Valley News Dispatch category, Page 721
Megan’s Law shines light on Alle-Kiski Valley sex offenders
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold’s headline-grabbing release from the Westmoreland County jail two weeks ago concerned some residents who felt he shouldn’t live near three schools because he’s a registered sex offender. Sex offenders rarely garner such attention when they get out of jail. Often, their neighbors are unaware...
Handicapped parking in Vandergrift now limited to 15 percent of any block
Vandergrift Council has adjusted the borough’s handicapped parking policy. Now, up to 15 percent of any block of a street can be set aside for handicapped parking. Previously, it was a maximum of two cars per block. Borough officials continue to grapple with the needs of an aging population in...
East Deer woman battling rare cancer put in tough spot by UPMC’s hardline insurance stanceVideo
An East Deer woman has a potentially life-altering decision to make in the next four months: keep her UPMC oncologist but pay more for a secondary insurance plan, or risk finding another whose knowledge of her rare form of cancer is not as sophisticated. Brittany Eckert, 32, was diagnosed with...
Longtime Valley News Dispatch sports editor remembered for his keen eye for young talent
During his 26-year tenure as sports editor for the Valley News Dispatch, Bob Schank oversaw a drastic transformation of the local sports scene. From the mergers of Alle-Kiski Valley high school sports programs to the elevation of the Pirates and Steelers from punchlines to world champions, Schank saw it all....
Ice causes crashes across Alle-Kiski Valley
Ice on a sunny, but cold afternoon apparently caused two accidents within 20 minutes in the Alle-Kiski Valley and numerous others across the region. An Apollo man was driving down a small car down South Leechburg Hill in Allegheny Township at about 5:40 p.m. when he hit a patch of...
Highlands changes location of school closure hearing, school board meeting
The Highlands School District has changed the location for a public hearing and school board meeting on Monday. The hearing and meeting, previously set to be held in the library at Highlands High School in Harrison, will instead be held in the high school auditorium, according to a notice on...
Northbound lane re-open after multi-vehicle crash on Route 28
A multiple-vehicle crash on Route 28 near the Heinz plant briefly closed a lane of northbound traffic on Friday, according to PennDOT. PennDOT sent an alert about the crash shortly before 2 p.m. The lane was back open shortly before 2:30 p.m. Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You...
Tarentum urges delinquent taxpayers to avoid having their names published
Tarentum officials are hoping they won’t have to publish the names of property owners delinquent on paying their taxes — but they’re prepared to do it. Council approved a resolution, under which the names of those owing property taxes to the borough will be made publicly available. Property taxes are...
Garbage dumped at empty Natrona homes is ‘a cancer,’ resident saysVideo
Harrison resident Conrad Zylinski is convinced that if garbage was piling up in Natrona Heights, it wouldn’t be tolerated. But it’s happening in the township’s Natrona section, behind abandoned houses near his Spruce Street home. And it seems to him that no one is doing anything about it. “It’s a...
Support strong for recreational trail through Brackenridge
Support was strong Thursday night for the proposed Three Rivers Heritage Trail’s plans to pass through the Brackenridge riverfront. About 25 people attended the informational meeting in Brackenridge Council’s chambers. The Heritage Trail would run from Millvale to Freeport, where it would hook up with several other recreational trails. While...
Power outages reported in Plum, Ross, Lower Burrell
At least 130 Duquesne Light customers in Plum lost electric service starting at about 8:30 p.m., spokesman Gerald Lucci said. The outage was caused by an underground cable failure at Kellywood Estates. Crew discovered that the outage was caused by a fallen tree, Lucci said. He said service could be...
Brian Snyder, Tarentum business owner, chosen to fill council vacancy
Filling an empty seat on Tarentum Council turned out to be more difficult than its remaining members anticipated. It was not for a lack of candidates, but because of the quality of the candidates they had to choose from. It was only after much mulling by Councilman Scott Dadowski, the...
Tarentum Council approves separation agreement with police sergeant
A Tarentum police sergeant will be paid just over $17,000 under a separation agreement and general release that borough council approved Thursday. Sgt. Ryan Hanford’s retirement was effective Thursday. Hanford, 44, has been a police officer for 25 years, including 22 with Tarentum. He had been on administrative leave for...
Deer Lakes students losing spring break days to make up for cold cancellations
Students in the Deer Lakes School District are losing three of their spring break days to make up for days lost to the recent bitterly cold weather. Deer Lakes was among the numerous districts that cancelled classes on Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 1 because of the cold and icy...
‘I see the same eyes,’ jitney driver who was robbed tells court during hearing in Brackenridge
A jitney driver couldn’t definitively say whether a man who appeared in a Brackenridge courtroom Wednesday was the same man who robbed and threatened to shoot her last month. “I see the same eyes that I seen that night,” the woman said in court Wednesday. “I can’t tell you a...
Vandergrift finally gets to move on its 2018 paving projects
Although the calendar says 2019, Vandergrift is still working on its 2018 paving program. Money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program didn’t arrive until mid-November, after the hot asphalt facilities closed for the winter. The borough will seek new contract bids on paving and, if Punxsutawney Phil is...
Bail reduced for Leechburg pair accused of trying to pick lock at Armstrong methadone clinic
A judge lowered bail to $25,000 on Wednesday for two people accused of trying to break into a Parks Township methadone clinic in January. Richard Samuel Thomas, 37, and Natalie Nicole Milanak, 36, both of Leechburg, remained at the Armstrong County Jail Thursday after they each failed to post the...
Paws Across Pittsburgh steps in to help 9 more dog, cats
Princess was in sad shape when Paws Across Pittsburgh volunteers met her last weekend. “The dog was in shutdown,” said Paws volunteer Vicki Marietta of Harrison City. “She wasn’t eating. She didn’t want to be touched. She was depressed and broken.” Princess, Bear, Charley, Dinky and five other dogs and...
Police warn of vehicle break-ins in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell police say several vehicles were broken into Wednesday night and are reminding people to lock their car doors. Chief Tim Weitzel said the break-ins occurred on Donnell Road, Davies Street, Fairway Street, and Mintwood Drive. Most, if not all the vehicles, were left parked and unlocked, Weitzel said....
Freeport Area looks to make up to $600,000 in upgrades before end of school year
The Freeport Area School District has a nearly $600,000 “honey-do” list it wants to get done before the end of the school year. The school board plans to move the money from the general fund to the capital fund and consider projects on a line-item basis. Some of the projects...
Pop-up parade starts Burrell High wrestlers on trek to state championships in Hershey
Burrell High School’s wrestlers got a pop-up parade Wednesday afternoon as they left town. The grapplers were starting their bus trip to the state championships in Hershey. The repeat WPIAL champs didn’t leave quietly. It was lights and sirens all the way through town. A brief Facebook announcement at 3:30...
Knoch High School student who made shooting threat ‘as a joke’ released on bond
A Knoch High School student charged with making online threats about shooting classmates has been released from jail. According to court documents, Jason Bowen, 18, of Middlesex, was released from the Butler County jail on Tuesday after Butler County Judge Timothy McCune granted a motion to modify his bail from...
The signs of spring are here if you know where to look
Recent warm temperatures, no matter how pleasant and notwithstanding the prognostications of a groundhog, aren’t signs of spring. But the signs already are here. They’re just a little more subtle. In his book, “Signs of Spring,” Bill Hamilton of Kiski Township, a retired biology professor from Penn State New Kensington...
Woman claims Apollo man threw, sexually assaulted her after she laughed at him
An Apollo man is accused of throwing and sexually assaulting a woman earlier this week. The woman accused James Orlando Oquinn, 29, of attacking her after she laughed when he suggested she was sneaking men through a window. The woman told Apollo police that she had taken Oquinn out for...
Asperger’s can’t stop Highlands middle schooler’s basketball passionVideo
Austin Ciciarelli of Harrison found his happy place — on the basketball court. Ciciarelli, 13, was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, as a toddler. He tried out for the Highlands Middle School Rams basketball team last year while in seventh grade and made the cut. Daily practices...
