Valley News Dispatch category, Page 18
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....
AI drives Nvidia’s multibillion-dollar deal with Butler County’s Coherent
Chipmaking giant Nvidia announced a multibillion-dollar deal Monday with Coherent, a Butler County-based maker of fiber optic and laser technology critical for data centers. Nvidia committed to buying billions of dollars in Coherent products while also investing $2 billion to support the Saxonburg company’s research and manufacturing capabilities. The goal...
Cooked Goose Catering expands to Allegheny Township
A well-established catering company is expanding its operations with a fresh-express foods concept in Allegheny Township. Cooked Goose Catering, based in Oakdale, is readying its second location for its soon-to-open debut in the former Dobi Catering building, a longtime catering facility in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Dobi Catering was quietly put...
Girl Scouts meet with Sharpsburg mayor, learn about local government
Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Troop 10328 recently met with Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis and got a look at how local government works. The Scouts took turns banging the gavel, asking Portis various questions and took t a tour of borough council chambers Feb. 25. The visit was part of...
The Stroller, March 2, 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. Free advice available for...
The Stroller, March 1, 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. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event...
Beloved Millvale French baker, Jean-Marc Chatellier, closes shop after more than 30 years
People from Millvale and beyond marked the end of an era in the borough Saturday when Jean-Marc Chatellier and his wife, Sandy, opened the doors of his French bakery to the public for the last time. After large buys contributed to them quickly selling out on their penultimate day Friday...
Warm, sunny day draws large crowd to 5th annual Saxonburg Winter Festival
That it didn’t look or feel much like winter Saturday was a boon for the fifth annual Saxonburg Winter Festival. Brilliantly sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s helped draw the best crowd The Little Shops of Saxonburg had yet for its food and vendor fair, said Nancy Alberth-Johnston. Owner...
Alle-Kiski Senior Citizen News: Feb. 28, 2026
Armstrong County Senior Centers Apollo Monday: 10 a.m., card games. Wednesday: noon, site council meeting. Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Details: Charlotte at 800-368-1066 or Amy at 724-478-1410. The center is at 707A N. Fifth St., Apollo. Freeport Tuesday and Thursday: bingo. The center is at 102 Fifth...
The Stroller, Feb. 28, 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. Cabin Fever Reliever Raffle...
Judge denies bond for New Kensington teen accused of shooting
A Westmoreland County prosecutor told a judge a 17-year-old New Kensington youth coerced witnesses, concocted a plot to shank a corrections officer and made threats against police officers while in jail. Logan J. King was charged in connection with a September shooting outside the Valley Royal Court apartment complex in...
Upper Burrell Supervisor Mike Conley was devoted to township, friends say
Upper Burrell Supervisor Mike Conley was devoted to the township his entire life, friends said Friday while remembering the lifelong resident. “He loved the community,” Supervisor Ken Slahtovsky said. “Being on the board is a thankless job, and it takes a special person. Mike was one of them.” Conley, 61,...
Plum Council to discuss resolution not to cooperate with ICE
Plum Council will be the latest local government discussing noncooperation with ICE on Monday. Councilman Ray Rall said council is hoping to solicit the community’s opinion ahead of any action. “Right now, it’s just a matter of putting it up for discussion,” Rall said. A newly elected Democrat, Rall said...
Vandergrift native rekindles childhood memories with book release
Mike Firek left his native Vandergrift in the 1980s for the bright lights of bigger cities like New Orleans; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles. The actor, playwright and vocal artist stayed away 45 years before returning to his roots in the small industrial town. “I feel like I never left,”...
Allegheny Valley Regional Police looking to acquire river patrol boat
The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department may soon be out on the water. That’s because the department — which serves Cheswick, Springdale Township and East Deer — is set to purchase a river patrol boat this spring. Despite the region’s three rivers, police boats are relatively rare, according to Allegheny...
Harrison hosts recycling bin drop-off Saturday
Harrison residents will have the chance to dispose of their old recycling bins at the municipal office Saturday. The collection is from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at One Municipal Drive. Township residents received large, green carts with lids when Noble Environmental took over the garbage hauling contract in January....
The Stroller, Feb. 27, 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. 5K Shamrock Run planned...
Beyond churches, Western Pa. restaurants are reeling in diners with fish frenzy
The Lenten season ushers in a dining fish sandwich frenzy at many restaurants in Western Pennsylvania. Whether it’s fried, broiled or baked, fish Lenten specials are popping up on most menus, offering an tasty and easy way to enjoy fish — and keep your kitchen clean. Turn Fridays into Fry-days...
Holy fish fries: Fish consumption skyrockets during Lent
Lent becomes a feeding frenzy when it comes to fish fries. Tons of breaded or beer-battered cod and haddock are consumed in Southwestern Pennsylvania during the 40-day holiday period in which Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays leading to Easter. Imperial-based wholesaler Nappies Food Service exports to churches and restaurants...
‘Buyers of last resort’: Experts weigh in on Namdar’s Macy’s purchase
Despite owing Frazer and Allegheny County millions of dollars in fines, the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills mall campus is purchasing real estate there. It’s a practice that experts say is uncommon but not prohibited. “In general, I mean, if real estate’s for sale, and you have a buyer and...
From shop class to 3D printing: transforming tech education at Valley High School
It was winter 2002 when Rick Shaner graduated from then-California University of Pennsylvania with a degree in technical education and was out job hunting. “I was thinking, nobody’s going to be hiring now,” Shaner said. “I stopped at Kiski, Burrell and Valley just to get substitute teaching packets.” When he...
Fox Chapel Rotary member Tom Benic remembered for charisma and compassion
Friends are recalling longtime Fox Chapel Rotary member Tom Benic as a kind and consummate professional. But by all accounts, the history buff and avid photographer was — above all else — a pure fun-loving guy. “Intelligence, wit and charm are rare commodities,” said friend Richard Wolf. “Tom had all...
