Valley News Dispatch category, Page 177
Wildlife, plants, paddlers find a haven on Sycamore Island
From a passing watercraft or the banks of the Allegheny River, Sycamore Island appears untouched by humans. A wall of invasive Japanese knotweed anchors the 14-acre island’s northern end, giving way to silver maple, cottonwood and, of course, sycamore trees, each grasping the silt against the river’s current. From off...
Longtime Apollo eatery, Patrick’s Pub, set to close at month’s end
Jennifer Boyd will close her life-long family business, Patrick’s Pub in Apollo, at the end of the month. “My parents have owned this for 43 years, I don’t want to sell it, but I can’t afford it,” Boyd said. “In order for us to fix everything, including the roof, electrical...
Lower Burrell parade fans mix remembrance with funVideo
Patriotism was on full display Monday for the annual Memorial Day parade in Lower Burrell. A bigger-than-ever crowd lined both sides of Leechburg Road to cheer, applaud, wave and honor those military members who lost their lives. “We have no way to truly measure, but that was the most people...
The Stroller, May 27, 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. Memorial Day. A time of remembrance. A time of prayer. Take...
Burrell students benefit from hands-on look at job experiences, careers
Entering his senior year at Burrell High School last fall, Cameron Wagner was dead set on pursuing a career in architecture. Thanks to a new senior seminar course at the high school, Wagner, 18, was able to meet the district’s architect to see what the profession is really like. “I...
Bicycle group helps seniors cruise through their golden years
Mike Louder doesn’t let much stand between himself and his bikes. Less than a month after a recent triple bypass surgery, Louder, 78, of Plum was back on the trail with the Easy Riders, a senior bicycle group in Western Pennsylvania. “Everything that was ever wrong with me, I’ve been...
The Stroller, May 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. Touch-a-truck planned Saturday in Fawn Autism support group Powered By Love...
‘Gentle giant’ Dylan Tarbi, 13, mourned by family, community
Dylan Tarbi wasn’t the best third-baseman Freeport Area Youth Baseball coaches ever saw. That didn’t matter to the 13-year-old Buffalo Township boy, several people close to Dylan said Saturday. He always just worked to be his best. On Thursday, a day before a single-cab pickup fatally struck Dylan as the...
The Stroller, May 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. St. Joseph musical nominated for Gene Kelly Awards The St. Joseph...
Buffalo Township 13-year-old killed while riding bike; 2nd boy injured
A 13-year-old Buffalo Township boy bicycling home from a candy store with a friend died after being struck by a pickup Friday evening, police said. Dylan Tarbi died just before 8:30 p.m. after being flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Township...
New Kensington, Arnold ‘Slow Roll’ bicycle event returns June 4
A weekly bicycle ride through Arnold and New Kensington is expanding as it returns for its second season in June. The New Ken-Arnold Slow Roll will be held every Tuesday beginning June 4 and running into October, organizer Neil Walker said. Participants will gather about 6 p.m. at the ball...
Charah makes its case to Superior Court over Springdale boiler house implosion case
Lawyers representing the shuttered power plant in Springdale are making their case to a state appellate court, arguing that a county judge erred in siding with 16 borough residents and temporarily pausing a planned implosion of a boiler house at the site. On Wednesday, attorneys representing remediation firm Charah Solutions...
Proposed budget would raise taxes 2.65% in Allegheny Valley School District
The Allegheny Valley School Board has approved a 2024-25 proposed budget that raises real estate taxes by 2.65%. If the budget gains final approval at the June board meeting, a taxpayer who owns a property with the average assessed value of $85,900 will pay $1,837 in school taxes, an increase...
The Depot, a digital resource center and laundromat, hopes to finally move forward in Tarentum
By this time next year, people might be able to find digital resources and do their laundry all in one Tarentum storefront. Wheels are in motion — after a three-year delay — to transform an East Fifth Avenue building into a gathering and training space. The Depot is a former...
Movie nights, maybe a grandstand, coming to East Deer Memorial Park
If 9-year-old Jaelyn Gordon had her way, East Deer Memorial Park would have a spray park. The Deer Lakes third grader spends plenty of summer days at the playground and said it can get “burnin’ hot.” “My favorite thing is the swings, but we need some sprinklers to cool us...
Italian eatery Totaro’s planned for Tarentum
Al Colelli grew up in a big Italian family, watching at his mother’s knee while she whipped up favorites such as meatballs and marinara. The Arnold resident picked up a thing or two. “I’ve been cooking for awhile, and I love to do it,” said Colelli, 52. “Call me crazy,...
The Stroller, May 24, 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. Lower Valley Little League to host golf outing A golf outing...
2024 Alle-Kiski Memorial Day events
All events are on May 27 unless otherwise noted. Apollo Apollo Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 will sponsor a program at 9 a.m. at Memorial Square in Apollo Plaza. Air Force veteran Michael Mollick will be the speaker. Gary Baer, worship leader at Apollo First Evangelical Lutheran Church, will be...
Upper Burrell looks to sell 3 acres in Lincoln Beach
Upper Burrell is considering selling 3 acres of vacant land it owns in the township’s Lincoln Beach area after receiving interest from prospective buyers. “We’re anxious to sell it. … It’s not being used for anything,” said Supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III, who estimates a handful of people have...
Lower Burrell Farmers Market to open for season with 60-plus vendors
An array of more than 60 vendors will be available Saturday to kick off Lower Burrell’s farmers market. The Joseph “Bud” Myers Lower Burrell Farmers Market will begin its summer season from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bon Air Elementary School parking lot. “The market is all about...
Kiski Area budget would see tax hike in Westmoreland, tax cut in Armstrong
Westmoreland County property owners in Kiski Area School District could see a tax hike next year, but those in Armstrong County could get a tax cut. A preliminary budget approved this week would raise the tax rate 6.8% in the district’s eight Westmoreland County communities while decreasing the rate 7.7%...
Pickleball coming soon to Oakmont’s Riverside Park
Oakmont is hopping on the pickleball bandwagon. Council voted Monday, May 20, to award the contract for the Oakmont Borough Park Improvement project to Dun Rite Construction & Paving of Tarentum. The more than $251,000 project will take place at Riverside Park to help foster a community-friendly activity space. “I’d...
The Stroller, May 23, 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. Commemorative book planned by Leechburg Anniversary Committee The Leechburg 175th Anniversary...
Burrell merges athletic and facilities director positions, furloughs 1 as district assesses tax hike
In an effort to save money, Burrell School District officials have combined two administration jobs, creating a new position to oversee its athletics department and building operations. The school board on Tuesday appointed Brian Ferra as director of athletics and building operations. The district eliminated the facilities director position held...
Deer Lakes School Board eyeing 6.9% property tax increase
Deer Lakes School District residents likely will see a tax increase after the board approved a tentative $43.8 million budget. The plan calls for a 6.9% increase in property taxes, setting the rate at 24.25 mills, up from 22.69. It was approved Tuesday by a vote of 7-2, with board...
