Valley News Dispatch category, Page 566
Pandemic doesn’t stop 400 bikers from supporting the memory of Officer Brian Shaw, memorial scholarshipVideo
Sam Borowski and his girlfriend, Jessica Villella, didn’t know Brian Shaw. But they still felt compelled to participate in a 67-mile motorcycle run held in his honor on Sunday. “I did not know Brian, but I heard the whole story. Tragic,” said Borowski, 47, of East Deer. “I’m in definite...
Deer Lakes approves hybrid, fully online classes for start of 2020-21 school year
Deer Lakes School District will welcome students back with a mix of blended learning and fully online classes. The updated plan gives students the ability to attend in-person classes twice a week and work remotely the remaining three days, or choose between two online learning tracks. Classes are scheduled to...
Former Kiski Township secretary accused of theft by state police
The former secretary-treasurer of Kiski Township has been charged by state police for allegedly making $6,309 in unauthorized purchases using township credit accounts over three years. Monica L. Austin, 48, of Apollo, was charged by Armstrong County state police with access device fraud and theft in connection with numerous incidents...
The Stroller, Aug. 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 or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
Pandemic quashed Plum girl’s dream trip, so Make-A-Wish built her backyard pool, firefighters filled itVideo
Call Haley Delo pool happy. The Plum youth who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy was one of the rare beneficiaries of Make-A-Wish Foundation at a time when many wishes don’t come true. The covid-19 pandemic has complicated everything in life, even delivering wishes to critically ill children. Since...
Despite pandemic, smaller fairs in Export, Irwin, New Kensington decide shows must go onVideo
In a summer of canceled festivals because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials of some smaller events in Export, Irwin and New Kensington decided the shows must go on Saturday. The Westmoreland Fair slated to begin Thursday, the Arts and Heritage Festival in Hempfield that usually runs in July and Fort...
The Stroller, Aug. 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 or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
Head trauma reported in Lower Burrell motorcycle crash
Emergency crews were dispatched to assist a victim with heavy head trauma following an accident involving a motorcycle Friday night in Lower Burrell. The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. on Greensburg Road. It temporarily shut down traffic on a section of the road between Dutchman Run Road and...
Pittsburgh girl struck by vehicle at Route 28 exit ramp in Harmar
A 16-year-old Pittsburgh girl was airlifted by medical helicopter to an area hospital after being struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon on Hite Road in Harmar. The incident was reported shortly before 4 p.m. at the southbound off-ramp of Route 28 at Hite Road. Harmar Township Police Chief Jason Domaratz....
Highlands schedules iPad, Chromebook distributions for students, sign-ups required
Highlands School District will distribute iPads and Chromebooks to its students next week, the district announced. Distributions are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the high school in Harrison. Families are...
New Kensington junior firefighter advances in ranks with plans to go proVideo
Mark Jackson had just finished talking about his plans to become a professional firefighter on Friday when an alert on his phone went off, telling him there was a fire just down the street from his station, New Kensington Fire Department Company 2. A heartbeat later, the deafening siren went...
Family-owned book retailer to close 8 stores, including 1 in Pittsburgh Mills mallVideo
The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer is losing yet another tenant. Bradley’s Book Outlet, a discount book retailer based in Blawnox, announced this week it is closing all eight of its brick-and-mortar stores, including the one in the Mills mall, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the viability of the...
Officials seeking teen resident to represent Aspinwall as junior council person
Aspinwall officials are seeking a teenage resident with an interest in local government to serve as council’s next junior member. Offered through the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the program provides high school students the chance to get a first-hand glimpse into the daily workings of their municipality. The Junior...
Charges dismissed in case of baby who died in Vandergrift
A Westmoreland County judge ruled that no crime was committed involving the death of 5-week old baby who suffocated while sleeping with his father on a sofa nearly two years ago in Vandergrift. Charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment were dismissed against Owen Labrenn Copney, 27, whose newborn son,...
There’s still time to order banners honoring Leechburg, Gilpin veterans
Orders are still being accepted for Leechburg’s “Hometown Hero” banner program. Mayor Wayne Dobos, a member of the three-member committee working on the program, said 133 banners honoring veterans and active military service members had been created and were ready to be hung as of Wednesday. “I think for a...
A dozen goats will scarf up vegetation along Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve trail
A dozen goats, herded by a donkey named Diamond, will scarf up vegetation along a trail at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel for the next few weeks. The temporary visitors are tasked with the important job of eating invasive plants near an ADA-compliant trail at the campus along...
The Stroller, Aug. 14, 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 or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
Fawn police email account hacked, recipients should disregard messages
No, Fawn police are not asking anyone if they have an Amazon account. The Comcast email account used by the township’s police department has somehow been hacked, and was being used to send phishing emails on Thursday, Supervisor David Montanari confirmed. It comes less than two months after the township’s...
Leechburg Area to start school year with online-only instruction
Leechburg Area School District will offer online classes only for at least the first month of the school year, reversing a previous decision that gave children the option of returning to school for full-time, in-person instruction. The school board voted 8-0 on Wednesday to modify its back-to-school plan and push...
Scaled down New Kensington festival to feature display of Alcoa Kensington WareVideo
A New Kensington festival that grew from a one-day event to a three-day affair last year is scaling back to a smaller, one-day occasion because of covid-19 restrictions. Steve Kubrick said face masks will be required and hand sanitizers will be everywhere for the third annual “Arts, Beats & Treats”...
With demand surging, schools wait on Chromebooks
Looking for a Chromebook? You might wait a while. Nationally, there is a backlog of Chromebook orders because of high demand for them during the coronavirus pandemic. At least two local school districts and the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit are still waiting on ones they ordered, and they’re not sure if...
Saltsburg Road in Plum reopens as Turnpike bridge project nears completion
At any other time, a nearly monthlong closure of Saltsburg Road for work on a new bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike would have hit American Legion Post 980 in Plum pretty hard. But covid-19, and the shutdowns and restrictions it has wrought, had done a good enough job of that...
Dollar General proposal not well received in Upper Burrell
In a township that protects its rural character and quietness, some Upper Burrell residents are railing against a proposal for the development of a Dollar General store along Route 780 near Dewey Drive. A discussion of the proposal came up during a township supervisors meeting earlier this month. “We live...
The Stroller, Aug. 13, 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 or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
Sewage treatment plant in Avonmore to get $3.3 million upgrade
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board on Wednesday approved the financing for construction of an upgraded sewer plant in Avonmore. The $3.3 million project will upgrade the 50-year-old plant that services more than 400 sewer customers in the borough. The work will be paid for by a $1.85 million...
