Valley News Dispatch category, Page 616
Gordmans stores plan grand openings at former Peebles sites
Gordmans will hold grand opening events at several former Peebles store locations in the region, including giveaways and donations to area school districts, according to a release. Ribbon cuttings are set for 9 a.m. Feb. 18 at local stores including Belle Vernon, East Huntingdon, Ellwood City, Allegheny Township, New Castle...
Harrison man’s question sparks discussion on bettering communities
A Harrison man who started an online effort to improve his community is taking it into the real world. Dylan Seelnacht, who grew up in Brackenridge and now lives in Harrison, asked on Facebook what people in those towns and Tarentum would like to see happen to make them better...
Kiski Area Upper Elementary students carry on tradition of successful food drives
Students at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School donated a truckload of food to the Kiski Valley Food Bank last week. The school’s student council — made up of fifth and sixth graders — has held a week-long food drive every January for seven years, said Katey Hummel, a fifth grade...
The Stroller, Jan. 30, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Free performance by Sadecky’s Puppets set Saturday Sadecky’s Puppets will present a free performance at 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Presbyterian Church, 913 Lock St., Tarentum. All members of the family will enjoy their fun and positive message. Hospital auxiliary sponsors vacation raffle Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring...
Roof repairs, HVAC work among Plum School District projects
Plum School District officials plan to spend more than $1.75 million on various facility upgrades this summer. School board members unanimously approved Cleveland-based Garland DBS to fix Center Elementary’s roof for nearly $400,000. R.E. Michael Co. was tapped to make HVAC rooftop units for Center and Oblock Junior High School...
Oklahoma Borough man who stole natural gas ordered to repay $2,000 to Peoples
A Westmoreland County judge has rejected a prosecution request that sought more than $900,000 in restitution from an Oklahoma Borough businessman convicted of stealing natural gas from an open well. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger, in a ruling made public on Wednesday, said Jeffrey W. Zinchini, 61, of Oklahoma...
Deer Lakes High School gets groovy with ‘Beehive: School Edition’Video
Get ready to be taken back to the 1960s this weekend at Deer Lakes High School. A cast, stage crew and live band of about 50 students in grades nine-12 will perform “Beehive: School Edition” from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 in the high school auditorium. The hour-and-a-half-long musical tells...
Kiski manager resigns; supervisors unsure if she’ll be replaced
The Kiski Township manager’s position is in limbo. Supervisors Wednesday afternoon accepted the resignation of Donna Piper, hired as the township’s first manager on Sept. 24, 2018. Supervisors Chairman Mike Bash said he didn’t know how the position will be filled. Piper had been paid $75,000 per year. The manager’s...
State awards Arnold $1.8M loan for sewer reconstruction
Arnold is getting a state loan of about $1.8 million to make improvements to its sewer system, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Wednesday. The 20-year loan has a 1% interest rate for the first five years that rises to 1.743% for the remaining 15 years. The combined sewer system in...
Former Leechburg police chief Michael Diebold faces additional criminal chargesVideo
Additional criminal charges were filed this week against Michael Diebold, a former Leechburg police chief, alleging he did not comply with registration requirements for convicted sex offenders. State police charged Diebold, 42, in Armstrong County with a felony offense in connection with allegations he used the social media site FetLife.com...
$1M instant lottery ticket sold at Harrison supermarket
A regular customer of Community Supermarket in Harrison won $1 million on a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket. “I was thinking, ‘Please don’t cry because I’m going to cry with you,’ ” said office clerk Niki Dickey, who talked with the woman when she brought her winning ticket back to the...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board approves preliminary budget with 8% tax hike
The new president of the New Kensington-Arnold School Board says they have no choice but to raise property taxes, but the board’s past president says it should consider cutting staff instead. “Education will not be sacrificed,” said board President John Cope, who was elected in November. “Isn’t that why the...
Police: Arnold man had gun, drugs near child that he held when arrested
An Arnold man accused of selling heroin and cocaine is also accused of keeping a handgun in a child’s bedroom , police said. Elbert Lewis Thompson II, 30, of Leishman Avenue was arrested Monday after allegedly pushing a police officer on a porch, fleeing upstairs, and coming out holding a...
Natrona man puts his lifelong love of trains, hometown on display
Mike Stawinski was 8 years old when his father, Stanly, brought home a model train he found while working for Harrison in 1965. Stawinski, now 60, took his father’s find and built it into a lifelong hobby. A 6-by-12-foot HO-scale model train layout sits in his Natrona basement. The train...
The Stroller, Jan. 29, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Banners being sold to honor Harrison veterans The Harrison Township Honor Roll Restoration Committee is selling banners to honor township residents who served in the Armed Forces. Proceeds will help raise funds to restore the memorial. The double-sided banners will be printed by Gray Signs and measure 24 x 30-inches....
Verona fires police officer accused of corruption of a minor
A Verona police officer accused of having child porn and corrupting a teenage boy has been fired. Council unanimously voted to terminate terminated the employment of part-time patrolman Anthony Ogline Tuesday night. He was suspended without pay Jan. 17 after borough officials were informed of an investigation involving Ogline, 34,...
Residents ramp up calls for public transportation in A-K Valley communities
Alle-Kiski Valley communities are lobbying the Allegheny County Port Authority to extend a bus route that would connect residents to local shopping and business hubs. Led by the community group Building Block of Natrona, the petition asks the Port Authority to extend the 1 Freeport Road bus route from the...
Walls of Kiski Area High School covered in student-painted, historical muralsVideo
Students at Kiski Area High School don’t just hang their artwork on the walls. They paint the walls. As part of a mural project called “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” students have painted murals modeled on iconic artwork or images from history. The project started in 2011. “At...
The Stroller, Jan. 28, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Cat food donations needed at Frankie’s Friends Rescue Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue, New Kensington, is in need of donations of Purina Cat Chow Complete in the blue bag. Items can be dropped off from 9 to 10 a.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays or shipped to the...
Plum Borough School District classes to resume after threat to high school
Plum Borough School District classes are expected to resume Tuesday as borough police continue to investigate a threat against the high school. Schools were closed Monday after someone threatened to shoot up the high school. District officials announced that evening they would be returning to a normal schedule following a...
Leechburg Area Pool in Gilpin needs help from public to stay afloat
The future of the Leechburg Area Pool could be in jeopardy if it can’t recruit new board members, officials said Monday. The six-decade-old pool in Gilpin could potentially dissolve, which is akin to a form of bankruptcy, the pool’s board told members in a letter posted to Facebook. “We need...
Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum continue joint planning effort
An effort to develop a joint comprehensive plan for Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum is scheduled to take another step forward with a public meeting next month. “We want everybody to come,” said Elaine Kramer, a designer and planner with the Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Pashek+MTR, which has been working with a...
Longtime Lower Burrell bartender mixes up a variety of drinks, flavors
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. Amber Adda can’t remember how she landed...
Owner of Allegheny Lumber and Supply remembered as businessman with big heart
William Schrecongost, who owned the Allegheny Lumber and Supply Co. in Tarentum, was known in the industry for his knowledge and hard work. What many did not know about him was that he was a music major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the late 1950s. “He was an excellent...
The Stroller, Jan. 27, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Deer Lakes HS to present, “Beehive: School Edition” The Deer Lakes High School Drama Department will present, “Beehive: School Edition,” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the high school auditorium, West Deer. The show celebrates the powerful female voices of the 60s and includes hits...
