Valley News Dispatch category, Page 225
4 weekend fires in New Kensington, Arnold — 3 on same street — being treated as suspicious
Investigators are trying to determine whether four fires that erupted over the weekend — including one that sent a firefighter to the hospital with serious injuries — were deliberately set and connected to one another. Three of the four fires were on Leishman Avenue and one was on Fourth Avenue....
Shooting in Arnold sends 1 to hospital; suspect remains at large
All schools in the New Kensington-Arnold School District were on lockdown Monday afternoon as police from multiple agencies canvassed the Arnold-New Kensington area for a suspected shooter. One gunshot victim showed up to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s...
Charges dismissed against New Kensington landlord accused of strangling tenant
Westmoreland County prosecutors have decided not to proceed with a case against a New Kensington landlord who was accused of strangling and slapping a woman during a dispute over when she would move out of his rental unit. Terrance Joel Martin Jr., 57, of Harrison was charged Aug. 10 with...
Scrap facility fire in Harrison closes road, rail traffic
An outbuilding at the Tomson Scrap Metal facility in Harrison caught fire Monday morning. Crews were dispatched just before noon to the plant at 2100 Karns Road for an active structure fire. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said four fire departments from three communities responded. Crews quickly got the fire...
Police: Forged check cashed at New Kensington supermarket prompts charity to suspend program
A charitable organization in McKeesport suspended its program to help people get state photo ID cards after one of its clients was accused of altering a check they gave her and cashing it at a New Kensington supermarket, according to authorities. Eboni Deshawn Sanders, 42, of the 500 block of...
The Stroller, Oct. 2, 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. Lower Burrell PD to host Coffee with a Cop Lower Burrell...
Crews battle 3rd Leishman Avenue house fire in 24 hours
Firefighters responded this weekend to three separate house fires along Leishman Avenue in Arnold and New Kensington within 24 hours. Sunday evening, a third house fire on the street brought crews to the 1500 block, according to Westmoreland 911 dispatchers. The fire was reported at 9:39 p.m. Sunday in Arnold....
Car rally for Rustic Ridge families raises thousands
A large event in support of families of the Rustic Ridge tragedy exceeded expectations Sunday, with thousands of attendees raising at least several thousands of dollars. Rachel Vlosich co-organized a car rally expecting about 300 people to bring their muscle cars and designer vehicles to Plum Senior High School. More...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Sept. 21-27, 2023
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, the Tribune-Review’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate,...
Another board member resigns from Leechburg Area School District
Leechburg Area School District has a second opening for a school board member. Karen Freilino resigned on Sept. 20, according to board president Anthony Shea. Freilino’s resignation comes on the heels of former board member Matthew Jagodrinski’s resignation in July. The vacancies remain unfilled. Board president Anthony Shea said Sunday...
Ensuring Arnold representation emerges as issue in changing how New Kensington-Arnold elects school board
Ensuring that Arnold residents have representation on the New Kensington-Arnold School Board may be a consideration as the board discusses doing away with the district’s voting regions in favor of at-large elections. A committee of the board discussed the issue during a meeting Thursday. School board Vice President Terry Schrock...
Faces of the Valley: Vandergrift pastor shows faith doesn’t require eyesight
A Vandergrift minister isn’t letting a disability deter him from faithfully serving his congregation. Pastor Brian Ralston, 53, is legally blind. In January, he relocated from Modesto, Calif., to Vandergrift to serve as pastor of Vandergrift Presbyterian Church on Washington Avenue in the borough’s historic district. For Ralston, returning to...
The Stroller, Oct. 1, 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. Vaccination and microchip clinic planned by Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of...
Catholic leaders hope new program encourages families to start, continue religious education
The principal of a New Kensington Catholic elementary school hopes an effort to keep children in religious education after eighth grade will make others more inclined to start one. The Diocese of Greensburg announced a joint program with the Diocese of Pittsburgh called “Building a Bridge,” intended to connect grade-school...
New Kensington woman ordered to stand trial, accused of DUI with 3 kids in car where drugs were found
A woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges that she was drunk when she drove from Greensburg to New Kensington with her three children in a car, where police found ecstasy pills and psychedelic mushrooms. Alicia Lagrant Woody, 25, of Haser Drive in New Kensington waived her right...
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. celebrates new East Deer facility with Oktoberfest
The brewery known for regional classics such as Iron City and IC Light finally got a chance to show off its new, state-of-the-art brewery to the public on Saturday during an Oktoberfest celebration. Pittsburgh Brewing Co. relocated its operations from Latrobe to East Deer last year and this weekend held...
Burtner Festival brings attention to historic house in Harrison
Many people see the outside of the historic Burtner House in Harrison — built close to the Route 28 Expressway, for which it was nearly destroyed, and located on busy Burtner Road, but not many get to go inside. On a beautiful early fall Saturday — for one of only...
Future of Pittsburgh Mills mall property unclear after last-minute cancellation of sheriff sale
After the last-minute cancellation of the sheriff’s sale of the Pittsburgh Mills mall, the future of the property remains uncertain. On Friday, owner Namdar Realty Group paid more than $11 million in special assessment bills, averting a sheriff sale that was scheduled for Monday. The sale was canceled once the...
Smoky fire damages abandoned building in Arnold, tentatively considered ‘suspicious’
A fire ripped through an abandoned two-story building in Arnold on Saturday morning with such power that neighbors described windows being blown out by the flames. “It was so hot that the windows broke open,” said Ed Taylor, 63, who lives across the street from the structure on Fourth Avenue....
The Stroller, Sept. 30, 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. Annual Walk for Hunger event seeks participants The Allegheny Valley Association...
5 women accused of using check fraud scheme to steal $30K from Buffalo Township school bus company
State police accused five women of stealing nearly $30,000 from a school bus company in Buffalo Township by forging the owner’s signature on bogus paychecks that they deposited in their checking accounts. One of the people arrested worked for the bus company, and another was employed at the bank where...
Tarentum quilter gives Greensburg audience code to Underground Railroad patterns
Ethel Hayden grew up in West Leechburg seated around a quilting frame with her siblings. They stitched together pieces of cloth, practicing the fabric craft passed down from her mother and grandmother. “That was my mom’s babysitter,” said Hayden, 88, of Tarentum. “She kept a quilting frame up all year...
Sheriff’s sale of Pittsburgh Mills mall canceled
Ownership at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer won’t change, after all. A sheriff’s sale on the property was scheduled for Monday, but the delinquent debt on the mall was paid in full Friday. Owner Namdar Realty Group had owed about $11.5 million in special assessment bills. “Our office was...
Allegheny Valley School Board eyes upgrades at Springdale High School
Allegheny Valley School District officials went straight to the scene Thursday — Springdale High School’s auditorium lobby — as they reviewed possible renovation projects at the building. The renovations are still in the planning phases, and Thursday’s meeting addressed possible work to be done in the auditorium and gymnasium areas,...
Plum renews contracts with assistant superintendent, chief financial officer
The Plum School Board has renewed contracts for two district administrators. The new contracts for Assistant Superintendent Denise Sedlacek and Ryan Manzer, chief financial officer, began Tuesday. Sedlacek’s three-year agreement runs through June 30, 2026, while Manzer’s five-year agreement is through June 30, 2028. Each of their salaries were set...
