Valley News Dispatch category, Page 380
Work to refinish New Kensington church’s ‘onion dome’ continues
The layers of the onion are being put back on a New Kensington church. It was finally warm and dry enough Tuesday to begin work to refinish the onion dome atop St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church on Elmtree Road. It’s the first time the “terribly weathered” onion dome, so...
Highlands School Board expected to approve 1% tax hike for next school year
Highlands School District residents will likely pay slightly higher property taxes, about a 1% increase, next school year. The school board on Monday approved a $50 million preliminary general fund budget, which calls for a 0.25-millage increase, from 24.88 to 25.13 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000...
Court rejects John Lesko’s appeal in 1980 western Pa. ‘Kill for Thrill’ spree
One of the last appeals for Pennsylvania’s longest-serving death row inmate has been denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday rejected 64-year-old John Lesko’s request for a new trial and sentencing hearing. He was convicted in the 1980 murder of Apollo police Officer Leonard Miller,...
Allegheny Valley School District agrees to 5-year contract with its teachers
Teachers and the school board in the Allegheny Valley School District have forged a new five-year contract. On Tuesday, the board unanimously ratified the agreement after the Allegheny Valley Education Association had done so earlier in the day. Under the new contract, the 78-member teaching staff will receive an average...
The Stroller, May 18, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Golf event to benefit Burrell Education Foundation Burrell Education Foundation’s 22nd Annual Golf Outing will be June 13 at Hill Crest...
Tarentum woman faces felony charges after police say 3-year-old found wandering outside
A Tarentum woman was charged with three felony counts of child endangerment after police say bystanders found her 3-year-old daughter wandering outside after the woman left the girl at home alone. Leah Marie Frantz, 30, of the 300 block of West 10th Avenue, faces a preliminary hearing on the charges...
Remember When: Phone calls have come quite a long way
Sometimes, it can take a cellphone user longer to scroll down a list of familiar phone numbers than it does to complete the call. In some ways, things seemed much easier in the past. For instance, if you lived in Freeport in the early 1950s and wanted to call the...
Washington Township tabs 34 streets for sealing this summer; culvert replacement on hold
It’s looking like it will be a busy summer of paving for Washington Township, as 34 streets will be part of the seal coat project. Supervisors on May 12 awarded a nearly $396,000 contract to Russell Standard Corp. for the seal coating work. The only other bidder was Youngblood Paving,...
Lori Mizgorski defeats Jake Roberts in GOP primary in state Senate 38th District race
Unofficial election results from Tuesday’s primary election show Lori Mizgorski has won the Republican nomination in the state 38th Senatorial District race. With 97.2% of the votes counted at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mizgorski, 55, of Shaler had 15,673 votes and Jake Roberts, 31, of Ross had 7,375 votes. Mizgorski will...
Mandy Steele defeats Tristan McClelland for Democratic nod in 33rd District House race
Mandy Steele of Fox Chapel has won the Democratic nomination for the 33rd District state House seat. She defeated Tristan McClelland of O’Hara to represent the district, which stretches from Sharpsburg to Fawn. Unofficial results from the Allegheny County Elections Department showed Steele won with 5,313 votes to McClelland’s 2,954...
Leechburg Area School District needs to fill board vacancy following resignation
The Leechburg Area School Board needs a new member to fill a vacancy. Superintendent Tiffany Nix said board member Roxanne Thompson resigned from the board for personal reasons. The school board will make an interim appointment of a Leechburg-area resident to fill the open seat. The person will serve out...
1 person taken to hospital from scene of 3-vehicle Harrison crash
A man was taken by ambulance to Allegheny Valley Hospital from the scene of a three-vehicle crash in Harrison on Tuesday morning. The crash on Burtner Road at the Route 28 interchange was reported around 6:50 a.m., an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The crash involved a minivan that police...
Arnold officials consider joining Westmoreland land bank to fight blight
Joining the Westmoreland County Land Bank holds appeal for Arnold officials who see it as a boost to its battle against blight. However, as is the case for its sister city, New Kensington, whether Arnold joins depends on the New Kensington-Arnold School District joining it, too. Representatives from the land...
More than $75,000 worth of drugs, gun, cash found at Lower Burrell home; 2 arrested
Police arrested two Lower Burrell residents after they raided two Lower Burrell homes where they found more than $75,000 worth of drugs, drug paraphernalia, a loaded shotgun and $38,000. Police on May 13 arrested Dalton Smith, 25, and Tessa Myers, 23, both of Lower Burrell, after searching their home on...
The Stroller, May 17, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Resume workshop for veterans and military planned South Butler Community Library will offer a resume workshop that focuses on the needs...
Harrison family advocacy group expands services
A Harrison-based family advocacy group is relaunching several of its services to reach more people in need. Allegheny Family Network, which also has offices in Oakland, has expanded and renamed some programs in an effort to broaden efforts, said Misty Chybrzynski Woody, chief development officer. Some of the newly titled...
Building the Valley: Creating a ‘Buzz,’ Tarentum smoothie, juice bar lives up to its name
A smoothie and juice bar in Tarentum is living up to its name, creating a stir in the borough’s business corridor. The Buzz, at 312 East Sixth Ave., touts itself as a healthy hangout offering energy tea, protein coffee and good vibes. There are specialties offered, such as the Cinnamon...
Beekeeper from Fawn shares passion for helping pollinators
A hive of bees has to travel a combined 55,000 miles and visit 2 million flowers to produce 1 pound of honey. According to beekeeper Bill Kopar of Fawn, the insects enjoy the work — a weighty prospect that requires them to pack wet pollen into the hair of their...
Family of slain Apollo woman remembers her as one who ‘cared for others’
Following the death of Kelly Steele on Saturday, family members are remembering the Apollo resident as a kind-hearted person and devoted mother and grandmother. “She was loved by many. So many,” said Ean Steele, 23, her son and oldest child. “All she did was love back. I loved her so...
Washington Township man sentenced to 12-24 years in prison in hatchet attack incident
A man from Washington Township was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in state prison after pleading no contest to accusations that he hit his ex-fiancee with a hatchet, which was still sticking out of her head when emergency responders arrived at her home in Butler County. Dean Jay Law,...
The Stroller, May 16, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Dynamo soccer reunion accepting registrations Dynamo Education Foundation will sponsor soccer reunion June 25 at the high school athletic fields, Butler...
Faces of the Valley: Lower Burrell woman advocates to inform public on brittle bone disease
Sandwiched between the road paving report and a Memorial Day parade update, Nikki Watson took out her cellphone to record Lower Burrell Mayor John Andrejcik reading a proclamation for Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Week during a recent council meeting. Also known as brittle bone disease, OI is a rare gene mutation...
South Buffalo Elementary gym teacher raising money for youth bicycles for classes
A physical education teacher is raising $5,000 to buy bikes and helmets for a proposed bicycling class for kindergarten and first grade students at South Buffalo Elementary School in the Freeport Area School District. The money will pay for a fleet of 24 Strider balance bikes, helmets, pedal conversion kits,...
Pittsburgh Buddhist Center celebrates Vesak, a holiday celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha
The Pittsburgh Buddhist Center in West Deer on Sunday celebrated Vesak, a holiday that commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. “The belief is that all of these events happened on a full moon in May,” said Bhante Pemaratana, chief abbot at the temple, explaining Sunday is May’s...
Tarentum fights blight, designates 9 homes for condemnation
Tarentum Council is carrying its fight against blight into 2022 by eyeing nine structures to be demolished by year’s end. Council on Tuesday authorized the homes — four on the east side of town and five on the west — to be designated for condemnation. They are: • 520 E....
