Valley News Dispatch category, Page 356
Burrell High School teacher faces multiple charges involving 18 minors and alcohol
A Burrell High School teacher is facing charges after, police say, they found 18 minors drinking alcohol during a party at her house July 24, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. Heather McKallip, 52, of Lower Burrell was charged Friday with 16 counts each of corruption of...
Welcoming Westmoreland brings coffee talk to New Kensington at Knead Community Cafe
An effort at helping people feel welcome in Westmoreland County held its first event Friday outside Greensburg. Welcoming Westmoreland, a project led by Westmoreland Community Action, held a coffee talk at Knead Community Cafe in New Kensington. A collaboration between a variety of groups, the Welcome Everyone Program grew out...
Aspinwall’s first-ever Big Night Out to promote community
Big plans are in the works for Aspinwall’s inaugural Big Night Out. Scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11, the event is pegged as a community celebration and a chance to meet and mingle with many local organizations. It is expected to draw more than 1,300 people to the...
Springdale Township officials hire former political aide for new manager position
Springdale Township commissioners hired a familiar figure throughout the lower Alle-Kiski Valley as their new township manager. William “Red” McElligott of Oakmont, a longtime aide to former State Rep. Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont, was hired by the commissioners Thursday to fill the new position. McElligott served as Dermody’s chief assistant and...
Brian Shaw scholarship recipients say assistance from motorcycle ride transcends monetary valueVideo
When Steve Edwards graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy in 2020, he had to buy his own gun and a bulletproof vest, among other accessories. “You don’t want to buy the cheapest vest,” Edwards said. Other unexpected expenses for Edwards included a tourniquet, chest seals and other medical supplies...
The Stroller, Aug. 1, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. National Night Out set Wednesday in Northmoreland Park Northmoreland National Night Out...
Tarentum woman’s digital marketing studio marks 4th anniversary with $10K grant
Katie Urich moved from the North Hills to Tarentum last year to grow her digital marketing studio. The self-described “old house nerd” bought a large Victorian home in East Tarentum and has settled nicely into the community, which she said is supportive of small businesses. A graduate of North Hills...
Faces of the Valley: Gilpin resident Betty Smail dedicated to lifelong volunteering
Betty Smail of Gilpin began giving back to her rural community at a young age. She hasn’t stopped. Smail was tasked with washing “bird dirt” off tombstones in St. Catherine’s Cemetery when she was a child. Now, at 70, she’s still volunteering throughout the Leechburg and Gilpin communities. “It meant...
Main streets of Vandergrift transformed into a ‘Wonderland’ for this year’s artfest
Hundreds of people braved the rain and humid temperatures to take part in the 15th annual Vandergrift Artfest on Sunday. Grant and Washington avenues were packed with people, artists, vendors and costumed characters, as this year’s theme was “Wonderland” based on the magical story “Alice in Wonderland.” “We’ve settled into...
Springdale to hold Second Saturdays event, community day in August
Springdale residents have a new communitywide event to look forward to as Springdale Council aims to increase summer fun in the town. The event, dubbed Second Saturdays, will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 along the 800 block of Lincoln Avenue. It will feature 30 vendors and...
Newly installed solar panels in West Leechburg to help save money for borough, taxpayers
The West Leechburg Borough Building has a new look after 32 solar panels were installed on its roof. Officials announced the new addition on Facebook. The post said the panels should offset electric use at the borough’s garage and pump station. “Electric companies will be able to buy back energy...
The Stroller, July 31, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. National Night Out planned in West Leechburg West Leechburg Crime Watch will...
Picnic hosted by faith-based charity stresses ‘community’ in Natrona Community Park
Fun and Freedom Youth Sports, a Christian- based nonprofit based in the Tarentum area, hosted a free community picnic at Natrona Community Park in Harrison on Saturday evening. Youths from across Western Pennsylvania flocked to the Alle-Kiski Valley to play dodge ball, enjoy snacks and meet new friends. Crisp watermelon and...
Families enjoy activities, booths at Oakmont Chamber of Commerce Street Sale
Young Alexandra Lindner tipped her pink plastic firefighter’s hat toward the ground, grabbed some chalk and went to work making Oakmont a better place Saturday afternoon. Alexandra, 4, of Oakmont was one of many children who colored the bricks of Allegheny River Boulevard as part of the Oakmont Chamber of...
Mass crash in Allegheny Township during charity motorcycle ride injures 8; 4 airlifted for treatment
Allegheny Township Police are investigating a mass motorcycle crash that resulted in four serious injuries Saturday afternoon. Participants in the 11th annual Riding For The Cure, an event designed to raise funds for breast cancer treatment and related patient care, were making their way from the 11th Frame Bar &...
The Stroller, July 30, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Veterans appreciation drive-thru luncheons planned Aug. 6 Rep. Bob Brooks will host...
‘We have to move forward’: Guardian Angels Parish eyes closing 5 churches, 17 ancillary buildings
As a child spending time at his grandparent’s house in Natrona, Paul Krofchik vividly recalls walking the few blocks from their home along Linden Street to Mass at St. Ladislaus Church, a domed building that takes up half the block on Spruce Street. “It was huge, and there were these...
Allegheny Township police charge Oakmont man with assaulting, raping teen
An Oakmont man is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl multiple times before raping her late last year. Allegheny Township police charged Jeffrey Thomas McMeekin, 60, of California Avenue on Thursday with one count of rape, three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of aggravated indecent assault...
Long-term lane shift coming to Route 28
A long-term lane shift along Route 28 near O’Hara is scheduled to begin Saturday to accommodate a paving project. PennDOT announced that work will begin at 5 a.m. on southbound Route 28 and impact the stretch that runs through Aspinwall, Sharpsburg and O’Hara. Motorists will be shifted from the current...
State audit of Markle Fire Department Relief Association referred to Westmoreland DA after irregularities alleged
The state auditor general has asked the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office to look deeper into the financial operation of the Markle Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association in Allegheny Township after an audit allegedly uncovered evidence of missing money and other irregularities over a three-year period. “Our auditors uncovered instances...
The Stroller, July 29, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Vandergrift Artfest set Sunday The annual Vandergrift Artfest will be from 11...
Oklahoma Borough woman’s lifelong love of gardening takes root with new venture: Luna Joy Flower Farm
For as far back as she can remember, Andrea Woodhall has been captivated by the spectrum of color, fragrance and intricate detail waiting to be discovered in a field of flowers. But until the Oklahoma Borough woman decided to transition out of a career in photography in 2019, she never...
Etna man charged in high-end Fox Chapel burglary; police looking for Arnold man
An Etna man was arrested Thursday in connection with a Fox Chapel burglary last week, but police are continuing to search for an Arnold man who they believe was an accomplice. Allegheny County Police said among the items stolen was a gold bar, jewelry worth thousands of dollars, three Rolex...
Downtown New Kensington building in danger of collapse taken down in emergency demolition
An emergency demolition was underway Thursday afternoon on 10th Street in downtown New Kensington. The three-story building, between Third and Fourth avenues, was declared a public safety hazard, City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said. Simply pulling ivy on an outside wall caused the entire building to shake, code enforcement officer Pat...
Tarentum man charged in fatal Route 28 crash last year
A 77-year-old Tarentum man faces homicide by vehicle charges in connection with a one-car crash that killed another man last year on Route 28 in Harrison. State police say Frederick Fattman was behind the wheel of a 2015 Corvette on July 5, 2021, when he allegedly lost control and hit...
