Valley News Dispatch category, Page 438
Heights Plaza wreaths a sign of the holidays, nod to the past
Passersby at Heights Plaza in Harrison likely will notice the 28 oversized pine wreaths hung Saturday by Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard and a group of fellow holiday elves. The 4-foot wreaths are illuminated with tiny white lights and appointed with a large red bow. Dizard said the sight might evoke...
The Stroller, Nov. 16, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Toys for Children campaign underway in West Deer West Deer Police Department is sponsoring its 25th annual Toys for Children drive...
Frazer police warn residents to lock cars after multiple thefts in East Deer
Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of committing multiple burglaries in the East Deer and Frazer area Sunday morning. According to Frazer police, the suspect stole multiple items from unlocked vehicles beginning around 4:30 a.m. He started on Bailies Run Road in East Deer...
Self-defense claimed in Arnold fatal shooting
The lawyer for the man charged in the fatal shooting of a man in Arnold last year told a Westmoreland County jury that his client acted in self defense. Devon Askew, 28, of Churchill feared for his life and fired two shots to protect himself, a woman and her young...
Kiski Area grad died in wrong-way collision in Washington Township
A Kiski Area High School graduate studying to become a welder died Sunday in a wrong-way crash in Washington Township. Zeth Reber, 22, of Washington Township died when his 2014 Honda Civic was hit head-on by a 2012 Dodge Caravan traveling the wrong direction on Route 380 in Washington Township....
New Kensington-Arnold School Board candidate ineligible to claim seat over residency issue
One of four candidates who ran unopposed for the New Kensington-Arnold School Board will not be able to take the seat, according to the interim director of Westmoreland County Elections. Peter Nkemakolam ran for a school board seat in the district’s Region 3. However, Nkemakolam lives in Region 2, interim...
Police: Brother tried to get twin to hospital after being shot at Upper Burrell bar
A Vandergrift man died Saturday night as his twin brother was trying to rush him to a hospital after the man was shot at an Upper Burrell bar. According to police, Andy Jenereaux got from Woodpeckers Pub and Grub to near the New Kensington bridge about 5 miles away before...
The Stroller, Nov. 15, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Neil Simon comedy, ‘Fools’ to be performed at Valley High School The Valley High School Drama Club will present the Neil...
3 men arrested, jailed after pursuit, crash in North Buffalo
Three men from York are facing firearms and other charges after their vehicle crashed into another vehicle while fleeing police in Armstrong County last week. Alezea Merguiades Pagan and Yaheem Larenz-Dionico Jones, both 20, and Michael Pagan, 23, are being held in the Armstrong County Jail and are scheduled for...
1 killed, 7 hurt in wrong-way Washington Township crash
A 22-year-old man was killed when his car was hit head-on by a minivan heading the wrong way on Route 380 in Washington Township Sunday, according to township police. Township police said Zeth Reber, of Washington Township, was driving east in the eastbound lane and Abigail Jones, 23, from Carlisle...
Knead Community Cafe works around supply issues in crafting new fall, winter menu
How does a hot turkey sandwich on Texas toast with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce sound? Or maybe a salad with baby spinach, golden raisins, walnuts, goat cheese, red onion, green apples, crushed Ritz crackers and an apple Vidalia onion dressing? If not, how about a porchetta with thin-sliced, grilled...
Turning grief to action, O’Hara family creates ‘Positive Painting Project’ to spread messages of hope
Local projects to promote mental health awareness and support the arts are spreading hope, one canvas at a time. The Positive Painting Project and The Katie Whysong Scholarship for the Arts were created this year by Alisa and Todd Whysong of O’Hara, in honor of their daughter, Katie. Katie died...
Victim identified in Upper Burrell bar shooting; suspect jailed
An Upper Burrell man has been charged with homicide in connection with a fatal shooting at an Upper Burrell tavern Saturday night. Daniel J. Moles, 61, was arrested and taken to the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court documents. The shooting occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday at Woodpeckers Pub...
Westmoreland housing authority seeks to tear down New Ken townhouses, sell parcel to UniFirst
A public housing complex is getting smaller, while a business is getting larger in New Kensington. UniFirst is acquiring 1.3 acres of Kensington Manor from the Westmoreland County Housing Authority. City council recently approved subdividing that portion of the complex off from the rest of it. UniFirst, which fronts on...
Burrell theater students collaborated with Seattle playwright to hone ‘Artist Retreat’
The Burrell High School Theatre Company this week will premiere “Artist Retreat,” a comedy by a Seattle playwright who collaborated with Burrell students on revisions over two years. Matt Smith, an old friend of Burrell music director Martin Connolly, penned the wild comedy following the travails of a retired dancer,...
The Stroller, Nov. 14, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Freeport Area High school set to perform, ‘Pippin’ Freeport Area High School will present the musical, “Pippin,” at 2 and 7...
Giving new life to old furniture, On the Edge opens in Tarentum
Upscale furniture on a shoestring budget is the motto of Tarentum’s new custom furniture store, On the Edge. “No matter who you are or what your background is, you can walk in and afford one of my pieces,” owner Tim Emery said. “My furniture is cool and edgy and for...
Lack of local police a surprise to some in Freeport
The news of no local police protection came as a surprise Saturday to many Freeport businesses. The borough hasn’t had a police officer on duty since Nov. 3, when the newly hired police chief quit at the end of his first shift. “I’m shocked,” Fifth Street Bistro owner Jess Stobert...
Tax forecast for 2022-23 in the Freeport Area School District: Up in Buffalo Township, down in Freeport and South Buffalo
Buffalo Township real estate owners in the Freeport Area School District might be facing a hefty tax increase for the 2022-23 school year. Brad Walker, Freeport Area’s business manager, said real estate owners in Buffalo Township, the district’s lone Butler County community, could be looking at as much as a...
Small crowd, big effort for Salvation Army Red Kettle Race in Brackenridge
Participants of the third annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Race in Brackenridge didn’t appear to mind that the temperatures only crept into the mid-30s on Saturday morning. “It’s not something you really want to get out of bed for on an early winter morning, but it’s a great cause,” said...
Freeport has no cops after chief quits at end of 1st shift; state police covering borough
Freeport hasn’t had a police officer on duty since Nov. 3, when the newly hired police chief quit at the end of his first shift. With no officers left on the force, state police are handling calls in the 1.3-square-mile borough of about 1,700 residents, officials said. Retired Plum police...
Determined Highlands kindergartner says, ‘They cut off my foot. And I’m getting a new one!’
Highlands kindergartner Annabel Grant isn’t shy when classmates ask why she uses a wheelchair. “They cut off my foot,” the 5-year-old says bluntly. “And I’m getting a new one!” Born with fibular hemimelia — the absence of a fibula bone — in her lower right leg, Annabel doesn’t appear to...
The Stroller, Nov. 13, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Toys for Tots sign-ups scheduled Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots served by the Allegheny Valley Detachment will have sign-ups online...
Tarentum lands Allegheny County grant to cover East 7th Avenue sewer project
A $73,000 storm sewer separation project in Tarentum is expected to wrap up by the end of the year — and it will cost the borough less than $300. Council on Tuesday was awarded $72,752 from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. “We originally thought the project was going to...
Friends continue direct delivery of Thanksgiving meals to those alone, in need
Two friends are teaming up again to help folks living alone enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Last year, as the pandemic highlighted social isolation during the holidays, Molly O’Brien of Fox Chapel and Bethanie Stein of Aspinwall started their own, small-scale effort to provide meals directly to people in need....
