Valley News Dispatch category, Page 696
Hundreds turn out for cleanup events in Harrison, VandergriftVideo
‘Tis the season to redd up, as we say in these parts, and an event Saturday in Harrison gave people in the region the chance to get rid of hard-to-dispose items like televisions, paint and household chemicals. It was a “Too Toxic To Trash” collection at the township building where...
1 victim taken by ambulance from Bell Township crash
One person was transported by ambulance from the scene of a one-car crash Friday night in Bell Township. Shortly before 11 p.m., emergency crews responded to Route 981 near its intersection with Substation Road for a report of a rollover crash. As midnight approached, Route 981 remained closed between Route...
Suspect driving with small boy crashes in Tarentum after high-speed chase on Route 28
An Arnold man with a young boy riding in the back seat led police on a high-speed chase Friday night that started on the Route 28 expressway and ended when he crashed near the foot of the Tarentum Bridge. The chase ended shortly before 9 p.m. when the suspect crashed...
State lawmaker Brooks gives his state paycheck to volunteer fire companiesVideo
Sixteen fire departments are sharing $16,000 earned by state Rep. Bob Brooks, with the promise of much more to come. Brooks, R-Murrysville, has pledged to donate most or all of his state salary to organizations within the 54th state House District. State House members are paid a base annual salary...
Comcast employees to spend ‘Cares Day’ at West Leecburg VFD
Comcast employees, families and friends are scheduled to spend Comcast Cares Day at the West Leechburg Volunteer Fire Department and separately at Auberle, a faith-based program to help children and families in McKeesport on May 4. The 18th annual event will begin at 8 a.m. at the fire hall on...
Agents: Springdale woman used dentist’s ID to call in fake drug prescriptions
A Springdale woman is accused of using her dentist’s identity to obtain prescription painkillers from a New Kensington pharmacy. Investigators say Nicole Yvonne Resnick, 39, told a narcotics agent with the state Attorney General’s Office she called in most of the prescriptions under other people’s names. She told the agent...
Highlands pays $31K settlement to former teacher
The Highlands School District is paying a former teacher more than $30,000 as part of a settlement and release agreement. The school district released the agreement with Andrew B. Kotyk on Thursday. The school board had approved it in March. The school district refused to release the agreement when it...
Darkside Demon Clothing is much more than just cool hats, shirts
There are demons inside all of us. Life is about overcoming that darkness. And Marcus Corson has created a clothing line to help. “My company represents fighting all the inner demons we all have going through in the struggles of life, whether it be PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from serving...
Community Library of Allegheny Valley looking for new ‘friends’Video
The Community Library of Allegheny Valley is looking for a new generation of volunteers. For more than 20 years, the Friends of the Community Library of Allegheny Valley have helped support the library through events, activities and fundraisers. They’ve been its face, its advocates — its champions. But the nonprofit...
Allegheny Valley Hospital seeks lobby volunteers
Allegheny Valley Hospital is looking for volunteers to join the hospital’s lobby escort team. According to the hospital, lobby escorts greet outpatients and visitors and help them find their destination in the hospital. “This position offers significant opportunity to work directly with patients and their families,” the hospital said. Openings...
First Commonwealth announces closing, opening dates in Harrison
First Commonwealth Bank will be closing its existing bank in Harrison and opening a new location nearby in September, the bank has told customers in a letter. According to the letter, the bank’s existing location in Heights Plaza will permanently close at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6. The new...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers’ contract talks set for Monday
Contract talks between New Kensington-Arnold School District and its teachers union are scheduled for Monday. The district’s 167 teachers have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, 2017. Superintendent John Pallone said the state Department of Labor and Industry has assigned a mediator, and negotiating sessions must include the...
10 people at Indiana Twp. group home checked out after fumes fill building
Ten people at an Indiana Township group home for youths were taken for evaluation and released Thursday night after apparently being affected by fumes. Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said someone called 911 from the Western Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge campus off of Lefever Hill Road reporting that people...
Leechburg police hope DNA can crack bank robbery case
Investigators are hoping DNA tests could help identify the culprit who pulled off a bank caper in Leechburg last year. Someone tunneled from a vacant storefront at 154 Market St. into the wall of the First Commonwealth Bank next door at 152 Market St. in January 2018. The FBI believes...
East Deer couple charged with stealing more than $3,000 worth of items, scrapping them
An East Deer couple is charged with breaking into a house and stealing more than $3,000 worth of items later sold at a scrap yard. Joseph Samuel Gould, 35, told police he stole copper wire and a generator from the home and sold them for about $72 at PJ Greco...
Tarentum man accused of beating son, 3, for soiling himself
A Tarentum man is accused of beating his 3-year-old son with a belt because he soiled his diaper. Andre Coral Stanford Jr., 36, of East Street faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children and a misdemeanor charge of simple assault. A warrant was issued for his arrest...
No one injured in wild wreck on Route 908 in FawnVideo
Officials said it’s miraculous no one was injured in a wild wreck on Route 908 in Fawn on Thursday morning that left one car on top of another. Both cars were resting against a guardrail just short of a steep embankment when they came to a stop, stacked almost like...
3 Highlands teachers receive grants from school retiree group
Three Highlands teachers have received grants from the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees. High school Spanish teacher Laura Proano and Kevin Mason, a fifth-grade teacher at the middle school, are sharing a $750 educational support grant from the association. Jody Shumaker, a second-grade teacher at Highlands Elementary School, received a...
Highlands Elementary school to showcase technology
The technology that Highlands elementary students use for learning will be on display during an upcoming event. Highlands Elementary School and Remake Learning will host a “Technology Showcase” on the evening of Thursday, May 9. It will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at the school...
Motorist suffers head injury when car goes over hillside in Bell Township
A man was transported to a local hospital with a head injury after crashing his four-door Saturn over a hillside in Bell Township. Township Fire Chief Steve Master said crews were dispatched to the intersection of Route 819 and Route 66 near the Bell and Washington townships border shortly before...
Man accused of home improvement fraud in Apollo, North Apollo
A 46-year-old contractor is accused of home improvement fraud and theft in North Apollo and Apollo last year. Charles Todd Doland of Woodward Avenue, Apollo, is accused of accepting almost $11,000 in upfront money but not doing the work. He allegedly took a $4,700 down payment to install a metal...
School bus company owner cautions that switching carriers can be tricky
Price shouldn’t be the only consideration in choosing a school bus company, but price was why Mark D. Schmitt didn’t make an offer to the Highlands School District. Schmitt owns Monark Student Transportation in Richland and has been in the business his entire life. He considered submitting a proposal to...
Highlands searching for new assistant superintendent
The Highlands School District is looking for a new assistant superintendent. The position became vacant when the school board named Monique Mawhinney to replace Michael Bjalobok as superintendent beginning April 1. Mawhinney started as the district’s assistant superintendent in April 2018. The district had not had an assistant superintendent since...
Tarentum Police looking for burglary suspects
Tarentum police are looking for two men accused of breaking into and stealing items from a borough home on Tuesday. Police Chief Bill Vakulick said the burglary was reported to police shortly before noon Tuesday. It occurred in the 600 block of Second Avenue. Police believe one of the men...
3 facing meth charges in North Vandergrift section of Parks
State troopers arrested three people Monday in Parks and charged them with possessing or selling methamphetamine. Troopers said Steven Taylor Green, 43, of Erie was at the residence of Liana Nicole Zaffuto, 32, and Jeffrey Shawn Lookhart, 34. The troopers were at a residence in the North Vandergrift section of...
