
West Deer residents appeal to Commonwealth Court in fight over fracking wells
A case argued Tuesday before Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court could test the reach of local efforts to challenge natural gas fracking. Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD), a local advocacy group, has raised concerns for years about the Leto fracking well, which is located near the heart of the West Deer...
Peregrine falcons to be protected during Tarentum Bridge construction project
Peregrine falcons that nest under the Tarentum Bridge will be protected as best they can during an upcoming, long-term construction project along the span. PennDOT is working with the state Game Commission to safeguard the nest — one of six in Allegheny County — when the $97.5 million rehab project...
Successful grant applications leave Springdale Township with problem of scheduling projects
Springdale Township officials have a problem most other communities would envy — how to complete a half-dozen public works projects they might actually have the money to get done. The list of projects ranges from water line replacements to road reconstruction. “I don’t think we can finish all these this...
Western Pa. school districts tally expected savings from cyber charter tuition reform
Three months after the state approved changes to the cyber charter tuition formula, administrators from Western Pennsylvania’s K-12 public schools are beginning to tally the expected savings. The state’s latest budget, approved in November after a 4½-month impasse, allows school districts to reduce their tuition payments for students to attend...
The Stroller, March 3, 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. Tickets available for annual...
A thrilling ride: O’Hara plans for bike skills course
Plans for a bike skills course in O’Hara are cruising along. The project is planned for Raymond A. Schafer Jr. Memorial Park in the township’s Montrose Hill section. The topography of Schafer Park at the top of the hill, combined with the township’s acquired land at the bottom of Powers...
Plum residents mull resolution to bar police cooperation with ICE ahead of council vote
Residents in Plum had plenty to say Monday as borough council considers a noncooperation resolution with federal immigration authorities. Most of the more than a dozen speakers at Plum Council’s discussion meeting were supportive of the resolution, though several residents said they didn’t see the need. Plum police, following a...
New Kensington council awards money for block of road repair
The New Kensington City Council voted Monday night to award $33,000 for road paving on Fourth Avenue between Ninth and 10th Street. The council voted to contract Plum Contracting Inc. for the construction. City Engineer Anthony Males said the amount was approximately $500 under what was budgeted. The motion passed...
Martin Elementary celebrates Read Across America with games, visiting students
Kindergarteners at the game station run by Valley High School junior Roman D’Argan rushed to find rhyming words on signs sprawled across the floor Monday at Martin Elementary School. D’Argan remembers looking up to older students when he was in elementary school and hoped to encourage the kids to learn....
