Valley News Dispatch category, Page 420
Ministry eyeing February opening for Brackenridge homeless facility
By this time next month, a former Brackenridge personal care home will be nearly ready to welcome new residents. The owner of the building, Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC), is performing minor construction to reconfigure the site as a homeless facility. “We are hoping to be ready to house...
Retired Fox Chapel surgeon puts down scalpel and picks up welding torchVideo
Robert Quinlin spent the better part of the past two pandemic years toiling away with sheet metal and geometric shapes. The retired bariatric surgeon from Fox Chapel handles a welding torch like a scalpel, cutting triangles, cubes, dodecahedrons — a circular-type structure with 12 flat faces — and other “golden...
Westmoreland jail inmate charged with making over 200 calls to victim demanding she drop charges
A New Kensington man awaiting trial on charges of ramming a car with two young children inside is now accused of making more than 200 calls from the county jail to the woman driving that car, asking her not to testify against him, according to county detectives. Jamar L. Freshley,...
Greensburg man claims co-defendant’s plea deal hid from defense
The lawyer for a Greensburg man sentenced this week to serve life in prison for the 2017 murder of a Vandergrift woman claims prosecutors hid evidence of a plea deal offered to a co-defendant and key witness in the case. Defense attorney Tim Andrews contends Westmoreland County prosecutors suppressed evidence...
Lifetime sex offender charged with failing to update address after moving from Tarentum apartment
A former Tarentum man who is on the state Megan’s Law list as a lifetime sex offender was accused by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office of failing to inform authorities when he moved out of his home last fall. James Edward Sundberg, 66, who lived in the 200 block of...
2nd person charged with drug, gun offenses in connection with Upper Burrell traffic stop
A second person has been charged with drug and gun-related offenses in connection with a traffic stop by Upper Burrell police in late December. Shane Thomas Buccieri, 23, of Sixth Avenue in Tarentum is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a count of illegal possession...
The Stroller, Jan. 14, 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. Free tax preparation available at Springdale library Springdale Free Public Library is accepting appointments for AARP’s...
Allegheny Township supervisor donates $2,500 for gate to help curb vandalism in Finnin Park
A recently elected Allegheny Township supervisor said complaints he received from residents during his bid for office about damage done to Finnin Park by people using all-terrain vehicles after hours aren’t going unheeded. To begin to address the problem, Supervisor James Morabito donated $2,500 to install a gate at the...
New Kensington police charge lawyer from Murrysville with DUI, fleeing from traffic stop
A lawyer from Murrysville is accused by New Kensington police of driving while intoxicated and leading them on a high-speed chase when they tried to pull him over. Robert Dishington Monsour, 69, of Saltsburg Road, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. and...
New Kensington car wash celebrates opening with free washes, fundraising for Knead Cafe
A new car wash in New Kensington is celebrating its opening with free car washes for 10 days and benefits for Knead Community Cafe. Clean Express Auto Wash began operating off Tarentum Bridge Road in front of Busy Beaver in late December, said Beth Martin, a spokeswoman for parent company...
New Kensington-Arnold includes 5% tax increase in proposed 2022-23 preliminary spending plan
A maximum 5% property tax increase is included in New Kensington-Arnold School District’s $40.9 million proposed preliminary budget for next school year. School board President Tim Beckes hopes that increase can be reduced before a final budget for 2022-23 is passed in June. “We hope to not have to do...
Highlands property taxes unlikely to increase more than 4.9% — if at all
Highlands School Board next week will consider limiting any real estate tax hike for next school year to 4.9%. The board is expected to vote on staying under an inflation-based cap assigned each year to each school district in the state. The district’s limit is up from this school year’s...
Former nurse pleads guilty to indecent assault of residents at Lower Burrell care home
A former nurse at a Lower Burrell care nursing home and rehabilitation center was sentenced Wednesday to at least 6 months in jail for indecent assaults against two residents last year. Jacques C. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington pleaded guilty to six offenses in which police said he had sexual...
The Stroller, Jan. 13, 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. Nominations sought for Alumni Hall of Fame Allegheny Valley School District is accepting nominations for its...
Arnold Council honors police officers from city and beyond for efforts during Arnold Manor fire
Thirteen police officers who evacuated residents of the Arnold Manor high-rise when the building caught fire Dec. 9 have been honored by Arnold city officials. Mayor Joseph Bia and council on Tuesday presented the officers with framed certificates of appreciation for their efforts. Bia said their efforts were crucial in...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials pledge to keep any tax increase in 2022-23 within state cap
Fox Chapel Area property owners should not expect to see any hike in real estate taxes beyond 3.4% for next school year. School district officials recently approved a resolution pledging to keep any tax hike within an inflation-based state limit. Act 1, passed in 2006 to provide property tax relief,...
Police say argument in Plum led woman to shoot boyfriend, chase him with knife
A woman from Ohio has been charged with attempted homicide after police said she shot her boyfriend multiple times Wednesday night during an argument at his home in Plum and then chased him down the street with a kitchen knife when he tried to flee. Police say Crystal Marie Veasey,...
The Stroller, Jan. 12, 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. Bowling event to benefit cat and kitten rescue A bowling fundraiser to benefit Kiski Valley Vat...
New Harrison commissioners take office
Harrison Commissioners welcomed two new members during a reorganization meeting on Monday, Jan. 3. Jim Erb and Jamie Nee, both Republicans, were elected to four-year terms in November. They will take the place of Democrats Bill Heasley and Gary Lilly, who did not seek reelection. Also during the meeting, Gary...
Pittsburgh fighter will compete for IBA Super Featherweight title in Harmar
Pittsburgh junior lightweight Matt “Sweet Child” Conway will go up against a Philadelphia fighter for the IBA super featherweight championship title in the 130-pound division on Jan. 15, as another full night of boxing returns to the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar. “We have some fighters on this card from...
Bail rejected in New Kensington drive-by shooting case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ruled a suspect in a drive-by shooting last June in New Kensington that left one man wounded will remain in jail pending his attempted homicide trial. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request for bail from Ernest Gary IV, 18, of New...
Freeport Area High School goes remote after surging covid counts
Freeport Area High School students will switch to remote learning through Friday because of elevated covid cases and ongoing in-school transmission, district officials announced. The shutdown impacts the high school only. A covid dashboard on the district website confirms 31 active cases at the high school, 29 of them in...
Highlands School Board could make masks optional next week
The Highlands School Board next week will consider reversing its mandatory mask policy, allowing students, staff and visitors the option to choose. “We should not be imposing rules on our parents,” board member Judy Wisner said. “They should be free to make their own decisions.” Wisner added that “the sooner...
Allegheny County denies permit for Tarentum’s Gatto Cycle Diner to reopen
The Allegheny County Health Department has denied a permit to reopen the Cycle Diner next to the Gatto Cycle Shop in Tarentum. The classic 1949 stainless steel, O’Mahony diner is attached to the Gatto Harley-Davidson showroom at the corner of Wood Street and East Sixth Avenue. During the pandemic, two...
Pittsburgh nonprofit to expand free internet in New Kensington, Wilkinsburg via foundation grants
A Pittsburgh nonprofit has received more than $1.4 million from foundations as it plans to expand its free internet access to communities in need across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Meta Mesh Wireless Communities announced it received $1.13 million from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for its wireless internet service, Every1online. Meta Mesh...
