Valley News Dispatch category, Page 623
Neighbors rally around Allegheny Township couple after house fire
An online fundraising effort to help an Allegheny Township couple whose home was destroyed by fire Friday was approaching a $10,000 goal. By Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign to benefit Jason and Marissa Femc had raised $9,500 from more than 180 donors. The Femcs, who are newlyweds, lost all their...
Police: Summit Academy student suffers injuries in 6-on-1 assault
Six students at a Butler County rehabilitation school were arrested after allegedly assaulting another student, according to state police. State police said the incident happened around 2:45 p.m. Thursday at Summit Academy on Herman Road in Summit Township. Summit Academy is a private residential school for at-risk youths between the...
The Stroller, Jan. 4, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
United Way seeking volunteer tax preparers United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is looking for people to give their time as volunteer tax preparers. Many of our neighbors don’t have access to affordable tax help, fall victim to rapid refund loans or are not aware of state and federal tax credits....
Gilpin adopts $752K budget with no tax increase
Gilpin supervisors adopted a $752,000 budget for 2020 that includes no increase in property taxes. The tax rate will remain at 7 mills. More money is budgeted for police coverage than last year, according to Chairman Charles Stull, who serves as co-police commissioner. The township now has two full-time officers,...
Cleveland Keys hope to hit the high notes at Oakmont’s Oaks Theater
Ask and you will receive. The Cleveland Keys – a dueling piano company – takes requests from the audience and then performs the tune. Known for doing weddings, corporate functions and nonprofit events, these musicians also do several other appearances, such as the upcoming Dueling Pianos Night at the Oaks...
PNC to close its Hillcrest Shopping Center branch in Lower Burrell
PNC is closing its branch in the Hillcrest Shopping Center in Lower Burrell. A bank spokeswoman confirmed that the Hillcrest location will close March 20. “The way that customers are using branches has been changing,” said Marcey Zwiebel, PNC’s director of corporate public relations. “We have been making adjustments to...
Owners of Fawn’s Blackberry Meadows preserve farmland from future development
Blackberry Meadows Farm in Fawn cannot be redeveloped for residential or other commercial uses under an easement that has been placed on more than 90% of the 85-acre property. The permanent agricultural conservation easement preserves Blackberry Meadows as farmland. To get the easement, owners Jen Montgomery and Greg Boulos sold...
3 hurt near Route 28 Exit 14 off-ramp near Tarentum
Three people were injured Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on Bull Creek Road at Route 28’s Exit 14 southbound ramp near the Tarentum-Fawn line. The crash happened around 2 p.m. and involved a pickup and sport utility vehicle. State police did not identify those injured, but said they were...
Fire destroys couple’s Allegheny Township home, kills family dogVideo
Fire tore through a newlywed couple’s Allegheny Township home Friday morning, destroying all of their wedding gifts and other belongings and killing their beloved 1-year-old dog. “All of our wedding presents, everything, was inside the house,” Jason Femc, 38, said as he stood outside the South Glosser Hill Road home...
The Stroller, Jan. 3, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Vandergrift Library seeking secretary for board of directors Vandergrift Public Library is accepting applications for the position of secretary on the Board of Trustees. This is a volunteer position and applicants must live in Vandergrift or the communities served by the library. Responsibilities include attending the meeting at 6:30 p.m....
Buffalo Creek in running for Pennsylvania River of the Year
Buffalo Creek in Butler County is in third place in online voting being conducted to identify the Pennsylvania River of the Year. State residents have until Jan. 17 to cast their vote at the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website. The group that nominated the winning river will receive...
Man injured in 2-car East Deer wreck
A man was injured Monday afternoon in a two-car wreck in East Deer, police said. East Deer police Chief John Manchini said a black Impala followed by another car crossed the New Kensington Bridge into East Deer at about 1 p.m. Monday. For an unknown reason, the Impala’s driver stopped...
Former Vandergrift cop gets probation in retribution scheme
A former Vandergrift police officer was sentenced Thursday to serve two years of probation for attempting to coerce a local couple to participate in a retribution scheme against his supervisor. Jared Edward Kepple, 28, of Hyde Park pleaded guilty in October to one misdemeanor count of official oppression in connection...
Researchers from Duquesne, Chatham to study water quality of Little Buffalo Creek
Researchers from Duquesne and Chatham universities will conduct testing of Little Buffalo Creek and its tributaries to try to determine the source of pollution that is sullying their waters. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania landed a $13,700 grant to pay for the testing, which will be done this year...
The Stroller, Jan. 2, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Peoples Library seeking tutors Peoples Library in New Kensington is seeking adult volunteers to tutor elementary students in its afterschool program. Adult tutors work one-on-one with at-risk students from the New Kensington-Arnold School District from 4 to 5:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the New Kensington library, 880 Barnes St....
Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara open after power outage
Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara has reopened after a power outage Friday morning. The center along Powers Run Road was closed temporarily while Duquesne Light crews worked to resolve the issue. Officials said early this morning that they were trying to keep the doors open for programs and...
The Stroller, Jan. 1, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Happy New Year! May the year ahead be a healthy and prosperous one you and your family. Academy Singers seeking members The Academy Singers Community Choir is looking for new voices to join their group. The Academy Singers is for singers who want to learn more about choral singing. Selections...
East Deer adopts $1.4M budget with no tax increase
East Deer Commissioners voted Tuesday to adopt a $1.4 million budget for 2020 that keep the real estate tax rate at 4.9 mills. The largest expenditure will be nearly $219,000 for police coverage and related services, while the public works department is allotted $174,000 for street maintenance. The budget includes...
East Deer looks to demolish 3 homes damaged by natural gas fire
East Deer officials said three homes along Freeport Road that were severely damaged Friday when a pickup crashed into a gas meter and sparked a fire will be demolished. Efforts are being made to get one company to demolish all three buildings, officials said. A family of six was left...
Benefit Deer Lakes hockey game exceeds fundraising goalVideo
A hockey game dedicated to raising money for mental health care programs in the Deer Lakes School District exceeded its fundraising goal. Organizers of the inaugural Maura C. Rupprecht Alumni Hockey Game, held Sunday at the Frozen Pond Arena in Middlesex, hoped to raise $5,000 for those initiatives. They raised...
Pig on the run eludes capture in Springdale Township until owner shows up
A wayward pig eluded capture for several hours Monday in Springdale Township after attempts by residents and police to lure and lasso the 100-pound, black-haired swine failed. No one was injured but jokes abounded on the Facebook page “Springdale Borough News,” with one poster wryly noting that Monday was National...
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...
