Valley News Dispatch category, Page 677
Tarentum board rejects appeal for digital billboard at bridge
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...
Tribune-Review wins 5 Golden Quill Awards
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....
Severe storms expected to return
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 reopens, flood watch remains
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...
Freeport man pulled unharmed from collapsed basementVideo
A basement window became an avenue of escape for a Freeport man Tuesday night. Just before 11 p.m., heavy rain sent water flowing down a steep hill behind Stewart Street. At one house, it was just too much. Suddenly, a concrete patio and basement steps came crashing down. Officials said...
Springdale getting more than $500K for traffic light upgrades
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...
Group gets OK to operate church, not food pantry, in Harmar
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 reopens after yearlong closure
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...
Looking for farmers markets? Check out this map
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 man was drunk, uncooperative when Tasered
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 firefighters plan more fundraisers to make up for loss of fire tax
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...
Wanted West Leechburg man found in Erie County
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...
Sandy Hook mother to speak at Burrell High School
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 offers $5,000 reward in delivery driver’s shooting death
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...
Hulton Road reopened after truck crashes, dumps load on street
A dump truck lost its brakes and crashed Tuesday on Oakmont’s Hulton Road, closing the busy street to traffic into the evening. The wreck, reported about 1 p.m., closed Hulton between Fifth Street and Allegheny River Boulevard. Oakmont police Chief Mike Ford said no one was injured in the crash....
Tarentum volunteers taking action on abandoned houses
A group of Tarentum residents plans to fan out across the borough Saturday to clean up about a half-dozen abandoned and empty houses overrun by tall grass, overgrown shrubs and unsightly garbage. It’s the first public cleanup effort by the Tarentum Action Committee, a group of about 30 volunteers who...
Highlands student overcomes tragedy to graduate 1 year early
What Kaliah Pratt wanted to do was going to be difficult. Life, or rather, death, made it even harder. Pratt, 16, of Harrison decided she was ready to finish high school, and she embarked on a plan to graduate this year, a year early. “I always had a hard time...
Tensions escalate in New Ken-Arnold contract negotiations
John Pallone, superintendent of the New Kensington-Arnold School District, is accusing a spokesman for its teachers union of violating an agreement to not discuss contract negotiations until a deal is done. The union spokesman, Phil Cope, has made “several inaccurate statements” to the media about the negotiations, Pallone said in...
Cora Lee Cupcakes welcomes customers with desserts everyone can enjoyVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com Not all sweets are, well, sweet. Some can be...
Frazer police: 1,029 THC cartridges worth nearly $61K in West Deer man’s car
A West Deer man faces drug charges after Frazer police said they found more than 1,000 highly potent THC cartridges with an estimated street value of nearly $62,000 in the back seat of his car during a traffic stop Monday afternoon. Police stopped a car driven by Adam Stephen Viale,...
WW II veteran, 101, throws Memorial Day party in Lower Burrell
Bill Tingle’s ears perked as his daughter called out, “Dad, look, there’s a kid waving to you.” “Thanks for your service!” shouted a young boy with a toothy grin from the backseat of a car driving by along Leechburg Road, minutes after the city’s annual Memorial Day parade came to...
Man escapes Tarentum house fire from 2nd-floor window; 2 pet cats dieVideo
A Tarentum man who escaped flames ripping through his two-story home early Monday with help from police and a neighbor’s ladder was treated for smoke inhalation, officials said. At least two pet cats died in the fire at the duplex on Conroy Way, officials and neighbors said. The sound of...
Kiski Area students documenting the lives of local veteransVideo
Merle Sober climbed Mt. Fuji while waiting for battle during the Korean War, and James Thomas Simko helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp during World War II when SS soldiers began shooting and burning its prisoners just before the arrival of Simko’s “Fighting 69th” infantry. The stories of Sober of...
Protecting your skin from the sun as easy as ABC
As summer approaches, many people will begin to hit the pools, lakes and trails. But with the outdoor fun comes an increased risk for skin cancer if you don’t properly protect yourself from the sun’s damaging rays. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer...
Aspinwall eatery gets a corner on the comfort food marketVideo
An Aspinwall eatery has cornered the market on the neighborhood restaurant concept. Cornerstone opened in 2009 — commanding the corner of Freeport Road and Eastern Avenue — and celebrated its 10th anniversary in February. According to 2017 figures from the National Restaurant Association, the average life span of a U.S....
