Valley News Dispatch category, Page 429

South Buffalo Township officials have added a familiar face to their police department and raised hourly pay for public safety. Christopher Kovacs, 33, of Penn Township was unanimously hired as a full-time patrolman Monday night. He was selected out of a dozen candidates and four finalists. Supervisor Paul Bergad administered...

Two residents familiar to Tarentum voters are seeking to be the borough’s mayor. Councilwoman Carrie Fox is competing against Bob Lang, a retired borough police officer, for the four-year term. “I will be a mayor that is more visible and available 24/7 to Tarentum,” said Fox, a member of council...

The Kiski Area High School Marching Band is on a roll. The band placed first in the Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional competition held Oct. 9 in College Park, Md. The win marks the band’s 21st BOA Regional Champion title. Band director Shawn Pityk said Kiski Area is the only...

Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Kiski Township Boy Scouts to host Haunted Trail Boy Scout Troop 589 of Kiski Township will host a Haunted Trail from...

A New Kensington volunteer firefighter accustomed to helping others is appreciative that his community is rallying to his aid now that he is in need. Chris Ploski, 59, is a firefighter with the city’s No. 2 engine company in Parnassus. He was diagnosed in late September with stage 4 small...

Three people were hospitalized with minor injuries in a two-car crash in Lower Burrell late Tuesday afternoon. The crash occurred near Hillcrest Volkswagen, by the intersection of Route 56 and Claremont Drive, shortly before 4:30 p.m. Lower Burrell No. 3 Fire Chief Mark Marmo said a Tesla sedan and a...

Stormwater management, invasive plants and riverfront recreation are among the topics to be studied by a new committee in Tarentum. Council approved the formation of a five-member environmental advisory group and appointed its first two members, residents Cynthia Kramer and Christa Jones. There is room for two more volunteers. The...

Aspinwall voters will see two familiar faces in the race for borough mayor. David Brown, a current member of Aspinwall council, is the Democratic candidate. He is seeking to unseat incumbent mayor Republican Joe Noro. Here are their answers to questions posed by the Tribune-Review: David C. Brown Political party:...

Renata Diaz calls the living room of her New Kensington home her “bright place.” But Diaz was grateful that she and her four young children — ranging from her newborn daughter to her 10-year-old son — weren’t there Monday morning. On Tuesday, Diaz said that because her 3-year-old daughter wanted...

Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Coat drive to benefit Highlands students The second annual Winter-Ready Rams coat drive to benefit children in the Highlands School District...

The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has accepted a $358,000 bid to repair one of four bridges that cross over Little Pucketa Creek at Valley High School. The bid from Caliber Contracting Services of Edgewood was the only one received for work on the main entrance bridge. The bid was opened...

Dillner Family Farms of West Deer has received a nearly $700,000 investment from the state Department of Agriculture to preserve the property as farmland through permanent conservation easement. It is one of 21 farms that received an easement last week and the only farm in Allegheny County. Dillner Family Farms...

Two women were charged Saturday by Frazer Township police with stealing nearly $3,000 worth of merchandise from a Walmart store over five days after one of them was spotted, according to police, shoplifting a supplement that claims to improve brain health. Police were dispatched to the Walmart at the Pittsburgh...

Fox Families Care (FFC) is quietly working behind the scenes to provide local children with all they need to succeed inside the classroom. In the weeks leading up to the new school year, the nonprofit sponsored a freshman orientation at Fox Chapel Area High School to promote positive mental health....

No one was hurt in a fire Monday morning at a Leechburg duplex, according to fire department officials. The blaze was reported at 1 a.m., according to an Armstrong 911 dispatcher. Thick smoke was seen pouring out of the two-story Market Street building. A state police fire marshal is investigating....

Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Westmoreland County Marines to supply Christmas groceries Westmoreland County Marines will provide Christmas groceries to local veterans’ families in need. To...

From a 1925 vintage fire engine to an antique toy exhibit to a display about convicted murderer Martha Grinder, a Kiski Valley museums open house tour Sunday had something for everybody. The tour encompassed exhibits from the Victorian Vandergrift Museum and Historical Society, as well as the Apollo, Hyde Park...

OK, so there wasn’t fall foliage for the much-anticipated Gateway Clipper leaf-peeping tour on the Allegheny River in Armstrong County earlier this month because of unseasonably warm weather. Then, Lock and Dam No. 6 in Clinton closed unexpectedly for repairs, causing organizers to reroute the trip to launch from Freeport...

The last of the first Fridays on Fifth is coming this week in New Kensington, and business owners are hoping to keep the city’s momentum going through the winter until the monthly events return next year. Held on the fourth Friday of the month, the first Fridays on Fifth was...

Freeport Area School District officials might team with a familiar architectural firm to craft a master plan for high school improvements. The school directors and administrators observed a presentation from HHSDR Architects/Engineers at Thursday night’s school board meeting. It’s the same firm that worked on Freeport’s middle school and designed...

A vacant lot used as a staging area for ATI trucks in Natrona will be transformed with ginkgo trees and other varieties in a partnership between Harrison and the mill. Fifteen trees will be planted at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 3 in an effort to reduce water runoff and air pollution,...

Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. NK Salvation Army to offer holiday assistance The New Kensington Salvation Army will accept applications for assistance for holiday food and...

Several longtime Trib journalists assumed key leadership roles last week. Jason Cato, Matt Provenzo and Ben Schmitt have been promoted to deputy managing editor positions, said Trib Executive Editor Luis Fabregas. Dirk Kaufman is director of newsroom operations. “Their experience and talent will play a crucial role in this ever-changing...

Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Cash bash to benefit Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley will sponsor a Cash Bash Nov. 13 at the Comfort...