Valley News Dispatch category, Page 517
Police suspect 3 men of stealing $30K in copper from shuttered ATI plant in Gilpin
A West Deer man is accused of stealing copper valued at $30,000 from an idled Allegheny Technologies Inc. plant with the help of two men who were not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, Gilpin police said. Police said they had not recovered the stolen copper as of Tuesday afternoon....
Sprankle’s Saxonburg store now offering free grocery delivery
There’s a new free grocery delivery option in the Saxonburg area. Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg said Monday it is offering the service to customers living within 10 miles of the store, which opened in July. Sprankle’s stores in Leechburg and Kittanning have offered free grocery delivery for decades. “Covid-19...
Fox Chapel Area School Board mulling March return for middle, high school students
Fox Chapel Area School Board on Feb. 8 pushed back a full-time return to in-person class for older district students until at least March. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the administrative team is weighing options for a potential return for students at Dorseyville Middle School and the high school, pending...
The Stroller, Feb. 9, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Riverview Community...
Civilians, emergency responders honored for helping to save Plum woman from fire
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel honored the residents and emergency responders who helped save a woman from a fire last month. The fire took place at about 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 7 at 211 Frontenac Road. A 77-year-old Plum woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation after being rescued from...
Apollo-Ridge students to run T-shirt printing operation with help of $25K Arconic grant
Apollo-Ridge School District now has a direct-to-garment printer that will provide students creative and commerce opportunities. Arconic’s foundation and its technology center in Upper Burrell jointly worked on awarding the $25,000 grant to the district. The Pittsburgh-based metals manufacturer awards grants to community and educational efforts in areas where they...
Allegheny Township man charged with 5 sexual assaults seeks house arrest
An Allegheny Township man charged with sexually assaulting three juveniles and two adults wants a Westmoreland County judge to release him to house arrest while he awaits trial. Police contend Eric Alan Wright, 49, raped two children over a 20-year period dating to 2000, fondled another teenage girl, exposed himself...
How some Pa. lawmakers score a ‘golden parachute’ to pad their pensions
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. A version of this story originally appeared in our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — Members of Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board, whose responsibilities include meeting once or twice...
The Stroller, Feb. 8, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Knead Community...
Leechburg Area High students combine efforts to create art aimed at encouraging kindnessVideo
A collaborative art project at Leechburg Area High School is promoting kindness. “Kindness Comes in Every Color” will showcase the works of advanced art students with 20 individually painted jigsaw puzzle pieces assembled into one large display. “In a time of crisis like a pandemic, these art projects are especially...
Lower Burrell Councilman Rob Hamilton will not seek reelection but promises to return
Lower Burrell Councilman Rob Hamilton will not seek reelection later this year in order to pursue a doctorate. Hamilton, 32, a veteran, has a full plate with a young family and a new position as executive director of Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in East Liberty. Hamilton is in the...
Vandergrift ArtFest approved for July, hopes high for in-person event
Vandergrift’s Artfest will return to the streets this year. Lisa Dormire, chairwoman of the Artfest committee for the Vandergrift Improvement Program (VIP), pitched a date for the 2021 Artfest at Monday’s council meeting. Vandergrift Council approved the event for July 25. The tentative date and plans for an in-person event...
National Bird Feeding Month: Sales soar, as do views on Western Pa. feeder camsVideo
It’s not just that February is National Bird Feeding Month. Every month since the beginning of the pandemic last year has seemed like a bird feeding month. Sales of feeders, seed and most anything to do with birds have skyrocketed as people have flocked to the avian world — a...
New Kensington moving on new playgrounds in downtown, Mount Vernon
Plans for a new playground and basketball courts in downtown New Kensington are again moving forward, while residents are being asked for what colors they prefer on new play equipment at another neighborhood park. Council has authorized the city’s engineer to select a contractor from a state cooperative purchasing program...
Rescue dog lifts Harrison cancer survivor’s spirits, saves home from fireVideo
A rescued dog that Harrison’s Michael Groce took in last May wound up becoming his rescuer. After going through three bouts of cancer, through which he lost a kidney and parts of a lung, Groce, 53, found himself permanently disabled and unable to work. His husband of six years, Ron...
Harrison approves demolition contract, awaits officers’ vote on police pact
The Harrison commissioners have approved a contract for building demolitions, as well as a new agreement with the union representing the township’s police officers. A house at 998 Ivanhoe St. heavily damaged by fire in December 2016 is among the three included in the demolition contract. “It will be good...
The Stroller, Feb. 7, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Allegheny Valley...
Cars line up hours early for Leechburg food giveaway
A free food event set for noon in Leechburg on Saturday was over before it was supposed to begin, a stark reminder of how great the pandemic’s burden has been on so many people. The drive-thru event at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Department — the first of four scheduled for...
Lower Burrell Council sets up new process for members to meet board appointees
After a heated discussion last month over a Lower Burrell Council member not meeting a person seeking reappointment to the city’s Zoning Hearing Board, council is formalizing its process to meet appointees for its boards and committees. Council last month shelved a proposal to reappoint John Kamarados, an attorney, to...
Gilpin woman says 100 ‘doesn’t feel any different,’ celebrates with familyVideo
Alice Newton turned 100 having a great hair day. She still makes her weekly hair appointments in Leechburg and was coiffed and ready to usher in triple digits on Friday. Relaxing by the fire in her rural Gilpin home, Alice chimed in on her new centenarian status. “I”ll tell ya,...
Hole in the Wall Gallery, eclectic gift store in Lower Burrell, to closeVideo
An Alle-Kiski Valley institution, the Hole in the Wall Gallery in Lower Burrell, is closing after 50 years. The enchanted shop with its wisteria-draped doorway leading to more than a dozen rooms and cubbyholes was the go-to store for unique gifts, jewelry, top-shelf household items and fresh floral arrangements that...
The Stroller, Feb. 6, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Goodwill offers...
Upper Burrell Fire Co. teams with Port Vue for $15,000 cash ‘Luck of the Irish’ drawing
As the pandemic continues to hammer traditional fundraising, Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company is teaming up with a fire company from Allegheny County for a Luck of the Irish raffle offering a $15,000 cash prize. “The pandemic has caused us to find new and innovative ways to do business,” said...
‘Farm-to-table’ project a hit with Acmetonia Elementary students
There appears to be a consensus among sixth-grade students at Acmetonia Elementary in Harmar — Mrs. Emerick’s classroom is the most fun. After all, there is food growing there. McCall Emerick, a sixth-grade science and social studies teacher, is the force behind it. She obtained grant money through Allegheny Valley...
Upper Burrell Planning Commission grants conditional approval for Dollar General
The Upper Burrell Planning Commission has granted conditional approval for the development of a Dollar General store at Route 780 and Dewey Drive. Township supervisors will have to grant final approval for the project to proceed. But first, the store’s developer will have to address several issues raised by township...
