Valley News Dispatch category, Page 525
Ziccarelli concedes, Brewster to be sworn in Wednesday morning
State Sen. Jim Brewster, who will be sworn in Wednesday to the 45th District seat, said it has been a long two months of legal maneuvering as he defended his seat from court challenges raised by Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli. The incumbent Democrat said Tuesday — hours after a federal...
Fox Chapel Area telethon raises $16,400 for Sharpsburg Community Library
Programs and projects at the Sharpsburg Community Library funded by the Fox Chapel Area student telethon will continue for years to come, library officials said. The event brought in more than $16,400 for the library at 1212 Main St. “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the...
The Stroller, Jan. 12, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Food drive planned Saturday in Lower Burrell The third annual Fallen Officers Food Drive to benefit local food banks will be from 10 a.m....
Kotecki, Shaw nonprofits lead drive to fill bare shelves at Lower Burrell food bank
Nonprofit coordinators for two fallen police officers in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Derek Kotecki and Brian Shaw, are teaming up to collect food for St. Margaret Mary Food Bank in Lower Burrell this weekend. The third annual Fallen Officers Food Drive is set for Saturday at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower...
Highlands returning to hybrid schedule, exploring half-day, in-person instruction for elementary grades
All Highlands School District students will return to a hybrid schedule next week, and administrators are considering bringing elementary students back for in-person instruction for half-days. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said the district’s covid task force voted Monday to return all students to the hybrid schedule beginning Jan. 19. The district...
Judge expects decision on Tuesday in Ziccarelli-Brewster race
The federal judge considering the challenge to Pennsylvania’s 45th District Senate seat said a ruling on the matter will come Tuesday. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan said over the weekend that his order on the challenge by Nicole Ziccarelli against the state and Allegheny County for counting undated mail-in...
Hyde Park man challenges murder charges in wife’s fatal beating
The lawyer for a Hyde Park man accused of the fatal beating of his estranged wife told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday there is insufficient evidence to support murder charges. Jeffrey Fondrk, 58, was charged with criminal homicide days after his wife, Patricia, was beaten to death in July...
Efforts underway to make Aspinwall library/community center accessible ‘for all’
With its tree-lined streets and walkable neighborhood, Aspinwall could benefit from a community center that offers game nights, book-borrowing, gardening and a café. That’s according to residents Amy and Christian Lima who are spearheading a nonprofit effort to open the Aspinwall Library — the name of which belies the variety...
Leechburg property taxes to go up by less than 1% this year
Homeowners in Leechburg will pay a slight increase in their property tax this year. Leechburg Council passed a $1.2 million budget for 2021 that includes a property tax hike of less than 1%. The new tax rate is 22.5 mills, which is a slight increase from last year’s rate of...
The Stroller, Jan. 11, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. HOPE Center seeking gas card donations The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center is seeking donations of gift cards in $10 increments from Sheetz or Get...
Brackenridge man, woman charged with child endangerment in connection to sex assault case
A Brackenridge man and woman have been charged with felony child endangerment and other offenses after investigators said they violated a no contact order with two children the man is accused of sexually abusing. Court records show John Godfrey and Shannon M. Godfrey, both 42, were released from Allegheny County...
Women Leading Women wants to improve personal, professional growth
Can we talk? That’s what two friends from Fox Chapel are encouraging with Women Leading Women, a nonprofit co-founded in 2019 by Fox Chapel residents Dana Hanna and Dr. Jenny Yu. Hanna, 46, and Yu, 43, met at a social event, bonded quickly and set their sights on creating a...
Apollo teen songwriter finds success in national competitions
Music always came naturally to Jessa Pontier. The 18-year-old Apollo resident said she started singing when she 2 while banging on a toy piano. She could play a real piano by the time she was 6, and taught herself to play guitar around 10 or 11 — never taking any...
Vandergrift man was drunk when he flipped car, found walking barefoot in Apollo, police say
A Vandergrift man has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police say he crashed his car while drunk on Friday in Kiski Township. Police said Ryan Lee Nelson, 20, had a blood alcohol content of 0.147% when police found him walking barefoot along the road in...
New Redemption nondenominational church to open in old Hillcrest Alliance Church in Lower BurrellVideo
At a time when churches are closing across the region, Fred Neal, along with help from another church, is opening a new Christian nondenominational church in the former Hillcrest Alliance Church in Lower Burrell. Redemption Church, whose congregation has been meeting at the Knead cafe in New Kensington recently, has...
Estimated $2.4 million renovation in progress at Hartwood Acres stablesVideo
About $2.4 million in renovations will convert the former Hartwood Acres stables into a wedding and special events center. The upgrade includes a new $1.4 million slate roof and nearly $1 million in other renovations that will convert what was an equestrian complex built in 1927 for Mary Flinn Lawrence...
The Stroller, Jan. 10, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Online parenting program offered Wesley Family Services and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania will sponsor an online parenting program, “The Incredible Years, “from 6...
Tarentum awards 2 contracts to tear down 16 blighted buildings
Tarentum is on the verge of getting the vast majority of the borough’s blighted and abandoned buildings torn down, code enforcement Officer Anthony Bruni said. Bruni said bids for 16 upcoming demolitions came in under budget, which he said could allow council to seek bids on more properties. At its...
The Stroller, Jan. 9, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Help available from HOPE Center hotline If social distancing has forced you into an unsafe situation, help is available by calling the Alle-Kiski HOPE...
Harrison includes hazardous, electronic waste collection in new garbage contract
Harrison will no longer host events twice a year so residents can dispose of electronic and hazardous waste because residents will be able to get rid of them from their homes year-round, Commissioner William Heasley said. Commissioners have approved adding household collection of hazardous waste as part of a new...
Raymond Kerr, former Tarentum councilman, fills vacant 1st Ward seat
A former Tarentum councilman was the only qualified candidate to fill a vacant seat on borough council, officials said. Raymond Kerr, 70, was appointed Tuesday to replace Erika Josefoski as one of two council members representing the borough’s 1st Ward. Mayor Eric Carter swore Kerr into office that night. “We’re...
Frazer hires 3 new police officers, including Officer Brian Shaw Scholarship recipient
Frazer has hired a police officer and two recent police academy graduates to replace three part-timers who resigned to take positions elsewhere. Two of the new hires, Andrew Hakos and Alexander Carmody, recently graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy, police Chief Terry Kuhns said. The third new hire, Olivier...
Belle Voci women’s choir using off-time during pandemic to fuel camaraderie
The Fox Chapel-based women’s choir, Belle Voci, is using the covid-19 pandemic to fuel camaraderie and strengthen spirits. In many ways, the group is connecting more deeply than when their time was focused strictly on rehearsing, Pamela Bruchwalski, marketing director, said. “We may not be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, but...
The Stroller, Jan. 8, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s fundraiser or community event in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Knead Community Café accepting donations Knead Community Café, New Kensington, is accepting donations to help the daily operation of the café, 1011 Barnes St....
Freeport Area School District students to return to classroom
Freeport Area School District will send elementary students back to school four days a week, with middle and high school students returning to the classroom in a hybrid model beginning on Monday. Fridays will remain an asynchronous remote learning day for all students. This decision to return students to in-person...
