Valley News Dispatch category, Page 671
Burrell School Board weighs options on school police
Burrell School District officials are faced with a difficult choice when it comes to having police officers in their schools. They can keep the status quo, which includes keeping the district’s long-time school resource officer, a well-known and popular-with-students Lower Burrell officer, or the district could opt to save some...
Historic Hartwood Acres Mansion draws visitors for tours, special eventsVideo
One of the most recognizable mansions in Pittsburgh offers visitors a glimpse of life in the early 20th century. Hartwood Mansion, an English Tudor home designed by Alfred Hopkins for John and Mary Flinn Lawrence, welcomes thousands of visitors annually and is one of the most frequented attractions in Pittsburgh....
Leechburg residents call meeting to measure support for reopening town’s library
A June 25 public meeting could mark the start of solutions to bring back the Leechburg public library, meeting co-sponsors hope. The volunteer library board announced in late May that the 93-year-old public library was closing May 30. The upcoming meeting is to gauge interest, get ideas and encourage people...
Hyde Park family of 12 going strong on faith, love and sacrificeVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Faith, love and sacrifice. Those are three of the most important things the Rev. Joshua Strunk said keeps his Hyde Park family going. “There is an intensity to the...
Investigation continues into Arnold shooting
Police on Tuesday continued to investigate a Sunday shooting in which a man was shot in the hip during what police say was a drug deal gone bad in an Arnold alley, Chief Eric Doutt said. The men suspected in the shooting remained at large Tuesday. The shooting happened shortly...
Father’s Day car show in Oakmont motors through its 65th annual installment
A Father’s Day tradition of cars and catching up with friends continued Sunday at Riverside Park in Oakmont. The Horseless Carriage Club of America Pittsburgh Region’s 65th annual car show took place despite rain keeping many would-be participants in their garages. Only about 35 cars were displayed in the park...
No one injured, Vandergrift duplex damaged in early-morning fire
No one was injured when an early-morning fire damaged a duplex Sunday in Vandergrift. Vandergrift No. 1 Fire Chief Randy Dunmire said the fire happened just after 3:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Hamilton Avenue. Dunmire said police quickly arrived on scene because they were patrolling in the area...
New Kensington police seek teen suspected of firing gun on Fourth Avenue
New Kensington police are looking for the 17-year-old who they say fired a gun Friday about 4 p.m. in the 500 block of Fourth Avenue at Fifth Street. John’Tai Cannon is originally from Ohio but has been staying in the New Kensington/Arnold area, police Det. Sgt. Matt Saxman said. “He...
Harrison’s rescued Burtner House offers history lesson as strawberry fest
A 20th century road and a 19th century relic were on a collision course in 1972. The road was the Route 28 expressway, the often-delayed gateway from Pittsburgh to the Alle-Kiski Valley and places north. The relic, the Burtner House, is a three-story homestead started in 1818 and finished in...
Lombardo family hopes Sam’s Pop Shop customers, old employees come out for reunion
The Lombardo family is hoping to get the Sam’s Pop & Beer Shop gang back together to celebrate its employees and customers of the last nearly 100 years. The longtime Arnold business was sold last year by third-generation sibling owners Sandy (Lombardo) Danison, Sam Lombardo Jr. and Louis Lombardo. Now...
Arnold moves to demolish 10 blighted buildings
The City of Arnold will have 10 of its blighted structures razed this summer. City Redevelopment Director Rick Rayburg, who was feeling confident that those 10 could be demolished, had started moving to acquire the final four last month. However, the number of demolitions still hinged on whether there would...
3 injured in head-on Route 356 crash in Allegheny Township; 1 driver to be chargedVideo
Three people were hospitalized Friday night in a head-on collision on Route 356 in Allegheny Township, and alcohol may have played a role, police said. One driver is expected to be charged with DUI because police suspect he may have been under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or both, Allegheny...
East Franklin doctor guilty in $13 million ‘fountain of youth’ health fraud scheme
A former East Franklin doctor is guilty of plotting to defraud patients and insurers out of more than $13 million in a so-called “fountain of youth” medical treatment scheme, a jury found Friday. Dr. Samirkumar J. Shah, 56, a cardiologist who also has ties to Kittanning and Fox Chapel, was...
Canonsburg man is first recipient of Brian Shaw Memorial ScholarshipVideo
In life, Brian Shaw embodied the characteristics a police officer needs to possess: humility, integrity, dedication and compassion. Shaw, a Lower Burrell native, was a 25-year-old rookie on the New Kensington police force when he was killed during a Nov. 17, 2017, traffic stop. In death, Shaw’s legacy lives on...
Upper Burrell voting redistricting soon to be decided in Westmoreland County Court
A Westmoreland County judge is expected to rule on a new voting redistricting plan in Upper Burrell on June 25, with a changeup in Route 780 dividing the voting districts. Earlier this year, about 20 Upper Burrell residents filed a lawsuit asserting that one of the township’s two voting districts,...
Annual Father’s Day car show rolls into Oakmont for 65th edition
Oakmont’s annual Father’s Day car show will be held for the 65th time Sunday. About 300 cars, trucks and motorcycles are expected to be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the borough’s Riverside Park off Third Street, according to event treasurer Morgan McCollum. Vehicles will be judged...
Denzel Washington-produced ‘Ma Rainey’ seeks to shoot at Deer Lakes Park
Oscar and Tony winning actor Denzel Washington plans to shoot scenes for his televised version of the August Wilson play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” in and around Deer Lakes Park. Washington, 64, is producing the television adaptation for Netflix, and it is in preproduction, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Allegheny...
Pittsburgh’s Amateur Astronomers share their passion for night sky
It’s a party with a plethora of stars. But not the celebrity kind. Explore the night sky and learn about astronomy at star parties. They are sponsored by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh at its two observatories — Nicholas E. Wagman in Deer Lakes Regional Park (Allegheny County) and...
‘Rick’ Mack, of Harrison, longtime park ranger remembered for his humor, easy demeanor
Richard A. “Rick” Mack, 61, of Harrison, a longtime ranger at Crooked Creek Lake died Tuesday. Family and friends remember him for his humor and laid-back demeanor. “He loved his job, and he loved the outdoors,” said Erica L. Collins, 35, of Harrison, one of Mack’s daughters. She remembers growing...
State office again says Highlands must name disciplined employees
For a second time, the state Office of Open Records has found that the Highlands School District must identify an employee the school board voted to place on unpaid leave. In a decision issued Thursday, the office granted the Tribune-Review’s appeal of the school district’s refusal to identify an employee...
Emergency landslide repairs to halt Metz Road work in Fawn
Fawn officials say landslides caused by the season’s heavy rains on Thompson and Sun Mine roads are an emergency situation and they’re shifting money from another planned project to make the repairs. A portion of Thompson Road is closed because of a slide there and traffic on Sun Mine Road...
Former fire chief convicted in Armstrong County sexual assault case
One of two Armstrong County men accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in 2016 was found guilty by a jury. Mark Alan Feeney, 56, was convicted Wednesday on charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors. Feeney is a...
Allegheny Valley Hospital names new president
Dr. Vicenta C. Gaspar-Yoo will become Allegheny Valley Hospital’s first practicing physician-president when she takes the helm of the Harrison hospital on July 1, Allegheny Health Network announced Thursday. “It is an honor to become part of AHN and Highmark Health at this time of remarkable growth and innovation for...
Volunteers sought to help with planting at new Harrison rain garden
Construction of a rain garden is underway on the grounds of Highlands Middle School in Harrison. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy project, at the corner of Broadview Boulevard and California Avenue, is intended to help capture and control stormwater. The garden is part of a $125,000 project funded by a grant...
For the first time in 60 years, no Shriners circus in Pittsburgh
For the first time in roughly 60 years, the Pittsburgh Syria Shriners won’t host its annual circus. The Shriners, based in a facility in Harmar, serve Western Pennsylvania. They often are seen with their signature clowns and miniature cars in local parades. The group has to find new ideas for...
