Valley News Dispatch category, Page 21
Staffing, infrastructure top of mind for Allegheny Valley School Board candidates
After the May primaries slimmed the candidate pool by two, the five remaining contenders for Allegheny Valley School Board say the main issues they’ll seek to tackle are teacher retention and infrastructure improvements. The five — two of whom have previous board experience — will compete for four open seats....
Harrison, Plum need poll workers for election day
Harrison and Plum are among 13 Allegheny County municipalities in need of poll workers ahead of Election Day. The county is seeking workers for what is typically a 15-hour day spent helping people at the voting booths. Workers are paid $150 to $175 for the day and also receive paid...
The Stroller, Oct. 20, 2025: 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. Fundraising gala to benefit...
Tarentum home damaged in fire deemed uninhabitable, council considers demolition
A Tarentum home damaged by fire in mid-September has been deemed unsafe and could be demolished, along with two neighboring properties. Fire crews battled a blaze at 917 Porter St. on Sept. 16. No one was injured but two dogs died. The cause of the fire was accidental, said Kasey...
Unique wares, people the draw of Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society’s ‘Flea-Tique’
Jenn Schneider spent Sunday morning setting up her vendor booth at the Tour-Ed Mine grounds in Fawn with items varying from ornaments, toy trucks and Christmas Village collections. “We have a little bit of everything,” said Schneider of New Kensington. “It’s everything you didn’t know you needed.” Quipped her brother,...
Faces of the Valley: Tarentum pastor marks 50 years in ministry, counts puppets, baseball as passions
Pastor, puppeteer and avid Red Sox fan. That’s how the Rev. Bob Dayton describes himself. Parishioners at Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum, however, go further in their descriptions: supportive, worldly and well-rounded. “I have nothing but good things to say about him,” Barb Diller said. “When he first came to...
The Stroller, Oct. 19, 2025: 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 on sale for...
A guide to the upcoming Springdale data center hearings
It seems the data center discussions in Springdale won’t be ending anytime soon. In the coming weeks, developers will appear before three borough bodies in an attempt to gain approval for the proposed data complex at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station. Here’s a rundown of what comes...
Last piece of Community Supermarket removed from Harrison store
Crews removed a piece of Heights Plaza history on Saturday morning — the illuminated Community Supermarket sign came down. The store, in operation in Harrison since 2002, closed Wednesday. Plaza owners Benbrooke Realty said previously they would seek a replacement grocery store, but that plan appears up in the air...
The Stroller, Oct. 18, 2025: 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. Purse bash to aid...
4 Plum alumni return to alma mater to galvanize high schoolers
Brian Kelly, a 1993 Plum graduate, told a personal finance class at his alma mater that he didn’t have the best grades in high school. More than 30 years later, he’s the head of PNC Healthcare and an executive vice president at the bank. Kelly is among four honored alumni...
Arnold approves settlements with former police chiefs Josh Stanga, Eric Doutt
Arnold Council voted this week to approve financial settlements with two former police chiefs — Josh Stanga and his predecessor, Eric Doutt. Council agreed to a financial settlement that pays $12,000 to Stanga, whose resignation was accepted on Sept. 9. He was suspended in August 2024 after being arrested by...
2 candidates to face off for Allegheny Township supervisor seat
The two candidates running for Allegheny Township supervisor say they want to build on the municipality’s business growth and development. Democrat Dave Gatty, 71, and Republican Frank Weissert, 48, are seeking a six-year term on the Allegheny Township board of supervisors. Supervisor Michael Korns didn’t seek reelection. Gatty, a retired...
Verona man accused of tampering with sprinkler system at senior high-rise, displacing 56 residents
An 82-year-old man is facing charges after being accused of causing extensive damage to a seven-story senior high-rise and temporarily displacing nearly 60 residents Thursday night in Verona. Steven Speis, a building resident, is charged with a felony count of criminal mischief along with misdemeanors for allegedly tampering with a...
Iron City Distilling ready to release its first whiskey, in the making for 2 years
Matt Strickland knows how to time travel. It’s a feat the 44-year-old master distiller was able to accomplish with Iron City Distilling’s Bridge Batch, a creation born from a blend between a barrel of the distillery’s 7-year-old sourced bourbon and some of its own 2-year-old stock. Its release on Saturday,...
The Stroller, Oct. 17, 2025: 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 Festival of Faith...
Verona high-rise evacuated after police say man intentionally set off sprinklers
Authorities evacuated a seven-story senior high rise in Verona on Thursday night after police said a man intentionally set off sprinklers inside the building. The incident, reported just after 6 p.m., displaced nearly 60 residents of A.J. Demor Towers, according to Verona police Chief Tom Dessell. Dessell said the displaced...
Developers of would-be data center in Springdale offer first testimony to council
Developers presented the first part of what could be monthslong testimony on Thursday in an effort to earn approval for a massive data center project in Springdale. Allegheny DC Property Co. offered new details about potential tax revenue from the proposed project to a packed council chamber filled with more...
Arnold man charged after kids test positive for cocaine
An Arnold man faces three counts of endangering the welfare of children after his 5-, 3- and 1-year-old each tested positive for cocaine. Westmoreland County detectives say they began investigating Josiah Hughes, 30, in May with a case involving child endangerment, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A ChildLine report...
Bids for Plum’s O’Block Elementary addition, renovations come in $2M under projection
The Plum School Board is moving forward on a set for bids that are about $2 million under initial projections for multimillion dollar renovations at O’Block Elementary. Earlier estimates showed the “hard costs” of the large-scale project sitting at $21.6 million, but that number ended up closer to $19.6 million....
Oakmont Recreation Board addresses concerns regarding field lights, some residents unconvinced
Some community members’ worries were put to bed Wednesday night after the Oakmont Recreation Board held a second public meeting regarding lighting at the sports fields at Riverside Park. Riverview High School uses the park fields for its home football, soccer, baseball and softball games. “The goal of this project...
The Stroller, Oct. 16, 2025: 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. Fall festival, safety day...
Emergency crews complete drill at Parks Township nuclear waste site
Around a half dozen vehicles from the Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department and Vandergrift EMS drilled for a potential emergency at a nuclear waste dump on Wednesday. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 44-acre Parks Township site is entering what’s projected to be a yearslong remediation period....
Added safety measures begin at Tarentum spray park, playground
A project to make the Tarentum spray park and playground a safer place began Wednesday. Thick posts called bollards are being installed inside the park fence along First Avenue. The equipment is an added measure to protect park-goers from potential vehicle crashes. “We’ve had several incidents over the years where...
Community Supermarket employees, customers bid farewell to Harrison store
Archie Nyga drove about a half-mile in his electric wheelchair Wednesday to Community Supermarket in Harrison to buy lottery tickets. The 75-year-old, a resident of nearby Sheldon Park, was too late. The grocery store was preparing to close its doors for good at 3 p.m. “It’s OK,” Nyga said. “If...
