Valley News Dispatch category, Page 570
Leechburg Public Library will leave school, move to new home on Market Street
It’s the end of an era in Leechburg. For the first time in its roughly 100 years of existence, Leechburg Public Library will no longer be located inside Leechburg Middle/Senior High School. “It’s a bittersweet thing. It truly is,” said Doreen Smeal, the library board’s secretary and treasurer. “There’s two...
Fox Chapel set to restore wetlands in Hardie Valley Park
Plans for Hardie Valley Park are underway in Fox Chapel with a six-year, $3.3 million development plan that includes wetland restoration and trail relocation. The borough purchased the highly-coveted 17-acre parcel in 2019, as it links the northern and southern tracts of the borough’s park system. “The new park will...
No criminal charges to be filed in 2-year-old’s drowning in Harrison
No criminal charges will be filed in the July drowning of a 2-year-old New Kensington boy in Harrison, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. Cassius Alexander Saulsgiver died July 20, four days after he was found in an in-ground swimming pool at his grandfather’s Opal Court home. Mike...
Highlands approves calendar changes, school year to start remotely
The Highlands School Board has approved changes to the district’s 2020-21 school year calendar. As a result, the first day of school will be Friday, Aug. 28. It will be a remote learning day for all students. The first day of school had previously been Thursday, Aug. 27. That day...
The Stroller, Aug. 18, 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. Knead Community Café to distribute grab and go dinners...
Oakmont officials to review fire siren use in response to resident’s concerns
Oakmont officials want to review the use of borough fire department sirens in response to resident complaints. Councilwoman Leah Powers on Aug. 17 requested a log of the sirens’ uses and for what calls after a discussion with resident Jill Weeks. Weeks showed council a video that evening with children...
Kiski Area School Board approves reopening plan
Kiski Area School District will start out the school year with two weeks of 100% remote instruction, followed by an optional hybrid plan. The first day of classes will be Aug. 31. The district had long planned to start out the year online, suspecting much would still be uncertain by...
Oakmont officials waive amusement device fees for businesses
Oakmont officials are giving a break to some borough businesses hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic. Council unanimously adopted a resolution Aug. 17 waiving its mechanical amusement device tax for the year. Police Chief Michael Ford, whose department collects the fee, made the recommendation. He said the tax is levied...
Riverview School District to start next school year with new superintendent
When school begins, Riverview School District students and staff will see new safety protocols, new challenges and a new superintendent to help guide them through it all. Neil English, district curriculum coordinator and high school instructional principal, was chosen to succeed Peggy DiNinno as Riverview’s top administrator. DiNinno is retiring...
Gilpin man charged with breaking into woman’s home, threatening to kill her
A man accused of breaking into a Gilpin woman’s home last week told police after his arrest that he would kill the woman after being released, and he also threatened the woman in a series of text messages, according to a criminal complaint. Jamison Eugene Rush, 43, of Gilpin, faces...
Virtual teaching: Be improvisational, engage students, experts say
As teachers get ready to return to a school format in which many will have to do virtual instruction, area experts in online teaching offer some advice. Connect with students, offer rigorous instruction, be a bit improvisational and refrain from simply providing students at home with the same lesson as...
Vandals break lights on Leechburg’s gazebo, mayor hopes to purchase cameras to discourage behaviorVideo
Leechburg’s gazebo was vandalized again. Mayor Wayne Dobos said someone broke strands of decorative lights that hang around the white gazebo, located in Leechburg’s Riverfront Park. Residents informed him of the situation last week. “I can’t understand why somebody has to destroy something that’s nice,” Dobos said. “There’s no reason...
The Stroller, Aug. 17, 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. Changes made to annual Spartan Scramble golf outing St....
Indiana Township man left homeless after fire levels house, policeman alerts neighbor of the blaze
An Indiana Township man is homeless after a fire destroyed his home Saturday night, officials said. Chief Adam Siemianowski of Rural Ridge Volunteer Fire Company said a West Deer police officer spotted smoke around 10:30 p.m. coming from the home in the 250 block of Little Deer Creek Valley Road....
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...
