Valley News Dispatch category, Page 343

Tyler Balla knew he wanted a career in law enforcement when he was growing up in New Kensington. “My uncle was a police officer in St. Petersburg, Fla., and he was my buddy,” Balla said. “Every time he’d come home, he’d always tell law enforcement stories. He passed away from...

Work to repair a landslide will close a section of Logans Ferry Road in Plum for up to three months. The stretch between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road, near the border of Plum and New Kensington, tentatively is scheduled to close beginning Aug. 2. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said, if...

Two people from Springdale were charged with a felony after each of them told police the other person stabbed them with a fork. Gary Joseph Turner, 64, and Theresa Marie Smiesko, 50, both of the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue, were charged with a felony count of aggravated assault in...

Business owners dream of having a captive audience for their products. But in the mid-18th century, a businessman had the Alle-Kiski Valley and much of Western Pennsylvania to himself. Pierre (Peter) Chartier was a trapper who set up a fur trading post in 1734 near where Chartiers Run empties into...

The fourth annual Officer Brian Shaw Foundation Concert Series will feature six live bands and more than 140 auction baskets Saturday at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell. Admission is $10 for the event, which runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Shaw, of Lower Burrell, was a New Kensington...

A Lower Burrell couple face fraud charges after police say they filed an insurance claim for gold and diamond jewelry and a Louis Vuitton handbag they reported stolen after selling the items. William Leonard Klems II, 41, and Kaylyn Leeann Klems, 31, of the 100 block of Chippawa Drive, each...

No injuries were reported in a house fire Wednesday morning in Washington Township. Fire crews responded about 7:30 a.m. to a home in the 100 block of Hope Hollow Road. Clayton Murphy, Washington Township fire chief, confirmed a man and a dog were not at home when the blaze broke...

Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Performers needed for annual Casino Theater Christmas show The Casino Theater in...

An Arnold house was unoccupied when it was damaged by fire Tuesday afternoon. The fire at 1432 Third Ave. was reported at 5:20 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911 and Arnold No. 1 fire Chief Brian Gouza. The house is at the rear of the lot, abutting Cherry Alley. Units...

No serious damage was caused by a chimney fire Tuesday at a coffee shop in downtown New Kensington. Firefighters responded to the call at Steel Cup Coffee Roasters on 10th Street about 11 a.m., fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said. Business owner Doug Pinto said he was roasting coffee when...

A New Kensington police officer who was trying to break up a fight between two women has charged one of them with felony aggravated assault after she began punching him in the head. Katelyn Marie Conrad, 27, of the 1800 block of Leishman Avenue also faces charges of simple assault...

Kiski Area School District has created a new full-time position to help serve the district’s special education and gifted programs. Darren Kennedy was hired as the district’s new director of student support services at a salary of $115,000. He started in the position July 1 and will serve students on...

A Hyde Park company donated an iron gate that allows river rescue teams to access the Kiski River at the Roaring Run Trail in Kiski Township. Previously, poles blocked all vehicles from backing down the ramp to launch motorboats at the Roaring Run trail launch, said Ken Kaminski, board president...

Armstrong Community Theater is wrapping up rehearsals for its annual summer musical “Once Upon a Mattress.” The actors will take to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. Director David Emanuelson said the...

Corbet Street in Tarentum is expected to have a new look by fall with the demolition of a two-story building that was home for many years to a corner market. Borough officials on June 23 closed on the purchase of 215 Corbet, the two-story red brick building that is noticeable...

Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Tickets on sale for 80s Beach Bash An 80s Beach Bash will...

Darla Cuppy of Vandergrift was driving along McKinley Avenue on Sunday when something new caught her eye. Cuppy noticed a large, handmade wooden blessing box filled with food and toiletry items, and decided to stop and grab a few items to take home. “This is one of the best ones...

A musical fantasy with rad costumes — on wheels — will transform the stage at Allegheny RiverTrail Park for an out-of-this-world rendition of “Xanadu.” Riverfront Theater Company’s Young Artists will transport audiences to the disco-loving days of 1980 for the roller skating adventure. It will be presented at 7 p.m....

At almost 110 years old, the Laurel Awning Co. in Parks Township continues to expand. The family-owned business, last located in Oklahoma Borough, bought the old Lee’s Lanes in 2018 when it went up for sheriff’s sale for $275,000. The awning company consolidated operations from three buildings to the Parks...

The parking lot of a former dry cleaning business in Oakmont is transformed into a farmer’s market Saturdays through October. People can get fresh produce from Ohioville-based Haffey Family Farm, oils and other products from Oakmont Olive Oil Co., soaps and bathing materials from Iron Alley Soap and the Refillery...

A former employee of an Allegheny County landscaping contractor is accused of using his employer’s credit cards to buy $31,351 in gift cards for himself between 2017-2019, according to state police. Joshua S. Carson, 36, of Butler Township in Butler County, was arraigned before Westmoreland County District Judge Jason Buczak...

Gilpin police are investigating whether the shooting of three dogs Sunday was justified after one of them bit a neighbor. Police Chief Christopher Fabec said the dogs were shot after one of them bit a woman from a neighboring property multiple times on the leg and thigh. She was treated...

A car struck a telephone pole and rolled over early Monday in the 1300 block of Route 56 in Kiski Township. Armstrong County 911 confirmed the accident and said one person was transported to an area hospital. The condition of the accident victim was not available Monday morning. State police...

Not a lot of gyms can say they are taking five female boxers to a national tournament, but Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington accomplished that feat. Rich Cantolina, a professional boxer and the coach of Sanctuary Boxing, sees the potential in his gym and in his boxers. “These girls...

A Brackenridge police officer used a Taser to subdue a man who tried running back into his house when the officer attempted to place him under arrest on assault charges Sunday, a criminal complaint states. Frederick Joseph Leeman Jr., 47, of Hazlett Avenue is charged with simple assault, resisting arrest...