Valley News Dispatch category, Page 409

Harmar police are investigating a yard fire that broke out shortly before 3 p.m. Friday at a home along Orr Avenue in the township. The fire was quickly extinguished by Allegheny Valley Volunteer Fire Company, police said. Although the home was not damaged by the fire, some personal property was...

Publicize your holiday 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. Merry Christmas to all our loyal readers. Enjoy a safe and happy holiday season. - Carol Pinto-Smith Allegheny Valley Association of...

People looking to feel less lonely for the holidays or unable to cook a meal were able to have a family-style Christmas dinner at Bethel United Methodist Church on Friday afternoon. The Lower Burrell Compassion Network hosted a free Christmas Eve dinner at the church, serving about 30 families that...

Leechburg property owners will not see an increase in borough property taxes next year. Leechburg Councilvoted 4-0 to adopt the $1.2 million borough budget for 2022. Council member Lorraine Bazella was absent from the vote due to a personal matter. The property tax rate will remain at 22.5 mills. That...

Growth in Buffalo Township shows no signs of slowing down, as plans for nearly 200 housing units are moving forward. Township supervisors approved preliminary site plans for two housing developments this month. Each calls for about 100 dwellings. Both are on the south side of South Pike Road (Route 356),...

A 23-year-old man from Plum is charged with homicide in the June shooting death of a man working with a landscape crew in Penn Hills. Allegheny County Police say Tracy Carpenter, of Sardis Road, was arrested without incident Wednesday afternoon at a residence in Plum. That was a day after...

The new year is approaching and we’ve had our fill of cookies, egg nog and other high-calorie holiday treats. Our pants might be feeling a little tight. Jan. 1 is usually the day when we start on our New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more and lose a few...

A man charged with shooting a woman to death in Tarentum has a 5-month-old child with the woman and had recently been ordered to pay child support, according to Allegheny County Police. DaShawn Frederick, 26, of Wilkinsburg surrendered to authorities Thursday night. He is charged with criminal homicide in the...

Freeport Council held the line on real estate taxes by the slimmest of margins after it voted to pass the 2022 budget Monday night. The budget passed unanimously, by a 5-0 vote. After passing the budget, though a motion to raise taxes by 1 mill failed by a 2-3 vote....

Publicize your holiday 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. West Deer train display to benefit food bank The Model Train Association at Bull Creek United Presbyterian Church, 224 Tarentum-Culmerville Road,...

A Wilkinsburg man was jailed Thursday night in connection with the Dec. 16 fatal shooting of a 30-year-old woman in Tarentum, Allegheny County Police said Thursday night. DaShawn Frederick, 26, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection with the death of Arquwonna Wright, 30, of the Philip Burtner...

Dinnertime, for an Italian family, is sacred. It’s an opportunity to gather around the table, share a meal, drink some good wine and engage in great conversation. The spread on Christmas Eve represents the heart of this tradition. The Feast of the Seven Fishes — for which seven seafood items...

Students from the Kiski Area School District have been having fun, fundraising. The district’s annual Cav-A-Thon wrapped up this week, raising more than $12,500. The event raises money for Alle-Kiski Valley charities. “It will be shared with the Alle-Kiski HOPE Center, Kiski Valley Food Bank and the Stuff-A-Bus organization,” said...

With Plum School District’s Make-A-Wish telethon closing in on a lifetime collection of $1 million, high school teacher Rick Berrott was being cautious. It would be OK if they came up short, Berrott said, because whatever money they raised would go to a good cause. His caution proved to be...

Harrison residents likely won’t pay higher real estate taxes next year, pending a final vote by commissioners on the township’s 2022 budget. The board is considering a $5 million budget proposal that maintains the property tax rate at 5.1 mills. If approved, owners of a home assessed at $100,000 would...

A cover of “Last Christmas” was blaring from an apartment with its door wide open when Madison Chiusano, 6, and Olivia Chiusano, 3, walked up to it with a red stocking. “We have a gift for you,” Madison cheered as a man walked out donning an elf hat and red...

A flagpole in Gilpin has a unique holiday addition, compliments of a former Alcoa employee. “It’s Dad’s Alcoa flagpole tree,” joked Joseph Kovalchik of his late father’s handmade aluminum creation. John Kovalchik worked for 34 years as a maintenance electrician at Alcoa’s research lab in New Kensington. He died in...

A car stolen Wednesday night from New Kensington was recovered about five hours later by Pittsburgh police, New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said. The car, a 2021 Audi S5 sport sedan, was taken from the parking lot at Sheetz on Freeport Street shortly before 10 p.m., Deringer said. It...

Kiski police have arrested a woman accused of stabbing a man in North Apollo early Thursday morning. Police said the suspect, Amy Hepler, 38, of Vandergrift turned herself in at approximately 9 a.m. Police said officers responded around 2:15 a.m. to a report of a domestic assault at a home...

Pitt wide receiver Tre Tipton suffered a collapsed lung in 2016 and laid in the intensive care unit at a Miami hospital for four days. It was the turning point in his young life, despite years of suffering from depression, experiencing gun violence firsthand and dealing with multiple family hardships,...

Publicize your holiday 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. Classes offered by Concordia Institute for Lifelong Learning Concordia Institute for Lifelong Learning is offering free classes for those of retirement...

Valley High School’s annual food drive came back — and came through — in a big way this year. After not being held last year because of the covid pandemic, the now-districtwide effort shattered goals for food items and cash so much that not one but two New Kensington police...

A federal lawsuit filed by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who claimed he was beaten by a guard in 2018 has been settled. The county commissioners this month approved a $27,500 settlement to end the case filed by DaRob Wright of New Kensington. “It was completely unjustified,” attorney John...

Due to a water main break along Bull Creek Road, the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority issued a water conservation order for all of its customers. All unnecessary use of water is prohibited, according to the order. In addition, customers are asked to conserve on the use of water for drinking...

A neighborhood in Washington Township is set to glow with more than 1,000 candles on Christmas Eve. Washington Acres will host a luminary evening beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. Light Up Washington Acres is sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 211, based in Delmont. The event serves as a fundraiser for...