Valley News Dispatch category, Page 661
Washington Township man behind new sensory-friendly space at Pittsburgh airport
A sensory-friendly space for children and adults with autism and other special needs was unveiled Wednesday at Pittsburgh International Airport. The idea for the room, called Presley’s Place, came from airport employee Jason Rudge, a heavy equipment operator from Washington Township, Westmoreland County. Rudge and his wife, Sharon, have a...
Plan to realign Aspinwall’s Brilliant Avenue on hold
A project to realign Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall has been put on hold while additional funding is sought, officials said. Work to reconfigure the intersection is aimed at creating a safer entrance to Aspinwall Riverfront Park and the borough’s public works complex. It was initially proposed in 2013 at an...
Weather delays sewage plant in Freeport, Swartz stadium work
The weather hasn’t been kind to Freeport in regard to major projects the borough has in the works. Rain and unusually high water levels in Buffalo Creek have delayed at least two ongoing projects. The borough got a one-year reprieve on the deadline for finishing the design of its new...
Harmar cuts sewer line rehab to only 2 streets after grant standards change
Harmar officials planned on rehabilitating sewer lines along five township streets, but now will do only two. Township Engineer Matt Pitsch of Senate Engineering told supervisors that a change in federal Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) eligibility standards was the reason. “Harmar no longer meets countywide income guidelines,” Pitsch said....
‘Suspicious’ fire destroys historic Belvedere Hotel in Oklahoma Borough
Amid the rubble, the grandeur of the Swiss-chalet inspired Belvedere Hotel was still evident Wednesday morning after a fire ravaged most of the historic, five-story building late Tuesday night into early Wednesday. No one was injured. The cause of the blaze in the nearly 115-year-old abandoned building was under investigation...
Proposed trail linking Verona to Boyce Park gaining traction with residents
A proposed pedestrian/bike trail connecting Verona, Oakmont, Penn Hills and Plum is gaining traction with residents. “I think it’s a great idea,” Verona resident Rhoda Worf said July 23 at a public meeting on the project. “Consolidation is key, and having all four municipalities contribute and help maintain (the trail)...
One injured in Allegheny Township BMX crash
One rider was taken by ambulance to the hospital after a crash at the Westmoreland BMX track in Northmoreland Park, Allegheny Township, Tuesday night, according to Westmoreland County 911. The crash was reported around 8:15 p.m. A local race was scheduled at the track for Tuesday evening, according to the...
Penn Hills, Plum, O’Hara face costly repairs after floods
Penn Hills and Plum, two of the worst-hit communities from flooding Sunday and Monday, face steep costs to get things all back up to normal, according to officials. Penn Hills declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon in order to fast-track certain repair projects, said Scott Andrejchak, the municipality’s manager....
Highlands gets 4 bids to fix Tarentum clock tower
Highlands School District has four bidders and an array of options to choose from to fix the leaking clock tower at its elementary school in Tarentum. This is the second time the district has sought bids for the work at Highlands Elementary School. The school board rejected the two bids...
Former Knoch High School student won’t serve jail time in online threat case
A Butler County teen charged with making online threats about shooting classmates at Knoch High School won’t face any jail time after a plea agreement was reached Monday with the Butler County District Attorney’s office. Laura Pitchford, assistant district attorney for Butler County, said Tuesday that Jason Michael Bowen entered...
Sheetz seeks liquor license for New Kensington store
Sheetz is planning to remodel its store on New Kensington’s Freeport Street in a project that will qualify it for a restaurant liquor license. The company wants to transfer a liquor license into the city from New Stanton and use it to sell beer, according to a letter to city...
Man dies after crash on Route 380 in Washington Township
A man’s car hydroplaned on a stream of water crossing Route 380 moments before it hit a utility pole early Tuesday, Washington Township police said. Richard P. Harrie Jr., 30, of Monroeville died at AHN Forbes Hospital, police Chief Scott Slagle said. Officials said it took more than an hour...
Lower Burrell veteran overwhelmed by Taco Bell teen worker’s generous offer
Army veteran Chris Archer will never forget the experience he had Saturday at the Taco Bell in Harrison. As he was ordering his lunch — four tacos and a water — he asked the employee serving him if the restaurant offered a military discount. The crew member, Liam Samples, said...
Police say they’ve identified the motorcyclist wanted in Allegheny Township road rage incident
Allegheny Township police said that, with the public’s help, they identified a man allegedly involved in a road rage assault. Police said the incident took place around 5:45 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Route 56 and Hyde Park Road. A male motorcyclist allegedly followed another vehicle from the Vandergrift...
Options for trail from Oakmont to Boyce Park to be unveiled
Details of a proposed 10- to 15-mile trail from Oakmont to Boyce Park will be unveiled at a meeting Tuesday. Officials from four municipalities have been working to develop a recreational trail from the Allegheny riverfront in Verona, through Oakmont and Penn Hills along Plum Creek, to Boyce Park in...
Oaks Theater to host discovery session on bald and golden eagles
Wishful Wednesday Productions will present an evening of live music, local eagle photography and a discussion on the presence and differences between bald and golden eagles in Pennsylvania on Wednesday at the Oaks Theater, starting at 6 p.m. in Oakmont. The featured guest lecturer Chris Kubiak, education director for the...
Hyde Park man charged in wife’s 2017 deathVideo
State police filed homicide and aggravated assault charges Monday against a Hyde Park man who they say killed his wife two years ago after years of abuse. Jeffrey Mark Fondrk, 57, told investigators in January that he pushed his wife, Patricia Ann Fondrk, over a dog gate during an argument...
Store owner burned out of New Kensington relaunches in Tarentum
Tim Brown’s convenience store in Tarentum was going to be his second. It’s now his only one, after his first in downtown New Kensington was destroyed in the massive Ninth Street fire in September. He’s still planning on opening more. “I would like to start a little chain of convenience...
Both lanes of Freeport Road in East Deer reopen after yearlong bridge project
A yearlong bridge project in East Deer that caused Freeport Road to be reduced to one lane is completed. The road reopened to traffic Monday, according to a news release by Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners. The project to replace the bridge over Baileys Run began last summer. The bridge, located...
Rain garden begins to take shape by Highlands Middle School in HarrisonVideo
They wore gloves, knee pads and boots as they worked in the mud and the rain. Volunteers, numbering between 15 and 20, turned out Monday morning to help populate Harrison’s new rain garden, built on the grounds of Highlands Middle School at Broadview Boulevard and California Avenue. “Everyone here loves...
Soccer club eyes upgrades to Middle Road fields in Indiana Township
Hampered by soggy field conditions, Fox Chapel Area Youth Soccer is launching a plan to upgrade the Middle Road complex that accommodates more than 700 athletes each season. “The soaking rains over the years have made field conditions difficult to maintain,” club President Jake Williams said. The fields sit on...
Vandergrift man uses family knowledge to connect with Kiski Area youthsVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Joshua Westurn of Vandergrift is following in his father’s footsteps by helping local youths. He credits his upbringing with being able to lead the Kiski Area Youth Network the...
Springdale public works employees get annual 2% raises in new pact
Wages for Springdale Borough’s public works employees will increase by about 2% per year over five years under a new labor agreement. The wage increase is part of the five-year contract approved Tuesday by council and the five-man public works crew, members of Utility Workers Union Local 509. Public works...
Police searching for man suspected of robbing Lower Burrell pharmacy
Lower Burrell police are looking for a man they say robbed a local pharmacy store on Friday afternoon. The robbery occurred just before 3:45 p.m. at the Walgreens at 108 Greensburg Road, according to a post on the police department’s Facebook page. Police said the man was armed, but did...
Gilpin looks for ways to reduce police costs
A Gilpin committee is looking for ways to reduce police costs, with options including sharing services or hiring a neighboring department to patrol the township. “This is very, very early. A baby step,” said Gilpin Supervisors President Charlie Stull, who is on the exploratory with township Supervisor Susan Brown. He...
