Valley News Dispatch category, Page 496

HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania legislator from Armstrong and Indiana counties shared on Facebook an image mocking the appearance of the state’s recently departed health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman who has been nominated to serve in the Biden administration, and then offered a general apology Saturday. State Rep....

The Highlands School District has narrowed a proposal to bring elementary students back into schools to only kindergarten, district spokeswoman Jennifer Goldberg said. The district is conducting a survey of parents of kindergarten students asking if they are in favor of having their children attend half-days, four-days-a-week. The district wants...

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. Vandergrift Public Library to offer free AARP Tax Aid Free AARP Tax Aid will be available at Vandergrift Public Library for senior citizens...

Plum School District officials seek input from parents on policies and the future of the district via online survey. The survey, available here, features questions about returning to full-time in-person instruction, adhering to Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines or stricter safety regulations, and having the option to stay...

Phillip Rhodes has become accustomed to dealing with problems such as a leaking roof, cracked sidewalks and chipping paint at The Clement in Tarentum. But seeing the property’s annual tax bill soar by nearly $13,000 after its assessed value spiked nearly 700% was a shock for which he was not...

After scrapping earlier plans to reopen, John Greco says that his Tarentum restaurant will be open for Valentine’s Day weekend “come hell or high water.” Greco plans to reopen JG’s Tarentum Station Grille on Feb. 10, the Wednesday before Valentine’s Day. The restaurant, in a historic former train station in...

Although his father tried to dissuade him from entering politics because he didn’t think it would mix well with the family funeral home business, Ross G. Walker III became the longest-tenured chairman of the Upper Burrell Board of Supervisors. This month, he began his 23rd year as chairman and 24th...

You might not be able to lead a horse to water and make it drink, but West Deer’s Gerry Vaerewyck led his horses to Deer Creek Diner and got a free hot drink for himself. As he and two friends were headed home from horseback riding in Deer Lakes Park...

South Buffalo has hired a second full-time police officer and plans to add a third. Aaron S. Fuesting, 24, was hired as the department’s newest officer on Jan. 4. After completing training, Fuesting’s first day on duty was Wednesday. He will make $17.50 an hour. “It was kind of a...

Westmoreland County Prothonotary Christina O’Brien will not seek a fourth term in office. O’Brien, 54, a Democrat from Ligonier Township, said ongoing health issues prevent her from participating in another campaign and serving four more years as the head of the county office that oversees all civil and domestic court...

One person was hurt in a fire that seriously damaged a house in Harrison early Friday morning, Hilltop Hose fire Chief Mike Krzeminski said. The fire in the attic of a large, two-and-a-half story house with a commercial addition at 1421 Freeport Road was reported shortly after 1:30 a.m. A...

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. Freeport Area Library accepting donations Freeport Area Library is accepting donations of new and used household items, books, toys, games, puzzles and DVDs...

A man who relies on a wheelchair to get around filed a federal class-action lawsuit on Wednesday against Ryan Homes for failing to make its local sales offices accessible to people with limited mobility. John Egan, of Shaler, alleges in the complaint that the company is violating the federal Americans...

New Kensington-Arnold School District’s financial picture for the coming school year looks “bleak,” with officials considering raising taxes and burning through the district’s reserves but still facing a deficit, according to Acting Superintendent Jon Banko. “We’ve been about as fiscally responsible as we possibly could be,” Banko said. “We closed...

A New Kensington man was arraigned this week on charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a girl when she was 9 years old. New Kensington police said Chester Elmer Green Jr., 61, has “vehemently denied” the allegations. He faces felony charges of aggravated indecent assault of a child and corruption...

Excitement over an anticipated homecoming reunion turned to horror for West Leechburg’s Natalie Schmidt when she received life-changing news in 2012. Her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Schmidt, was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan five days before their 3-year-old son Aiden’s birthday. Jonathan Schmidt, then 28, had been...

Highlands School District will not increase its property tax rate by more than its state-imposed limit for next school year. The school board certified this week that the district will not increase property taxes by more than 4.3%, the inflation limit set for the district by the state under Act...

A man from Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood was sent to Westmoreland County Prison without bail Wednesday because police said he threatened to kill police officers and their families as soon as he gets out of jail. New Kensington police said they arrested Daevar Lamont Stevens, 21, about 7 p.m. Tuesday after...

Fox Chapel residents who are impacted by the impending name change of Squaw Run Road and Squaw Run East will get $250 from borough tax dollars to offset costs and compensate them for inconveniences. Council on Jan. 18 approved the stipend, saying anyone who can prove financial hardship will be...

Fox Chapel residents will no longer be able to dispose of mattresses in the dumpsters at the municipal complex. “We’re having a problem where we’re getting five or six a week,” Manager Gary Koehler told council during its Jan. 18 meeting. The borough supplies trash bins behind the municipal building...

A new wall reconstruction project on Third Street in Leechburg is underway. Borough engineer Shane Michael said portions of the wall on Third Street are collapsing in some places. “It’s 260 feet long, and we’re replacing about 150 feet of the wall,” Michael said. Council opened six contract bids Tuesday....

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. Library sponsoring annual Quilt Show Community Library of Allegheny Valley in Harrison is hosting its 23rd annual Quilt Show through Saturday online. Online...

Pam Key, a preschool teacher, psychiatric nurse, martial artist and grandmother, has been chosen to lead Burrell School Board as it tries to navigate a historic pandemic with educational challenges. She succeeds board member and former board president Tricia Shank, who nominated Key to lead the nine-member board. “It was...

The mother of a 2-year-old boy police said was brutally murdered by her boyfriend as she slept in a nearby room pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a related misdemeanor count of animal neglect. Police said Teresa Fetterman, 24, formerly of Aliquippa, did not get medical help for her 8-month-old mixed-breed...