Valley News Dispatch category, Page 511
The Stroller, March 5, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch will publish a list of community Easter egg hunts and activities. To have an event listed online and in the print edition, send the information as soon as possible to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Fourth Ave., Tarentum PA 15084 or email Carol Pinto-Smith; email...
Owner vows to rebuild after losing his Upper Burrell mobile home in a blaze
An Upper Burrell couple was left homeless Thursday when fire raced through their mobile home on Amy Lane. Neither the couple, their pets nor any firefighters were reported to have been injured. Shortly after Larry Sieff turned on his hot water tank, he saw smoke in his kitchen and found...
Blawnox launches Adopt-A-Block program to keep borough clean
Blawnox is launching a new beautification program in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. Adopt-A-Block is a volunteer initiative designed to rid the streets of litter and other debris. Spearheaded by residents Casey Cunningham and Leah Krenn, it is a simple way to show community pride, the duo said....
Washington Township man in his 80s homeless after fire destroys mobile home
A Washington Township man in his 80s was displaced Thursday morning when fire destroyed the George Drive mobile home in which he lived alone. Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Clayton Murphy said the fire in the 300 block of rural George Drive started around 10:30 a.m. The occupant of...
Aspinwall resident, former Allegheny County assistant district attorney, seeking District Judge position
A former Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney is calling for increased diversity in the court system and will seek to fill the vacant magistrate office in Sharpsburg. Jen Evashavik, an Aspinwall resident for more than 20 years, said she has worked tirelessly through both her professional and personal life to...
New Kensington’s Knead Cafe to receive $25K grant from Northwestern Mutual
For the second time in three years, New Kensington’s Knead Community Cafe is receiving a $25,000 grant from Northwestern Mutual for its work in the community. Kevin Bode, who with his wife, Mary, founded Knead four years ago, has been a financial adviser with Northwestern Mutual for 34 years. They...
Tarentum approves buying police SUV, policies on rifles, cameras
Tarentum police soon will be able to use their own rifles on the job under a policy approved this week by borough council. Council also OK’d plans to buy a new hybrid SUV for the department and approved the use of mobile video and audio recorders and body-worn cameras. Borough...
In the Kiski Area School District, students tutoring students benefits bothVideo
There was fraction action happening Tuesday at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School. Fifth-grader Kolton McKain met with Kiski Area High School 10th-grader Kayla Mull after school for one-on-one math tutoring — part of a new After School Mentorship tutoring program. “I couldn’t imagine trying to learn fifth-grade math online —...
Neighbor Spotlight: Blawnox fire chief, coordinator of Allegheny County Swiftwater Rescue Team, retires after 32 years
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Neighbor Spotlight: Mona Costanza wears many hats as a Plum community leader
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
The Stroller, March 4, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch will publish a list of community Easter egg hunts and activities. To have an event listed online and in the print edition, send the information as soon as possible to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Fourth Ave., Tarentum PA 15084 or email Carol Pinto-Smith; email...
After some rancor, Lower Burrell sanctions St. Patrick’s Day parade
Plans for what started as a small community St. Patrick’s Day parade late Saturday morning gained traction, stirring controversy and confusion before receiving official support from Lower Burrell Council. The estimated 20-minute parade on Leechburg Road, from Nevada Street at Stewart Elementary School to Hillcrest Shopping Center at Leechburg and...
Police: Gilpin man reports own dog as stray, asks officer to remove it
A Gilpin man is accused of lying to police last month when they said he reported a stray dog had been barking all night outside his residence and asked for the dog to be removed. Police said they learned that the dog belonged to the man, identified in court documents...
Tarentum awards contract to demolish fire-damaged home on Lock Street
Tarentum Council has awarded a contract to tear down what remains of one of two Lock Street homes destroyed by fire on Feb. 15. Investigators ruled that the accidental fire started after a pot of food had been left on a stove with a burner in the “on” position. The...
Vandergrift website remains dark, officials mum on details
Vandergrift residents still don’t have a functioning borough website, and some residents are seeking answers from council. The website went offline more than a week ago. The outage was brought up by Councilwoman Karen McClarnon during Monday’s virtual council meeting. Visitors to the disabled website encounter an oversized message stating...
New Kensington-Arnold to interview 7 candidates for superintendent
New Kensington-Arnold School Board will soon begin interviewing candidates for district superintendent, including the man who has been serving as the district’s acting chief since last summer. The district in December hired the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to help it find a replacement for former Superintendent John Pallone, who resigned...
Oakmont plans to construct a pump track through state purchasing program
Oakmont officials plan to skip the traditional project bidding process in favor of a state-approved contractor to create a pump track in Creekside Park. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said council is expected to hire American Ramp Co. through the state Department of General Services’ COSTARS program at its March 15...
The Stroller, March 3, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s 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. Maple sugaring program on tap The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will sponsor outdoor programs on maple sugaring March 13 at Beechwood Farms Nature...
Brackenridge steelworkers to vote on ATI strike authorization
The United Steelworkers local representing employees at Allegheny Technologies Inc. facilities in Harrison has scheduled a strike authorization vote. The union’s 10 locals with ATI are scheduling the votes this week after its contract with ATI expired on Sunday without the sides agreeing on a new one. Locals 1196 and...
Parents of Springdale basketball players protest playoff cancellationVideo
A group of about a dozen parents, players and their head coach showed up in the lobby of the Allegheny Valley School District offices in Harmar on Tuesday morning to protest its decision to forfeit Springdale High School’s WPIAL first-round boys basketball playoff game. The decision was made after four...
Fox Chapel Area students could be returning full-time to the classroom
Fox Chapel Area middle school and high school students could return to the classroom full-time by mid-March, Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac announced Monday. “After carefully weighing the appropriate time to bring students back, I’m recommending a shift to 5-day per week, full-time in-person instruction for pre-kindergarten, Dorseyville Middle School and...
The Stroller, March 2, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s 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. Donations accepted for Leechburg boat ramp project Leechburg Borough is accepting donations to be used for the construction of a primitive boat ramp in...
Route 356 in Allegheny Township reopened after wreck cleared
Route 356 was reopened to traffic shortly before midnight on Monday after being shut down for several hours when a vehicle crashed into a pole. The accident was reported at about 10 p.m. on March 1 in Allegheny Township’s Bagdad neighborhood. The road was closed between White Cloud and Bagdad...
Plum volunteers to bring back drive-thru Easter celebration in early April
Plum families will have a chance to socially distance with the Easter Bunny in a few weeks. A Drive-Thru Eggstravaganza is set for April 3 at the public works facility along Old Mine Road. It is organized by Plum Rotary president Mona Costanza and her volunteers. The idea for the...
Leechburg man charged with assaulting juvenile
Police have charged an 18-year-old Leechburg man with sexually assaulting a juvenile runaway under the age of 13. Pennsylvania State Police in Kittanning filed charges against Ethan James Cogley last Thursday in connection with the alleged incidents. Cogley was arraigned Thursday and faces five felony charges including indecent assault of...
