Valley News Dispatch category, Page 418
Pittsburgh’s Ukrainian community keeps nervous watch as Russia threatens invasion of homeland
The Rev. Timothy Tomson, whose grandparents are from Ukraine, is among those in the Pittsburgh area with Ukrainian roots watching warily as fears of a Russian invasion continue. Tomson is vice president of the Ukrainian Community of Western Pennsylvania, which he helped found in 2009, and pastor of St. Mary...
Lenny Calderone remembered as beloved ‘ambassador’ of Vandergrift
Leonard Rocco “Lenny” Calderone, a Vandergrift native known for intense pride in his hometown, died on Sunday. His sister, Elizabeth Calderone, said he died suddenly at home from a heart attack. He was 78. While Calderone never held a position in local government, he was widely considered the unofficial ambassador...
Kentucky firm to dismantle Cheswick Generating Station for potential redevelopment
The Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale Borough, slated to close on April 1 after more than 50 years of operation, has been purchased by a Kentucky firm that specializes in remediation of coal-fired power stations. Charah Solutions, based in Louisville, said Thursday it will dismantle the plant and potentially use...
Kiski Area student leads team trying to raise $100K for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
A Kiski Area High School student is hoping to raise big money for a charity close to her heart. Junior Allison Thompson of Washington Township formed Team WISH (Warriors of Invincible Strength and Hope) on a mission to raise $100,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For her efforts, Thompson...
The Stroller, Jan. 21, 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 at cat rescue Kiski Valley Cat and Kitten Rescue is seeking volunteers to help at the shelter, located in Allegheny...
Feds: New Kensington resident serves federal prison time for illegally receiving pandemic jobless benefits
A New Kensington man served six months in a federal prison after he was convicted of receiving pandemic unemployment compensation that he didn’t qualify for. Erick Woods, 23, of New Kensington was sentenced to time served (six months) and a two-year term of supervised released, after he was convicted of...
Freeport lands $11 million grant to pay for most of new sewage treatment plant
Freeport officials have landed a huge state grant — $11 million — to help pay for a new $16.9 million sewage treatment plant. The borough’s 50-year-old plant discharges partially treated sewage during heavy rains into Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. The plant needs upgrades to meet state...
Short-term solution announced to New Kensington’s downtown ‘food desert’Video
A short-term solution to the food desert in downtown New Kensington is on the way, Mayor Tom Guzzo said. The city is partnering with Oasis Grocery Direct to launch a system in which residents can order groceries online and get them two days later at a pickup point. Volunteers would...
Highlands school board votes to make masks optional
Highlands students are not required to wear masks in class, or elsewhere on district property, after the school board on Wednesday night reversed a previous mandate. The policy extends to staff and visitors, though the new mask-optional guidelines will limit outsiders in the building. The board voted 6-3, with members...
Erie man charged with returning to Frazer Walmart to steal 2nd big-screen TV
Frazer police charged an Erie County man with multiple felonies after, they say, he stole a large flat-panel TV from a Walmart store and then returned several weeks later and stole another one. Joseph Arciuolo, 35, of Millcreek Township, faces one count of burglary and two counts each of receiving...
Tarentum approves seed money for West Seventh Avenue renovation plan
By this time next year, Tarentum’s West Seventh Avenue business corridor could look brand-new with updated facades on many of the storefronts. That’s the hope of council, which last week agreed to put up seed money for a redevelopment plan by Faith Community Partners (FCP). The nonprofit has worked a...
The Stroller, Jan. 20, 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. HOPE Center accepting donations for its SAF-T pet kennel The Alle-Kiski HOPE Center offers a Sheltering Animals and Families Together (SAF-T) Kennel...
Fox Chapel Area SD teams with California company to provide links to mental health services
Fox Chapel Area School District has partnered with a California-based firm to help link students and staffers to mental health professionals. The board recently approved a contract of nearly $20,000 with Care Solace to provide a web-based navigation system. Families can use the service in conjunction with the school district...
Tarentum hit-and-run suspect faces March trial date
A Lower Burrell woman accused of hitting two people with her car near the Tarentum Bridge late last month will face a March trial following a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Lois A. Davis, 55, had two felony counts of accidents involving death or personal injury held for court along with one...
Eligible preschoolers in Vandergrift can now get a Head Start
There’s a new preschool in Vandergrift. Westmoreland Community Action has opened a Head Start classroom in the lower level of The Center on Franklin Avenue, in the former Trinity United Presbyterian Church. Teacher Abby Wilcox of Kiski Township welcomed new students Monday. Head Start prepares children ages 3 to 5...
Water rates stand pat in new Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County budget
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers will see no rate changes for the next year under part of a new $107.6 million operating budget unanimously approved Wednesday by the agency’s board of directors. Water rates last were increased in 2017 as part of a three-year plan to raise revenues...
Allegheny Valley School Board votes to keep masking requirement in place
The masking requirement will remain at Allegheny Valley School District. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, board members voted 5-4 to keep a mandatory masking policy in place, rather than switching to recommended masking. School board member David Buchman said the board will revisit the mask requirement if improvement...
New Kensington man accused of sexual misconduct with 3 young girls ordered to stand trial
A New Kensington man accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with three girls, ages 11, 13 and 14, has been ordered to stand trial on multiple felony charges. Lawrence William Barber, 67, of Parkview Drive was charged Dec. 9 with three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children...
Tarentum bids farewell to Tarena, approves construction storage facility
It’s time to take down the silver mirror ball at the Tarena. Council on Tuesday night approved a conditional use by a Wexford-based construction company to transform the long-running Tarentum entertainment spot into a storage facility and staging area. “We have to take the emotion out of it,” council President...
Police: Man faces felony charge for harassing phone calls targeting New Kensington woman
New Kensington police charged a Manor Township man with felony stalking after, they say, he repeatedly harassed a woman who obtained a protection from abuse order against him in 2020. Scott Eugene Rupert, 49, of Mateer Drive, Manor Township also was charged with harassment in connection with an investigation that...
Police: New Kensington man accused of breaking into home, threatening care provider and others
A New Kensington woman accused a man for whom she provides care of assaulting her and threatening to shoot her and other staff at a residence that provides care for people with mental challenges, New Kensington police said. Police charged Marvin Tyree Hall, 36, of Constitution Boulevard, New Kensington with...
Community Library in Harrison welcomes voters for 24th annual Quilt Show
A winter tradition at Community Library of Allegheny Valley is filling the Harrison site with bright, spring-like colors. The 24th annual Quilt Show is on display with about 20 entries hanging above the book stacks, slung over exposed ceiling beams in the facility on Broadview Boulevard in Natrona Heights. Voting...
The Stroller, Jan. 19, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Start the new year off right! 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. Food drive to benefit Westmoreland County Food Bank The Fallen Officer Food Drive will be from...
Olympus Energy gas well in Washington Township on hold as more discussions to be scheduled
There are about 40 Marcellus shale natural gas wells in Washington Township, but adding another to that total isn’t yet a done deal. Supervisors did not make a decision Jan. 13 on Olympus Energy’s proposal to drill a natural gas well off Kistler Drive, as questions arose regarding access to...
Citing time for change, entire Brackenridge recreation board resigns
Brackenridge is without a recreation committee, at least temporarily. All five members of the volunteer group resigned during the borough’s reorganization meeting Jan. 3. “I am proud of everything this committee has done,” said Cindy Kish, who stepped down as president of the group. “We have always done our best...
