Valley News Dispatch category, Page 495
Free recommendations to improve properties in the Buffalo Creek watershed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering free technical help to improve farms and forested land for property owners in the Buffalo Creek watershed, which covers 21 communities from Freeport to Butler. The department will assess residents’ properties — a farm or forested land at least as large as one...
Empowerment program helps Kiski intermediate school girls navigate pre-teen yearsVideo
A new female empowerment program at Kiski Area Intermediate School aims to help girls navigate middle school. Ruling Our Experiences — ROX — debuted in January at the intermediate school. It is led by certified ROX facilitator and intermediate school guidance counselor Michele Claypool. Program participant Mia Martin said she...
Vandergrift’s Mary Naccarato is a renowned cook, ‘Queen’ to 4 generations of her familyVideo
It’s good to be queen. Mary Christine Naccarato celebrated her 103rd birthday on Monday, April 26 surrounded by family, friends and one very large cake. “I got a lotta flowers, a lotta money and I was so happy with who all came,” Naccarato said of the festivities at her daughter’s...
Democrats in 3-way race for Tarentum mayor
Eric Carter is facing two challengers in the upcoming Democratic primary to remain mayor of Tarentum. His opponents should not be strangers to most people in town. Carrie Fox is a current council member who was last elected in 2019 and a former Highlands School Board member. Robert Lang had...
The Stroller, May 2, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Golf tournament to benefit St. Joseph HS The 29th annual Spartan Golf Scramble will be June 11 at Lenape Heights Golf Resort, Manor. Registration...
Trib Executive Editor Susan McFarland to retire
Trib Total Media Executive Editor Susan McFarland, who led the news organization through a period of dramatic transformation and sweeping digital growth, will retire Sept. 15, the company has announced. During her five years as the top newsroom leader, the Tribune-Review has been recognized three years in a row as...
Spaghetti dinner fundraiser for injured Kiski Township roofer a success
In one tearful breath, Kelly Giordano of Kiski Township said her husband is lucky to be alive, and that she feels fortunate to have such good friends. Eric Giordano, a roofer, fell from a two-story home during a job in Pitcairn on March 20. He broke his neck, spent weeks...
Food truck festival benefits Lower Burrell VFC No. 3
Before it even began, the Lower Burrell VFC No. 3 fundraiser on Saturday afternoon was a raging success. The event, billed as a food truck festival, was scheduled to run 1 to 6 p.m. But by noon, the parking lot of the fire company along Leechburg Road was bustling with...
Kunkle Park in Washington Township accepting picnic pavilion reservations
Pavilion rental season is open at Kunkle Park in Washington Township. Township Supervisor Joe Olszewski said the pandemic resulted in fewer picnic pavilion bookings in 2020 for the 40-plus acre park. He estimated the township’s only park lost about $3,000 in revenue last year. Other area parks with gazebos and...
Riverfront group seeks Harrison’s support for kayak launch parking lot grant
Harrison has until the end of May to apply for a state grant that would go toward creating a parking lot for kayakers using a nearby launch on the Allegheny River. Friends of the Riverfront would prepare and submit the paperwork, said Courtney Mahronich-Vita, director of trail development for the...
The Stroller, May 1, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Memorial Day events to be published The Valley News Dispatch is compiling a list of Memorial Day observances to be published in the Valley...
Plum, Riverview school districts team up to provide covid vaccine clinic
Plum, Oakmont and Verona residents ages 16 and older will be able to get vaccinated at covid clinic Wednesday, May 12. The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be available from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at Oblock Junior High School, 440 Presque Isle Drive in Plum. The second shot...
Vandergrift man accused of shooting up 3 borough homes
A Vandergrift man was arraigned Friday on charges accusing him of firing more than a dozen shots into three occupied homes last month. Javon Michael Thorn Lambert, 22, faces 11 felony counts, including discharging a firearm in an occupied structure, aggravated assault and illegal gun possession, in connection with the...
‘Fat Cat’ looks to help groups make scratch with fundraising hoagies in New KensingtonVideo
After 30 years of slinging subs in Harmar, the Fat Cat has come home to New Kensington. Jon “Fat Cat” Wildi bought a building at 832 Fifth Ave., not far from where, as a teen, the lifelong New Ken resident had his first job as a parking lot attendant. There,...
Springdale schedules another ‘Reverse Parade’ honoring high school seniors
The “Reverse Parade” is coming back to Springdale. Officially known as the Senior Parade, it is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. The rain date is the following evening. It’s hosted by the Springdale High School Alumni Association and Dynamo Education Foundation. An event borne out of the...
Leechburg mayor raises nearly $1,900 for boat launch in Riverfront Park
A fundraiser for a gravel boat launch in Riverfront Park in Leechburg raised nearly $1,900, Mayor Wayne Dobos said, putting the borough even closer to constructing the park’s newest asset this summer. “Everything is in the planning stage right now,” Dobos said. The boat launch will allow canoeists and kayakers...
Casino Theatre group hopes for revival after pandemic devastated revenues
The historic Casino Theatre in Vandergrift remains closed because of the pandemic and has lost significant revenue as a result. Janice Oberdorf, treasurer of Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, said the theater is down about $70,000 in bookings and shows since the shutdown in 2020. “We couldn’t get any federal...
Keeping the Kiski River clean: Volunteers sample abandoned mine drainage
Volunteers are conducting water quality sampling in the Kiski River and its tributaries, paying special attention to the passive water treatment systems that clean up polluted coal mine water. The Kiski Watershed Association monitors two passive abandoned mine drainage systems along the lower Kiski River: The Booker site in Kiskimere,...
Rain forces Lernerville Speedway to cancel event celebrating 1,000th sprint car race
At event at Lernerville Speedway meant to celebrate the track’s 1,000th sprint car race on Friday was canceled due to inclement weather. With an event dubbed Lernerville Grand, the speedway was set to host its 1,000th sprint car race. The event was planning to feature the All Star Circuit of...
The Stroller, April 30, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Concordia fishing derby open to kids Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Jefferson will have its free Fishing Derby for kids 14 and younger from 8...
Leechburg Area’s $1.1M sports complex project to begin next month
A project to improve Leechburg Area School District’s Veterans Field Sports Complex will begin in early May and be completed before the Blue Devils’ football and soccer teams begin their seasons, said Superintendent Tiffany Nix. The school board voted Wednesday to hire FieldTurf to install a synthetic turf field and...
Valley High School teacher accused of sending sexual texts to student
A Valley High School teacher is accused of sending inappropriate sexual text messages to an underage student. Police charged Sean Timothy O’Neil, 34, of North Apollo with felony counts of disseminating explicit sexual materials to a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and criminal use of a...
ATI announces $7.9M 1st quarter loss as Steelworkers strike continues
Allegheny Technologies Inc. reported a $7.9 million loss in the first quarter of 2021, but the company said it anticipates demand for its jet engine products will increase as air travel recovers from the covid pandemic. “Our first-quarter financial results exceeded expectations, benefiting from the ongoing modest recovery in jet...
On tap for Apollo May Daze: Yard sale crawl, historical sites, flea market, food trucks
After ballooning costs and lack of attendance killed Apollo’s Moon Landing festival some years ago, residents have rallied to present the first Apollo May Daze featuring a yard sale crawl, self-guided history tours, kids activities, food trucks, flea market and more this weekend. Events and sights will be spread out...
The Stroller, April 29, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Food truck rally planned Saturday in Lower Burrell Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, 3255 Leechburg Road, will host a Food Truck Rally...
