Valley News Dispatch category, Page 662
Resident convinces Upper Burrell to reconsider street paving list
For those who think one person can’t affect local government decisions, Dan Myers is proof to the contrary. The Upper Burrell resident wasn’t happy when he heard township supervisors planned to seal-coat Chapeldale Drive. He said it didn’t make sense because he felt so many other township roads, including Turkey...
West Deer native remembers trip to Woodstock
West Deer native Colleen Nelson remembers the crush of cars as she and her friends drove a crammed Volkswagen Beetle toward Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, N.Y., on Aug. 14, 1969. They had almost made it to the site of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. But there was so...
Allegheny River locks in Armstrong County closed this weekend
The Allegheny River Development Corp., a Kittanning-based nonprofit that pays to keep the Allegheny River locks open in Armstrong County, announced that Locks 6 through 9 will be closed this weekend. In 2011, the Army Corps closed the five locks in Armstrong County because of lack of commercial traffic, opening...
Empty Natrona houses a hazard, resident says after fireVideo
Conrad Zylinski was awakened early Friday by people banging on his front door. The long-vacant house next to his home in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood was going up in flames. “It was scary,” the 66-year-old Zylinski said, thanking the firefighters who responded. “They saved my place. My roof was steaming.” He...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Aug. 16-18
TGIF! Summer may be winding down quicker than we’d like, but time marches on. Get out and savor every minute. There is plenty of fun to be found in Westmoreland. Still swingin` Neon Swing X-perience brings its joyful sound end of summer celebration Saturday. Nick Barilla opens the show at...
Oklahoma Borough set to remove toxic rubble from Belvedere Hotel fire scene
Oklahoma Borough now has the funds to demolish the Belvedere Hotel after a July 24 blaze reduced it to a pile of asbestos-contaminated rubble. The demolition plans do not include closing Route 66 near Orr Avenue and Apollo Bridge. That will spare the 11,000 cars that travel the busy stretch...
Longtime Arnold councilman, clerk Oscar Doutt dies
A former longtime Arnold councilman and city clerk has died. Lifelong Arnold resident Oscar Scott “Pudgy” Doutt Jr. was born in a Third Avenue house in 1937 and died Wednesday at his home while with his family. He was 82. Doutt had been a councilman for more than a dozen...
New Kensington school builds patio for relocated Ten Commandments monumentVideo
It’s been almost two years since a Ten Commandments monument removed from Valley High School under a federal court agreement was relocated to Mary Queen of Apostles School in New Kensington. Soon, the monument’s new home will be complete. Work started this week on a patio surrounding the 6-foot-tall monument...
Pet of the Week: Regal, a boxer Labrador mix
Everyone, meet Regal! This sweet guy is TribLive’s Pet of the Week and he’s available for adoption at the West Deer Dog Shelter. Age: 7 years old Breed: He’s a boxer and Labrador mix who has been at the shelter for about two months. What he likes: Regal enjoys taking...
Father of man charged with killing New Kensington cop sues prison over medical care
The father of the man accused of killing a New Kensington police officer is suing four Westmoreland County Prison officials, claiming they denied him needed medical care while he was incarcerated. Gregory Baucum Jr., in the lawsuit filed this week without the assistance of a lawyer, contends he was repeatedly...
Gatto Cycle Shop celebrating 55th anniversaryVideo
George J. Gatto has been president of Gatto Cycle Shop for the past 20 years, but he’s worked for the family business for most of his life and most of the company’s 55-year existence. “I started cleaning oil spots off the floors and building bicycles” at the age of 11...
Music of all types featured at New Kensington ‘Band Blast’
Nearly two dozen bands are scheduled to perform Sunday at the sixth annual “Band Blast” at Memorial Park in New Kensington. The lineup features 11 groups playing between noon and 8 p.m. on the main stage, and another 11 scheduled to appear on the second stage. Admission is $5. Gates...
Police: 2 fleeing Washington Township traffic stop hurt in chase
Two people were hospitalized early Thursday after the vehicle in which they were traveling rolled over during a police pursuit in Washington Township, according to investigators. Township police tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Hancock Avenue just south of Oklahoma Borough at 1:16 a.m., according to...
Pro wrestling, including Verona’s BROhemoth, to return to Cribbs Field
Cribbs Field in Verona will once again be the site of carnage and calamity — all for the sake of charity. Keystone State Wrestling Alliance superstars return to the park Saturday, Aug. 24 for Battle in the Borough 2. Professional wrestlers from near and far will wage war outdoors along...
127-year-old Apollo church set to become new borough buildingVideo
After 127 years, First United Church of Christ in Apollo will close its doors with a final service Aug. 25. But the spirit that forged several major construction projects at the site will live on as the building is in the process of being donated to the borough for its...
2nd person charged in Arnold shooting death of Armstrong County man
A woman with ties to Butler has been charged with homicide in connection with the killing of an Armstrong County man during a robbery in an Arnold alley in late June, records show. Bailey Ann Hines, 23, is accused of plotting a fake drug deal and robbery that led to...
Allegheny Township man’s family seeks answers 11 years after his murderVideo
It’s been 11 years since Alan Charles Wills Sr. was found murdered in his Allegheny Township home the day before what would have been his 52nd birthday. Four members of Wills’ family told the Tribune-Review they are frustrated because, not only has the case never been solved, they say they...
Bon Air Elementary School softball field work expected to be completed this monthVideo
The Burrell School Board on Tuesday night approved a $1,800 change order for extra material to fill in soft spots at Bon Air Elementary School softball field where renovation work is expected to wrap up at the end of the month. The $276,500 project includes replacing the outfield and baseline...
Port Authority moving Tarentum bus stop at borough’s request
A Tarentum bus stop will be moving at the borough’s request. Port Authority of Allegheny County is moving the stop now at Lock Street and Fourth Avenue about 250 feet away to Fourth and Hickory Way. The change takes effect Sept. 1, according to a Port Authority sign posted at...
No injuries reported when train strikes car in East Vandergrift
A car was struck by a Norfolk Southern train early Wednesday in East Vandergrift but there were no reported injuries, according to a spokesman for the railroad. The incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. when a train struck a motor vehicle at the Risher Street railroad crossing. There were no...
No ATV riding on Gilpin roads
After hearing extensive opinions on both sides of the issue for several months, the move to allow all-terrain vehicles on Gilpin roads succumbed quietly. A motion to allow ATVs on selected township roads died Monday night. Supervisors were considering an ordinance that would have allowed township roads to be designated...
Allegheny Township $2.4 bond issue to pay for building renovations, equipment
For the first time since it was formed in 1820, Allegheny Township entered the world of Wall Street finance. Township Manager Gregg Primm announced Monday that the township’s first bond issue became a reality on Aug. 5 when $2.4 million worth of financial guaranties were sold by PNC Capital, the...
DEP consent order aims to identify FTMSA issues by 2022
Delmont Councilman Bill Marx is not happy about signing a consent agreement with no sense of how much it might someday cost the borough. “I’m going to be honest, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to be told that we have to sign onto this without knowing what it’s going...
Allegheny Valley School District hopes to sell the former Colfax school building
The Allegheny Valley School District hopes to sell the recently closed Colfax Upper Elementary School. The school board on Tuesday reviewed three possible scenarios for the iconic building’s future. Officials finally agreed to move ahead with the attempt to market and eventually sell the building. Maintenance for the building is...
Wig-wearing man who robbed Shaler, Harmar banks gets 6½ years in prison
A former Florida man was sentenced Tuesday to 6½ years in a federal prison for two armed bank robberies during which prosecutors said he wore a wig and face mask, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Robert Stiver, 71, formerly of Pompano Beach, was ordered to pay $7,800 in restitution,...
