Valley News Dispatch category, Page 633
Alle-Kiski Valley shoppers turn out to support small businesses as Christmas season beginsVideo
The sounds of Christmas music and the sights of holiday trimmings abound at the Hole in the Wall on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. The store was filled with shoppers on Small Business Saturday, browsing the items for sale at one of the businesses in the Alle-Kiski Valley that depend...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre hosts annual holiday extravaganza
Get in the holiday spirit at “Hometown Christmas 2019: Counting Down to Christmas.” This 24th annual event will feature songs that exude happy feelings this time of the year. There are three performances at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 2 p.m. Dec....
The Stroller, Nov. 30, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Apollo-Ridge High to sponsor annual Senior Citizen Luncheon The annual free Senior Citizen Luncheon at Apollo-Ridge High School will be Dec. 12 at the high school, Route 56, Kiski Township. A concert featuring the school band and chorus will begin at 12:30 p.m. and lunch will be served at 1:15...
Bouquet Park Pool in Springdale Township on brink of closure, bankruptcy
Financial woes and a lack of officers might prevent a five-decade-old pool in Springdale Township from opening next summer. Richard Kern is interim treasurer for the Allegheny Valley Swimming Pool Association, which operates Bouquet Park Pool. Kern said the most significant issue the pool is facing is the need for...
Black Friday deals lure shoppers into Alle-Kiski Valley stores early, often
Natalie Cale was moving through the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer, two stuffed bags in each hand, with a destination in mind. It was her car, where she planned to drop off her load of gifts before heading back in for more. Cale was finding the deals on this year’s...
Harrison preps tree, plaza for Christmas parade and festival
Organizers of Harrison’s Christmas parade and festival plan to hold the festival under a tent this year to avoid a repeat of last year, when Mother Nature was a Grinch and rained out the festivities. Rain or shine, the parade will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and is...
Audubon plans bird festival, other activities in Buffalo Creek watershed
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will use a $30,000 state grant to put on a bird festival and offer free tree giveaways, youth programs at libraries and more in Buffalo Township and nearby communities. The nonprofit also will use grant money from the state Department of Conservation and Natural...
Record Turkey Trot raises more than $20,000 for Kiski Area Youth Network
A record number of runners participated in the annual Kiski Valley Turkey Trot on Thursday. The run is one of the Kiski Area Youth Network’s largest fundraisers. The event raised more than $20,000, which is substantially more than in previous years, said Josh Westurn, the organization’s director. Even though the...
The Stroller, Nov. 29, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Toys For Children drive to benefit Deer Lakes children West Deer Police Department is sponsoring its 23rd annual Toys for Children drive to benefit children age 1 to 14 living in low-income households in the Deer Lakes School District. New toys can be dropped off from 7 a.m. to 3...
Deer Lakes turkey trot raises money for cystic fibrosis research
Rebecca Dick figured she’d work off some calories before consuming more by taking part in the Deer Lakes Turkey Trot with her father, Robert. “He likes to run, and I like to eat a lot on Thanksgiving,” Dick, of West Deer, said Thursday morning after stretching outside of Deer Lakes...
Alle-Kiski Valley volunteers ensure no one goes hungry, lonely on Thanksgiving
While many are thankful for their own family on Thanksgiving, Madolyn Hyde was thankful for another. Hyde was among those who came to Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg on Thursday for the free dinner now in its 10th year put on by Jamie Rimmel, members of her family...
Vandergrift brothers’ Turkey Bowl spans 3 generations of family, friends
Between 50 and 60 years ago, three brothers decided to play football in their small Vandergrift backyard on Thanksgiving. Pete Guerrera was 12 or 13; Michael Guerrera was 7; and Anthony Guerrera was 5. Now that they’re in their mid- to late 60s — or early 70s in Pete’s case...
Operation Santa Claus gears up to help others enjoy the holidays
As it has for 35 years, Operation Santa Claus will make sure thousands of needy Western Pennsylvania families enjoy the gift of a holiday meal this year. Operation Santa Claus is a nonprofit organization and a cooperative effort by Trib Total Media, Shop ’n Save and the Salvation Army. This...
Cheswick council looking to appoint new council member and police board member
Cheswick Council is expected to appoint a new council member and board representative to the recently formed Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. Incumbent councilman Michael Girardi won two seats in the Nov. 5 election, one with a four-year term and another with a two-year term. Girardi is expected to choose...
The Stroller, Nov. 28, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Count your blessings this Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is more than the festivities. It gives us time ponder upon what lessons we have learned and how we can spread happiness around, to look back at all the great memories and good people who came in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving Day to our...
Vandergrift Community Watch provides Thanksgiving dinner to 40 families
Forty families in Vandergrift will have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this week thanks to the town’s Community Watch and donations from community establishments. The Vandergrift Community Watch organized Thanksgiving packages for the families, complete with turkeys, potatoes, vegetables and more. In the four years his group has been putting on...
Leechburg adds part-time police officerVideo
Miranda Tasker is completing her second week as a part-time police officer in Leechburg. Tasker, 28, originally of Butler, also works as a part-timer in Allegheny Township and Vandergrift and serves as an Air Force Reserve security officer in Youngstown. Tasker is an Indiana University of Pennsylvania police academy graduate....
Harrison police arrest man, woman near township police station allegedly with cocaine; gun found near toddler
A Sheldon Park man accused of selling drugs close to the Harrison police station was found sitting on a couch with a loaded pistol under a seat cushion and a 1-year-old nearby, police said. According to an affidavit, no one answered the door when police serving an arrest warrant yelled...
Harmar again considers lowering property taxes for homeowners
For the third time in four years, the Harmar supervisors want to decrease real estate taxes for township homeowners. The tax cut would come in the form of homestead tax exemptions that reduce the assessed value of homes for tax purposes. Allegheny County offers homeowners an $18,000 decrease in the...
Plum School District capital improvement plans bolstered through Regency sale, bond refinancing
Plum School District officials sold Regency Park Elementary and refinanced four bonds to bolster capital improvement plans. School board members voted unanimously on both measures Tuesday night. “We’re not taking on any additional debt (for capital projects),” board member Steve Schlauch said. “We actually have a plan in place to...
Tarentum couple sell vegan-inspired apparel from their home
Dan and Deborah Angeloni considered themselves outsiders in the fashion industry until a misfit donned one of their designs. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, original guitarist for the punk rock group the Misfits, regularly wears a T-shirt featuring a cow’s head below the word Meatless, a vegan-inspired play on the band’s...
Volunteers spruce up Leechburg’s Riverfront ParkVideo
Leechburg’s Riverfront Park and its gazebo have gotten a facelift thanks to volunteers and donations from local organizations. “It came under disrepair, and we had a lot of people hanging around here that didn’t belong here, so we decided early in the summer to start working here,” Mayor Wayne Dobos...
The Stroller, Nov. 27, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Butler Lions plan annual Christmas tree sale The annual Christmas tree sale sponsored by the Butler Lions Club will begin Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 120 Sunset Drive, Butler. Hours will be noon to 5 p.m. Friday. The sale schedule is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, 1 to 5...
Customers flock to Glen’s Frozen Custard as season draws to closeVideo
Tuesday’s mild weather prompted many devoted followers of Glen’s Frozen Custard to race to stands in Springdale and Lower Burrell before they close for the season at 10 p.m. Wednesday. Many customers went to scoop up Glen’s traditional cones, while others went for seasonal favorites such as homemade pumpkin roll...
West Deer approves new hires, resignations
After nearly 40 years of working with West Deer, administrative assistant Cathy Sopko is retiring. Supervisors last week approved the hire of Sopko’s replacement, Jodi French, at a wage of $16.56 an hour. “I really enjoyed working with the township and working with the people here,” said Sopko, 65, of...
