Valley News Dispatch category, Page 528
Southbound Route 356 reopens following crash near Allegheny Township shopping plaza
The southbound side of Route 356 reopened around 6:30 p.m. after a two-vehicle crash that overturned a trailer Wednesday afternoon, Westmoreland County emergency officials said. The crash was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m. along Route 356 near Towne Center Drive. The driver of an SUV struck a pick-up truck hauling...
Buffalo Township approves budget with no tax increase
Buffalo Township residents won’t be paying more in taxes in 2021 after the township adopted a new budget. “There was no tax increase, just the usual expenses,” Secretary Treasurer Janice Zubrin said. “We have a balanced budget.” The final budget for the new year amounts to $2.6 million — an...
Harmar adopts $2.7M budget that includes property tax cut
The Harmar Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a $2.7 million budget for next year that cuts the township’s property tax rate by more than a half-mill. The move decreases the tax rate from 3.45 mills to 2.9 mills. At that rate, the owner of a property assessed at $100,000...
Volunteers gathering at Bradford Woods Reserve for Audubon’s annual bird count
For the seventh consecutive year, the Bradford Woods Conservancy is seeking nature lovers interested in participating in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count on Jan. 2. A small team of conservancy members and volunteers is scheduled to be in the Bradford Woods Reserve at 10 a.m. “looking, listening and...
Newly formed Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy sponsors winter lantern festival
A visit to McCahill Park in Fox Chapel on Jan. 1 will be nothing short of magical as the site transforms into a glistening field of lights at sundown. The effort is to promote the newly created Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy, founded to emphasize the community’s passion for its expansive...
The Stroller, Dec. 30, 2020: 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. Christmas tree recycling locations announced Several locations in the area will offer Christmas tree recycling. They include: • Allegheny Township: maintenance building, 1169 School...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers want your help to buy students ChromebooksVideo
Remote learning can be hard on students, especially those who don’t have access to computers at home. Teachers in the New Kensington-Arnold School District have watched their students struggle with that firsthand. In response, they have started a GoFundMe asking people to donate money to buy laptops — Google Chromebooks...
Harmar’s proposed $2.7M budget includes half-mill tax cut
The Harmar Supervisors will hold a special meeting Wednesday to consider adopting a $2.7 million budget for next year that would cut the township’s property tax rate by nearly a half-mill and reduce property owners’ tax bills by 13%. The township’s preliminary budget, passed unanimously in November, called for the...
Former Kiski Area teacher, Leechburg restaurateur Ricky Albert remembered for dedication to community
Frederick Wayne “Ricky” Albert, co-owner of Cicero’s Bar & Grill in Leechburg, died from covid-19 complications on Christmas morning. He was 73. News of his death spread quickly over the weekend in Leechburg, Allegheny Township and surrounding communities, where he is being remembered as a dedicated coach, educator and restaurateur....
Pandemic hits home for Allegheny Valley Hospital physician and his wifeVideo
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus had a clear and, some would argue, promising path into Dr. David and Louisa Shin’s O’Hara home. A primary care physician, Dr. Shin, 52, works for Allegheny Health...
The Stroller, Dec. 29, 2020: 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. Deadline extended for student Innovations Challenge The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection invite high school students in grade nine to...
Fire at West Deer metal recycling company ruled accidental, owner vows to rebuild
The owners of a West Deer metal recycling company plan to continue operations and eventually rebuild after their building was destroyed by a fire Saturday morning. “The long-term plan’s to rebuild, absolutely,” said Rick Tibensky, who co-owns TNT Metals with his brother, Joe Tibensky. “Temporarily we have to find somewhere...
‘Voice of Knoch High School,’ Rege Schiebel remembered for dedication to school, athletics, education
Regis I. “Rege” Schiebel lived, breathed and died Knoch blue and gold. Known as “Mr. Knoch,” the “voice of Knoch High School” and the “voice of Friday nights,” those who knew him said you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t do something Schiebel asked of them because he...
The Stroller, Dec. 28, 2020: 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. St. Joseph High School accepting enrollments St. Joseph High School, Harrison, is accepting enrollments for the fall 2021-22 school year. Admission fees will be...
Penn Hills woman recalls pain of losing her sister to covidVideo
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Kim Fife and her sister, Tami Fife Dixon, talked every day. They shared thoughts and dreams and reminisced about growing up together. As kids, they dressed alike and slept in...
The Stroller, Dec. 27, 2020: 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 welcomes donations and sponsorships Knead Community Café in New Kensington offers free grab-and-go meals on Thursdays to members of the community,...
Fire marshals to investigate cause of fire that destroyed West Deer metals firm
Fire marshals from Allegheny County and West Deer Township will attempt to determine the cause of a fire Saturday morning that destroyed a metal fabricating and recycling plant. West Deer Company 3 fire Chief Josh Wiegand said the fire destroyed the TNT Metals plant at 22 Frontier Drive. It was...
The Stroller, Dec. 26, 2020: 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...
Santa side gig spreads joy to Leechburg residentsVideo
Steve Kovalchik has a festive side gig. Kovalchik, 65, is a volunteer Santa. He suited up on Christmas Day, complete in his custom embroidered red velvet suit, spreading holiday cheer to residents in Leechburg. Originally from Allegheny Township, Kovalchik resides in Maryland but visits Leechburg annually. “I feel joyous and...
After 2 generations, new owner set to take over The Hoagie Shop in North ApolloVideo
The second-generation family owners of The Hoagie Shop in North Apollo might be retiring, but not their famous cold, 12-inch Italian hoagie that still sells for under $5. It’s been a 60-year run for two generations of the Toland family, which has been serving up its signature hoagies with fresh...
The Stroller, Dec. 25, 2020: 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. Merry Christmas to our loyal readers This year has surely been one that none of us will ever forget. Thank you to the wonderful...
Dog training, day care continue after Bruce Ringer, ‘dog whisperer of Tarentum,’ dies
Bruce D. Ringer’s love of dogs and his wife were manifest, and not surprisingly intertwined. The longtime, legendary dog trainer, Ringer, 63, of Tarentum, died of colon cancer on Dec. 20. He was a dog trainer for more than 35 years and opened the first doggie day care in Allegheny...
Early to bed, early to make the bread rise for Leechburg baker
It’s a sweet job any way you slice it. Kelly Petrella, 36, of Vandergrift, heads the bakery team of five at Sprankle’s Market in Leechburg. The Alle-Kiski Valley native and Kiski Area High School alumnus is typically the first employee to arrive, beginning her shift at 5 a.m. “Customers comment...
Christmas Eve sermons will be different this year
It’s a challenge pastors often face, but it never has been more conspicuous than after a year like 2020. What inspiring words can church leaders possibly say during Christmas Eve services after so much death and disappointment? Even though the long-awaited end of 2020 is coming, what about the beginning...
Deer Lakes Soccer Santas continue annual gift-giving tradition to seniors at Cheswick Rehabilitation and Wellness Center
Deer Lakes’ Soccer Santas made their annual delivery of Christmas presents to residents of the Cheswick Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Indiana Township on Monday. The tradition began about six years ago when Deer Lakes girls soccer coach Frank Accetta started coaching at the district. He wanted the girls to...
