Valley News Dispatch category, Page 382
Woman accused of faking $12,300 application for Westmoreland rental assistance
An Allegheny County woman is accused of taking $12,300 from Westmoreland County’s emergency rental assistance program after, authorities said, she forged an application for a vacant New Kensington property, according to court papers. Melissa D. Brandt, 36, of Franklin Park is charged with theft, forgery, identity theft and receiving stolen...
New Kensington-Arnold considering borrowing $5M for building work
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board is considering another multimillion-dollar bond issue for work on the district’s schools. The board is entertaining borrowing $5 million. That money would be added to $8 million in federal covid relief funds to pay for the work. Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said the money would be used...
Gilpin supervisors give residents glimpse of potential police merger with Freeport
Gilpin supervisors gave a presentation showing what a regional police force would look like with Gilpin and Freeport combined. The presentation Tuesday evening was led by Chris Fabec, who serves as police chief for both municipalities. Fabec said a survey was sent out to Gilpin officers to get an idea...
The Stroller, May 12, 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. Bingo fundraiser to benefit Lower Valley food bank Lower Valley Community Food Bank will host a spring fling bingo at 7...
Fire at Springdale plant under investigation, no injuries reported
PPG Industries’ safety department is investigating the cause of a fire Wednesday at its Springdale plant along Colfax Street. Firefighters from the borough as well as Arnold and East Deer responded to the call for smoke and fire in the vents at the industrial coating and resin facility around 3...
Corbet Street in Tarentum to be transformed by demolition
The heart of Tarentum’s Corbet Street business district will undergo a transformation to create parking spaces in a park-like setting in the middle of town. Borough officials voted to buy a two-story brick building at 215 Corbet, most recently home to J&G Corner Store. The property will be demolished to...
Police: Kittanning woman jailed in connection with meth sale during sting operation in Leechburg
State police accused a woman of being a drug dealer after police say an informant bought methamphetamine from her in Leechburg two years ago. Debbie Ann Russo, 44, of the 1000 block of Johnston Avenue in Kittanning, was charged with a felony count of possession of drugs with the intent...
New Kensington police accuse man of assaulting woman, holding her captive
A New Kensington man is accused of stripping a woman naked, pouring cold water all over her and forcing her to sit in front of an open window with fans blowing on her on a cold night. That was just one of several ways New Kensington police allege that Zachery...
Lower Burrell author Tamara Girardi releases 1st children’s book, ‘Why, Daddy? Why?’
It was about the time Gabriella Girardi turned 4 that the questions started. “Research shows that age 4 is the age when we ask the most questions. No other age on the planet asks more questions than a 4-year-old,” said her mother, Tamara Girardi of Lower Burrell. But what made...
Leechburg Area Middle School students pitch in as part of Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative
Leechburg Area Middle School students were in a different classroom environment Tuesday afternoon — for a good cause. Students and staff donned bright Hi-Liter green safety vests and heavy duty gloves, grabbed trash bags and picked up trash around the downtown Leechburg business district and other areas for an hour...
The Stroller, May 11, 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. Harrison library discontinues fines for overdue materials Community Library of Allegheny Valley in Harrison has announced that it will no longer...
Lawrence County homicide suspect arrested after Route 28 police chase
State police arrested a New Castle man they say was wanted in connection with a homicide after an early-morning chase along Route 28 in Frazer, officials said. Shane McDevitt, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday after the high-speed police pursuit on Route 28 that ended when the Nissan Sentra he...
Police accuse Tarentum man of threatening landlord, leaving 2 loaded guns within reach of 5-year-old boy
A Tarentum man faces felony child endangerment and other charges after police accused him of leaving two loaded guns within reach of his 5-year-old son after threatening to shoot his landlord during a dispute. Anthony Ponzetti, 33, of the 300 block of Seventh Avenue, was charged with a felony count...
Remember When: The Heights Plaza Shopping Center changed the way the Alle-Kiski Valley shopped
Retail shopping took a dramatic turn in the 1950s, and the Alle-Kiski Valley was part of it. The Heights Plaza Shopping Center opened Nov. 10, 1955, and changed shopping habits. The plaza was built by brothers John P. and Alex Marino, who saw similar facilities going up elsewhere. The first...
John Fetterman brings bid for U.S. Senate to Greensburg as primary nears
John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor and a leading Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, made his ultimate goal clear when he spoke to an informal gathering of about 130 people Tuesday evening in Greensburg. During a meet-and-greet campaign stop on the patio of El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired...
Tarentum police charge man with selling heroin following sting operation
A man from East Deer was ordered to stand trial on felony drug charges after police accused him of selling heroin to an informant. Travis Black, 46, whose last known address was in the 300 block of Crawford Run Road, was charged by Tarentum police with three felony drug charges...
Lily’s restaurant at River Forest reopens, with outdoor dining at golf course
A popular al fresco dining destination is reopening in Allegheny Township. Lily’s, the restaurant at River Forest Country Club overlooking the golf course, is back in business for dinner at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The scenic dining spot closed last summer, at the season’s peak, citing staffing shortages. While located at...
1st graduating class of Fox Chapel Area High School plans 60th reunion
Fox Chapel Area Senior High School was touted as a dream school by the media when it opened in 1961. Sixty years later, members of the very first graduating class, the Class of 1962, are planning their 60th reunion on June 9 at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club. “We’re looking...
State trooper arrests Parks Township man carrying stolen gun while walking along Route 28
A Parks Township man was arrested by state police after he told them that he stole the gun he was carrying while walking along the Route 28 expressway in Harmar. Michael Joseph Crocker, 22, of the 1300 block of Gravel Bar Road, was charged with felony counts of receiving stolen...
Vandergrift Council shelves youth football team’s request to play its games at Davis Field
A youth football team’s request to use Davis Field for its home games has been placed on hold by Vandergrift Council because of liability concerns. The Kiski Valley Lancers sought council’s permission to use the field for games, which they had done in the past. However, when they used the...
Long-vacant former JCPenney site in Lower Burrell purchased by O’Hara electric supply firm
The eyesore of Lower Burrell, the old J.C. Penney building in the Burrell Plaza along Leechburg Road, has a new owner after sitting vacant for more than 17 years. Schaedler Yesco, an electrical distribution and supply company in O’Hara’s RIDC Park, plans to renovate the nearly 185,000-square-foot building and open...
Gathering on Grant, a monthly event, brings back Thursday night festivity to Vandergrift
A new monthly community festival is starting in historic Vandergrift this month. Gathering on Grant, a monthly vendor-focused festival, kicks off Thursday, May 19. It will operate through October, from 5 to 8 p.m., every third Thursday, except in July. The event is sponsored by the Vandergrift Business Association, a...
The Stroller, May 10, 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. HOPE Center accepting donations for its SAF-T pet kennel The Alle-Kiski HOPE Center offers a Sheltering Animals and Families Together (SAF-T)...
Trib honored by Pa. NewsMedia for investigation into sex offenders, claims 28 statewide awardsVideo
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association has recognized the Tribune-Review for a second year in a row with the prestigious G. Richard Dew Award for its investigation on how sex offenders go undetected in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities. The recognition is one of 30 Keystone Media Awards given to the Trib by...
Memorial Day parade in Aspinwall to return after pandemic hiatus
A longtime tradition of honoring veterans and celebrating America is returning to Aspinwall. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Memorial Day parade and service is scheduled for May 30. Festivities begin with a ceremony at 11 a.m. outside the American Legion Post 77 along Commercial Avenue. Mayor Joseph Noro will...
