Valley News Dispatch category, Page 609
Harrison looks to replace trees at World War II memorial, plant others elsewhere
Harrison officials want to plant more than three dozen trees in the township, including a spruce that would serve as the community’s Christmas tree. Commissioners are applying for another round of trees through the TreeVitalize program, which has helped the township plant about 150 trees in recent years, according to...
Injury reported in Allegheny Township crash
At least one person was hurt in a single-vehicle crash in Allegheny Township early Tuesday, according to township police and Westmoreland County 911. The crash happened shortly before 2 a.m. in the 4000 block of Garvers Ferry Road, authorities said. At least one person was taken to a hospital by...
Apollo-Ridge to bring ‘High School Musical’ to lifeVideo
A wildly popular Disney Channel movie has gone from screen to stage. Apollo-Ridge High School presents “High School Musical” March 5-7, based on the Disney Channel original movie “High School Musical.” Bethany Greenlee, in her 11th season as musical director, began her professional career working at Radio Disney and said...
The Stroller, Feb. 25, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Ukrainian egg...
Highlands High School resumes normal activities Tuesday following water line repair
Highlands School District officials said classes and activities will resume as normal Tuesday following the repair of a water main break. High school activities were canceled and students were sent home early Monday after water service was disrupted. Harrison Township Water Authority officials said the district would be responsible for...
Chessie looks over renovations at Cheswick Pools and Patios, awaits makeover
Chessie isn’t going anywhere. Some people have been curious about the fate of the iconic purple elephant at Cheswick Pools and Patios as the pool display area outside the Pittsburgh Street business has been torn up. Owners Justin and Debbie Rushin said renovations at the business will continue through the...
Leechburg Area Pool Board once again asks public to help keep pool open
The main message from Leechburg Area Pool officials at an emergency meeting Sunday night in Gilpin: We need help. “That’s what we’re here for, is to ask for help,” board member Dave Safranyos told a crowd of about 25 people who attended the meeting at the Gilpin municipal building. “We...
Lackey’s Dairy Queen in North Apollo plans ‘Leap Day’ reopening
Lackey’s Dairy Queen in North Apollo is leaping into its season this year. Celebrating its 65th year in business, the popular seasonal ice cream destination usually opens in early March. But with 2020 being a leap year, it’s opening Saturday, Feb. 29, instead, said Matthew Spires of Washington Township, Lackey’s...
Waterline break prompts early dismissal at Highlands High School
Highlands High School dismissed students early Monday because of a waterline break outside the school. The high school closed at 11 a.m., according to a recorded phone call the district sent out to parents. School and district officials could not be reached for comment and did not respond to requests...
The Stroller, Feb. 24, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Outdoor Discovery...
Tunnel Hill Farms near Leechburg home to unusual herd of animalsVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Few people know about Tunnel Hill Farms, a plot of around 100 acres, tucked away near Leechburg. And probably fewer know it contains a barnyard of unusual farm animals...
Vandergrift dance studio joins aerial yoga trendVideo
Take your workout to new heights with aerial yoga. Sandra Lynn’s School of Dance in Vandergrift recently added two weekly classes of this hybrid way of practicing yoga. Kim Stewart, owner and certified yoga instructor at Sandra Lynn’s, says the new classes are a hit and aerial yoga has a...
Indiana Township police dog Ares preps for retirement
Indiana Township police dog Ares is making the most of his last month on duty. The drug-sniffing dog will be the special guest at a retirement party thrown by Fairview Elementary students in Fox Chapel Area School District. Ares joined the township police department in 2010 and became an instant...
Arnold Girl Scout Stella Van Why inches closer to her 4K cookie box goalVideo
Daisy Scout Stella Van Why has a lofty goal, but she just might see it through. The determined girl told her troop co-leader that she was going to sell 4,040 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. As of Sunday, she had already sold more than 2,900 boxes. And sales aren’t over...
Harmar buys app to allow easy access to sewer, waterline maps
A new software application will provide Harmar residents a more detailed look at their community through a cell phone app. The township supervisors have agreed to buy the ARCGIS Online Development Proposal from Senate Engineering. The cost is just under $7,600. For that money, the township will have the ability...
Cops: Woman caught with stolen purse kicked trooper during arrest
A Vandergrift woman who authorities say kicked a state police trooper as she was being arrested in Oklahoma Borough last week remained in the Westmoreland County Prison on Sunday, according to court records. Court records show Melissa Ann Gourley, 46, failed to post $3,000 bond on charges of aggravated assault,...
Bouquet Pool’s permit renewed, for now, as Springdale officials try to keep it open
Springdale Township has renewed the occupancy permit for Bouquet Park Pool for two weeks as pool officials try to increase memberships by March 1, according to pool board members. While the main task at hand for the Bouquet Park Pool is to shore up memberships to stay afloat this year,...
West Deer residents concerned about proposed McIntyre Heights development
West Deer residents living near the proposed McIntyre Heights development told the township supervisors they still have reservations about the plan. At a public hearing Wednesday, they aired their concerns about the planned residential development despite some downsizing of the plan and assurances from representatives of the developer, Richland Holdings....
Harmar declares war on blight, officials vow to rid town of dilapidated buildings in 3 years
Harmar Township officials have decided it’s time to wage war on blight. Supervisors Chairman Bob Seibert said that the township can, and will, do better when it comes to ridding the township of deteriorating buildings. “The township will be undertaking a systematic program against blight,” Siebert said. “We want to...
Once the cradle of basic industry, the Alle-Kiski Valley diversifies as it looks forward
Kalmar Chevrolet in Gilpin has weathered many changes since Rudy Kalmar, the son of Czechoslovakian immigrants, founded his family’s car dealership selling Hudsons in 1937. It’s been handed down through generations of the family, rolled with changes in the auto industry, and persisted through the changing fates and fortunes of...
Medical technology brings better precision, more treatment to the Alle-Kiski ValleyVideo
A surgeon sits at an arcade game-like console, his mask-covered face buried in the viewfinder as his hands squeeze, twist and turn handles below. Feet away, a four-armed robot equipped with tiny surgical tools pokes and prods a patient laying on the operating table undergoing a hernia surgery, transmitting a...
Alle-Kiski grocers compete with customer service, community relationships, niche products
On a quiet Thursday afternoon, Brandon Rainelli walks the aisles of Naser Foods. A customer approaches him to ask where he can find apples. A vendor meets him to sell homemade candies. Rainelli engages with everybody. He knows most of their names, and they know his. Rainelli has been manager...
M. Maskas & Sons, a 4th-generation business, to celebrate 100 years in TarentumVideo
A Tarentum candy shop turned distributor is celebrating 100 sweet years in the borough. M. Maskas & Sons was founded in 1920 by Matthew Maskas, a Greek immigrant from Chios who came to the United States in search of opportunity. He found one in chocolate. “Our great grandfather made his...
Allegheny Valley Regional Police to get body cameras thanks to state grant
A $75,000 state grant will pay for police equipment, including body cameras, for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. The grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development will pay for traffic safety equipment and upgraded patrol car cameras that will synchronize with new body cameras, according to...
The Stroller, Feb. 23, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Bouquet Pool...
