Valley News Dispatch category, Page 545
Virtual groundbreaking held for ‘Digital Foundry’ to be built in New Kensington
Leaders from New Kensington, Westmoreland County and Penn State participated in a virtual groundbreaking Wednesday for an innovation and manufacturing lab that will support education and manufacturing in downtown New Kensington. Called “The Digital Foundry at New Kensington,” it will be built over the next year at the site of...
Gilpin police apprehend Texas man accused of assaulting child
A Texas man accused of various crimes against a child has been apprehended, Gilpin police said Thursday night. Gilpin police were looking for Michael Henry Brucker, 31, of Montgomery, Texas. He is accused of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13. Charges against Brucker include aggravated indecent assault of a...
The Stroller, Oct. 29, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a free Thanksgiving Dinner? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Prospect Cemetery offers tour booklets Because the annual Prospect Cemetery Ghost Tours were canceled this year, the cemetery is selling a...
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide on in-person, fully remote learning
Under guidelines from the state departments of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes. The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels...
New Kensington man accused of taking more than $150K in VA benefits
A federal grand jury has indicted a New Kensington man accused of taking money intended for a Veterans Administration beneficiary and using it to buy a diamond ring and a truck and make payments on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said Wednesday. Andrew Ziacik, 57, of Earl Avenue,...
Highlands High School closes because of covid-19 case with ‘significant’ quarantines
All Highlands High School students will learn remotely through next Friday, Nov. 6, because officials said a covid-19 case resulted in a “significant” number of required quarantines. The move to all remote learning took effect Thursday. “The high school building will be closed and all after-school activities that are scheduled...
Shady Side Academy students to livestream a production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Take a ride down the rabbit hole with Shady Side Academy students as they present “Alice In Wonderland – A Radio Play,” streamed live to accommodate covid-19 restrictions. “I have loved this story since I was a child and am grateful for an opportunity to perform,” said junior Ava Kronman,...
Kiski Area School District will remain open, citing low transmission locally
Kiski Area School District will remain open for hybrid in-person instruction, breaking with some other districts in Westmoreland County. The state Department of Education has recommended that Westmoreland County districts move to fully remote instruction to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. For the last two weeks, the county has experienced...
New Kensington-Arnold going to all remote instruction for 1 week
New Kensington-Arnold School District will change from in-person to remote instruction for all students the week of Nov. 2, the school board decided Tuesday. The state Department of Education has recommended that Westmoreland County districts move to fully remote instruction to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. On Tuesday, the county...
The Stroller, Oct. 28, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a free Thanksgiving Dinner? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Veterans Day information sought The Stroller is compiling a list of Veterans Day parades and events to be published online and...
Fall Greek Food To-Go event may become new tradition for Oakmont church
An Oakmont church already known for its annual food festival might have started a new tradition this year. The Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church hosted a Greek Food To-Go event Oct. 24 and 25 in order to help recoup some of the financial losses incurred due to the...
Incumbent state Senator Brewster faces GOP challenge from Lower Burrell attorney
A Lower Burrell attorney is challenging a Democratic incumbent known for working both sides of the aisle in the 45th State Senate District, which includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties and stretches from McKeesport to the Alle-Kiski Valley. While both candidates assign importance to similar issues, like the economy,...
Upper Burrell man accused of pointing loaded AR-15 at woman
An Upper Burrell man is accused of pointing a loaded AR-15 rifle at a woman and pulling the trigger, but police said the weapon malfunctioned. Matthew Best, 32, of Upper Burrell, has been charged with aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, loitering and prowling at night, and...
Police: Washington Township woman falsely claimed to be sheriff’s deputy
A Washington Township woman who police said has been repeatedly warned in the past to stop identifying herself as a sheriff’s deputy was charged with impersonating a public servant after an incident near her home. Barbara Lynne Szulc, 61, allegedly was riding a red lawnmower around Wellington Estates at 3:45...
Kiski police: Chase ensues after officers see boys smoking marijuana in store parking lot
A Kiski Township police vehicle was hit in a chase that ensued Monday night after police said they saw two juveniles smoking marijuana in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in North Apollo. Police did not identify the boys or disclose their ages or where they are from....
The Stroller, Oct. 27, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a free Thanksgiving Dinner? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free Narcan distribution and resource fair planned in Harrison The Building Block of Natrona and the Allegheny County Health Department will...
West Deer approves $100 fine to combat false alarms
West Deer residents and businesses will now have to pay $100 each time their alarms accidentally go off three or more times per year. Supervisors at their October meeting approved updating the township’s existing false alarm ordinance to help out West Deer’s police and volunteer fire companies, who have been...
Fox Chapel will host private meeting with some residents to hear input on ‘Squaw’
Residents of Squaw Run Road and Squaw Run Road East in Fox Chapel will get a final chance to provide input on their road names — and whether the word Squaw is removed — during a private meeting Nov. 9. Council will host a closed meeting with residents to hear...
Police: Intoxicated Tarentum man attacks wedding party, threatens officers
A Tarentum man was arrested Saturday after police said he shouted obscenities at a wedding party as he drove past them and then got out of his vehicle and went after them. Borough police charged Brian S. Henning Jr., 32, with resisting arrest, driving under the influence, disorderly conduct and...
Coronavirus case confirmed at Leechburg Middle/Senior High School
A staffer at Leechburg Middle/Senior High School has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Superintendent Tiffany Nix. The district notified families of the positive case in a letter dated Thursday. The letter did not identify the infected individual. Nix said the district has followed recommendations by the state’s health and...
Dozens of items seized from Washington Township home likely stolen, police say
When Washington Township Police Chief Scott Slagle went on the hunt for a 30-ton log splitter that had been reported stolen, he was surprised to find it this month sitting in the driveway of a Spring Hill Road home. Now, investigators are trying to figure out the origin of dozens...
The Stroller, Oct. 26, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a free Thanksgiving Dinner? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. TryLife Center accepting donations The TryLife Center in Lower Burrell is accepting donations of new and gently-used children’s clothing...
Police: Off-duty New Kensington cop accused of assaulting girlfriend after birthday party
An off-duty New Kensington police officer is accused of beating up his girlfriend after drinking at a Pittsburgh bar over the weekend, according to a criminal complaint. The woman told police she had been navigating their route home with a GPS when the incident happened. Joseph Martino II, 32, of...
Trick-or-treat during a pandemic: ‘We don’t have the power to stop Halloween’
It didn’t take long for the first trickle of school-related coronavirus cases this fall to turn into a steady drip that has seen multiple school buildings close. State health officials said earlier this week that the fall surge they had anticipated had arrived. Many communities, however, are going ahead with...
Student tests positive for covid-19 at Kiski Intermediate School
A student has tested positive for covid-19 at Kiski Intermediate School, a letter from Superintendent Tim Scott said, but the school will remain open. The Department of Health was contacted and the district is following state recommendations, according to the letter, sent Friday. “Last night the Department of Health informed...
