Valley News Dispatch category, Page 445

The new school year started Thursday for students in the Highlands School District. While students are required to wear face masks on buses, the district has made them optional in schools. The school board stood by that decision at its most recent meeting Aug. 16. “I wish we were returning...

A Highlands School District principal demoted to the teacher ranks last year has requested that personnel hearings on the demotion be held in public, her attorney said. Samantha Perlik’s first hearing before the school board is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the district administration center in Highlands...

Going into the first Fridays on Fifth in New Kensington in July, Sweet Tillies baklava bakery owner Amy Johnson was worried she had made too much and wouldn’t know what to do with it. Instead, Johnson said, “Within 20 minutes, I was like, ‘Holy crap, I didn’t make enough.’” Jamie...

One of three winning Treasure Hunt tickets splitting a $130,000 jackpot from Wednesday’s drawing was sold in Arnold, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Thursday. The winning ticket for just over $43,000 before withholdings was sold at the 7-Eleven store at 2033 Freeport Road. The other winning tickets were sold at a...

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. Family fun day planned Saturday at Vandergrift church First United Methodist Church, Vandergrift, will sponsor a free family fun day from...

Lucille Gearhart walked with a cane as she made her way down the steps to the Vandergrift pool in Veterans Memorial Park. The 91-year-old donned a green, black and white tankini top and black, skirted bottom. It was time for the bathing suit photo shoot. “I’m doing this for my...

An attorney representing a Lower Burrell woman who crashed her car in a work zone on the closed Tarentum Bridge in June tried to argue Wednesday there was no proof she was drunk at the time of the crash. Brackenridge District Judge Carolyn Bengel didn’t buy defense attorney Tom McKinley’s...

Leechburg Area High School Superintendent Tiffany Nix stood outside on campus Wednesday morning, greeting students on the first day of school. “It’s so exciting,” Nix said. “Our students need to be face-to-face, and our teachers need to be with our students.” The district enrolls about 750 students. Nix said only...

Firefighters responded en masse Wednesday afternoon when a fire was reported at a two-story apartment building along Freeport Road in Harrison. Sean Jones, fire chief of Citizens Hose Fire Rescue and EMS, said crews initially were called out shortly after 4 p.m. for smoke in an apartment. Firefighters found heavy...

A man wanted on two charges of sexually assaulting a minor was apprehended in Sharpsburg on Wednesday, authorities said. Travis Gladish, 38, of Wellsburg, W.Va., was arrested just after 11:15 a.m. after deputies from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office were tipped of to his location in the borough. Gladish was...

An Arnold man wanted on warrants in connection with child endangerment and animal cruelty cases was arrested Tuesday morning after a foot chase that ended when he stepped on a nail, police said. Court records show Trever Lamar Cue, 27, was charged with child endangerment in April after, police said,...

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. Tarentum fire departments to host music, arts and craft beer fest The Tarentum Music, Arts and Craft Beer Fest will be...

A Fayette County man died Wednesday in a tractor-trailer crash that closed the Pennsylvania Turnpike eastbound for several hours Wednesday in Monroeville, according to state police. David J. Paull, 60, of Uniontown, who was a passenger in the truck, died in the 1:30 p.m. crash that occurred at milepost 54.4...

Professional wrestling, music and food will be featured at a Citizens Hose Fire-Rescue-EMS fundraiser Saturday in Harrison. The event, featuring a show by Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, is scheduled to start with food at 1 p.m., music beginning at 2:30 p.m. and wrestling getting underway at 5 p.m. at the...

The school year got underway this week in Allegheny Valley School District, with kindergarten classes starting Tuesday and other grades beginning the day before. The school board voted 7-2 last week to make mask-wearing mandatory in district buildings and on buses. Masks aren’t required during recess, lunch or activities such...

The first day of school at Apollo-Ridge on Tuesday was about “getting our students back on track with some routine and consistency,” one administrator said. Courtney Anderson, the elementary principal, said the staff will focus on co-teaching and small group work to help strengthen students academically. Students are attending fully...

The First Avenue ramps onto and off of the Tarentum Bridge will be closed for much of the day Thursday, Tarentum officials announced. The ramps will be closed from early morning until late afternoon for paving at Ross Street and First Avenue at the foot of the ramps, near the...

Allegheny Township’s Rosalie Casper spent a few weeks working on her stage presence before her debut pageant appearance Sunday at Little Italy Days in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. That’s all the preparation the 5-year-old needed. Rosalie was named Miss Little Italy in the 4-to-6-year-old division at the region’s largest annual festival...

A New Kensington girl survived a 35-to-40-foot fall from an apartment building window Tuesday afternoon. The incident happened in the 600 block of Fifth Avenue around 12:50 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher. Police said the girl, whose age was not available, fell from the top window on...

On the first day of school for Fox Chapel Area School District, leaders have confirmed four cases of covid-19 among high school students or staff. The covid-19 dashboard on the district website lists an updated number of cases by building each month. Bonnie Berzonski, district coordinator of communications, said the...

More than 4,000 Fox Chapel Area students enjoyed their first day back to school on Tuesday. At Dorseyville Middle School, Principal Jon Nauhaus and Program Principal Laura Miller welcomed students at the school entrance, which was decked out with red, white and black balloons. District Deputy Superintendent David McCommons also...

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. St. Joseph HS to welcome Bishop Kulick St. Joseph High School in Harrison will celebrate the Year of St. Joseph with...

Volunteers installed a wing-themed art installation on the grounds of Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre on Saturday as part of the Wings Across Westmoreland initiative. Vandergrift was the eighth location included in Westmore­land Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative featuring metal wings inspired by places in various locations in Westmore­land County. “The Casino...

Some fines for traffic violations in Aspinwall will skyrocket about 500% since council’s approval of a new fee scale, one that members said was long overdue. Running a red light in Aspinwall will cost $150, up from $25. Driving the wrong direction on a one-way road will also cost $150,...