Valley News Dispatch category, Page 679
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...
New Kensington to install more LED streetlights
New Kensington is moving ahead with the installation of new LED streetlights downtown. City council on Monday authorized City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti and City Engineer Tony Males to enter into negotiations for the new lights. They will be negotiating with representatives from Connected Energ Group and Tudi Mechanical Systems. Scarpiniti...
Western Pa. soccer coaches split on U.S. women running up score in World Cup
Athletes in all sports at all levels are told to play hard and not give up. In 1969, the Minnesota Vikings football team had a famous rallying cry of “40 for 60” which meant 40 men playing together for 60 minutes. It got the Vikings to the Super Bowl that...
Brackenridge, Harrison, Tarentum officials take to streets to get ideas on community plan
Officials overseeing a comprehensive plan involving the communities of Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum are taking to the streets to get feedback from residents. A number of “pop-up” feedback sessions will be done over the next month, said Harrison Commissioner Robin Bergstrom, a member of the effort’s 16-member steering committee. The...
Public input vital to New Kensington’s ‘SmartGrowth,’ officials say
New Kensington officials are steering the city on a course that not only will bring growth, they say, but do it in an intelligent manner. That was the message Brian Clark, a consultant working with city council and the city’s redevelopment authority, had for city residents this week. Clark gave...
Bridge project to reduce Greensburg Road to 1 lane in Lower Burrell
The 13,000 daily motorists who use Route 366, also known as Greensburg Road, should allot more travel time when a nearly $1 million bridge replacement project begins next week and reduces the busy road to one lane near Millers Lane in Lower Burrell. Single-lane traffic will be regulated by a...
More bridge work to restrict Logans Ferry Road traffic
Bridge work will again restrict traffic on Logans Ferry Road in Plum, near New Kensington. In 2017, the two-lane road was closed and traffic detoured for almost three months while a bridge over a defunct railroad was removed and filled in near Entrance Drive. This year, traffic in the same...
