Valley News Dispatch category, Page 656

The Leechburg Public Library closed abruptly Thursday, apparently for good. After serving the needs of the Leechburg area for 93 years, the library announced Thursday on its Facebook page that it was closing permanently that day. The post cited “many circumstances” but didn’t provide specifics. Pam Broglio, president of the...

A portion of Freeport Road in East Deer was blocked by a downed utility pole and a tree Thursday afternoon. The road was blocked about 3:45 p.m. near the New Kensington (Ninth Street) Bridge. By 6 p.m., one lane farthest from the hillside had opened. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher...

Cleanups of the Allegheny River shoreline in Harrison and Tarentum are scheduled for this weekend. Allegheny CleanWays, a nonprofit environmental group fighting illegal dumping in Allegheny County, scheduled cleanups in Harrison on Saturday and in Tarentum on Sunday. Morning sessions will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and afternoon...

JoAnn Monteleone hopes she has helped at least one person. Chances are, in 17 years leading the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Harrison, she’s helped and touched many more. She has survived cancer, while it has taken loved ones all around her, including her husband, Tony, in 2016....

Roughly 2,800 West Penn Power customers will lose power for four hours on Saturday because of a planned power outage. The planned outage will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a post on the Upper Burrell Police Department’s Facebook page. It is needed to upgrade facilities. The...

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will throw a free public star gazing party at Kunkle Park in Washington Township on June 15. If conditions are right, the public will be treated to views of the moon’s craters, rays, plains and mountains as well as brightly colored double stars, star...

The campfires were virtual, but the fun was real. First-graders at Highlands Elementary School in Tarentum celebrated the approaching end of the school year Thursday with some fun and games that were part of the school’s annual “Camp Day.” “They worked really, really hard this year and we wanted to...

Construction at the new $21 million Kerr Elementary School in the Fox Chapel Area School District continues, with the project on track to open for the first day of school on Aug. 22. As the building takes shape along Kittanning Pike in O’Hara, district officials said the roof is installed,...

The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has approved a nearly $38 million preliminary budget that includes no increase in real estate taxes for the fifth consecutive year. School directors voted 7-0 on Wednesday to approve the spending plan, which would keep the tax rate at 85.27 mills. The preliminary budget has...

April Martinez spent the last nine months meticulously planning for the arrival of her first child, a baby boy named Luca. “She had allergies and she wouldn’t take any allergy medicine,” said her mother, Elaine Sheatz of Cranberry. “She just wanted him to be perfect.” Despite her attention to detail,...

A billboard company owner says he will continue to fight in court for the right to put a digital billboard at the Tarentum end of the Tarentum Bridge. Jerry Oliver, owner of Oliver Outdoor, said he will take his case to Allegheny County court after Tarentum’s five-member Zoning Hearing Board...

The Tribune-Review won five Golden Quill Awards, presented annually by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania to recognize outstanding performance in journalism. The Trib received 22 nominations for the 55th Golden Quill Awards, for which a dinner was held Wednesday at the Rivers Casino Event Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore....

A second round of storms began walloping communities across Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon before many of them could clean up from the first round the night before. The overnight round of storms brought more than 4 inches of rain to some areas of Butler and Beaver counties, including Zelienople,...

Route 28 in Pittsburgh reopened early Thursday morning after it was closed due to flooding, according to Allegheny County 911. Most of Western Pennsylvania remains under a flash flood watch until 11 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Much of Beaver County is under a flood warning. Showers...

Springdale received more than $500,000 in grant money from PennDOT to make more upgrades to its traffic signals. The money will be used to upgrade the traffic signals at Pittsburgh and School streets and at Pittsburgh and James streets. Improvements will include new signal supports, LED lights, pedestrian accommodations and...

A church and nonprofit organization can move into a former Jehovah’s Witness hall in Harmar, but it can’t operate a food pantry there. Feeding the Flock on May 20 was granted an occupancy permit for the building. The group consists of a nonprofit organization, Feeding the Flock Ministries, and a...

Agan Park has reopened after being closed for the past year over concerns about the safety of a gravel road leading to the park. Agan Park is in Springdale Township, but responsibility for the facility switches each year between Springdale and Cheswick boroughs. The park was given to the local...

Fresh fruits and veggies, tasty baked goods and colorful flowers await in farmers markets across the region. Whether you always stop at your favorite market or like to hit up a new one each week, this interactive map shows the details. Market organizers are welcome to submit additions to the...

New Kensington police say a city resident was drunk and refusing to cooperate with officers when he was shocked with a Taser. According to police, Sgt. Kevin Hess tried to stop Lee Edward Jones, 51, for speeding on Stevenson Boulevard about 8 p.m. Saturday. Police said the Jeep Jones was...

North Apollo Volunteer Fire Department will need to hold more fundraisers and look for ways to reduce expenses after borough council eliminated a controversial fire fee this month. “We saw it coming, and we are doing what we can with more fundraisers and to keep costs down,” fire Chief Chris...

An Armstrong County man accused of drunken driving and running from police in a separate case was arrested by a fugitive task force last week. Carlin Mitchell Quinn, 28, of West Leechburg hid from authorities for more than a month before the arrest, police said. “He told police he was...

Scarlett Lewis, the mother of one of the 26 people killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, will speak to students at Burrell High School on Friday. Lewis will share her story of losing her 6-year-old son Jesse and the impact she believes...

Trib Total Media is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any suspects in the shooting death of Gregory Lee Smith. Smith, 69, of New Kensington was shot and killed while he was out on his route delivering the Trib about 3 a.m. May...