Valley News Dispatch category, Page 209
The Stroller, Nov. 19, 2023: 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. Leechburg event to recognize community leaders A community event to honor...
Man accused of slapping 5-year-old Harrison boy faces felony charge
Harrison police accused a man of slapping a preschooler, who told him he had a “crush” on another boy at school, so hard in the face that it left raised welts in the shape of his fingers. Ronald L. King, 38, of Uniontown was charged with a felony count of...
Flooding concerns contribute to rejection of plans to expand Plum mobile home park
Concerns over floods that have damaged or destroyed homes in a Plum mobile home park factored heavily into borough officials rejecting a proposal to expand the park. The borough’s zoning hearing board denied a request from Plum Creek MHC to add 21 manufactured home sites, for a total of 61...
Fawn taxes to hold steady for 26th year
Fawn residents are not likely to see a property tax increase — for the 26th consecutive year — after the township supervisors approved the preliminary budget Tuesday. “We’re able to hold the line on everything,” Township Treasurer/Secretary Pam Ponsart said. “We’re frugal about it.” The $1.9 million budget holds the...
Annual Tarentum-Brackenridge Holiday Parade brings festive fun, sense of community
Kathy Linderman started designing a Charlie Brown-themed Christmas float for the annual Tarentum-Brackenridge Holiday Parade in October. The float — which she rode with her kids, Gabrielle, 11, and Benjamin, 13 — included Snoopy’s dog house, cut-out decorations of beloved Peanuts characters, and a small Charlie Brown Christmas tree made...
New police chief committed to accessibility in Allegheny Township
A familiar face has been appointed as chief of the Allegheny Township Police Department. Dan Uncapher, most recently officer in charge and a sergeant before that, replaces former Chief Duane Fisher, who resigned in mid-September to become chief in an eastern Pennsylvania community. Uncapher was appointed unanimously as chief during...
The Stroller, Nov. 18, 2023: 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. Tarentum homes and businesses welcome to enter decorating contest Tarentum Recreation...
West Deer elevates sergeant to township’s first deputy chief post
For the first time in its history, the West Deer Police Department has a deputy chief. Township supervisors Wednesday voted to promote Sgt. Timothy Burk to deputy chief. Chief Robert Loper recommended the move. Burk began his career with the department in 2000 as a part-time patrolman. He became a...
Sharpsburg officials hold the line on property taxes in 2024, maintain sewage rates
Sharpsburg officials held the line on real estate taxes for next year. Council unanimously voted Nov. 16 to pass its 2024 budget and maintain the millage rate at 9.75 mills. Borough sewer rates also remain the same. Council approved its preliminary budget last month. Borough Manager Christine DeRunk said after...
First responders honored for saving Fox Chapel man’s life
A Fox Chapel man is alive thanks to the quick work of some first responders and bystanders in Aspinwall. Tony Suleski, 81, suffered a cardiac arrest in front of the Aspinwall Borough Building in the early evening of Oct. 4. His wife, Magdeline Jensen, said they were about to head...
Alleged ‘forgotten’ notebook latest disagreement in Springdale injunction case
Attorneys representing the property owner of the former power plant in Springdale are calling into question a “forgotten” notebook with “hundreds of photographs” from a site visit in October and are asking the judge presiding over the case to not allow them to be used in the hearing. Attorneys Dave...
MAWC halts fracking at reservoir as part of water conservation plan
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water conservation warning issued this week has halted fracking activity at the Beaver Run Reservoir. Authority officials on Friday said two energy companies that operate deep natural gas wells on the reservoir property will not be permitted to extract water for their operations amid...
Friends mourn the loss of 2 men found in region’s rivers
The recent deaths of two men from the Lower Valley have stunned the people who knew and cared about them. Sean Dugan, 58, of Springdale was found dead Tuesday in the Allegheny River. He had been missing since Oct. 30. The body of Jeremy Gilroy, 42, of Verona was recovered...
Dorseyville Road in Indiana Township reopened
Dorseyville Road between Rawlins Run Road and Fox Chapel Road in Indiana Township has reopened to traffic, Allegheny County Public Works officials announced Friday. The road had been closed since Aug. 21 for the replacement of a bridge over Little Pine Creek. County officials said the project was done by...
Visit with therapy dog a treat for Acmetonia fourth graders who display positive behavior
A four-legged friend visited Acmetonia Elementary School on Friday morning as part of a new initiative to reward students’ positive behavior. Elizabeth Newill, a fourth grade science teacher, has started bringing Finnegan, her 7-year-old English springer spaniel, into her classroom every two weeks as part of a positive behavior reward...
New Kensington man gets 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography
A federal judge on Friday sentenced a New Kensington man to 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography, including more than 100 photos showing infants and toddlers being sexually abused. Robert Pacek, 53, pleaded guilty in December to seven counts of distributing images of children being sexually abused using...
No property tax increase in Frazer’s proposed budget for 2024
Frazer will hold the line on real estate taxes next year. The township’s proposed 2024 budget amounts to $1.13 million, about $148,000 less than this year , said Frazer Township Secretary and Supervisor Lori Ziencik. The millage rate remains at 3.5 mills. The average property tax assessment for a home...
New Kensington basketball greats Flenory, Pipkins to be honored through names of new courts
Two New Kensington sports legends will be honored through the naming of basketball courts at the city’s new downtown park. The two courts at the park on Barnes Street will be named Court 23, in honor of Tom Pipkins, and Court 15, honoring Baron “B.B.” Flenory, Councilman Dante Cicconi said....
2023 holiday happenings in the A-K Valley
To have your community event added to this listing, send detailed information to vndnews@triblive.com. Allegheny Township • Freeport Theatre Festival will present “The Nativity — A Christmas Delight” at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, 2 and 3 at the theater located at the Steele Family Farm off Route 356 on White...
The Stroller, Nov. 17, 2023: 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. Westmoreland County Marines to supply Christmas groceries Westmoreland County Marines will...
Apollo man convicted of first-degree murder in wife’s killing
Emily and Ean Steele said a Westmoreland County jury found justice for their mother. The jury, after more than four hours of deliberations, convicted their father of first-degree murder Thursday for the May 14, 2022, execution-style slaying of 41-year-old Kelly Steele inside a U-Haul storage facility in Lower Burrell. “It’s...
Springdale power plant implosion ruling could come next month
A ruling on whether the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale can be demolished via implosion could come as early as the first week of December. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr., who is presiding over a court case seeking an injunction to stop the implosion, gave...
DEP fines companies involved in implosion of smokestacks at former Springdale power plant
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday a civil penalty in connection to the June 2 implosion of two smokestacks at the former power plant property in Springdale. According to the DEP, Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, Controlled Demolition Inc. and Grant Mackay Co. violated the state’s Solid Waste Management...
Plum mayor commends ROTC students
Plum Air Force Junior ROTC received a certification of achievement from Mayor Harry Schlegel during the borough council meeting on Nov. 13. The mayor read a proclamation, stating in part: “The goals of the AFJROTC program are to instill values and citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and...
Leechburg Area voters ‘ready for change’ with new faces winning out on school board
A fresh crop of faces has been elected to serve on the Leechburg Area School Board. And one of the youngest school board members in the Alle-Kiski Valley earned the most votes of eight candidates vying to fill five seats on the board. Andrew Pallus, 22, received 917 votes in...
