Valley News Dispatch category, Page 526
Plum woman rescued from her burning home by police and neighbor
A 77-year-old Plum woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation Thursday afternoon after being rescued from her burning home by her neighbor and borough police. Resident Butch Bankert said he was going back and forth between his house and shed along the 200 block of Frontenac Road when he...
Burrell graduate is 57th woman ever to graduate from elite Army Ranger School
Lower Burrell native Samantha Shepherd graduated from the legendarily rigorous Army Ranger School late last year to become just the 57th woman and first Army Medical Officer to do so. “I’m just really grateful for my opportunity to go to ranger school,” said Shepherd, who lives in Nashville and is...
Jim Brewster waits, works as 45th Senate race remains unresolved
Jim Brewster, the McKeesport Democrat who was a Pennsylvania senator until Tuesday, was working as usual for people who live in the 45th Senate District. “My staff is functioning with constituent issues,” Brewster said Thursday. But, he said, “I can’t do anything official.” On Tuesday, Republican leadership took control of...
New Kensington-Arnold using hybrid model as students return to schools
New Kensington-Arnold School District students will return to school buildings Jan. 14, but the district will use a hybrid instruction model and break students into two groups. The district closed schools and put all students in remote instruction beginning in November in response to substantial spread of covid-19 in the...
Rather than putting on the ‘quarantine 15,’ 4 Alle-Kiski Valley residents used 2020 to lose weightVideo
Losing never felt so good. Meet four residents of the Alle-Kiski Valley who lost more than 225 pounds combined last year during the covid-19 restrictions. After lockdowns forced people nationwide to endure changes in lifestyles and eating habits, the term “Quarantine 15” was coined — referring to the accompanying trend...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 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. Rotary offers annual scholarships The Bob Williams Memorial Rotary Scholarship, sponsored by Rotary District 7305 Foundation, will award eight $5,000-per-year scholarships to 20-21 academic...
Plum School District recognized by Google for its strides in educational technology
Plum School District was recently recognized for its use of technology to benefit its students’ education. It was named a Google for Education Reference District, which is a distinction held by schools that demonstrate excellence and leadership through use of Google products, such as G Suite for Education and Chromebooks,...
PennDOT postpones Route 28 project until next week due to weather
PennDOT officials said cold weather will delay a Route 28 project designed to add lanes and improve safety near the Highland Park Bridge. Preparatory work such as painting lines and sign installation along the main thoroughfare was expected to begin Wednesday. Officials said those efforts, and subsequent single-lane restrictions, have...
Leechburg Area appoints new board member, prepares for return to in-person classes
Leechburg Area School District has a new school board member. Teresa Edinger, 51, of Leechburg, was appointed during a virtual Zoom meeting Monday night. She replaces Lisa Gregory, who resigned Dec. 9 with one year remaining on her term. Edinger previously was employed by the district as business office manager...
East Deer passes 2021 budget, no tax increase
East Deer residents won’t be paying more in real estate taxes next year despite an increase in spending. Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said commissioners approved a $1.5 million budget for 2021 that keeps the property tax rate at 4.9 mills. The final budget, adopted Dec. 31, was roughly the same...
Pittsburgh man accused of robbing friend with friend’s gun in Upper Burrell
Upper Burrell police charged a Pittsburgh man with robbery, saying he used a friend’s gun to rob the man in his own home, according to a criminal complaint. Tezhon Delvon Thompson, 23, faces felony charges of robbery, burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and illegally possessing firearms. He was released from...
Suspect in Southwest Greensburg hit-and-run arrested in Armstrong County
A former Greensburg man was taken into custody Wednesday in Armstrong County on charges he was driving during a hit-and-run in Southwest Greensburg 13 months ago. North Buffalo Police Chief Jason Hufhand said Justin Lamont Hudspath, 38, was arrested with help of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force at a home...
Winter lantern festival to launch Fox Chapel’s new parks conservancy
A winter lantern festival in Fox Chapel first delayed by rain is rescheduled for sundown Friday. The event will launch the borough’s new parks conservancy by installing a sea of flickering lanterns across the field at McCahill Park along Squaw Run Road. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., people can enjoy...
Aspinwall holds tax rate steady despite increase in spending plan
Aspinwall officials are crediting a strong housing market for helping to maintain the property tax rate in 2021, despite increased spending and pandemic impacts. Aspinwall Council approved the borough’s $2.8 million budget, which holds the real estate tax rate at 6.86 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000...
The Stroller, Jan. 6, 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. Library sponsoring annual Quilt Show online Community Library of Allegheny Valley in Harrison is hosting its 23rd annual Quilt Show through Jan. 23 online....
New 12-unit housing development proposed in Oakmont with some homes over $1 million
A new housing plan has been proposed in Oakmont with some properties expected to cost more than $1 million. Oakmont Place, a 12-unit one-floor patio home development off Hulton Road by Eleventh Street, was introduced to council at Tuesday night’s workshop meeting. Landscape architect Steven Victor of Victor-Wetzel Associates and...
Plum Community Library has a new director, online programs
Plum Community Library enters the new year with a new director and more virtual programming. Pam Calfo of Pittsburgh’s North Side has taken over for Marilyn Klingensmith, who retired as director little more than a month ago. Calfo was welcomed to the library in November and formally took the reins...
Emergency grants available to Armstrong County businesses forced to close in December
Armstrong County businesses that were forced to close last month because of restrictions imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf could be eligible for emergency grant money under a program announced Tuesday. Armstrong County Commissioners said $250,000 is available through the county’s Covid-19 Emergency Business Grant Program. Eligible businesses can receive a...
Police: Man stabbed Arnold woman, then called 911 for help getting belongings from her home
A New York man accused of attacking his girlfriend with a knife in Arnold was arrested Monday after he called 911 asking for help getting his belongings from her house, police said. Police said Thomas H. Smith Jr., 29, of Amityville, N.Y., stabbed and cut his girlfriend after they got...
Fox Chapel Presbyterian asks people to Fill-a-Truck for local food pantries
An annual food collection at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church will help local food banks bridge the gap between the holidays and spring time drives, pantry leaders said. The Fill-a-Truck event in early February, split between the Bread of Life in Etna, St. Vincent de Paul in Sharpsburg and Council of...
The Stroller, Jan. 5, 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. Remembering a friend It would be remiss of me not to make mention of the death of Karen Motosicky on Saturday. Karen was my...
Dollar General adjusts plans for Upper Burrell store in response to concerns
Dollar General’s updated plans for its proposed Upper Burrell store at Route 780 and Dewey Drive call for a fence to allay protests from residents who don’t want the store in their neighborhood. Over the past several months, more than 100 residents signed a petition protesting the construction of a...
Pa. Republicans to delay Sen. Brewster’s oath of office for ‘time to digest’ Ziccarrelli’s election dispute
Pennsylvania’s top Republican in the Senate called Monday night for holding off on swearing in Democratic state Sen. Jim Brewster, spurring staunch criticism from Democrats who argue doing so defies state-certified election results and multiple court rulings. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Centre County Republican, defended his decision...
State police: Pittsburgh man suspected of DUI tried to hide marijuana blunt in his crotch
A Pittsburgh man accused of illegally having two loaded guns – one of them stolen – in a car he was driving Sunday in East Deer stuffed a marijuana blunt down his pants when he was pulled over by state troopers, police said. Police said they pulled over a car...
The Stroller, Jan. 4, 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. Donations welcome for the Friendship Garden Food Pantry Donations for the food pantry in the Tarentum Friendship Garden can be dropped off at the...
