Valley News Dispatch category, Page 371

A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, putting an end to her homicide trial during which prosecutors claimed she intentionally fired three shots, killing her cousin in 2018. Ashley Marie Croft, 38, will serve a 15- to 30-year prison sentence under terms of the plea deal. Croft did...

Brackenridge Council is seeking money from Allegheny County to launch an anti-blight effort. Council last week voted to apply for about $129,000 to raze several vacant or dilapidated structures. Most are residential properties, Borough Secretary Denise Tocco said. “All of them have been vacant a long time,” she said. Borough...

After what he called “countless empty promises by the administration,” Deer Lakes High School senior Kevin Hoffman said he is compelled to speak up about bullying against him not being handled by the school. Since middle school, he said, he has faced racism, sexual harassment and threats. Each time he...

One of two runaway teenage girls that the New Kensington Police Department has been searching for has returned home safe. Monae Matthews, 15, who left home in March returned over the weekend, according to authorities. Police are still seeking the public’s helping locating the second girl, Sarah Chessario, 14, who...

A new restaurant may be coming to Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington. It would be located on a parcel city officials are considering creating between Shamey’s Gulf Service and the main entrance to Giant Eagle, in front of the Quality Inn. City Council is scheduled to vote May 2...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Four-day river trip planned in June The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy will sponsor the Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh River Sojourn June 2 to 5. The...

David Bowser was in his mid-40s before he laced up his first pair of running shoes. The Harrison resident, now 71, hasn’t stopped hitting the pavement, the treadmill or the trails ever since. “Back in 1995, my son went out for cross country at Highlands,” Bowser said. “I started to...

A man and a woman were found dead in a Springdale apartment Monday, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said their bodies were discovered shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Pittsburgh Street. They suffered apparent gunshot wounds, police said. The police scene extended to Hoeveler Street, which...

Authorities are still investigating the cause of a house explosion Friday night along Hialeah Drive in Plum that sent a family to local hospitals. Although the family of five — a husband, wife and three children, ages 2, 6 and 11 — escaped the house safely, one child suffered burns...

The crackling sound and the odor of burning weeds were unmistakable and necessary for a training exercise for wildfire firefighters from 15 volunteer fire companies in the region Sunday in Parks Township. These firefighters train every spring to prepare for wildfires during warm weather. Extinguishing wildfires demands a lot of...

Musical theater students from several Alle-Kiski Valley school districts will converge on stage Wednesday to convey unity and hope during the “One Song” Show Choir Festival at Highlands. Students from the host district, along with those from Freeport Area, Kiski Area and Springdale, will perform. The concert is at 7...

The popular Vandergrift Pool in Allegheny Township will open this season with new leadership. Michelle Terry of Vandergrift has taken over from longtime pool manager Daisha Clayton, who stepped down after being appointed to Vandergrift Council in December. Clayton described Terry as a “great fit” for the pool. “I’ve spent...

An Upper Burrell man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday not far from his home, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. William A. Montgomery, 59, was traveling on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle at 4 p.m. on Seventh Street Road, also known as Route 780, near Upper Drennen Road when authorities...

A Tarentum woman was accused of running a marijuana-growing operation out of her apartment after her boyfriend called police to report that she pointed a loaded pistol at him during an argument. Shaunnon Barnes, 39, of the 500 block of East Eighth Avenue, was charged with a felony count of...

Two retired Highlands teachers are working to promote literacy in young children, albeit in a park instead of a classroom. Jody Shumaker and Deb Turner, longtime district teachers, are spearheading a program through the Tarentum Area Lions Club to offer story walks in Riverview Memorial Park. “Nobody loves a good...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Local parishes to host golf outing St. James and Our Lady, Queen of Peace parishes will sponsor a golf outing June...

Traffic along Sun Mine Road in Fawn could be affected in coming weeks after the township supervisors approved installation of new guiderails. “We already paved it; this is just putting the finishing touch on certain sections,” Township Secretary Pam Ponsart said. Canonsburg-based Interstate Enterprises was awarded the contract at the...

Vandergrift officials and volunteers are seeking public input as they work to create a new outdoor community initiative for the borough. The Vandergrift Community Improvement Project (VCIP) is a new group formed this year specifically to finalize and produce a survey for the public to weigh in on what’s important...

A new home and design business has opened in Aspinwall. Located at 347 Freeport Road, carteBlanche Home & Design offers decor and home furnishings curated by owner and creative director Rachel Schaffer. Schaffer, 44, was raised in Brookline in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She earned degrees in French and...

Gene Montemurro, a beloved New Kensington cobbler who retired after 66 years, is immortalized in a documentary produced by the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society and videographer John Bailey. An armed robbery and some family health issues caused Montemurro to close Gene’s Shoe Service on Fifth Avenue in 2015. He has...

With sunny skies and highs in the low 80s, kids reeled in trout Saturday during the second annual Fishing Derby in Pucketa Creek next to Flyers Field in Lower Burrell. “I’ve seen 50 to 60 fish caught, and we still have the afternoon to go,” said organizer Chris Lowe, an...

Growing up, Melinda Suzensky knew right away she was different from her peers. A biracial girl in the predominantly white Allegheny Valley School District, she was bullied for looking different. She described it as being “a chocolate chip within marshmallows in a bowl.” “It was something they weren’t used to...

A drive-thru distribution for food bank recipients in the New Kensington area will be held outside United Presbyterian Church in New Kensington on Monday. Grab-n-Go Fresh Express, previously known as Operation Fresh Express, is an invitation-only distribution that will run from 3:45 to 5 p.m., said Lea-Ann White, program coordinator...

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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Golf outing to benefit Leechburg Education Foundation The Leechburg Education Foundation/NexTier golf outing will be June 4 at the Links at...

Residents in Plum’s Holiday Park ran to help as smoke, embers and screams filled their neighborhood Friday night. People living around the house at 5021 Hialeah Drive reported hearing a loud boom that shook their homes. A man living nearby thought his own hot water tank had exploded; a woman...