Valley News Dispatch category, Page 613
St. Andrew’s Church in New Kensington holds final service for its faithfulVideo
St. Andrew’s Church in New Kensington has sat empty for seven years. On Thursday, roughly 30 parishioners filled the pews one last time. Together they prayed, received Communion, and listened as Episcopal Bishop Dorsey W.M. McConnell deconsecrated the 71-year-old building, which is in the process of being sold. “This is...
Man killed in New Kensington shooting attacked in December, police say
The man identified as the victim in Wednesday’s deadly shooting in New Kensington was pistol-whipped in an Arnold home invasion last month, according to police. Anthone Williams, 31, of Arnold’s Kenneth Avenue was shot multiple times as he sat in his vehicle in a closed section of New Kensington’s East...
The Stroller, Jan. 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Allegheny Valley Hospital auxiliary sponsors vacation raffle Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring a raffle for a seven night Hilton Head Hideaway vacation. The prize includes seven nights in a condo at Shelter Cove Harbor in Hilton Head, S.C. The winner will choose one of three available weeks to vacation....
Authorities say man shot, killed at East Ken Manor in New Kensington
A man was shot and killed at East Ken Manor in New Kensington on Wednesday, authorities said. The shooting was reported just before 5:30 p.m. on Dent Drive, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Police Chief Bob Deringer confirmed a man was found inside a car with multiple gunshot...
$125K state grant to help Arnold bring back city administrator post
Arnold is bringing back the position of city administrator two years after it eliminated the post to have a clerk oversee day-to-day operations, and the state will pick up some of the costs for at least three years. “We need to have someone who can be more focused and given...
Fox Chapel’s Hardie property to be discussed at public meeting
Potential concepts for the newly acquired parkland in Fox Chapel will be unveiled during a public meeting today. The Hardie property, a 17-acre parcel off Old Mill Road, was purchased by the borough last summer and officials tout the land as the missing link in the municipality’s 345-acre park system....
Larry Jock, former Valley News Dispatch publisher, dies while hunting at 58
Standing 5 feet 7 inches tall, Larry Jock had such a big personality that he proved he didn’t need to be the tallest one in the room to command its attention, his former colleagues, friends and family recalled. “He was a smaller guy, bulky and short, but he was a...
New charges filed against Allegheny Township man accused of raping girls
A 48-year-old man already accused of raping two Alle-Kiski Valley girls faces new charges after another alleged victim has said she was assaulted as a child and as an adult. Eric A. Wright, who had been living in Allegheny Township, is accused of exposing himself to the third girl, watching...
The Stroller, Jan. 15, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Meetings to discuss bus routes planned Community meetings are scheduled this month to learn more about bringing bus lines to local communities in the Allegheny Valley. Meeting dates and locations include: • 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Central Presbyterian Church, 305 Allegheny St., Tarentum. • 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22, at the...
Lower Burrell planning $170K drainage project on Craigdell Road
Lower Burrell is applying for a state grant to help pay for repairs to drainage pipes along and under Craigdell Road in the Kay Street area. Matt Pitsch of Senate Engineering, the city’s engineer, said the aging pipes need to be repaired before their condition worsens. The city is seeking...
Mother of Sandy Hook victim reschedules presentation at Burrell High School
Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse was one of 26 people killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, has rescheduled a free presentation at Burrell High School on her “Choose Love” educational program for April 1. She canceled a presentation scheduled for last month because she was ill....
Arnold fills vacant council seat, opening up seat on redevelopment authority
Filling a vacancy on Arnold Council created another opening in the city. Council chose Adam Zweig to fill an empty council seat created when former Councilman Joseph Bia was elected mayor in November. After being chosen, Zweig resigned as chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Authority. Solicitor David Regoli said Zweig...
3 injured in Route 380 crash in Washington Township; 2 rescued from smashed vehicle
Three people were injured Tuesday night in a two-vehicle crash that uprooted the center guardrail on Route 380 in Washington Township and snarled traffic on a stretch of the highway for more than an hour. None of the injuries appeared life-threatening, but all three victims were flown by medical helicopters...
Brothers help raise $1K for charity by camping out inside Sprankle’s stores
Two brothers helped raise roughly $1,000 for charity by camping out inside their grocery stores in Leechburg and Kittanning last week. Doug and Ryan Sprankle, owners of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market stores in Leechburg and Kittanning, hosted “Camp Out For Community” events for 24 hours at both locations to raise money...
Highlands organizations lobbying Port Authority for increased transit service
The head of the nonprofit Building Block of Natrona is lobbying for increased transit service that she said would provide residents of several Highlands communities with greater access to fresh food. “Along the Allegheny River it’s mostly economically disadvantaged families with no access to transportation and no access to fresh...
Vandergrift’s reorganization redo gets contentious as residents vent frustration
A Vandergrift Council meeting quickly became a shouting match Monday — complete with insults and banging fists — and left several residents frustrated with their elected officials. Council held a special meeting to redo its reorganization meeting of Jan. 6, after it came to light that five members and the...
Allegheny Township residents concerned about planned cell tower
Allegheny Township Supervisors tabled a decision Monday on the request by Verizon Wireless to install a communications tower near the Blair Farm barn on property owned by Edwin and Jill Morrison on Route 356. Residents spoke for 90 minutes in opposition to the tower. The cell tower location is permissible,...
Motorists identified in Route 28 crash near Harrison
Suspected serious injuries resulted from a Monday afternoon collision just south of the Harrison exit on northbound Route 28, state police said. Two Armstrong County people were inside a Chevrolet Camaro that veered into the right lane, hit a guardrail and then was driven back into the left lane at...
Tarentum replaces streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue
A key Tarentum intersection that had been dark since a crash in November is again illuminated at night. Borough crews Monday replaced the streetlight at Lock Street and East 10th Avenue, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said. A light that had been there was knocked out Nov. 25 when a tractor-trailer...
The Stroller, Jan. 14, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Memorial service planned to honor fallen Apollo police officer A memorial service in honor of Apollo Police Officer Leonard C. Miller who was killed in the line of duty will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Lutheran Church of Apollo, 214 N. Pennsylvania Ave. The Rev. Philip Ramstad will...
Grant-funded programs to benefit Highlands students’ computer learning, vision care
Highlands School District will use one grant to improve computer science education, while another grant-funded program is aimed at improving students’ eyesight. The district has been awarded a $35,000 Smart Grant from the state to improve its elementary and middle school computer science programs, with a focus on increasing participation...
Plum’s 80-year-old Meals on Wheel volunteer will ‘keep going up until I can’t go anymore’
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things they do. Anna Betti plans to start this year the same way she closed out the last one: making meals for fellow Plum residents. “I’m going to keep going up until I...
Turf field would reduce water runoff in Leechburg, officials say
A proposed artificial turf field at Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Stadium would reduce water runoff to neighboring streets, according to an architect and the company that makes the turf. Drainage from the field was a concern of at least one Veterans Avenue resident, who said runoff from the current grass field...
Philadelphia man gets 6 to 12 years for raping 2 girls in Harrison
A Philadelphia man accused last year of sexually assaulting two girls in Harrison was sentenced to prison after accepting a plea bargain Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Willie James Porter III, 46, was sentenced to six to 12 years for rape of a child and five years of...
2 injured in crash on northbound Route 28 near Harrison
Two people were injured in a crash on Route 28 near Harrison during Monday’s afternoon commute, initial reports indicate. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash involving multiple vehicles in the highway’s northbound lanes about 2:50 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Medics and police responded. Two...
