Valley News Dispatch category, Page 684
Burrell High School’s Class of 2019 collects their diplomas
Here is the Burrell High School Class of 2019: Devin Dwayne Lee Baker, Ronald J. Beach, Nia Michelle Beam, Rebecca Beitel, Selena T. Bell, Brandin Ray Best, Andrew Bigler, Logan Bitar, Presley D. Black, Evan James Blose Geneva M. Bowman, Ashley R. Brown, Lauren Brown, Andrew Burkett, Cecilia Catherine Caprino,...
Leechburg Area says farewell to Class of 2019
Here is the Leechburg Area High School Class of 2019: Alyssa Maria Avalos, Samantha Faith Bigenho, Jaden Janay Black, Emilie Elizabeth Boehm, Mallory Elizabeth Busch, Keara Delaney Carnahan, Marcedez Alana Cleveland, Julia Mae Cominos, Caleb Harrison Covey, Zachary John Cravener. Michaela Rose Curfman, Tanner William Dudek, Joshua William Durick, Mariah...
Free summer meals offered at 5 locations in Highlands School District
Summer food programs will be available at five locations in Highlands School District this year. The federal program offers free breakfast, lunch and snacks to children up to age 18 when school is not in session. The Highlands school year ends June 7. Four locations in Highlands will run from...
Lower Burrell police seeking info on missing Penn Hills girl, 14
Lower Burrell police are seeking the public’s help in finding a 14-year-old girl who fled from Allegheny County Children and Youth Services officials on Thursday night. Police said Mykiah Alexander fled the custody of Allegheny County CYS around 8 p.m. near the intersection of Logans Ferry Road and Greensburg Road...
Traffic stoppages to take place along Butler-Logan bridge in Frazer this weekend
Traffic stoppages on the Butler-Logan Road bridge in Frazer are expected to take place this weekend as part of a repair project, weather permitting. Currently, single-lane alternating traffic is being controlled by temporary signals on the bridge over Route 28. PennDOT officials said traffic stoppages of 15 minutes or less...
Norwin, New Kensington-Arnold school board candidates tie, compete for No. 1 ball
What does Westmoreland County do if two candidates in the May primary are tied for the last spot on the ballot? The winner is determined by the candidates who gets the ball with the No. 1 printed on it when selecting from an opaque jar with two balls in it,...
Suspected cop killer Rahmael Holt set to go on trial in November
The Harrison man accused of shooting and killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw in November 2017 is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 4, a Westmoreland County judge said Thursday. President Judge Rita Hathaway set aside the entire week of Nov. 4 for the murder trial of Rahmael Sal...
New Kensington police: Gun, heroin seized from felon’s home
A convicted felon recently released from state prison was arrested Thursday after police said they found more than 700 stamp bags of heroin and a handgun in his New Kensington home. New Kensington police arrested Charles Jones, 40, after serving a search warrant around 6 a.m. at his residence in...
Community shocked to hear Leechburg Public Library closed for good
The Leechburg Public Library closed abruptly Thursday, apparently for good. After serving the needs of the Leechburg area for 93 years, the library announced Thursday on its Facebook page that it was closing permanently that day. The post cited “many circumstances” but didn’t provide specifics. Pam Broglio, president of the...
Tree blocks both lanes of Freeport Road in East Deer, later, 1 lane cleared
A portion of Freeport Road in East Deer was blocked by a downed utility pole and a tree Thursday afternoon. The road was blocked about 3:45 p.m. near the New Kensington (Ninth Street) Bridge. By 6 p.m., one lane farthest from the hillside had opened. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher...
Allegheny River shore cleanings set for Harrison, Tarentum
Cleanups of the Allegheny River shoreline in Harrison and Tarentum are scheduled for this weekend. Allegheny CleanWays, a nonprofit environmental group fighting illegal dumping in Allegheny County, scheduled cleanups in Harrison on Saturday and in Tarentum on Sunday. Morning sessions will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and afternoon...
Highlands Relay for Life includes car cruise, food trucks
JoAnn Monteleone hopes she has helped at least one person. Chances are, in 17 years leading the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Harrison, she’s helped and touched many more. She has survived cancer, while it has taken loved ones all around her, including her husband, Tony, in 2016....
Handling complaints, scheduling all in day’s work for Vandergrift police chiefVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley police chiefs and highlights the work they do and the challenges they face. Just as it does everywhere, opiate addiction spawns crime in Vandergrift. Police Chief Joe Caporali said there are fewer overdoses in recent months, but...
Power outage planned for parts of Alle-Kiski Valley for upgrades
Roughly 2,800 West Penn Power customers will lose power for four hours on Saturday because of a planned power outage. The planned outage will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a post on the Upper Burrell Police Department’s Facebook page. It is needed to upgrade facilities. The...
Pittsburgh’s Amateur Astronomers to throw free public star gazing party at Kunkle Park
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will throw a free public star gazing party at Kunkle Park in Washington Township on June 15. If conditions are right, the public will be treated to views of the moon’s craters, rays, plains and mountains as well as brightly colored double stars, star...
Highlands first-graders enjoy ‘Camp Day’ at school
The campfires were virtual, but the fun was real. First-graders at Highlands Elementary School in Tarentum celebrated the approaching end of the school year Thursday with some fun and games that were part of the school’s annual “Camp Day.” “They worked really, really hard this year and we wanted to...
Construction of $21 million Kerr Elementary on track for start of 2019 school year
Construction at the new $21 million Kerr Elementary School in the Fox Chapel Area School District continues, with the project on track to open for the first day of school on Aug. 22. As the building takes shape along Kittanning Pike in O’Hara, district officials said the roof is installed,...
New Kensington-Arnold holds the line on taxes
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board has approved a nearly $38 million preliminary budget that includes no increase in real estate taxes for the fifth consecutive year. School directors voted 7-0 on Wednesday to approve the spending plan, which would keep the tax rate at 85.27 mills. The preliminary budget has...
Newborn brings hope after Pittsburgh mom dies during childbirth
April Martinez spent the last nine months meticulously planning for the arrival of her first child, a baby boy named Luca. “She had allergies and she wouldn’t take any allergy medicine,” said her mother, Elaine Sheatz of Cranberry. “She just wanted him to be perfect.” Despite her attention to detail,...
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...
