Valley News Dispatch category, Page 462
Classes underway in Allegheny Valley School District
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...
Apollo-Ridge ‘back on track’ for 1st day of school
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...
First Avenue ramps to, from Tarentum Bridge to close for paving
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...
Newly crowned Miss Little Italy, Rosalie Casper of Allegheny Township, a pageant natural
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...
New Kensington girl survives fall from 3rd-story window
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...
Fox Chapel Area confirms 4 covid-19 cases at high school
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...
Fox Chapel Area welcomes back students for 1st day of classes
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...
The Stroller, Aug. 24, 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. St. Joseph HS to welcome Bishop Kulick St. Joseph High School in Harrison will celebrate the Year of St. Joseph with...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre receives Westmoreland Cultural Trust art installation
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...
Aspinwall updates fees for traffic violations that had been in place since 1990s
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,...
The Stroller, Aug. 23, 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. Knead Community Café welcomes donations Knead Community Café, New Kensington, is accepting donations to help the daily operation of the café,...
Apollo woman faces DUI and multiple charges after rolling her car over in Kiski Township
Kiski Township police is pressing multiple charges, including DUI, against an Apollo woman who rolled her car on Saturday night on Sugar Hollow Road. Jamie Fulton, 39, received minor injuries and extricated herself from the severely damaged car, according to police. No other vehicles were involved. Police charged Fulton with...
Community health fair in Tarentum offers up bike helmets, jobs and more
A community health fair on Saturday in Tarentum provided much more than medical testing and pamphlets. About 50 booths lined First Avenue with the road blocked from traffic from Lock Street to Corbet Street. The region’s two major health systems, Allegheny Health Network and UPMC, were on hand with UPMC...
Band Blast at New Kensington thrills crowds with line-up of 11 bands
Band Blast at New Kensington’s Memorial Park was all about the bands, 11 of them, that drew crowds throughout Sunday for more than seven hours of live music. The benefit concert pays for upgrades and projects in the park. The event was sponsored by the New Ken/Arnold Social, which also...
Labor United celebration is back at Northmoreland Park
The 2021 Labor United Celebration in Northmoreland Park is back. “It’s a go,” said Brandon Simpson, the county’s parks and recreation director. Simpson said covid-19 restrictions are not expected to impact the event as they did last year, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the festival that draws about...
The Digital Foundry takes shape in a bid to tap the digital world to remake New Kensington
The digital world is colliding with the real one, only this time it’s not on a movie set but on the gritty streets of New Kensington. Workmen are setting the steel for The Digital Foundry at New Kensington, the brainchild of a coalition brought together by Penn State New Kensington...
Mask debates rage in Western Pa. as schools return to class
The debate over whether students should wear masks to school this fall shows no signs of cooling down at area districts, with the start of classes arriving as the covid-19 transmission rate rises across the region. Officials in Harrisburg have recommended that local districts follow guidance from the Centers for...
The Stroller, Aug. 22, 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. PSNK Alumni golf outing planned Oct. 8 Penn State New Kensington Alumni Society will host a golf outing Oct. 8 at...
Hundreds of motorcyclists turn out for 4th annual Officer Brian Shaw benefit ride
When the driver of the lead car for the Officer Brian Shaw motorcycle run Saturday climbed the Route 28 hill near the Tarentum exit, he turned and saw nothing but cycles stretching for more than 2 miles. The run was a spectacle with close to 700 motorcycles traveling through more...
East Vandergrift looking for person to fill council seat through December
A vacancy on East Vandergrift Council remains unfilled. Councilwoman Bonita “Bonnie” (Zalenski) Bober died unexpectedly from health complications July 9. Bober had served on council since 2018. She was hired as borough secretary in 2016. Current Borough Secretary Kristen Sarno said the news of Bober’s unexpected death was a shock....
The Stroller, Aug. 21, 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. Trylife Center seeks volunteers for day and night positions TryLife Center, a pregnancy and family resource center in Lower Burrell, is...
Demolition of former New Kensington Kmart to clear way for development
Several new buildings are expected to be built at the site of the former Kmart on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington, a representative of the property manager said. Sam Rossi, a portfolio manager for Madison Acquisitions, said he was not yet at liberty to identify the retail tenants, of...
Plum EMS hosts CPR, first aid class with school district staffers
Plum School District nurses, bus aides, police and paraprofessionals recently participated in a first aid and related emergency response course in preparation for the new school year. Plum EMS Director of Operations Brian Maloney said 60 staffers were updated on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs)...
Route 28 traffic to shift lanes in Aspinwall as nearby projects aim to improve drainage, thwart bottlenecks
Drivers heading northbound on Route 28 from Pittsburgh through Aspinwall will follow a slightly different traffic pattern starting Monday morning, PennDOT officials said. The flow of traffic will be adjusted to shift from the highway’s left outbound lane, which will be closed, to the right lane. It’s expected to remain...
Oakmont police: 3 in custody for alleged assault, ethnic intimidation of borough resident in July
Three people have been charged with ethnic intimidation and other crimes in connection with an assault of an Oakmont resident. Richard Blake, 25, and Patrick McAndrew, 24, both of Oakmont, and Alexander Tomer, 27, of New Kensington, were charged with simple assault, stalking, ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy and three counts...
