Valley News Dispatch category, Page 619
ATI steelworkers are Secret Santas giving A-K Valley kids free bikes
Steelworkers at ATI in Harrison are Secret Santas, as they bought 39 bikes and helmets for Alle-Kiski Valley kids this Christmas. The money was raised over the last two months, according to Bill Campbell, union grievance representative for the United Steelworkers Local 1196 in Brackenridge, which serves ATI’s steel mill...
Springdale Council set to raise property tax 6.5%
In an effort to do some much-needed paving, Springdale Council will vote this week on a 6.5% property tax increase. Council unanimously agreed last Tuesday to raise taxes by a half-mill in order to pave either Colfax Street or Rosslyn Avenue in 2020. The vote on the tax hike will...
Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream stands out with more than just coffeeVideo
This coffee shop brews up the cool factor. Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream, known as ABC by the locals, serves up coffee, specialty drinks and homemade breakfast and lunch items amid 1960s and ’70s pop/rock memorabilia. “The decor isn’t the usual coffee shop vibe,” said co-owner Pete Sanida of Squirrel Hill....
Section of Route 28 in Armstrong County reopens after crash
A section of Route 28 northbound in Armstrong County was reopened around 8 p.m., after a crash caused the road to be closed Sunday for more than seven hours. State police said two vehicles crashed when a truck lost a load on the road in Mahoning Township at about 12:45...
The Stroller, Dec. 22, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Hockey game to benefit Brian Shaw Memorial Fund The Brian Shaw Memorial Hockey Game will be at 8 p.m. Friday at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena, 700 Craigdell Road, New Kensington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Plum Mustangs and Kiski Cavaliers varsity hockey teams will play. Admission is $5 and...
‘Officer’ Rudy, newest member of Gilpin’s police force, has a nose for trouble (and snacks)Video
“Officer” Rudy is the newest addition to the police force in Gilpin. He loves belly rubs, snacks and attention. Rudy is a 3-year-old Belgian Melinois, a popular breed for training as police dogs. He received his K-9 certification from the North American Police Work Dog Association this month. He reported...
Vo-tech schools serving Westmoreland, A-K Valley districts get nearly $82K in grants
Three vo-tech schools that serve 11 school districts in Westmoreland County and the Alle-Kiski Valley have received close to $82,000 in grants from the state Education Department. Lenape Technical School received $40,675, Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $49,999, and Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $16,930. The...
The Stroller, Dec. 21, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Knead Community Cafe closed for holidays Knead Community Café in New Kensington will be closed Tuesday through Jan. 1 for the holidays. For upcoming events at the café, visit kneadcommunitycafe.org/events/. Calendar Kittanning Monday: A free family support group for anyone struggling with the addiction of a loved one will meet...
More than 10,000 Christmas lights on display at Bob’s Garage in O’HaraVideo
At Bob’s Garage, Christmas decorations stay up until February to accommodate the masses still crowding the small bar renowned for the outrageous number of Christmas lights enveloping the inside and outside. “It’s like walking on the inside of a Christmas tree,” said Bob Paganico, 72, of Penn Hills. Paganico started...
‘Make Yourself at Home Bandit’ suspected of robbing Harmar betting parlor linked to 12 robberies in 7 states
The masked man who forced an employee to empty the safe of a Harmar off-track betting parlor last month may be wanted in connection to at least dozen robberies across seven states, police said Friday. Lloyd Eugene Rhodes, 57, who has warrants out for his arrests from the FBI and...
New Ken-Arnold student left on W.L. Roenigk bus, 2nd pupil in 10 days
A New Kensington-Arnold School District special needs student was left alone on a W.L. Roenigk school bus at the Clairview School in Greensburg on Friday, school and bus company officials said. The driver was immediately fired, a Roenigk official said. It was the second time in 10 days that a...
Woman, children injured in Brackenridge head-on collision, other driver’s condition unknownVideo
A woman and two elementary-age children were taken to a hospital for treatment after a car and a minivan collided head-on Friday in Brackenridge, police said. It’s unclear if the other driver was also taken for treatment of his injuries. The wreck happened about 1 p.m. on Freeport Road near...
At least 1 hurt in 2-car wreck along Freeport Road in New KensingtonVideo
A two-car crash along Freeport Road in New Kensington sent one woman to an area hospital Tuesday. City police said her infant accompanied her in the ambulance. The wreck appears to have happened when a white rental car hit the rear of a black Ford Taurus at about 10:30 a.m.,...
Valley High School volleyball tournament benefits Salvation Army food pantry
Valley High School students served up nearly 3,000 cans of food Friday as part of the school’s seventh annual Christmas Classic Volleyball Tournament. “That’s amazing,” Salvation Army Capt. Phillip Davies said of the students’ efforts. “The need is so great at this time of the year. Our inventory of emergency...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board continues to pave way for hefty property tax hike
New Kensington-Arnold School District will go forward with preparing a preliminary budget for the 2020-21 school year as it readies to ask the state for permission to increase property taxes by more than twice its limit. The school board voted unanimously Thursday night against a measure that would have prevented...
Buffalo Township hires new cop, inks 5-year deal with chief
The police force in Buffalo Township is expanding, and the chief has a new long-term contract. Township supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved the hiring of a new full-time officer, Jeffrey Swiklinski, who is retiring as Freeport’s police chief, according to Buffalo police Chief Tim Derringer. Swiklinski assumes his new position...
3 cars damaged in crashes on icy stretch of Route 910 in HarmarVideo
Two vehicles were heavily damaged Friday morning in a head-on crash on an icy stretch of Route 910 in Harmar, but the two drivers involved managed to walk away unhurt, Harmar police said. Also damaged in the crash was an unoccupied third vehicle that had been disabled on the side...
West Deer adopts 2020 budget without tax increase
West Deer Supervisors on Wednesday adopted a $6.5 million budget for 2020 that keeps the property tax rate at 2.99 mills. At that rate, the owner of a median-priced home of $115,650 would owe $345.79 in taxes, the same as this year. The biggest line item in the budget calls...
The Stroller, Dec. 20, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Free Christmas dinners planned Free holiday dinners will be served in Lower Burrell, Harrison and Tarentum to the needy or those who might otherwise be eating alone. • Abundant Joy Fellowship, 101 Allegheny St., Tarentum, 1 to 3 p.m. Christmas Day. Reservations are suggested, but not required. Children will receive...
Arnold high-rise residents like police foot patrols through buildingsVideo
The residents of Arnold Towers and the neighboring Arnold Manor don’t have to wait for an emergency to get a visit from police. For about a year, Arnold officers have checked high-rise lobbies, public areas and stairwells of both low-income high-rises along Horne Boulevard. On Thursday, three Arnold officers, including...
No real estate tax increase for 2020 in Cheswick
The property tax rate will remain the same next year for Cheswick property owners. Council passed a 2020 budget of $1.78 million that keeps the borough’s real estate tax rate of 5.85 mills. The total includes 0.25-mill dedicated to the library. A Cheswick homeowner would continue to pay $608 in...
Ex-Applewold councilman sentenced to 4 to 8 years for child sex assault
A former Applewold councilman and East Franklin fire chief convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy two years ago in Kittanning was sentenced Thursday to up to 8 years in prison. Mark Alan Feeney, 56, will serve 4 to 8 years in state prison. Armstrong County Judge James Panchik ordered...
Driver fired after leaving 7-year-old Leechburg student on bus
A W.L. Roenigk driver has been fired for leaving a 7-year-old Leechburg Area student on a minibus, company president Sue Roenigk said Thursday. The boy was mistakenly driven to the bus company’s Allegheny Township garage and office on Greenwood Road, about 5 miles from David Leech Elementary School where the...
Highlands superintendent schedules more ‘Coffee Talks’ with parents
Highlands School District parents will get more opportunities to talk with the district’s superintendent and administrators in January. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney has scheduled a second round of “Coffee Talks” that will be held in the evening. The first series of meetings had been held in the mornings in late September...
Mother, 2 young children rescued from Parks house fire
A mother and her two young children were rescued from their burning home early Thursday morning in Armstrong County. The fire in the 1600 block of Dime Road in Parks was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. Firefighters from seven departments battled temperatures in the low teens to put out the...
