Valley News Dispatch category, Page 489

After 16 years, Lower Burrell Councilman Joe Grillo said it’s time to go. He announced last week he would not seek reelection this year during a council meeting this week. “I’ve given it long and hard thought since 2018 when I had a cancer scare,” Grillo said. “Thank God, I’m...

Deer Lakes School Board is expected to consider a possible return to full-time, in-person instruction when it meets Tuesday. Last week, the district temporarily closed East Union Intermediate Center and Deer Lakes Middle School after multiple people tested positive for covid-19 at the respective schools. At a meeting last Tuesday,...

As one of the world’s leaders in producing equipment for in vitro fertilization, Cook Medical in Parks Township is expanding operations and looking to hire 25 employees this quarter. Headquartered in Bloomington, Ind., Cook Medical recorded worldwide sales of $2.2 billion in 2019 for all of its business lines. Cook...

While an electric Tesla SUV may seem like a luxury, Duster Funeral Home in Tarentum’s most recent vehicle purchase is actually a big step toward “going green.” The funeral home has set in motion a five-year plan to create an eco-friendly facility. The plan includes eliminating air pollutants by replacing...

At Knead Community Café in New Kensington, a meal is more than just a plate of food. “This is about community and feeding everyone,” said Mary Bode, who opened the nonprofit restaurant with her husband, Kevin, four years ago on Feb. 20. “We care about everyone who walks through the...

Several area schools are among a little more than 1,100 nationwide being recognized for helping to promote interest in computer science among female students. Greater Latrobe, Deer Lakes and East Allegheny high schools and Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy are among 22 public schools in Pennsylvania that have received the...

Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Wheel Good Wednesday events planned in Apollo The Apollo Parades and Events Committee will sponsor the Wheel Good Wednesdays food truck events May...

The number of active covid-19 cases in the Leechburg Area School District has decreased. Superintendent Tiffany Nix reported one active case campuswide during Monday’s board meeting, which was a decrease from two active cases the week before. Friday’s covid case tracker reported a further decrease to zero active cases, and...

The West Deer supervisors are studying whether the township’s nearly 70-year-old municipal building needs to be upgraded, expanded or replaced with a new one. West Deer’s township office complex, built in 1952, is located on East Union Road. West Deer Supervisor Chairman Arlind Karpuzi wants a study done to determine...

Gilpin’s police dog now has a fund designated for his expenses. Township supervisors Monday approved a Gilpin Township K-9 Fund, an account specifically for donations that go toward the dog’s needs. Rudy is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois certified police dog that specializes in detecting drugs such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana...

Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, fundraisers and community events in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event planned in West Leechburg The 2021 St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Shuffle 5K and one-mile Family Fun Walk will begin...

Don’t worry about the snow and frigid temperatures — conditions for baseball and softball are perfect at a new indoor training facility in New Kensington’s Pittsburgh Ice Arena. BB Sports Baseball & Softball opened Monday with several 50-minute training sessions for groups of local players. An open house at the...

The community of West Leechburg is mourning the loss of a longtime, steadfast borough employee. Patricia Ann Grantz of West Leechburg died Feb. 7. She was 82. Grantz served as borough secretary and treasurer for 43 years. “She was the rock that kept everything together,” West Leechburg Mayor Jim Gallucci...

People will be able to go online starting Tuesday to review PennDOT’s plans for an $8.3 million project along Route 228 in Buffalo and Clinton townships. The project on Route 228, also known as Ekastown Road, includes improvements such as resurfacing and widening the road from a roundabout at Saxonburg...

From his birth in a Brackenridge garage, to growing up in Harrison, to becoming a business owner in Southern California, Richard Staley says the success he’s found in life has been part luck, part hard work. “At so many points along the way, things could have turned ugly very quickly,”...

Snow days may be a thing of the past for Freeport Area School District students. The district was approved by the state for the Flexible Instructional Day Program, which allows schools to engage in remote learning rather than canceling and rescheduling school days because of factors like hazardous weather, damage...

A stretch of Route 356 between Route 56 and Freeport has reopened after a crash that brought down a pole and wires Friday morning, a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. The one-vehicle crash happened shortly after 5:30 a.m. when the driver of a pickup was pulling into his own driveway,...

To have your non-profit organization’s Fish Fry added to this list send information to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084 or email vndnews@triblive.com. Fish fries are scheduled Fridays during Lent throughout the Valley, including: Allegheny Township Markle and Vandergrift No. 1 volunteer fire departments, 470...

The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Grants available...

Lower Burrell Council recently agreed to participate in the Westmoreland County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which helps the city prepare for disasters. It also sets up Lower Burrell to respond and receive money to pay for expenses for disasters like floods and hurricanes. Since 1955, Presidential Disaster and Emergency Declarations have...

The Diocese of Greensburg welcomed its new bishop Thursday with worship, prayer and pageantry — but without the crowds of parishioners usually present to celebrate such an event. “Like so many things we have done differently during the pandemic, this liturgy is no exception,” said Monsignor Raymond Riffle, rector of...