Valley News Dispatch category, Page 476
Families flock to Clinton’s Sunrise Farm during peak blueberry-picking season
Jasper Holmes, 2, made his way through a row of blueberry plants on Clinton’s Sunrise Farm, plucking berries to put into his Sesame Street-themed basket — though most of the berries went directly into his mouth instead. Jasper’s mother, Karlee Holmes of Vandergrift, said they have been visiting the farm...
Westmoreland County: Crash knocks out utility line, some courthouse phone service
Phone and internet communications were disrupted at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Wednesday after a key utility line for service provider Consolidated Communications was damaged. County commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes said the line was damaged in a traffic crash Tuesday night in Monroeville, affecting the ability to make inbound and...
Weekend lane restrictions planned along Route 28
Motorists will encounter lane restrictions on Route 28 in the Lower Allegheny Valley over the weekend, PennDOT reported. Crews will be patching concrete and making other repairs between the Millvale interchange in Shaler and the Highland Park Bridge/Aspinwall interchange in Sharpsburg and O’Hara from 7 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m....
The Stroller, July 7, 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. Participants welcome to march in Aug. 7 Westmoreland Co. Firemen’s parade The New Kensington Bureau of Fire will host the 128th...
Vandergrift group that watches borough’s parks looking for more volunteers
A volunteer group committed to promoting kindness, safety and positive play among children in Vandergrift area parks is looking to grow its membership. The group, called the Vandergrift OWLS Park Supervisor Program, uses volunteers who are dedicated to making sure borough parks are safe and welcoming for the community. During...
Traffic restrictions planned until September for Argonne Drive project in Harrison
Traffic restrictions scheduled to start on Argonne Drive in Harrison on July 19 are expected to continue until September, Allegheny County Public Works announced Tuesday. Periodic, single-lane closures will occur between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays between Broadview Boulevard and Elm Street. Nearly 2,000 vehicles travel the road daily,...
United Steelworkers release summary of proposed ATI contract
The results of a ratification vote by United Steelworkers members at nine Allegheny Technology Inc. facilities are expected to be known by next Tuesday, the union said Tuesday. The union and ATI announced Friday they had reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract. If approved, the deal would end...
Lanterns to be released in memory of Plum high school student who died 2 years ago
Jody Dojonovic of Plum said her son, Thomas, had a warm smile that could light up a room. She hopes to once again light up a community in his memory. The second annual Thomas Jack Dojonovic Project Spread Positivity lantern release is set for July 21 at Larry Mills Park...
Family Dollar in West Deer robbed at gunpoint
An armed man robbed the Family Dollar store in West Deer’s Russellton area before it opened Monday morning, according to township police. Police Chief Robert Loper said an employee reported being approached from behind by a man with a handgun after arriving at the store around 7:40 a.m. The armed...
Fundraising effort underway to help Harrison family recover from fire
A fundraising campaign is underway to help a Harrison family whose home was damaged by fire last week. Jaymian Martinka started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $10,000 for the McDaniel family. As of Tuesday morning, the effort had raised $2,060 from 22 donors. The fundraiser also lists sizes for men’s...
The Stroller, July 6, 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. Free paper shredding event planned in Springdale State Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso will host a free paper shredding event from 9...
Kiski Junction Railroad finally closes; corridor explored for recreational trail
While the owner of the Kiski Junction Railroad is finalizing its closure, a Gilpin supervisor is proposing converting the railroad corridor into a recreational trail. Rosebud Mining, which owns the 165-year-old short line, is closing the railroad for good, according to the company’s president, Jim Barker. The railroad has been...
Aspinwall historian taking steps to raise money for library, community centerVideo
A new historic walking tour is raising funds for a proposed library and community center in Aspinwall. Terry Nelson Taylor, Aspinwall historian and longtime resident, is volunteering her time and tour guide skills, offering monthly walking tours around the borough that was founded in 1892. All proceeds from the Aspinwall...
National expert visits Kiski River, other waterways to install, study baby musselsVideo
Only a half-grain of rice in size, baby freshwater mussels were deposited in the Kiski River and elsewhere by researchers to better understand and boost the bivalve mollusk’s recovery. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service installed homemade concrete silos with chambers for the young mussels to live...
Fawn man identified as victim of fatal Route 28 crash
One man was killed and another seriously hurt in a high-speed crash Monday afternoon on Route 28 in Harrison, according to state police. Robert Mark Walters, 68, of Fawn was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Walters was a passenger in a Chevrolet...
Juvenile charged in connection with 4 fires in Kittanning
Kittanning police said a juvenile is in custody and has been charged for allegedly setting a string of fires Monday morning in the borough. Kittanning Hose Company No. 4 Assistant Chief Mike Swartz said about a dozen departments responded to four fires within a four-block radius, with the first call...
The Stroller, July 5, 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. Avonmore VFD accepting orders for military banners Avonmore Volunteer Fire Department is sponsoring a Hometown Hero Banner program that recognizes veterans...
Newly created Kiski Township Sewage Authority requests $50K from township
The fledgling Kiski Township Sewage Authority is seeking $50,000 from the township to help cover start-up costs. The authority formed earlier this year to spearhead a $16 million townshipwide sewerage project. Township officials hope the infrastructure upgrade will spur development and economic growth, especially along the Route 56 corridor. The...
Alle-Kiski Valley residents find many reasons to celebrate on Fourth of July
Alle-Kiski Valley residents found all sorts of reasons to get together and celebrate on Sunday, whether for the Independence Day holiday, birthdays, relief from the covid pandemic — or just to enjoy the day. For the small congregation of Vermont Baptist Church in New Kensington, morning services under a pavilion...
Former Vandergrift attorney returns to Appalachian Trail to continue 2,200-mile charity trek
Tim Geary is a man on a mission — again. The 77-year-old retired attorney from Aspinwall has resumed his hike on the Appalachian Trail in honor of his late wife, Gillen, who died after a seven-year battle with melanoma last year. Geary, formerly of Vandergrift, began his hike March 17...
North Apollo woman hopes to inspire others through her weight loss
The display on the scale read “379.” “I cried when I saw that number,” said Debbie Gerardi of North Apollo, who was in the hospital for back surgery in February of 2018. “I thought to myself, ‘How did I get here?’ I was so big that the nurses had trouble...
Widow wants Harrison to allow dog daycare in business district
Six years after buying a building for her business in Harrison, Kim Ringer can’t use it for the main reason she bought it. Ringer said township zoning officials assured her and her late husband, Bruce, more than once before buying the former home goods store-turned-car dealership at 3041 Freeport Road...
Lower Burrell family wins ruling to have chickens at their home as petsVideo
When Donny Henderson calls the girls, it’s usually not for his two daughters but the family’s six hens, which he defended as pets in a recent Lower Burrell Zoning Hearing Board action. Henderson and his wife, Erika, won a decision recently by the city’s zoning hearing board that now classifies...
The Stroller, July 4, 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 Theatre Festival to open 2021 season The Freeport Theatre Festival will present, “The Rainmaker,” at 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and...
Armstrong coroner: Butler man dies when motorcycle hits flat bed truck on Route 422
A Butler man was killed Saturday afternoon when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a truck on Route 422 in Armstrong County. Coroner Brian K. Myers identified the victim as Kenneth Robert Shaffer, 60, of Butler. According to Myers, Shaffer was traveling east on Route 422 and a Ford...
