Valley News Dispatch category, Page 608
Freeport heads into second phase of sewer plant construction
Freeport Council voted 5-1 Monday night to enter the next phase of construction for a new sewage treatment plant. Phase II of the project would involve design, surveying, construction and inspection. Construction costs are estimated to be about $11.1 million. With the costs of design, surveying and legal responsibilities, the...
Civil claims against owner of Harrison’s Heights Plaza exceed $700K
Civil claims totaling more than $700,000 have been filed against the owner of Heights Plaza in Harrison. Pretium Property Management, the plaza’s court-appointed receiver, claimed in a civil complaint filed last month that Wild Blue Management, Indigo Management and Steve Kogut, all of Far Hills, N.J., fraudulently transferred nearly $650,000...
Annual Hard-to-Recycle event planned at Pittsburgh Mills
The Pennsylvania Resources Council is offering four Hard-to-Recycle events this year, including one on May 9 at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer, for residents to get rid of items not typically collected by trash haulers. Residents can bring their e-waste, cellphones, alkaline batteries, Freon-containing appliances, tires and more to the...
State grants will help Alle-Kiski fire companies pay debts, buy equipment
More than 60 Alle-Kiski Valley fire and ambulance companies were recently awarded more than $775,000 through the annual state Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program. Some of the companies plan to use the money to pay down what they owe on new fire trucks. Others will buy protective...
The Stroller, Feb. 4, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Shamrock Shuffle 5K and Walk set for March 21 The 2020 Shamrock Shuffle 5K and one-mile Family Fun Walk will begin at 10 a.m. March 21 at West Leechburg Fire Hall, 1116 Gosser St. The course will run through the streets of West Leechburg and return to the fire hall....
Oakmont councilwoman hopes to challenge Dermody for state House seat
Carrie DelRosso, an Oakmont Republican and businesswoman, announced she’s seeking her party’s nomination for the state’s 33rd District House seat. DelRosso, 44, grew up in Scranton and lives in Oakmont, where she runs a public affairs firm that provides services to private sector clients, school districts and municipalities. Current clients...
New Kensington approves leasing 2 new police SUVs
The New Kensington Police Department will soon have two new vehicles on the road. City Council on Monday approved leasing two vehicles for four years for about $67,500. The city received a $50,000 state grant to help cover the cost. The vehicles will be 2020 Ford Explorer SUVs, police Chief...
Uncle Dave’s Books brings art to Alle-Kiski Valley children
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. An award-winning author of children’s books is...
Woman accused of hiding gun that killed New Kensington cop says she suffers from PTSD
A woman charged with disposing of the weapon that police say was used to kill New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw claims she could not have done so because she is afraid to enter basements. In court documents filed Monday, the lawyer for Lisa Danea Harrington, 33, of New Kensington...
Murrysville man accused of swindling $18K from Allegheny Township business
A Murrysville man is accused of taking nearly $18,000 from an Allegheny Township business to install signs promoting the business, but never doing the work. Orbin Swisshelm, 60, took the money from McGuire Family Auto Service, according to a criminal complaint filed by township police. Police said Swisshelm disbanded his...
Fire marshal: Spontaneous combustion caused Allegheny Township fire
A fire that extensively damaged an Allegheny Township house last month was caused by the spontaneous combustion of some oily rags, a fire marshal said Monday. The fire at 1241 Bagdad Road was reported after 1 p.m. Jan. 26. The house was under construction and unoccupied. The homeowners declined to...
The Stroller, Feb. 3, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Free event about Second Amendment rights planned State Rep. Joseph Petrarca will host a free informational event about concealed carry Second Amendment rights from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the West Leechburg Firemen’s Recreation Hall, 1116 Gosser St. Representatives from the county sheriff’s office, state police, local law enforcement...
Peebles in Allegheny Township to take on sister store name Gordmans
Gordmans, a discount department store, will soon replace its sister brand, Peebles, in Hyde Park Plaza, Allegheny Township. Both stores’ owner, Stage Stores, headquartered in Houston, Texas, announced the grand opening for Gordmans for 9 a.m. Feb. 18 at with gifts and other giveaways. Given the demise of big box...
New automatic CPR machines already saving lives at Vandergrift/Oklahoma EMS
New automatic CPR machines in use for about a month on Vandergrift/Oklahoma EMS ambulances have already helped paramedics and EMTs save lives. Vandergrift/Oklahoma Emergency Medical Services recently used a state grant to buy two CPR machines for their ambulances. The device, called LUCAS, is a mechanical chest-compression system. It fits...
She didn’t want to be a nurse. Now she’s director of a Frazer school that teaches nurses
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things they do. Lynne Rugh never thought nursing was for her. But a nudge from a friend’s mother led her to a rewarding career she has been working in for close to five...
Small vape shops scramble for survival as government, Big Tobacco put up ‘one hurdle after another’
Chris McGrath doesn’t plan to give up his dream of helping people quit cigarettes by vaping. But the Harrison vape shop owner is worried the mounting challenges confronting his industry, particularly its smallest players, could push his and hundreds of other small shops and manufacturers out of business. “Small businesses...
Remember When: Feb. 3
100 years ago Parnassus to build memorial to service men A granite shaft, seven feet in height, will be erected by Parnassus borough at the corner of Freeport, Fourth and Main streets. A bronze tablet commemorating the living and dead heroes will be installed by the Mathews Bronze Co. 75...
Chocolate-covered dreams at Speckled HenVideo
Chocolate lovers have a sweet destination in rural Clinton Township. Speckled Hen Chocolate Co. opened in 2013, specializing in unique gourmet hand-dipped chocolates, gift baskets, event favors, chocolate-themed classes and homemade fudge. Sarver native and owner Valerie Cannon, 45, often provided homemade chocolate-covered pretzels for her co-workers. She made the...
Natrona fire leaves 6 people homeless
Four adults and two children escaped a fire Sunday night in Harrison’s Natrona section despite a lack of working smoke detectors in the duplex that burned, according to Hilltop Hose Fire Chief Krzeminski. “This could have been a tragedy,” Krzeminski said. “If this had happened in the middle of the...
Lower Burrell celebrates wrestling team’s 14th straight WPIAL titleVideo
It’s become an annual mid-winter rite in Lower Burrell. Fire trucks with blaring sirens escort the Burrell wrestling team on Leechburg Road to the high school, marking the latest Bucs WPIAL team wrestling title. That was the scene late Saturday afternoon at the corner of Wildlife Lodge and Leechburg roads....
The Stroller, Feb. 2, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
River City Brass Band to perform in Allegheny Township The River City Brass Band will play a concert, “Sounds of the 60s” to benefit the Kiski Area Education Foundation at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 in the high school auditorium, 240 Hyde Park Road, Allegheny Township. Tickets are $25. For tickets...
State police: Drunken Leechburg woman hit man with car in Vandergrift
State police say an intoxicated Leechburg woman hit a man with her car in Vandergrift last Monday. State police responded to a call at a Leechburg address where it was reported that a man was hit by a car, reportedly driven by a woman who was threatening to “slit her...
The Stroller, Feb. 1, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Sub fundraiser to aid Cheswick couple who lost home to fire Fat Cat’s Subs in Cheswick is conducting a hoagie fundraiser to benefit Kayla Fischerkeller and Ryan Brittingham of Cheswick who lost their home Jan. 17 in a fire. Subs cost $8 and varieties available include Italian, ham and cheese...
Police: Heroin hidden inside can of baby formula in New Ken apartment
New Kensington police and state drug agents say they found heroin packets hidden inside a can of baby formula when they raided a New Kensington apartment. The raid on Constitution Boulevard Thursday turned up about 9.5 grams of uncut, loose heroin, six pieces of crack cocaine, two baggies of marijuana...
Allegheny Valley Hospital president unveils plans for new yearVideo
Coming to Allegheny Valley Hospital as its new president was something of a homecoming for Dr. Vicenta Gaspar-Yoo. “Coming here was almost seamless,” she said Friday from her office at the Harrison hospital, part of Allegheny Health Network. “I trained in Pittsburgh. Everybody knew I was a product of Pittsburgh....
