Valley News Dispatch category, Page 2
Allegheny Valley School Board moves forward on budget without tax hike
The Allegheny Valley School Board approved its proposed budget Monday, meaning local homeowners likely won’t see any changes to their tax bill next year. The budget would maintain the district’s current rate of 21.7049 mills. That means a taxpayer who owns property with the median assessed value of $85,900 would...
Fawn seeks resident to fill supervisor vacancy
Fawn officials are looking for a resident to fill a vacancy on the board of supervisors after Paula Legge resigned. Legge was elected in 2022 to a six-year term. “I don’t feel I’m able to do the job I was elected to do,” Legge said when contacted by phone. “I...
Freeport Area budget would include small tax hike in Buffalo Township, tax cut in Freeport and South Buffalo
Residents in Buffalo Township could see a slightly higher tax bill, while Freeport and South Buffalo residents could get some relief if the Freeport Area School District moves forward with its proposed budget. Freeport Area is a school district that crosses county lines, with Buffalo Township in Butler County, and...
Trial postponed again in pet cremation scandal
A court date has been postponed for the second time in the case of a funeral home director accused of scamming pet owners by taking money for cremation and instead disposing of the animals in landfills. Patrick Vereb, 71, of Hazelwood, now is scheduled for trial Oct. 19 before Judge...
The Stroller, May 20, 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. Fridays on Fifth event...
Manufacturing workforce program launches at Westmoreland County Community College New Ken campusVideo
The production of composite materials is a growing industry with an array of job opportunities, which led to the new Composite Manufacturing Technician Program at Westmoreland County Community College Composite materials are made of two or more different materials. The finished product is used in aerospace, defense and other industrial...
Charges against alleged Pagans member waived to court
Charges against a Tarentum man, who police say is affiliated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club, were waived to court Tuesday at his preliminary hearing. Joshua Drum, 31, is charged with felony and misdemeanor charges of retaliation against a witness or victim and intimidating a witness or victim. He also faces...
Parking restrictions scheduled for Allegheny River Boulevard
Parking along Allegheny River Boulevard in Verona will be restricted on May 26. According the borough’s police department, the roadway’s markings and parking lines will be repainted from the area of the GetGo gas station to Wildwood Avenue, through Verona’s business district. Originally scheduled for Thursday, inclement weather caused the...
Arnold gets a police sergeant after years of vacancy
Arnold has a new police sergeant. After years of the rank being vacant, police Chief Rob Haus introduced Officer Timothy Christian as the person who will be wearing sergeant’s stripes. Christian is an eight-year veteran of the department, but his law enforcement experience goes well beyond that. “I’ve been a...
East Deer looking to pursue data center regulations — just in case
East Deer is the latest community trying to stay ahead of the wave of data center development in the region. Township Commissioner Jake Gigler raised the issue of creating an ordinance to regulate data center construction as the centers proliferate locally and nationwide, which has led to plenty of apprehension...
Building the Valley: Harrison auto shop keeps old-school customer service aliveVideo
In 2008, Kody Schuster went to a hiring event at a Firestone Complete Auto Care in Monroeville. It was a tough time to find a job, he said, even in the trades. He had always worked on cars he owned, so he gave it a try. Automotive work stuck with...
The Stroller, May 19, 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 Run planned in...
O’Hara massage therapist creates calming, client-focused experience
Regina Finley was hands-on from an early age. She grew up in the Creighton area of East Deer and discovered massage while in high school. “I was always interested in massage and started when I was in musicals and sports,” Finley said. “If someone was injured on the field, I...
Highlands School Board cites low enrollment for elimination of several classes
No cuts are planned for the Highlands High School band program, but low enrollment in several music electives will eliminate the classes from the curriculum next year, school board members said Monday. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said it is her goal to avoid furloughing teachers. Instead, staff will be utilized where...
WWII vet Emily Drake receives honorary degree from RMU, 8 decades after quitting school to enlist
Emily Drake graduated from Aspinwall High School in 1943 with dreams of becoming a reporter. She enrolled at the then-Robert Morris School of Business but was interrupted by an even bigger calling: World War II. “My sister-in-law joined the service, and when she went in I said, ‘I’m not sitting...
No buyer at sheriff’s sale for historic Hotel Saxonburg
The future of a Butler County staple remains uncertain after no buyer sought to purchase the historic Hotel Saxonburg in a sheriff’s sale last week. That means ownership of the nearly 200-year-old restaurant reverts to Northwest Bank, according to Sgt. Bobbiejo Walker of the Butler Sheriff’s office. A Northwest Bank...
Buffalo Township authority gets go-ahead for $14 million sewage plant expansion
The Buffalo Township supervisors have approved the site plan for the expansion of the township’s sewage treatment plant. Engineers for the Municipal Authority of Buffalo Township presented the plans to the supervisors at their May meeting. Matthew Sprung and Doug Siler of Gibson-Thomas Engineering said the proposed expansion of the...
Willowbrook Country Club could owe up to $700K to IRS after office manager arrested, according to documents
Willowbrook Country Club likely will owe between $500,000 and $700,000 in payroll taxes and interest to the IRS, according to meeting minutes of the club’s board of directors. Westmoreland County detectives charged Laurie Voyten, the club’s former office manager, with not paying Willowbrook’s federal payroll taxes since 2017 and likely...
‘She oozed hope and light’: Uniontown man sentenced in fatal Route 8 truck crash
Jackie Hutz had talked to her sister, Cinnamon Gilch, five times that morning. They were getting ready for a family birthday party in North Park. The last time they spoke, the two women discussed how many pizzas they would need to celebrate Gilch’s 4-year-old granddaughter’s birthday. The answer was 10....
Harrison garden stroll expands into Brackenridge, Tarentum
Brackenridge resident Colleen Ringler believes there are parts of the borough that deserve to be shown off. A member of the Brackenridge Improvement Group (BIG), Ringler lobbied for the borough to join the Harrison Township Recreation Board for its annual Garden Stroll event this summer. The Tarentum Recreation Board has...
Riverview proposed budget includes small tax increase
Riverview School District taxpayers could see a 1.29% tax increase next school year under the district’s proposed budget. The 0.3294-mill real estate tax hike for 2026-2027 would be used to close a $235,000 deficit between expenditures and revenue. The proposal projects $29.6 million in revenues and expenditures. Board member Jennifer...
Plum to launch program designed to teach students about disabilities
Plum School District will join a state program designed to teach students about the contributions of people with disabilities. Plum is one of 10 institutions statewide — and the only public school district in Southwestern Pennsylvania — to take part in the Disability Inclusive Curriculum pilot program. The program aims...
Alle-Kiski Emergency Services Authority expected to set ambulance fee in coming months
The newly formed EMS authority serving Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum is getting down to hiring an executive director and setting a fee for property owners to have ambulance service next year. But the decisions will take a little time. “We are in the process of reviewing materials and tweaking job...
The Stroller, May 18, 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. Fishing tourney to honor...
The River Community Church hosts 20th annual car show in Lower Burrell
The River Community Church was blessed with warm weather and sunny skies for its 20th annual car show Sunday, its second since moving from New Kensington to Lower Burrell. While Nicky Magnelli, ministry coordinator for the church, estimated the count of cars parked on the lots and lawns around the...
