Valley News Dispatch category, Page 640
Lower Burrell holds the line on taxes for 2020
Lower Burrell council unanimously agreed to no real estate tax increase in the city’s 2020 preliminary budget of $10.97 million during city council’s Monday night meeting. A Lower Burrell homeowner assessed at $18,210 would continue to pay $414 in real estate taxes to the city in 2020. Councilman Chris Fabry,...
Your CBD Store opens in Harrison with mission to educate
Humans aren’t the only ones using CBD — a compound found in the cannabis plant — to help relieve pain and other problems. Dogs and cats are, too. That’s one thing Wade Timmerson and Mark McCloud learned when they opened Your CBD Store in Harrison. “Dogs are afraid of lightning,...
$7M Lower Burrell pump station upgrade could lead to sewage rate increases
The Chartiers pump station upgrade project in Lower Burrell is expected to cost about $7 million causing a rate increase for city residents at some point in the future. Exactly when and how much of a rate increase is not yet known, according to city officials. The Lower Burrell Municipal...
Driver of SUV stopped night New Kensington Officer Brian Shaw was fatally shot testifies during trial’s 2nd day
Rahmael Holt jumped from an SUV the night he allegedly shot New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw because its driver wouldn’t let him hide his gun in the vehicle, according to testimony Tuesday on the second day of Holt’s trial in Westmoreland County. Tavon Harper, 29, the driver of the...
The Stroller, Nov. 5, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Veterans Day Races set for Saturday in Buffalo Township The ninth annual Buffalo Township Veterans Day Races will be Saturday at the Butler-Freeport Community Trail trailhead at Monroe Road. There will be a certified 10K and 5K, and a two-mile Fun Run/Walk. All three events will be on a level...
Lower Burrell Council race features 2 familiar faces and a fresh one
The race for Lower Burrell’s open two seats on city council pits two Democrats, an incumbent and a longtime attorney, against a young Republican. Residents can cast their ballots during Tuesday’s general election for the two four-year terms. The three candidates all say they want a lean city budget, but...
Pickup truck hit by train in Cheswick; man taken to hospitalVideo
One person was injured when a train struck a pickup Monday afternoon near Rachel Carson Park in Cheswick, then pushed the vehicle for nearly a mile before coming to rest, police said. The male driver of the lime-green truck was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The man was...
Parklet planned to mark Freeport’s history as canal port town
Plans to develop a small park recalling Freeport’s past as a port on the Pennsylvania Canal are moving forward. Two members of the Freeport Renaissance Association, Karen Lindbergh and Mary Bowlin, outlined plans for the Canal Park to Freeport Council last week. Lindbergh, the association’s vice president, presented a rough...
Small ATI locomotive leaves tracks but doesn’t block Norfolk Southern trafficVideo
A small locomotive used to pull rail cars between ATI’s two plants in Harrison left the tracks Monday. It was unclear how many people were aboard. No 0ne was injured in the mishap, according to ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie. The front end of the shifter went off on the side...
Video, audio of foot chase, shooting of New Kensington officer played during murder trial
Brian Shaw, a wounded New Kensington police officer, called out for help moments after being shot three times in an alley where he chased a man believed to have run from a sports utility vehicle following a traffic stop. “I’ve been shot. I’ve been shot,” Shaw said into his radio...
Allegheny Township woman is teacher, mom, blogger — and soon, book authorVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Stephanie Jankowski is a mother of three and teacher of many. She taught English at Valley Junior/Senior High School in the New Kensington-Arnold School District for five years and...
The Stroller, Nov. 4, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Volunteers needed to help with tree planting in Harrison Volunteers are needed Saturday to help with a tree planting project in Harrison Township. Volunteers will gather at 8:30 a.m. at the Highlands Community Center for coffee and breakfast rolls and sign in. A planting demonstration with the TreeVitalize staff will...
Emotions high as trial of New Kensington officer’s accused killer begins
Rahmael Sal Holt insists he didn’t kill New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw two years ago, but his lawyers won’t have to prove or say who did, according to a legal expert who identified a potential defense strategy for the capital murder trial slated to start Monday morning. Bruce Antkowiak,...
Freeport Area cast set to bring ABBA’s hits to stage with ‘Mamma Mia’
Freeport Area High School expanded its musical theater program, adding a fall musical. A cast and stage crew of almost 60 students from grades 9 through 12 will showcase “Mamma Mia” on Nov. 16 and 17, with three performances at the Freeport Middle School Auditorium. Freeport Musical Director Tom Koharchik...
Brackenridge couple receive community service awardVideo
Heather Rodgriguez wasn’t surprised months ago when the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps League Detachment 827 reached out to her about nominating her husband, Jay Rodriguez, for an award recognizing his service to the community. “They don’t have to ask him twice, he’ll be there,” she said of Jay, a retired...
Tarentum firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. honored 20 years after deathVideo
It’s been 20 years since Tarentum volunteer firefighter Michael J. Sims Sr. was killed on the job. But the sacrifice he made for his community hasn’t been forgotten. Nor will it be. Family, firefighters and community members Sunday gathered by the fireman’s memorial at Riverview Memorial Park to remember Sims,...
The fate of Colfax Elementary building in Springdale will be decided by Tuesday’s election
For most of the six candidates vying for five seats, the fate of Colfax Elementary School is still very much an issue. The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5. The current school board voted 6-3 in October to demolish the Colfax school after moving its students to the...
Veterans monument at Burrell’s Stewart School gets $8,000 facelift
After a portion of the veteran’s monument in front of Stewart Elementary School along Leechburg Road toppled earlier this year, state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, and others kicked in $8,000 to fix the deteriorating memorial for residents who served in World War II. Repairs started last week on the stone...
Freeport Area School Board will have new faces soon; the question is: How many?
There will be at least two, and possibly three, new faces on the Freeport Area School Board after Tuesday’s election. Three political newcomers, Greg Selinger, Ron Kobelenske and Adam Toncini, all of Buffalo Township, join three incumbents to make up the six candidate field. Toncini is the only one who...
Republican Michael Korns aims to unseat Democrat Joseph Ferguson in Allegheny Township
A Republican challenger is looking to unseat a longtime elected official for an open Allegheny Township Board of Supervisors seat in the Nov. 5 election. Republican Michael Korns will face Democrat Joseph Ferguson, whose term expires in December. Terms on the three-member board are six years. Ferguson, 66, has been...
Vo-tech in New Kensington looks to attract students with open houseVideo
Brandon Meanor was working as a carpenter before graduating from high school — and bought a house not long after. He was able to do that with the training and experience he gained as a student at Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center in New Kensington. He didn’t want to...
The Stroller, Nov. 2-3, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Benefit for Vandergrift cancer patient set Sunday A fundraiser to benefit cancer patient Karen Dongiovanni will be from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Moonlight Inn, 1011 La Belle Vue Road, Vandergrift. There will a lunch buffet from 1 to 4 p.m., a cash bar, basket raffle, t-shirt sale...
Cheer on wrestlers at Pioneer Hose in Brackenridge
Let’s get ready to rumble. The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, based in Lawrenceville, will showcase a number of matches Nov. 9 at Pioneer Hose Company in Brackenridge. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. “Rebel Rumble” will help raise money for Brandy Marie Cheer, nicknamed the Rebels, based in...
Pivik Elementary School in Plum rallies around classmate, 7, battling cancerVideo
A Plum child got to witness support from his elementary school in regard to his cancer recovery as teachers shaved their heads Friday during an assembly. Joey “JoeNado” Byrnes, 7, was diagnosed with leukemia in September after weeks of mysterious stomachaches, persistent coughing and a low-grade fever. He began chemotherapy...
4 incumbents, 2 newcomers vying for 5 seats on Deer Lakes School Board
Four incumbents are facing off against two newcomers for five seats on the Deer Lakes School Board in Tuesday’s election. The incumbents are Louis “Corky” Buck, III, 67, of East Deer; Larry Neidig, 41, of West Deer; Jodi Banyas-Galecki, 53, of Frazer; and William A. LuPone, Jr., 60, of West...
