Valley News Dispatch category, Page 617
Bumpy ride: $250K grant to fix pothole-riddled Low Grade Road
Harmar, Cheswick and Springdale Township were awarded a $250,000 state grant — about half of what they requested — to fix the pothole-riddled Low Grade Road. The road, almost a mile long, has been plagued by major drainage problems for years. State Sen. Lindsey M. Williams, D-West View, pushed for...
The Stroller, Dec. 31, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Christmas tree recycling offered in Allegheny County Allegheny County is offering its annual Christmas tree recycling program from 8 a.m. to dusk through Jan. 14 at all nine regional parks. Local parks include: • Boyce Park, Plum: soccer fields parking lot • Deer Lakes Park, West Deer: Veterans Shelter parking...
Alle-Kiski Valley top stories of 2019
The Alle-Kiski Valley’s biggest story of 2019 unfolded over less than two weeks in a Westmoreland County courtroom, with a jury of nine women and three men finding Rahmael Holt guilty of murdering New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw and then sentencing Holt to death. In other major stories, the...
Arnold auto technician’s passion for cars continues through the agesVideo
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 reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Steve Mike’s career as an automotive technician started at...
Property tax hike needed to maintain services, New Kensington officials say
A property tax increase is needed for New Kensington to maintain its services, officials said as council unanimously approved the city’s 2020 budget and tax rate Monday. Police protection is among those services. The city hired five new officers this year, which accounts for much of the 3% increase in...
J.V. Manufacturing founder John C. Vecchi dies at 96
When John C. Vecchi began his manufacturing career at Allegheny Ludlum Steel in Brackenridge nearly 80 years ago, he made history. While serving as a tool-and-die apprentice, Vecchi helped build the world’s first carbide progressive die, an integral part of a process in which coiled metal is used to produce...
Smoke alarm helps mother, young son escape fire in Arnold
A smoke alarm helped a woman and her 4-year-old son safely escape a fire that heavily damaged a two-story duplex in Arnold on Monday afternoon. The fire in the 2000 block of Proctor Alley was reported around 2 p.m. Firefighters had it put out within about 30 minutes. Kayla Pirozzi...
Lawmakers want answers about future of Avonmore’s Akers plant
State lawmakers who represent Avonmore said Monday they are concerned that the new owners of the Akers National Roll plant haven’t been more forthcoming about their plans for the site. “Documentation shows that the plant was sold, but we are unsure who the new owners are and what they ultimately...
Popular flea market for hunting, fishing, camping items returning to ArnoldVideo
Looking for a decades-old lure from the South Bend Bait Co. or a new handmade turkey caller? The Alle-Kiski Valley’s oldest and, perhaps only, fishing and sports flea market is set for January at the Arnold No. 2 Volunteer Fire Department social hall. The 15th annual Tri-County Trout Club Sports...
The Stroller, Dec. 30, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski 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. Meals and...
Deer Lakes Hockey Club holds event to raise awareness about suicide
Maura Rupprecht was never one for the spotlight. But she would be glad to know her death might just help save a life, her mother believes. Maura was a Deer Lakes High School sophomore who died by suicide in March. She was 16. “I really think that she would be...
East Deer family left homeless by fire to move into new place Monday
An East Deer family of six left homeless after a Friday morning fire is expected to move into a new place in the township Monday. The Red Cross initially assisted Aaron Ciccanti, his fiancee, Andrea Small, and Small’s four children, two boys and two girls, with a temporary place to...
‘Kill for Thrill’ murderer remains on death row 40 years after Western Pa. killing spree
Jim Clawson hopes that one day he will watch the last breaths of the man who killed his friend and fellow police officer 40 years ago. Clawson has been waiting for decades to be summoned as a witness to John Lesko’s final day. He wants to be seated behind a...
Belle Voci singers in Aspinwall among new groups getting RAD tax money in 2020
When Craig Cannon’s 34 years of directing the Fox Chapel Area High School choir program were coming to an end, he wasn’t ready to quit teaching music. The Duquesne University alumnus started a nonprofit seven years ago for women who wanted to sing beyond high school, college and Sunday church...
The Stroller, Dec. 29, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Volunteer opportunities available at Allegheny Valley Hospital Allegheny Valley Hospital is recruiting volunteers to join the lobby escort, information desk and surgical reception teams. Orientation and training are required and provided. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Apply online at allegheny.vsyslive.com/pages/app/61EFWO7WP9NQRA10 or contact Kim at 724-226-7370 or avhvol@ahn.org....
Kittanning’s Meredith Inn combines history, good foodVideo
What’s old is new again in Kittanning. The Meredith Inn, a restaurant, taproom and private event venue housed in what was an historic former residence and later, a YMCA facility, opened in June. Located at 138 N. Water St., patrons experience dining in a Victorian-themed turn-of-the-century Kittanning residence. Co-owner and...
Freeport Chief Jeff Swiklinski moving to Buffalo Township police force
One of the early advocates for Alle-Kiski Valley police surveillance cameras is moving from leading Freeport police to a neighboring force. Jeff Swiklinski, 53, of Buffalo Township, who was chief of the Freeport Police Department for 19 of his 32-year career with the force, will become a Buffalo Township patrolman...
Cheswick’s new representative on Allegheny Valley Police Department a familiar face
Only one person, a councilman whose term was running out, applied for appointment on the board governing the newly formed joint police department between Cheswick and Springdale Township. Both communities merged their police departments in May 2019 to form the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. Each municipality has two representatives...
East Deer neighbors pitch in to help family of 6 recover from fire that destroyed their home
A community is rallying in support of an East Deer family who lost everything in a Friday morning fire. The Red Cross is assisting Aaron Ciccanti, his fiancee, Andrea Small, and their four children with a temporary place to stay, clothing and food after their home at 405 Freeport Road...
Renovating Vandergrift’s vacant J.C. Penney building takes step forward
The Vandergrift Improvement Program is beginning to make progress on renovating the town’s historic J.C. Penney building at 134 Grant Ave. after years of saving and struggle. The building has sat vacant for more than a decade. The Vandergrift Improvement Project owns the building. VIP recently invited Patton Engineering to...
The Stroller, Dec. 28, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Concordia to offer classes Concordia Institute for Lifelong Learning is offering free classes for those of retirement age. Classes will include Beavers: Behavior and Habitat, Backyard Bird Identification, Importance of Pollinators, Women Suffrage, Creative Journal Writing, Book Crafts and many more. Some classes have a nominal fee. For a catalog,...
Alle-Kiski anglers, golfers take advantage of warm late December weather
With free holiday time on their hands and relatively balmy temperatures, Alle-Kiski Valley residents have been playing golf, catching walleyes in the Allegheny River or simply going outside more. The higher temperatures — 62 degrees Thursday and around 57 degrees Friday — are unusual but not unheard off, according to...
Leechburg police camera fundraiser gets slow startVideo
A fundraiser to help buy surveillance cameras for Leechburg police is starting slow, but its planners are confident food sales will pickup. Last summer, Leechburg businesses donated about $4,000 toward a goal of installing DVR equipment at the police station and then connect it to intersection cameras when money is...
Fire knocks out Comcast service in at least East Deer, Springdale, New Kensington
The fire that quickly consumed a home in East Deer and damaged two others has also burned through Comcast lines in the area, affecting service that was not restored until after 10 p.m. “This fire burned fiber of ours. We just got access to the site 15 minutes ago,” Comcast...
Fire spreads to 3 East Deer homes after pickup crashes into gas meter
An East Deer couple and four children narrowly escaped a roaring, natural gas-fueled blaze that started Friday morning when a pickup crashed into a gas meter in front of their home. Aaron Ciccanti and fiancée Andrea Small got the children, ages 4 to 8, to safety by smashing out a...
