Valley News Dispatch category, Page 678
Lower Burrell man, friends chronicle bad parking in Alle-Kiski Valley
If you’ve done a poor job of parking in the Alle-Kiski Valley, odds are good that Tom Moses or one of his followers on Facebook has photographed your handiwork. “For years, I’ve been posting pictures of bad park jobs,” Moses said. “I tend to notice it. Nobody escapes me taking...
River Road in Gilpin Township re-opened after landslides closed it
River Road reopened Wednesday after landslides had closed the road Tuesday, according to PennDOT. The road was open before 2:30 p.m., a PennDOT spokeswoman said. The road had been closed at the Leechburg and Parks Township borders, from the the intersection of Main Street in Leechburg and to Airport Road...
Alle-Kiski SWAT team on hold to comply with recent state Supreme Court ruling
Police officials say a recent state Supreme Court ruling that postponed the finalization of a multi-municipal SWAT team in the Alle-Kiski Valley by several months is probably a good thing. The court ruled May 31 that municipalities must enact ordinances under the state’s Intergovernmental Cooperation Act to allow police to...
Bond denied for man accused in Vandergrift shooting
A Leechburg man was arraigned Monday on charges that he shot a woman in the face before shooting himself in the head at a Vandergrift residence in May. Police said Roy Edward Berry Jr., 49, was in a bedroom with a woman on May 5 when he fired a shot...
Authorities ID body found near Fox Chapel Yacht Club as Kenneth Himes
DNA testing helped authorities identify a man whose body was found in the Allegheny River in late March as 70-year-old Kenneth Himes, state police said Tuesday. Himes was reported missing from his brother’s home along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road in South Buffalo at about 2 a.m. Dec. 26. Police said he...
No tax increase for Fox Chapel Area School District residents
Fox Chapel Area School District residents will pay the same property taxes in 2019-20 after the board approved its final budget on June 10. The $103 million spending plan retains a tax rate of 19.57 mills, the same as last year. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 will...
No program or staffing cuts, slight tax increase in Riverview School District budget
Oakmont and Verona property owners will pay a little more in real estate taxes next year to help keep Riverview School District programs status quo. Board members voted 5-3 Monday night to adopt their 2019-20 budget and tax ordinance. Next school year’s millage rate was set at 23.2719 mills, a...
Turn Key Clean Outs and Estate Sales owners are modern-day treasure huntersVideo
Jeff Harshman was digging through the garbage one day at a Mt. Washington home when he came across a pair of ticket stubs and a program for a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Harshman was liquidating someone’s estate in the Pittsburgh neighborhood and checked the...
Allegheny Valley passes 2019-20 budget with no tax increase
The Allegheny Valley School Board on Monday approved the district’s $23 million final budget for next school year without a tax increase. The tax rate will remain the same at 20.8377 mills. The average homeowner will continue to pay about $1,530 in Springdale Township, $1,682 in Springdale Borough, $1,905 in...
National Weather Service confirms tornado touched down near Butler, Armstrong border
The National Weather Service in Moon Township has confirmed a tornado touched down Sunday in the area of Parker near the border of Butler and Armstrong counties. The weather service said it was an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 105 miles per hour. An EF-1 tornado is classified as...
Two accused of taking broken Leechburg parking meter
Two Leechburg residents are charged with taking a borough parking meter because, as one said, it would be “cool to have.” Lynzi Wolfe, 31, and John Edward Johnston Jr., 27, sre accused of taking the meter on May 7. According to court papers, the meter is worth about $140. It’s...
Driver gets probation, house arrest for crash that killed Washington Township fireman
An East Huntingdon man will serve five years on probation for causing a fatal three-vehicle crash two years ago that killed a Washington Township firefighter. Andrew Davidovich Jr., 21, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and other related offenses for the June 9, 2017, crash on Route 66...
Former ITT Tech students eligible for loan forgiveness in new settlement
Nearly 600 former ITT Tech students in Pennsylvania are eligible for $5.3 million in debt relief as part of a new settlement announced Monday by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. A coalition of 44 state attorneys general reached a settlement with loan company Student CU Connect CUSO that includes more...
Police: Pants, shoes, $200 taken during New Kensington robbery
A New Kensington man is accused of robbing another man Friday of $200, his pants and his shoes, according to police. Lorenzo M. Pearson, 22, remained in the Westmoreland County Prison on Monday after failing to post a combined $150,000 bond. An attorney isn’t listed for him. Police said they...
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...
