Valley News Dispatch category, Page 383
State police accuse Vandergrift man of driving drunk with cocaine, stolen gun in car
State police have charged a Vandergrift man with having cocaine and a stolen gun in his car while driving drunk. James Artis Alexander, 30, of the 600 block of Hancock Avenue, was charged with felony counts of carrying a firearm without a permit, possession of drugs with the intent to...
Police: Springdale man tasered while resisting arrest for indecent exposure warrant
Allegheny County sheriff’s detectives say they had to use a stun gun to subdue a Springdale man after he scuffled with them and tried to grab the stun gun when they came to arrest him May 2 on a warrant for indecent exposure. The indecent exposure charge, a misdemeanor, is...
Work underway for Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant expansion
Work is underway on the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant expansion project. The expansion is part of a federally mandated upgrade to control discharges of sewage and stormwater into the Allegheny River. Harmar Township engineer Matthew Pitsch said Hancock Camp Road, a private road that serves the Werner...
Drivers beware: Long-term ramp closure along Route 28 begins Wednesday
A long-term ramp closure along northbound Route 28 will impact drivers heading to Aspinwall and beyond. Motorists who use the ramp at Delafield Road (Exit 7) will need to find an alternate route to access Aspinwall, Fox Chapel and The Waterworks. The ramp will shut down at 7 a.m. Wednesday...
Kayak rentals return to Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall
Kayak rentals returned to Allegheny RiverTrail Park this month after a year without the service. 3 Rivers Outdoor Company (3ROC) launched an outpost on May 1 at the 16-acre site tucked off Freeport Road in Aspinwall. “Bringing people to the water and showcasing the rivers of Pittsburgh, the beauty right...
The Stroller, May 9, 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. Planting day scheduled at Tarentum friendship garden Volunteers are welcome to help at a summer garden day set for 10 a.m....
New Kensington considering new design guidelines to regulate development
New Kensington officials are reviewing new design guidelines and overlay districts that would regulate the city’s ongoing development and revitalization. The design guidelines are intended to become the city’s primary tool for evaluating proposed development, reuses of buildings, facade renovations, landscaping designs and signage proposals. Three overlay districts — design...
Butler-Freeport trail lands $750,000 grant to shore up cracks in the trail
PennDOT has awarded the Butler-Freeport Community Trail a $750,000 grant to reinforce sections of the trail that have cracked in Buffalo Township. The 21-mile recreational trail stretches from Freeport to Butler. “I am happy and elated to receive the grant,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail council....
One Song Show Choir Festival offers chance for some Alle-Kiski choirs to show their stuff
Highlands High School hosted musical theater students from four Alle-Kiski Valley school districts April 27 for the annual One Song Show Choir Festival. Highlands, Freeport Area, Springdale and Kiski Area choirs participated. Song performances included “Cruisin for a Bruisin’,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “The Greatest Show,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine...
Faces of the Valley: Leechburg Area mother’s volunteer work sets shining example
Missy Rowan lives next door to her childhood home in Leechburg and says she has no plans of leaving the borough she once vowed to escape. “My mother always said I’d be the one to move away, and here I am, living in Leechburg,” Rowan said. “When I was preparing...
Casino Theatre in Vandergrift gets new and improved fire escapes
Two structurally deficient and crumbling fire escapes dating to the 1930s have been replaced at Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre. Janice Oberdorf, treasurer of the nonprofit Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, said the project took about a year to complete and was long overdue. “It was literally held on to the...
Vandergrift brewery Allusion wins national awards for clever beer-themed marketing
Vandergrift’s only in-house brewery snagged two national awards this week for their marketing efforts in the beer industry. Allusion Brewing Co. won “Best Tap Handle” and “Best Flight Display” at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards, held in Minneapolis on May 4. More than 600 judges voted, with Allusion earning the...
The Stroller, May 8, 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. Annual St. Joseph HS golf fundraiser set for June 10 The 30th annual St. Joseph High School Spartan Golf Scramble will...
Burrell teacher is a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
A Burrell geography teacher is one of a dozen finalists for the 2023 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education this week announced the names of 12 educators, which included Ashlee Peters-Roberts, a teacher in Burrell’s Huston Middle School. The state’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes...
Dems in 33rd state House race agree abortion now a hot-button topic in midterms
Both Democrats seeking nomination to the state House seat in District 33 say they would fight to protect abortion rights in Pennsylvania. Tristan McClelland, 21, a Harrison native who lives in O’Hara, is preparing to graduate this year from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in economics and...
‘Gospel Explosion’ felt in New Kensington as Alle-Kiski Valley, Pittsburgh churches singVideo
Halls of the Quality Inn in New Kensington were rocked by an explosion Saturday evening. It was the inaugural Gospel Explosion, featuring nearly a dozen churches from the Alle-Kiski Valley and Pittsburgh area. The event featured 10 singers and was hosted by Shiloh Baptist Church in Brackenridge. “We do this...
The Manos Gallery in Tarentum showcases student, professional artwork, benefits free hospital care
A Tarentum art house has partnered with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for a monthlong fundraiser benefiting the Free Care Fund. The Manos Gallery is presenting “Artist of Tomorrow,” an exhibit featuring pieces from 65 student artists from across Western Pennsylvania. Paintings, drawings, mixed media and other artistic creations from...
The Stroller, May 7, 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. Motorcycle poker run to support homeless vets Ride for Homeless Vets Motorcycle Poker Run will be June 12 at Natrona Heights...
Plans in works for 60 trees to be planted in New Kensington
New Kensington residents will have opportunities to learn about trees before five dozen are planted in the city this fall. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will hold two “tree tender” training sessions before the trees are planted in at least two sessions in late October and early November, said Brian Crooks,...
Vandergrift might no longer pick up large furniture, mattresses during trash collection
Vandergrift’s trash haulers may soon stop picking up large furniture such as sofas with the regular garbage collection. Council has authorized Solicitor Larry Loperfito to makes changes to the borough’s trash collection rules to prohibit borough crews from taking upholstered furniture and mattresses. Instead, residents would have to contact private...
Pine Run, tributaries spill over near at Washington Township mobile home parkVideo
Thomas Bowers has lived at his home on Goldfinch Drive in Washington Township for nearly three decades and weathered storms plenty worse than the steady rain that fell across the region all day Friday. “I’ve had water all the way around the house before,” Bowers said. “But the houses around...
Former Avonmore secretary pleads guilty to theft of borough funds
Avonmore Borough’s former secretary pleaded guilty Friday to the theft of more than $54,000 in taxpayer funds. Rebecca E. Steele, 46, worked for more than a decade as the secretary for the tiny Kiski Valley town when an audit in 2019 revealed large amounts of money had disappeared from borough...
Man awaiting trial for tossing hammer at Kiski Township officer arrested on drug charges in Tarentum
A man awaiting trial on charges that he threw a hammer and shards of glass at a police officer while fleeing from a Kiski Township home in January has been arrested on drug charges by Tarentum police. Tarentum police say Alfred Keith Steele, 42, called 911 shortly before midnight on...
Father of New Kensington boy found dead arrested in connection with November incident
The father of Azuree Charles, the 9-year-old New Kensington boy who was found dead early Wednesday, was arrested Thursday in connection with assault and child endangerment charges from November. Jean J. Charles, 40, was arraigned Thursday on charges of simple assault and endangering the welfare of children regarding an incident...
The Stroller, May 6, 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. Children welcome at free fishing derby Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Jefferson will have its free Fishing Derby for kids 14 and...
