Valley News Dispatch category, Page 565
VALarena in North Apollo plans to reopen, but owners want to sell and keep it a roller rinkVideo
Although the doors are closed, the disco ball still shimmers on the sky-blue cement floor of the VALarena roller rink in North Apollo. A recent Facebook post by the owners announcing their imminent retirement put the public in a tailspin. The post reached more than 17,000 people. Generations of roller...
The Stroller, Sept. 5, 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. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Christopher’s Light charity accepting donations Children’s charity Christopher’s Light...
Lower Burrell councilman tapped for homeless veterans’ nonprofit with $4 million in grantsVideo
Lower Burrell Councilman Robert Hamilton has been named executive director of the Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in East Liberty, an organization that helps homeless veterans. Hamilton, 32, said he has had a deep passion for helping at-risk veterans. Hamilton served in the National Guard as a military police officer....
Sheriff’s sale dashes Harrison woman’s plan for bakery, cafe in Natrona
Linda Gromley has operated her home business, “Fifty Shades of Cake,” out of her kitchen in Harrison’s Natrona section for two years, baking everything from pies and cookies to bread and, of course, cakes. She had hoped to grow beyond a home business by putting in a commercial kitchen and...
Vandergrift councilwoman continuing with lawsuit against borough, 5 colleagues
The legal battle among members of Vandergrift Council continues. Recent case filings show a back-and-forth between Councilwoman Karen McClarnon and her peers, and a refusal to drop a civil lawsuit filed in late May. The defendants, five other council members and other officials, filed to dismiss the suit in late...
Oakmont family to stand trial in toddler’s death
The last months of 3-year-old Bella Seachrist’s life were spent stationary, allegedly forced to sit for so long on her training potty that her feet became swollen and purple, detectives testified Friday at a preliminary hearing for the three adults charged with her homicide. The girl’s father, Jose Salazar-Ortiz, his...
‘Mutt Strut’ to benefit Springdale-based animal rescueVideo
A foster-based animal rescue headquartered in Springdale said it needs help finding homes and providing medical attention for cats and dogs. Paws Across Pittsburgh will hold its second annual “Strut With Your Mutt Walk” at West Deer’s Bairdford Park on Saturday, Sept. 12. Founder and President Jackie Armour understands the...
Twirl Time Studio relocates from Pittsburgh Mills mall to The Clement in TarentumVideo
Moving into the Pittsburgh Mills mall went so well for Marianne Rieg that her dance studio, Twirl Time, grew to fill two storefronts serving 200 kids. Covid-19 changed that. Her studio shut down in March. Although the Frazer mall reopened, its earlier closing time didn’t work for her business, primarily...
Lower Burrell considers hiring mowing contractor for city parks
Lower Burrell Council is considering hiring a private contractor to mow grass at the city’s two largest parks. Council members are expected to discuss the proposal when they meet virtually Tuesday. The council canceled both of its August meetings because it lacked adequate meeting space during the renovation of City...
Mine cleanups in Cook, Fawn townships among those targeted by state program
An abandoned mine drainage treatment system meant to remove pollution from a tributary of the Loyalhanna Creek near Rector will be replaced and a highwall at the popular Tour-Ed Mine and Museum in Fawn will be made safer via a state program. “It’s a win-win all around,” said John Wenzel,...
West Deer increases property tax rebate for seniors
West Deer Supervisors have increased the amount of money that senior citizens can have reduced from their property taxes each year. The board voted unanimously to amend West Deer’s Senior Citizen Property Tax Relief Program, which provided a $10 reduction from the township’s property tax bill for eligible seniors. The...
Pandemic provides boost for river recreation businesses in Western Pa.Video
The covid-19 pandemic appears to have spurred more people to take to Western Pennsylvania’s waterways this summer. Neill Andritz, co-owner of River’s Edge Canoe & Kayak in Gilpin, said kayaking, tubing and canoe rentals have increased 25% this season as people have sought covid-friendly outdoor pursuits. “We’re realizing the outdoors...
St. Margaret Foundation, workers team to ease covid’s burden
The St. Margaret Foundation and hospital employees have teamed up to churn out initiatives that seek to alleviate the continued toll of covid-19. Foundation President Mary Lee Gannon said hospital employees donated $143,000 to the foundation’s annual employee campaign, much of which will be funneled to easing burdens brought on...
The Stroller, Sept. 4, 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. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Fire companies plan ride to Flight 93 Memorial Vandergrift...
New Kensington record store reopening over Labor Day weekend at new location
A New Kensington record store will reopen this weekend in a new location designed with social distancing in mind. AJ Rassau, owner of Preserving Underground with his wife, Sarah, is spreading his store’s grand reopening over the Labor Day weekend to keep the crowd from becoming overwhelming. Preserving Underground is...
Charges withdrawn against West Deer man accused of inappropriately touching young girl
Criminal charges have been withdrawn against a West Deer man who police accused of inappropriately touching a girl several years ago. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office withdrew five charges, including aggravated incident assault of a child, that were filed against Scott Goedicke, 46, in May, according to online court...
Fawn plans to continue hearing for suspended police officer in wake of federal lawsuit filing
Fawn officials announced that a hearing for a suspended township police officer will resume this month. Earlier this week, the officer filed a federal lawsuit against the township, three of its supervisors and the police chief. An attorney representing Officer Keith Lazaron II said he does not agree with the...
West Leechburg man ‘space-ing out’ with online astronomy show
West Leechburg’s James Sanders has turned a childhood interest in science into a celestial pursuit and profession. Sanders, who has an astrophysics degree from Clarion University, is hosting a free Facebook livestream on astronomy Saturday. “I found planetariums in college and realized they would be an excellent marriage of content...
PennDOT proposing bridge replacement, roundabout project in Allegheny Township
PennDOT is considering changing the T-intersection at Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road in Allegheny Township into a roundabout. The project is a few years off, but PennDOT is inviting the public to comment starting next week. In addition to creating a roundabout at the intersection, the project also...
The Stroller, Sept. 3, 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. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Car cruise planned Saturday by Kiski Township firemen Kiski...
Lower Burrell councilwoman to sing national anthem at Trump rally
Lower Burrell Councilwoman Rosina Albanese is singing the national anthem at President Trump’s campaign stop Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Albanese, 27, a Republican, said she was called recently by a Republican Party representative asking if she would sing at a high profile event at the Unity airport....
Harrison commissioners approve agreement for Springhill Road path
The Harrison commissioners were given a round of applause by a handful of residents Wednesday after unanimously approving a maintenance agreement with Allegheny County for a shared pedestrian and bicycle path along Springhill Road. The $1.3 million path is now expected to be built next year, said Jason Molinero, deputy...
Frazer hires Officer Brian Shaw Scholarship recipient as part-time officer
Frazer’s newest police officer has a heartfelt connection to former New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. Steve Edwards of Lower Burrell was a recipient of an Officer Brian Shaw Scholarship, which reimburses graduates from the Allegheny County Police Training Academy. Brian Shaw graduated from the academy in 2014, and worked...
North Huntingdon traffic stop nets fugitive wanted in New Kensington drug death
North Huntingdon police on Monday arrested a man wanted for nearly two years in connection with the drug overdose death of a New Kensington woman. Police say Tre-Ron Arnez Jackson, 27, of Pittsburgh was among three men accused of selling and delivering drugs that New Kensington police allege killed Shanelle...
West Deer forms Community Development Corporation to help business owners
West Deer leaders have created a Community Development Corporation to help the township’s existing businesses and look for ways to attract new ones. A CDC steering committee made up of supervisors, Deer Lakes School Board members and business owners was formed in July, according to Supervisors Chairman Arlind Karpuzi. The...
