Valley News Dispatch category, Page 7
New Kensington man sentenced in connection with wild, extended chase last November
Leonard Hayden Jr., who led New Kensington police on a 90-minute chase throughout a Westmoreland County public housing complex in November, has been sentenced after he pleaded guilty in March to fleeing from police and evading arrest. Judge Christopher A. Feliciani sentenced Hayden, 25, of New Kensington to six to...
Man charged with attempted homicide, arson for fire that tore through a New Kensington duplex
Police are searching for a Pittsburgh man charged in connection to a March duplex fire in New Kensington that displaced two families. Anthony Mohamed, 37, faces felony charges for six counts of attempted criminal homicide, three counts of arson, burglary, criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. He also faces nine misdemeanor...
Lower Burrell welcomes air conditioning and heating business to former Hillcrest Volkswagen building
Mark Williamson is in the business of heating and cooling, but he says his company’s ethos is a bit more than that. MW Mechanical Services, which Williamson founded in New Kensington in 2022, installs and repairs residential and commercial air conditioning and heating systems across Soutwestern Pennsylvania. It also services...
Plum spends nearly $700K for ‘fine-tuning’ of district math programs
After a lengthy review of district math programs, the Plum School Board has opted to spend about $685,000 to acquire updated resources for classes. That means students will be using new textbooks and classroom materials as Plum shifts to different mathematics programs, according to Assistant Superintendent Ashley Boyers. Boyers said...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to gun assault in Arnold
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Thursday to serve 1½ to 3 years in prison for an assault of a man in an Arnold home in 2024, but he was given credit for serving a year of that sentence since his March 30, 2025 arrest. Roger Moore, 48, pleaded guilty to...
$50,000 reward offered in unsolved Arnold killing of Stephanie CoyleVideo
Dan Coyle remembers his late grandmother as “the kindest soul.” Her unsolved slaying, a bizarre and violent attack in Arnold in 1993, continues to torment his family. Stephanie Coyle, 74, was sexually assaulted and stabbed before her body was discovered by the landlord in her apartment behind Fourth Avenue. Her...
Local historians discovering origin of New Kensington’s Little Girl Scout House
Millie Pipman wanted to track the origins of New Kensington’s Little Girl Scout House off Oates Boulevard, but her search was coming up short, so she tapped a local history buff for help. Bill Englert was able to uncover archival newspaper articles, including from the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, about the city...
The Stroller, May 1, 2026: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Salvation Army accepting summer...
Clark Candies adds ice cream to list of sweet offerings in TarentumVideo
Tarentum has a new sweet spot. Clark Candies Ice Cream Café is scheduled to have a soft open on Friday, scooping up ice cream through the takeout window at the 89-year-old chocolate shop along First Avenue. Twelve decadent flavors will join specialties like hot fudge nachos and Paletas — Mexican...
Proposed New Kensington STEM Academy to proceed with next steps
The New Kensington Zoning Hearing Board approved a special exception use permit Thursday night for a proposed after-school STEM academy. The nonprofit, R&D Impact Foundation, plans to open the SparX Academy at 1250 Fifth Ave. According to Thomas Roberts Sr., the foundation’s treasurer, R&D proposed a “significant remodeling” for the...
Pressure at the pump builds as gas prices reach 4-year highVideo
Many in Western Pennsylvania braced themselves as they pulled up to the gas pump on Thursday. That’s because U.S. gas prices have soared this week to their highest levels in four years — about $4.30 per gallon nationally. Though prices for regular unleaded in the Pittsburgh region haven’t reached the...
Verona man wanted in connection with road rage incident
Verona police have issued an arrest warrant for a Verona man following a road rage incident that occurred earlier this month. In a post on the department’s Facebook, police asked for information on Keith Watson’s whereabouts. Police said they were dispatched to the intersection of South Avenue and School Street...
Assault charge against Knoch teacher dismissed
Assault and harrassment charges against Carly Miller, a former Knoch Primary School teacher, were dropped Thursday, more than a year after she was charged. Miller, 36, of Hampton had been charged with simple assault and harassment for a November 2024 incident, during which police said she struck an autistic student...
Vandergrift native Sade Taylor, a PennWest student, to serve on State System of Higher Education board
Sade Taylor, a Vandergrift native and Pennsylvania Western University student, has been named to the State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors. “I’m here to serve,” said Taylor, 20 and an early childhood education major at PennWest Edinboro. “I take this role very seriously. I’m committed to making students...
New Kensington Spring Fest to focus on artisansVideo
New Kensington will host a new art festival, Spring Fest, on May 9. Michelle Thom, Voodoo Brewing manager and Olde Towne Overhaul operations manager, said the new festival will be similar to Fridays on Fifth, but instead of being food-focused, the purpose is to engage with local art and creatives....
Harrison church gets boost from Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Restoration at a nearly 100-year-old Harrison church kicked off this week with help from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church on Broadview Boulevard was among the foundation’s 2026 historic religious properties grant recipients, which totaled $125,000 in matching grant funds. The church will use its grant...
Dollar Tree coming to The Waterworks shopping complex
A new business is set to open at The Waterworks. A Dollar Tree will open in May in the former Famous Footwear space, joining 15 other Dollar Tree locations in the Pittsburgh area. A contractor working April 28 inside the store said renovations are progressing and the work is expected...
The Stroller, April 30, 2026: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Food drive planned Saturday...
Personal care home to breathe life into vacant Tarentum building
A 63-bed personal care home is scheduled to open this summer in Tarentum in a four-story building that has been vacant since 2012. Tarentum Care, a brick building with a patio and outdoor garden at 416 E. Seventh Ave., is situated among single- family homes. It’s a good fit, administrator Lawrence...
Aspinwall Council approves plans for 4 townhomes at former church siteVideo
The construction of new townhouses soon will take place at the former Community United Methodist Church site in Aspinwall. Council recently approved land development and subdivision plans for the Amena Properties project. The unanimous vote April 8 helped clear the way for company founder and Aspinwall businessman Tony Pompeo Jr....
Parks Township bar that was scene of fatal shooting says incident was ‘unacceptable’
Niki’s Quick Six, the Parks Township bar where a woman was killed and three others were shot early Sunday, said in a Wednesday statement that the incident was “tragic and unacceptable.” The bar, located just across the Kiski River from Vandergrift, is “fully cooperating with authorities” the statement posted on...
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills now closed
Shoppers said their final goodbyes to the Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills over the weekend. The company told TribLive that Sunday would be the store’s last day of business before shutting its doors. The location is among 150 that the New York City-based company plans to close this year. Macy’s officials...
2nd phase of multimillion-dollar renovations at Plum Middle School to begin soon
More renovation work is set to begin at Plum Middle School after the district’s school board approved a slate of contracts totaling $3.4 million. It’s the second phase of work at the school, after the initial chunk of renovations began last summer, according to Plum Finance and Operations Director John...
Buddy’s Ace Hardware fills former Staples space at The Waterworks
A large storefront at The Waterworks, empty since mid-December, soon will house the area’s only hardware store. Buddy’s Ace Hardware is scheduled to open the second week of May in the former Staples location. “We felt this market really needed a good hardware store,” owner Vince Grlovich said. “We want...
Preserving Vinyl rebrands its 2nd New Ken shop as a bargain outlet, opens Dormont record storeVideo
Preserving Record Shop owner AJ Rassau has been waiting years for CDs to hit the mainstream again, so when the opportunity to buy 250,000 from an online collector and retailer presented itself, he took the chance. The CDs are now on sale at Preserving Vinyl bargain outlet on Fifth Avenue...
