Valley News Dispatch category, Page 380

New Kensington-Arnold School District is seeking classroom monitors to help with a shortage of substitute teachers, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said. Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 91 into law in December to address the staffing shortage. Under the pilot program, monitors are allowed to oversee classrooms but not allowed to instruct...

Publicize your community Easter Egg hunts, breakfasts with the Easter Bunny 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. Evening of chocolate to benefit Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley will host, “Chocolate...

Kiski Township police filed felony charges against a contractor after a property owner accused him of cashing a $16,000 check for work in August 2020 and not completing the project. David Lynn Patton, 67, of Limestone Township, Clarion County, was charged with felony counts of theft by deception and failing...

A motorcyclist was critically injured Friday when his bike collided with the rear of an SUV near the Walmart plaza off Freeport Road, according to Allegheny County Police. The crash occurred at the intersection of Freeport Road and Evergreen Drive, county police said. First responders found the 45-year-old motorcyclist suffered...

Construction continues on a Taco Bell in Allegheny Township, expected to open this month at intersection of Hyde Park Road at Route 56. Kevin Kupniewsk, senior director of operations for Charter Foods/Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silvers and Pizza Hut, confirmed this week that the project is on schedule. An...

Ricky Libengood, who has served in the Air Force since 1999, was fortunate to return home to Apollo from Saudi Arabia in January. But the chance to enjoy family and friends wasn’t the only gift he received when he got home. Students from Burrell High School’s National Honor Society showed...

Summit Hose firefighters will be equipped with new portable radios thanks to a state grant awarded this month. Chief Josh Fox said his department is expected to receive $15,000 through the state fire commissioner’s office. “We’ll use it to cover several new radios to replace ones that are now old...

Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Irish celebration to raise funds for recovery ministry Addiction Recovery Ministry will host an Irish celebration event at 4:30 p.m. March 27...

Barb Constant of Plum didn’t mince words about gas prices Thursday, which skyrocketed 12 cents to $3.82 a gallon, up from $3.70, across the Pittsburgh region. “It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Constant said as she fueled her car at the Sheetz station on Pittsburgh Street...

PennDOT closed a portion of Sarver Road in Buffalo Township on Thursday. The closure is at the intersection Sarver Road and Monroe Road. A detour has been posted using Route 356 (South/North Pike Road). The detour is about 9 miles long. PennDOT officials said there is no estimated time for...

Barb Constant of Plum didn’t mince words about gas prices Thursday, which skyrocketed 12 cents to $3.82 a gallon, up from $3.70, across the Pittsburgh region. “It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Constant said as she fueled her car at the Sheetz gas station on Pittsburgh...

A West Deer man was charged with felony aggravated assault after police accused him of shooting fireworks at officers before barricading himself inside his home and setting it on fire. William J. Bryar, 54, also faces charges of reckless endangerment and arson in connection with an incident at his home...

Arnold Council will consider a proposal for the redevelopment of a former gas station along Freeport Road. Mike Thakkar of Yashvi Oil said he wants to open a gas station and convenience store at 1610 Freeport Road. The property is between Woodberry Road and Warren Avenue. The property and its...

New Kensington police are investigating two fights that broke out at Valley High School on Wednesday, police Chief Bob Deringer said. According to New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck, about 10 girls got into a shouting match that escalated into a fight Wednesday in the hallway outside the cafeteria and near...

An Arnold man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a girl in her mid-teens. Marcel Lynne Hayes, 31, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count as part of a plea bargain. Hayes initially rejected the deal but ultimately accepted after a Westmoreland County...

Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Bowlers needed for party to benefit Animal Protectors The Pins for Pets bowling party to benefit Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley will...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been dubbed the TikTok war by some, as videos of the violence have surfaced across that and other social media platforms favored by many of today’s youths. “It makes it more real for them, not just some distant event,” said Jaime Rininger, who teaches geography...

Riley Davison’s Wednesday was filled with excitement for one reason: “smashing bots.” The Pine-Richland senior was among dozens of high school students who crowded in Robert Morris University’s John Jay Center for the 17th annual BotsIQ, a regional competition in which student-made robots fight each other gladiator-style. In one corner,...

Stuck at home for long stretches during the pandemic, Shannon Gourley picked up the craft of making candles. “It gave me something to focus on,” said Gourley, a Vandergrift resident and the mother of four. Now, she has turned that creative accomplishment into a business, selling candles and promoting other...

Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos, known as a tireless advocate for his borough and a driving force behind countless projects, died Wednesday. “He’s going to be a hard act to replace,” Council President Tom Foster said. “He was trying to revitalize Leechburg one project at a time.” Foster said he was...

After living in others’ fantasy worlds, Penn Hills High School graduate and Upper Burrell resident Jenna E. Faas was ready to create her own. Writing has been a core passion for Faas, who remembers her mom reading books to her before bedtime at 5 years old. Although she was unable...

A man is in custody after holding police at bay in West Deer and setting his home on fire Wednesday, according to authorities. Police had much of the 3500 block on Huntertown Road blocked off and fire crews were called to extinguish the smokey fire shortly after noon, according to...

Lexie Vigna of West Leechburg has a jam-packed academic schedule as a college student. Home this week on spring break, she found time to observe Ash Wednesday in front of CoCo Coffeehouse in Leechburg, receiving “Ashes to Go.” “It’s very convenient to do this while I’m here studying at the...

Face masks are now optional in the New Kensington-Arnold School District. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said the change was effective immediately. The school board did not have to vote on the change, as it was already outlined in the district’s health and safety plan....