Valley News Dispatch category, Page 623
The Stroller, Dec. 9, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Festival of Trees raffle supports hospital projects Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary is hosting its annual Festival of Trees raffle to benefit projects supporting the hospital. Each hospital department decorates a tree to be raffled off and they are on display in the lobby. Tickets are 10 for $5 or 25...
Marigold the potbellied pig found wandering in Indiana TownshipVideo
A pig found wandering along Dorseyville Road last week in Indiana Township remains unclaimed. The female adult mini-sized potbellied pig was found without any identifying tags on Dec. 5, reported to Indiana Township Police and later transported by volunteers to a pig rescue facility. The pig remains under the care...
Donations sought for ‘Small Town Christmas’ at Sheldon Park
Donations are needed for the second annual Small Town Christmas event in Harrison’s Sheldon Park neighborhood. The event was first held last year to help bring together and heal the community in the wake of two shootings. It ended up filling the void left when the township’s own parade and...
Community rallies around St. Joseph High School senior Eli Swierczewski as he battles Ewing’s sarcoma
It’s easy to see why St. Joseph High School is rallying around Eli Swierczewski and his second battle with cancer. Classmates, teachers and friends describe the senior with a broad infectious smile as a great person. He’s an A-student who plays soccer, basketball and his favorite, baseball, and is also...
Twisted Thistle eatery in Leechburg staying put with new menuVideo
The Twisted Thistle in Leechburg is here to stay. The historic eatery on Market Street is no longer on the market after being listed for $1.5 million in 2018. “Linda (Alworth, the owner) was interested in selling last year due to her desire to focus on other projects such as...
Unique model train displays showcased in West Deer for holiday seasonVideo
Joe Puet is just as excited about model trains now as he was as a little boy. On Sunday, he enthusiastically showed his 1-year-old grandson Daniel Kline an O Scale model train display that had been set up at the Bull Creek United Presbyterian Church Model Railroad Association Holiday Train...
Welcome to Cluckingham Palace, a posh chicken coop in Kittanning TownshipVideo
It’s a chicken coop worth crowing about. Buttercup, Harper and Wren are coddled chickens residing in a custom-built henhouse on two acres in rural Armstrong County. Homeowners Debbi and Dave Reefer decided in 2016 to raise chickens on their property in Kittanning Township. “I always thought chickens were cool, and...
Taxes remain flat but water, trash rates increase in Brackenridge
Real estate tax rates will be staying the same in Brackenridge, but residents will see hikes in trash collection and water rates. Council on Thursday gave final approval of a $1.16 million budget that will keep the tax rate at 6.25 mills. A new, three-year contract with Richard S. Adamik...
The Stroller, Dec. 8, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Highlands students to present winter concert The Highlands High School Choirs will present their winter concert, “Christmas Classics” at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school auditorium, Natrona Heights. Performances will be by the Concert Choir, Honors Choir and Variations Show Choir. Donations will be accepted to benefit the spring...
Last known local surviving Pearl Harbor vet honored at Brackenridge ceremonyVideo
It’s hard to explain the chaos and confusion that broke out in the moments following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, said George Pann, who at the time was a 19-year-old Army private assigned to the 55th Coast Artillery in Oahu. Pann, now 97, and other area retired...
Online map could soon help paddlers explore Kiski, Conemaugh rivers
An online map could soon help the growing number of paddlers in the Kiski and Conemaugh rivers and outdoor enthusiasts discovers where to stop for a beer and to take in a small town attraction. A $230,000 state grant to the nonprofit Allegheny Ridge Corporation will pay for an updated,...
New Kensington ushers in the holidays with annual parade
New Kensington held its annual Christmas parade Saturday. The parade wound through downtown and featured floats and bands. It was followed by a touch-a-truck event on Fourth Avenue in front of the fire station....
Oakmont food truck looks to small loans for big expansion
An Oakmont food truck seeking to make the leap to a full restaurant and bar isn’t going about raising money for the jump in the traditional fashion. Ken Shields, a full-time IT worker and grilling hobbyist who founded the Oakmont Barbeque Company food truck, could go to a bank or...
Highlands School Board accepts limit on property tax increase
Property taxes in the Highlands School District will not increase by more than 3.7% in the 2020-21 school year. The school board voted unanimously Tuesday not to exceed its state-imposed inflation limit. Under the state’s Taxpayer Relief Act, also known as Act 1, the board is required to make that...
Frazer passes $1.3 million budget, no tax increase
Frazer’s $1.3 million budget for 2020 includes no increase in property taxes despite an increase in spending for the township’s public safety department. Supervisors unanimously voted to adopt next year’s budget and tax rate at their Tuesday meeting. The tax rate will remain at 1.42 mills. The budget includes a...
Al’s Bike Drive donates 1,245 bicycles to Marine Corps League for Toys for Tots
Al Todd III said his bicycle was an important part of his childhood. He remembers riding to his friends’ homes and through the neighborhood. Now, his goal is to make sure that every child in Western Pennsylvania has that opportunity. The annual Al’s Bike Drive, created by Todd, took place...
Riverview school board has new members, new leadership
Riverview school board has new members and new leadership. Political newcomers Jennifer Chaparro, Jane Miller and Melanie Pallone were sworn in to four-year seats while incumbent Maureen McClure was sworn in to her third term at a reorganization meeting Thursday. They were sworn in by district Business Manger Tammy Good....
Sewage rates to increase, property taxes stay flat in Lower Burrell’s 2020 budget
Lower Burrell Council raised the base sewage rates by 9% but will not raise real estate taxes for 2020. Council on Monday unanimously passed the city’s $10.97 million budget for 2020, keeping city real estate taxes at 22.75 mills. A Lower Burrell homeowner assessed at $18,210 would continue to pay...
The Stroller, Dec. 7, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Five Forces to host annual veterans event Five Forces will host its annual Christmas for Veterans event Dec. 14 at the School House Hall, 171 Thorn St., Oklahoma Borough. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6. There will be a DJ, a basket raffle and...
Ex-Leechburg police chief back in jail, attorney says
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold is back in jail on a suspected probation violation, his attorney said Friday night. Diebold, 42, was booked into the Westmoreland County Prison on a 72-hour hold Friday, according to his attorney, Duke George. George, who plans to visit Diebold at the Hempfield lockup...
Demolition of abandoned Tarentum houses underwayVideo
Three empty houses that have blighted Tarentum’s isolated Davidson Street for years were reduced to rubble Thursday. “I think it’s long overdue,” said Davidson Street resident Miriam Kengor. The three empty houses that sit in a row along Davidson Street were among the first of 23 to be torn down...
Police: Incident with van outside Huston Middle School not an attempted abduction
An incident in which a man told a young girl to get into his van was not an attempted abduction, Lower Burrell police said Friday. The department said it was notified Friday of the incident that happened around 8:10 p.m. Thursday. An officer said the entire matter may have been...
Highlands mother angry bus driver left autistic son alone outside school
Rachael O’Connor said that her 9-year-old son sat and cried when he was unable to find an open door to his elementary school Thursday morning after a bus driver dropped him off late and left him alone. O’Connor said her son, who has autism, pulled at the door he would...
Tarentum’s Central Presbyterian Church to host a ‘Russian Holiday’ performance
Experience the sounds of Russia in Tarentum on Sunday. The Academy Chamber Ensemble will present “Russian Holiday” at Central Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. The program will feature one of Joseph Haydn’s “Russian” String Quartets, Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet #1 and some holiday music. This is the sixth season for this...
Vandergrift Councilman Sciullo retires after 32 years
Vern Sciullo does not care for all the attention he’s gotten recently. A member of the Vandergrift Council for 32 years, Sciullo officially retired this week when the newly elected members were officially sworn in Monday. “I’m not interested in this fanfare,” Sciullo said after his last meeting. At the...
