Valley News Dispatch category, Page 416
Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas embrace parents through the loss of a baby
Their tiny hands will never hold on to their parents. Their small feet will never take a step. Their eyes will never open wide with wonder. The unthinkable death of a baby is a moment that lives on in a parent’s heart forever. The heartache of losing them is infinite....
Police: Leechburg woman charged after giving cops video she said proved her innocence
A woman is accused of pointed a rifle at her neighbor’s dog and threatening to shoot it before turning the weapon on its owner when he told her killing the animal would land her in jail, according to Leechburg police. Tracey A. Geracia, 53, of Kirkpatrick Avenue, was charged with...
The Stroller, Jan. 28, 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. Shoe collection to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society A used shoe collection to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will continue through...
Stay off the ice: Allegheny River frozen for more than 45 miles north of Cheswick
Recent clear and frigid nights accelerated ice formation on the Allegheny River stretching from Cheswick north past Kittanning, according to the National Weather Service. With more than 45 river miles iced over, authorities are urging residents to stay off the ice for safety reasons. The ice mass is expected to...
West Deer man takes satisfaction in caring for Bull Creek Cemetery
West Deer resident Howard Kirkbride tries to keep his visits to Bull Creek Cemetery to a minimum of once a week, but his passion for it makes that impossible. The 77-year-old has volunteered his time to the cemetery, on Tarentum-Culmerville Road, for more than 28 years. He became president of...
Fox Chapel church hoping to ‘Fill the Truck’ for food pantries in Indiana Township, Sharpsburg and Etna
On Super Bowl Sunday, football won’t be center stage for everyone. Volunteers at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church are scheduled to host the 8th annual Fill the Truck fundraiser through which several hundred food and nonperishable items are collected for hungry neighbors. “It is a great event for the community,” Deacon...
Police: Raid at Arnold man’s home nets 4 pounds of pot, cash, illegal guns
An Arnold man faces seven felony charges after police raided his home and found more than 4 pounds of marijuana, thousands of dollars in cash and several illegal guns, according to his arrest papers. John Wermlinger, 53, of the 1500 block of Riverside Drive, was charged with five counts of...
ACMH Hospital nurses vote to authorize potential strike
A clash over wages and staffing has led to a potential strike by the nursing staff at ACMH Hospital near Kittanning. ACMH Nurses United, which represents 213 staffers at the hospital along Nolte Drive, voted Wednesday to authorize a strike after being what they called “pushed to the brink by...
Tarentum councilman aims to make borough a destination with Craft Beer Fest
With plans underway for the second annual Craft Beer Festival in Tarentum, organizers are looking to adjust the timing to account for the weather. “Everything was great, but it was boiling hot,” event coordinator Brian Snyder said of last year’s festival, held in August at Dreshar Stadium. Snyder, a member...
Vandergrift Public Library to hold escape room fundraisers with live actors
The Vandergrift Public Library wants you out the door — for a good cause. As a fundraiser, the library will hold two escape room events, on Feb. 11 and 25, in its historic building in downtown Vandergrift. People are invited to register in teams of four to six to compete...
Police: Woman faces gun, drug charges after speeding past officer on the berm in a snowstorm
Lower Burrell police charged a woman with a felony count of carrying a gun without a permit after she was pulled over for using the shoulder of the road to speed past an officer on Route 56 during a snowstorm, police said. In addition to the gun charge, Susan Ann...
The Stroller, Jan. 27, 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. Volunteers needed to help order food in New Kensington The City of New Kensington is partnering with Oasis Grocery Direct as a...
Burrell School Board agrees to not raise property taxes above 4.4% — if at all
The Burrell School Board has agreed to not raise property taxes for next school year higher than the state-inflation based limit of 4.4%. For the 2022-23 budget budget, the board could vote on a budget calling for that maximum tax increase, a smaller tax hike, or none at all. The...
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in East Deer making progress as it aims for summer production
Citing steady progress at its new site in East Deer, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. general manager Todd Zwicker said Wednesday he expects brewing to be underway by the summer. The makers of Iron City Beer started work at the former Pittsburgh Glass Works last year. A tour of the facility Wednesday...
Springdale police: Borough man used stolen debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs
Springdale police charged a Pittsburgh Street man with using a stolen debit card to make a string of ATM withdrawals totaling more than $850. Clarence Fletcher White, 63, was charged Jan. 25 with a felony count of access device fraud along with charges of theft and receiving stolen property in...
Police: Ford City area man charged with felony, accused of selling meth to undercover informant
State police have accused an Armstrong County man with an extensive criminal history of being a drug dealer more than two years after an informant bought methamphetamine from him during a sting operation. Delton Michael Ion, 38, of Manor Township was charged Jan. 12 with a felony count of possession...
Greensburg man not guilty in shooting at New Kensington police
A Greensburg man was acquitted Wednesday of the attempted murder and assaults of three New Kensington police officers who were shot at as they rode in an unmarked surveillance van during a search for a suspect in an unrelated criminal case two years ago. After nearly three hours of deliberations,...
Injury reported in rollover wreck along Melwood Road in Allegheny Township
Fire, police and medics responded to the scene of a rollover crash in Allegheny Township early Wednesday afternoon, according to authorities. The crash was reported at 12:43 p.m. along Melwood Road near Pounds Turkey Farm, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. The driver reportedly suffered an injury but did...
The Stroller, Jan. 26, 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. Salvation Army needs volunteers for food service canteens The Salvation Army in New Kensington is looking for volunteers to work at its...
Pittsburgh man charged with mid-December shooting at Waterworks mall
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in a Dec. 14 shooting that caused panic at The Waterworks mall and damaged an occupied car parked outside Walmart. John Hayden, 21, is charged by Pittsburgh police with aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief, a firearms violation and two counts each of...
Fists fly at ‘Winter Mayhem’ boxing card in Harmar
In the perpetual cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the City of Brotherly Love came out on top over the weekend, as Philly boxer Avery Sparrow bested the Steel City’s Matt “Sweet Child” Conway to win the International Boxing Association Super Featherweight and Pennsylvania state title. Sparrow (11-3, 4 KOs)...
Butler family promotes the joys of hosting foreign exchange students, seeks more hosts
It didn’t take long for Kathryn Smail and her family to decide to be a host family for a high school foreign exchange student — four days, in fact. And before long, they were taking in one student after another. Now the Smails, who live in Butler, are spreading the...
Police: New Kensington man charged with dealing drugs after crack cocaine found during traffic stop
Police are accusing a New Kensington man of being a drug dealer after officers said they found more than half an ounce of crack cocaine while he was being searched following a traffic stop. John Lavell Hawkins, 34, of Ridge Avenue was charged by New Kensington police with a felony...
Witness: Man fired pistol at twins from barstool at Woodpecker’s in Upper Burrell
A bartender testified Tuesday that Daniel Moles sipped bourbon at Woodpeckers Pub and Grub in Upper Burrell for several hours on the evening of Nov. 13 and chatted with customers before aiming a pistol at twin brothers seated across the bar and firing two shots, killing one of them. District...
Ringer’s get first-step in dog daycare approval, more permitting necessary
Harrison business owner Kim Ringer got first-step approval from the township commissioners on Monday in her pursuit to operate a dog day care and boarding service from her Freeport Road retail space. The commissioners voted 5-0 to rezone the property from B-1 to S-1, allowing pet day care services. Ringer...
