Valley News Dispatch category, Page 721
4 Tarentum Council seats to be up for election this year
Four seats on Tarentum Council will be up for election this year instead of the usual three. The extra race comes about because of the resignation of 3rd Ward Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan. The six remaining council members accepted her resignation Thursday. In her resignation email Tuesday, Dzugan cited family matters...
New Kensington moving to hire more police officers
New Kensington council will be hiring three new police officers to fill vacancies created by retirements, city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said. Council is scheduled to vote on the hires at a special meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, once members receive an approved list from the city’s Civil Service Commission. That...
Expanded facilities are recipe for success at Leechburg Area High SchoolVideo
There’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen at Leechburg Area High School now. A new, expansive Family and Consumer Science Room renovation project was completed last year, providing five state-of-the-art kitchen areas for students in grades 7-12 enrolled in various cooking classes, culinary arts, finance, sports...
Florida man not hurt after rolling over flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison
A truck driver from Florida was not hurt after rolling over his flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison early Thursday afternoon. The crash was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. It happened on the southbound side of the highway just past the curved bridge over Saxonburg Road past Exit 16...
Lenape vo-tech head hopes strong bond will continue with the school districts it serves
School officials are hoping the solid bonds the Freeport Area School District has with the Lenape Vocational School continue. Wesley P. Kuchta, Lenape’s new administrative director, spoke before the school board Wednesday night and emphasized the success Freeport Area students have had at Lenape. “It’s important that superintendents and I...
Driver injured in tractor-trailer rollover on Route 28 exit near Tarentum
The driver of a tractor-trailer truck was injured late Thursday morning after he lost control of his truck and it flipped onto its side on the off-ramp of Route 28 near Tarentum. State police charged the driver, Brian Dawson, 52, of Cabot, with driving a vehicle at unsafe speeds. State...
Elderly man staying in South Buffalo still missing after 2 weeks
Police still have not found the elderly man who went missing from South Buffalo more than two weeks ago. Several hundred emergency volunteers, family and friends searched for Kenneth L. Himes, 70, after he left the home of a family member along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road between 11:30 p.m. Christmas night...
Lack of document stymies Upper Burrell drilling appeal
The legal challenge to an Upper Burrell supervisors’ decision to allow unconventional gas drilling is stalled in Westmoreland County Court, in part, because not all of the paperwork has been filed. Upper Burrell Citizens Against Marcellus Pollution, a group seeking to curb gas drilling in the largely rural township, appealed...
Two new Marcellus shale gas sites proposed in Upper Burrell
Huntley & Huntley has applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for permits to drill unconventional gas wells at two sites in Upper Burrell. The sites are on industrial property owned by Acronic and Alcoa. The “Selene” and “Calliope” well pads are about a mile apart, located off of...
West Leechburg turkey captures hearts while eluding apprehensionVideo
A white turkey roaming free in West Leechburg has captured the hearts of some borough residents. It has managed to elude capture, and the identity of its owner remained a mystery Wednesday night. West Leechburg police Chief George Lebetz said his department received multiple calls about the turkey, including reports...
Apollo officials keeping services afloat, look to fill key positions
The lights are out on the Apollo Bridge, and the borough isn’t sure how to turn them back on. The lighting outage is just one of many tasks at the Apollo Borough office that need to be handled in the absence of a borough manager. Council Vice President Diane Bradshaw...
Arnold appoints deputy treasurer to fill treasurer role
Arnold has a new treasurer. Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to appoint Deputy Treasurer Cathy Ozdany, 65, of Arnold, at a salary of $45,364. She will fill the position vacated by Joseph Puet, who was hired as Cheswick’s borough secretary last year. “She was the only one that applied for...
Police: After nearly hitting officer with car, Arnold man tells them, ‘I’m drunk and high’
Police say an Arnold man nearly hit an officer with a car during a high-speed car chase through three Alle-Kiski Valley municipalities Monday night. Police allege Robert Maxwell Vining Jr. was drunk and high at the time. Vining allegedly apologized to the officer for nearly striking him with the car....
Property tax unchanged, electric cost up in Tarentum 2019 spending plan
Property taxes aren’t going up in Tarentum in this year despite nearly $1 million in increased spending. Council approved the borough’s $3.58 million 2019 general fund budget. That’s up about 32 percent from the $2.71 million 2018 general fund budget. The property tax rate remains at 5.48 mills. The owner...
Highlands Middle School could host proposed rain garden
Ground at Highlands Middle School has been selected as the site of a “green infrastructure” project in Harrison. If permitted by the school district, the proposed rain garden would be built this year, said Jeff Bergman, director of community forestry with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The garden is part of...
Tarentum Council considering renaming community garden for Pastor Greg Blythe
Tarentum Council is considering renaming the borough’s community garden. The existing Friendship Garden, from which people are free to take whatever fruits and vegetables they want or need, could be renamed to honor Pastor Greg Blythe. Blythe, pastor of Abundant Joy Fellowship, was one of the founders of the garden,...
Candidates sought to fill Tarentum Council vacancy
Tarentum Council is looking to fill an empty seat. In an email Tuesday afternoon, Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan informed the borough she would be resigning from the seven-member council because she is unable to fulfill her duties. Council will vote to accept her resignation during its meeting starting at 6 p.m....
Tarentum man faces drug, gun charges in connection with police chase
A Tarentum man is accused of leading police on a chase through Arnold and New Kensington last year before crashing his SUV into another vehicle and injuring three people. Jaquay Karohn Primus, 22, was arraigned Tuesday on felony charges of aggravated assault, drug possession, receiving stolen property and illegally possessing...
Acmetonia school welcomes former Colfax studentsVideo
The seats are filled, the lockers labeled and the bulletin boards decorated in the new wing of Acmetonia Elementary School. The students in fourth through sixth grades from Colfax Elementary School transitioned into Acmetonia this week after more than a year of renovations at the school. Acmetonia now houses all...
In ‘long overdue’ change, New Kensington’s Gunny’s Lounge goes smoke-freeVideo
Patrons of Gunny’s Lounge in New Kensington will notice major changes this year, notably a lack of cigarette smoke in the air. After decades of allowing smoking inside, owners of the longstanding restaurant and bar said they decided to ban smoking in an effort to make the establishment more family...
New Kensington Kmart closes after nearly 55 years
Lisa Wilson made an impassioned farewell speech to customers at New Kensington’s Kmart store as it ended operations Sunday after more than a half-century. “The time now is 6 p.m., and the night has come that’s bittersweet,” Wilson said over the store’s loudspeaker in a video that was posted to...
Harrison commissioners approve new contract with public works employees
Harrison commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a new contract with the union representing the township’s public works employees. The three-year agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2021. Commissioners voted at a special meeting held Monday afternoon. About 10 employees are represented by Local 238 of...
Police: South Butler student posted shooting video captioned ‘training for prom walk’
A Butler County judge has increased the bond for a teen accused of allegedly making an online threat to shoot students in the South Butler County School District. Jason Bowen, 18, of Middlesex Township, is charged with terroristic threats, causing catastrophe, possession of drug paraphernalia and a weapons offense. District...
Longtime Habitat volunteer from Lower Burrell does more than build houses
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley people and the notable things that they do. Longtime Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley volunteer Glenn Nordmark is much more than a builder. “He’s first to come and last to leave on build sites,” said Habitat Executive...
Antique fishing, hunting gear up for grabs at Tri-County show
Yes, there are $1,000 antique fishing reels to be had as well as vintage lures, the largest selection of hunting and fishing books and more for the first major sportsman show of the year. The Tri-County Trout Club Sport Show & Flea Market will be held Saturday from 9 a.m....
