Valley News Dispatch category, Page 549
New granite panels installed at Harrison World War II memorial, rededication scheduledVideo
New granite slabs making up the rejuvenated Harrison Honor Roll memorial have been installed, years after efforts to preserve and restore the memorial recognizing the township’s World War II veterans began. “It’s been a long time,” Bill Rudolph, a member of the memorial’s restoration committee, said as he watched the...
AK Valley gift dashing group creates food pantry, takes on other community projectsVideo
A new outdoor food pantry in New Kensington where people take what they need and leave what they can is proving to be so successful that those who built it are figuring out how to make it bigger. The pantry outside the Community Clothes Closet was packed full of goods...
The Stroller, Oct. 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Vote for your favorite pumpkin at Community Library of Allegheny Valley The staff at Community Library of Allegheny Valley, 1522 Broadview Blvd.,...
Encompass Health discontinues outpatient rehab services in Harmar
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Harmar has discontinued its outpatient rehabilitation services following a drop in patient volume because of the covid-19 pandemic. The cut in services, which took effect Sept. 30, affects patients who are not hospitalized but undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy and recovering from bone breaks,...
So far, so good with in-person and virtual instruction at Burrell School District
As school districts throughout the region debated how to open this year as fears of covid-19 continued, the Burrell School Board decided to give parents the choice. And that decision seems to be working so far, according to school officials. Although the district reported one covid-19 case involving a high...
Charges filed, arrest warrant issued in North Huntingdon cat-hoarding case
An arrest warrant has been issued for a North Huntingdon man accused of hoarding more than 70 cats that were malnourished and infested with fleas when authorities rescued them from a township home in September. Since being rescued, the cats have been cared for at Frankie’s Friends, a cat rescue...
Police searching for man accused of breaking into Springdale house, threatening to kill occupants
A Harrison man is accused of breaking into a Springdale Township home and threatening to kill two women and a child with a knife. Kenneth Mendenhall Jr., 30, faces charges of aggravated assault, burglary, trespassing, terroristic threats and simple assault, according to online court records. Police issued a warrant for...
Tarentum train station restaurant to reopen in December, owner says
The owner of JG’s Tarentum Station Grille said Thursday he intends to reopen the popular restaurant on Dec. 1. The restaurant in a historic former train station in the heart of Tarentum has been closed since March because of the covid-19 pandemic. When the state allowed restaurants to increase their...
Fox Chapel Area students bring ‘Lost in Yonkers’ to outdoor stage
They’ve rehearsed by Zoom and won’t be performing on a traditional stage, but Fox Chapel Area theater students are eager to bring the high school’s fall production to life. “It’s very uplifting to see how, despite everything that has happened (with covid-19), we can still have some normalcy during a...
New Kensington-Arnold superintendent acknowledges distancing problem in 3rd-grade classes
New Kensington-Arnold School District is working to fix a problem with reduced social distancing in some third-grade classes at Roy A. Hunt Elementary in Arnold, Acting Superintendent Jon Banko said. Distancing in three or four combination social studies/science classes in the grade is reduced from 6 feet to 5 feet...
South Buffalo fire department to host Kevin Haas memorial truck pull
The South Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a truck and tractor pull to memorialize a friend. The Kevin Haas Memorial Truck and Tractor Pull will be held at the fire hall on Saturday. It’s a fitting tribute to Haas, who died in May, said Erin Pflueger, a member of...
Restaurant, bakery expected to open in O’Hara’s RIDC Park in early 2021
A new restaurant and bakery is expected to open in the former Max & Erma’s in RIDC Park in early 2021. Periwinkle’s, an American-style eatery with burgers, soups and salads, will open at 900 Gamma Drive, O’Hara, just off the Allegheny Valley Expressway. The building and its 2.8-acre parcel were...
Fox Chapel Baseball Softball Association lands $200,000 state grant for field upgrades
Summer 2021 will bring renewed enthusiasm to the phrase ‘Play Ball’ for Fox Chapel Area School District youth who compete at Emmerling Park in Indiana Township. Fox Chapel Area Baseball Softball Association (FCBSA) was awarded $200,000 from a state gaming grant to upgrade two fields at the park off Route...
A free lunch: Leechburg Methodist church starts local Feeding Our NeighborsVideo
Leechburg Area School District faculty and staff were treated to a free lunch Wednesday, thanks to a local church. Volunteers from Leechburg First United Methodist Church prepared and delivered 120 lunches to the school faculty lounge. It’s part of a new outreach program, “Feeding Our Neighbors.” Program coordinator Lori Klingensmith...
The Stroller, Oct. 15, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Benefit truck and tractor pull set Saturday in South Buffalo The Kevin Haas Memorial Truck and Tractor Pull will be Saturday at...
Larry Mills Park in Plum to host a free drive-in Halloween movie night Oct. 24
Plum plans to have a Halloween drive-in movie night a week before the holiday. Movie night is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24 at Larry Mills Park. The borough presents “The Addams Family,” the 2019 animated version from directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan. It is based on the characters created...
Plum officials approve ‘town center’ plans, need state permit before seeking contract bids
Plum officials are seeking developers for a proposed municipal center. The so-called town center would house a police station, municipal offices, gym, a plaza and a community center — essentially an all-in-one government service center — near the public works and EMS buildings along Old Mine Road. The current Plum...
Plum High School remains open after 2 students test positive for covid-19
Plum High School remains open in a hybrid learning model despite two students testing positive for covid-19. District officials said they were notified Wednesday of two students from the same family at the high school having positive cases. Principal Joe Fishell said via letter that the district’s conducted contact tracing...
Westmoreland approves poll changes in wake of coronavirus concerns
Seven polling sites in Westmoreland County will be relocated for the Nov. 3 general election amid concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. All 307 voting precincts will be open, but a handful — which could not meet safety protocols or are located near senior housing communities prohibited from hosting...
More businesses, music, food in store for 2nd Tarentum Night Market
There’s going to be more businesses, more food and more music at the second Tarentum Night Market on Thursday. The once-a-month event, held on the third Thursday, is intended to draw shoppers into the borough’s business district by having participating businesses stay open later, from 5-8 p.m. The first market...
Allegheny Valley schools superintendent wants K-6 students back in classroom
Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Pat Graczyk is proposing expanded in-person learning at Acmetonia Elementary School. “I’m asking the board for our elementary students (K-6) to come back four days a week for in-person learning starting on Oct. 26,” he said. Under Graczyk’s proposal students would be in classrooms Monday,...
3 covid-19 cases identified in Kiski Area schools; no closures planned
Three cases of covid-19 have been identified in the Kiski Area School District in recent days. Superintendent Tim Scott said the district was in the process of consulting with the state Department of Health concerning the next step after a staff member at Kiski Area Upper Elementary tested positive. While...
The Shadows attraction in Fawn isn’t scaring anyone this Halloween
The screams are silent this season at a popular Halloween destination in Fawn. The Shadows, Alle-Kiski’s only outdoor haunted attraction, announced late last month on Facebook that it would not open for the season. Co-owner Chuck Lynn said the decision not to open was made because of covid-19. “It was...
St. Joseph students return to school after being cleared from covid-19 exposure
About 15 students at St. Joseph High School in Harrison worked from home for two days until it was confirmed they had no contact with a person from another school who had tested positive for coronavirus, a school spokesperson said Wednesday. “Our soccer team played Serra Catholic over the weekend...
2 dead after dispute between siblings in Allegheny Township
Authorities said a domestic dispute between a brother and sister ended in a murder-suicide early Wednesday in Westmoreland County. The shootings took place at a home in the 900 block of Route 356 in Allegheny Township following a dispute between a man in his late 50s and his sister, who...
