Valley News Dispatch category, Page 413
Bear reports spike during pandemic as harvests also rise in Western Pa.Video
Looking at the statistics, it appears there are more black bears in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. But state officials aren’t sure if that really is the case. For the public, however, it seems black bears are popping up all over urban settings. In late December, a Pennsylvania Game Commission game...
IRS wants cut of internet sales topping $600 or more per yearVideo
Online sellers who hope to cash in on anything from baseball and football card collections to a valuable old toy may now have to pay a portion of the proceeds to Uncle Sam if they use a third-party payment platform to collect the proceeds. “It will be a change for...
Leechburg elementary school students celebrate 100th day of classes in fun way
Students from David Leech Elementary School in Leechburg dressed up as 100-year-old ladies and gentlemen Friday, Jan. 28 to celebrate their 100th day of school. The event is an annual tradition that the students look forward to. Students have a choice of dressing up as an elderly person or wearing...
Weather can be second foe for firefighters battling blaze on frigid winter day
Darting in and out of a smoke-filled building in search of occupants and scaling a ladder to the roof as flames roar is dangerous work, even in the best weather conditions. Add frigid temperatures, whipping wind and falling snow, and the dangers multiply dramatically for firefighters trying to save lives...
Police: New Kensington man faces felony gun charges after video shows him point pistol at woman
New Kensington police charged a felon with illegal possession of a firearm after seeing a video of him pointing a pistol at a woman during an argument, authorities say. Don Levon Graves, 57, of Main St., New Kensington, was charged with felony counts of possession of a firearm by a...
Arnold native, Valley High alum named assistant dean at Harvard Law School
An Arnold native and New Kensington-Arnold School District graduate has been named an assistant dean at Harvard Law School. Monica E. Monroe will start Feb. 22 as assistant dean of the Office of Community Engagement, Equity and Belonging at Harvard Law School. She is going to Harvard from the University...
Couple accused of endangerment for using cameras to monitor kids; keeping food, bathrooms locked up
An Allegheny Township couple was charged with multiple felonies after their three children told police they are under near-constant video surveillance and most of the food in the house is kept locked up. Leann Marie Lawson, 35, and Nevin A. Lawson, 51, of the 100 block of Indian Hill Road,...
The Stroller, Feb. 5, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Lenten fish fries listings wanted Lent is just around the corner! The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place...
Trial postponed for New Kensington-Arnold teacher accused of sending sexual texts to students
The trial of a New Kensington-Arnold music teacher accused of sending inappropriate text messages to students has been delayed for two months. Sean Timothy O’Neil, 34, was scheduled for trial in two cases Feb. 10. They have been rescheduled for April 18. On Friday, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli...
Harrison man, 60, dies in Route 28 crash near Tarentum when car hits fire truck responding to previous wreck
A Harrison man was killed Friday afternoon on Route 28 when his car slammed into a Tarentum fire truck that was providing traffic control because of a previous accident near the Tarentum exit, state police said. Jeffrey A. Wagner, 60, of Juniata Street, Natrona Heights, was killed when his northbound...
Converted Tarentum church now a bustling community spot as The Clement
Once a gathering place for prayer and worship, The Clement in Tarentum is a community hot spot where the multitudes come together. “Every single room was destroyed when I bought it,” said Phillip Rhodes, 54, a Highland Park software engineer. “Now, every room is filled.” From guitar lessons and yoga...
Upper Burrell supervisors approve Marcellus shale gas compressor station
The Upper Burrell supervisors have approved a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station off of White Cloud Road on Arconic property, which is zoned industrial. The official vote Wednesday night was unanimous but complicated. Two of the three supervisors, Michael Conley and Kenneth Slahtovsky, initially abstained from voting because they...
‘Beloved’ former Kiski Area school slated for demolition
A former school building that served elementary, middle and high school students in Washington Township is slated for demolition. The former Washington Elementary School at 4728 Route 66 was part of the Kiski Area School District. The school opened in 1927 and closed in 2013. Township supervisors granted a demolition...
The Stroller, Feb. 4, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Armstrong Conservation District to sell fruit trees and seedlings Armstrong Conservation District will conduct its annual fruit tree and seedling sale through...
Natrona Heights native Jimmer Podrasky releases 1st Rave-Ups album in 3 decadesVideo
Having left the Alle-Kiski Valley behind in the early 1980s, Natrona Heights, Harrison, native Jimmer Podrasky doesn’t miss the weather headed Pittsburgh’s way this weekend. “It’s been 40 years since I’ve driven in that kind of weather, and it still haunts me,” said Podrasky, 64, now a Los Angeles resident....
Highlands Musical Cabaret promises to have audience dancing in their seats
It’s been 32 years since Highlands High School alum Michelle Peters sprayed her hair into a black beehive and strutted across stage as the misunderstood bad-girl Rizzo in the high school production of “Grease.” She’ll be back in the same auditorium on Saturday, belting out a ballad from the show...
Police: Brackenridge woman accused of bludgeoning dog to death with hammer in front of children
Brackenridge police arrested a woman after her boyfriend told them she beat the family’s dog to death with a hammer in front of their children. Bianca Simone Lee, 32, of Nelson Avenue, was arrested on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals in...
Family seeks justice for former Springdale High football player shot to death
The family of Jorden “Flashlight” Lee Puskar, who was shot to death Jan. 22 in Avalon, is looking for justice — and the death penalty for the suspect in the killing. Puskar, 21, of Coraopolis was a 2019 graduate of Springdale High School, where he played tight end for the...
Squaw Run in Fox Chapel deemed off limits for elevated pathogens
Portions of Squaw Run in Fox Chapel are off limits for recreation after the Department of Environmental Protection found the water quality to be impaired, according to a new report released by the agency. At least one of the stream’s unnamed tributaries also was identified in the report. “Squaw Run...
West Deer receives grants for Bairdford Park project, West Deer Fire Company No. 3 station relocation project
Two grants from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund came to West Deer last month, contributing to the township’s ongoing work on its parks and to the volunteer fire company’s station development. The township was awarded $59,000 for its Bairdford Park project. This is the second grant given to the...
Leechburg First United Methodist Church to hold ‘Souper Bowl Sunday’ lunch event
Leechburg United Methodist Church will be holding its first special luncheon on Sunday to help raise awareness about food insecurity. The event, to be held at the church, is dubbed the “Souper Bowl Sunday Lunch & Special Collections.” “This is an opportunity to raise awareness for people who suffer from...
Police: Brackenridge woman leapt from second-story window in New Kensington to avoid arrest
New Kensington police say a woman leaped out of a second-story window to get away from officers who came to arrest her for trashing a house and swinging a knife at the owner when he told her to leave. Khayla Jean Loughner, 32, of Eighth Avenue, Brackenridge, was charged with...
The Stroller, Feb. 3, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Valentine’s hike planned Feb. 13 at Outdoor Discovery Center Naturalist Dave Beale will lead a free 1-mile Valentine’s forest hike at 10:30...
Plum church gets charitable boost to its homeless assistance project
A Plum church’s program to help the homeless has received a boost through a Tarentum-area charitable trust. Unity Community Church, located along Unity-Trestle Road, launched its Feed the Flock Project last year through a $5,000 grant from the Ira R. Wood and Frances Wood Charitable Trust. It was designed to...
New Kensington-Arnold students to take snow-covered sidewalk concerns to cities’ officials
Despite temperatures well above freezing, stretches of sidewalks in New Kensington and Arnold still could be found covered in snow Wednesday as the region braced for the next winter storm expected to bring a mix of snow and ice. The last measurable snow fell Jan. 28, according to the National...
