Valley News Dispatch category, Page 229
Freeport Area approves $13K to replace roof of salt storage shed that dates to 1960s
For a small school district with limited finances, stretching a dollar is a year-round school board proposition. Residents attending Freeport Area School District’s board meeting were reminded of that last week. This time it wasn’t computers, textbooks or teaching positions hovering over the chopping block but protection for the district’s...
Leechburg’s David Leech Elementary among state’s 13 National Blue Ribbon Schools
A Leechburg Area elementary school is celebrating earning a prestigious national distinction. David Leech Elementary School has been named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The district announced the news Tuesday on its official Facebook page. The school is one of 13 recognized in...
Arnold mayor seeks regulation on use of minibikes
Mayor Joseph Bia said he plans to rein in youths riding minibikes recklessly on Arnold’s streets before they injure somebody, including themselves. Bia brought the matter before city council at its meeting last week. “We’ve got a big problem with kids riding minibikes through the streets,” he said. “They’re breaking...
The Stroller, Sept. 20, 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. New Kensington to celebrate Fridays on Fifth The monthly Fridays on...
Police say Lower Burrell woman attacked boyfriend with hatchet, scissors
Lower Burrell police charged a woman with aggravated assault after she was accused of throwing an ax at her boyfriend and attacking him with scissors. Brittany Lynn Betts, 32, of Lower Burrell faces two counts of aggravated assault with the attempt to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon. A...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Arnold, New Kensington areas
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Plum waterlines working as designed on day of deadly home explosion, municipal authority says
Plum Municipal Authority officials said the borough’s water system and hydrants were working as designed when firefighters responded to a house explosion that killed six people in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood on Aug. 12. Firefighters initially attempted to pull water from the hydrants at a greater rate than the system...
New Kensington shooting suspect seeks move to juvenile court
Jonathan Felder was six days shy of his 18th birthday when, according to police, he and six others ambushed and fatally shot a man inside the lobby of a New Kensington apartment building last summer. A forensic psychologist testified Tuesday that Felder, now 19, of Arnold should be prosecuted as...
Springdale residents file lawsuit seeking stop to Friday morning’s plant implosion
An Allegheny County judge has ordered the company scheduled to implode the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale on Friday morning to hold off on placing explosive charges in the building until a ruling is issued for a lawsuit filed by residents seeking to halt the demolition. The lawsuit is...
‘Pilgrim George,’ trekked 40K miles to witness for Jesus, dies at 82
“Pilgrim George” lived a humble life focused on serving as a witness for Jesus Christ. For nearly 40 years, the Hampton native lived a hermit-like existence during the fall and winter months, using the time to plan his spring and summer pilgrimage in the name of Jesus. He believed the...
Arnold Council to consider extending tax relief for city’s volunteer firefighters
A vote granting volunteer firefighters limited tax relief may be on Arnold Council’s agenda in October. Council held a public hearing last week on a proposed ordinance that would allowed the city’s firefighters and EMS personnel to claim an earned income tax or a real estate tax credit each year....
Busy Tarentum intersection getting upgraded traffic signal, left-turn arrow
A traffic light replacement at East 10th Avenue and Corbet Street in Tarentum is expected to ease backups at the busy intersection. The long-awaited project began Monday after being stalled for several months because of supply chain issues. “It has been a long time coming,” Councilwoman Lou Ann Homa said....
The Stroller, Sept. 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. Adventures with Wine dinner to benefit Peoples Library The Peoples Library...
Springdale residents say they’re nervous for upcoming boiler house implosion
Myrtle Lamonna spent some of her Monday afternoon shutting and tightening the windows of her Porter Street home. That, she said, was in preparation for the upcoming implosion of the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, which is set for 8 a.m. Friday. “I figured, with...
East Deer appeals zoning board decision recommending 3 electronic billboards in township
East Deer is suing its zoning hearing board over a decision that recommended three of four electronic billboards be built. The township, which filed the appeal last week, claims the zoning hearing board’s decision to recommend allowing three electronic billboards in the township was “arbitrary.” It alleges the board erred...
‘Great mistake’ leads to jail sentence in Greensburg armed robbery
A Mt. Pleasant man who was acquitted two years ago in connection with a shooting in Arnold pleaded guilty to the armed robbery last year at a Greensburg home. Nicholas Haynes, 27, was ordered Monday to serve nine to 23 months in jail and an additional five years on probation...
Harrison man accused of setting fire in basement of Natrona house after argument with homeowner
A Harrison man is accused of starting a fire early Sunday in the basement of a home in the township’s Natrona section. Allegheny County Police announced Monday that Eric Knabenshue, 35, has been arrested. He is charged with two felony counts of arson, felony counts of criminal mischief and endangering...
What you need to know for the former Cheswick Generating Station implosion Friday
Springdale and Allegheny County officials plan to evacuate dozens of homes and other structures for Friday’s implosion of the boiler house at the former Springdale power plant. In a message on X, formerly Twitter, county officials said all structures in the evacuation zone around the implosion site should be evacuated...
The Stroller, Sept. 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. Plum Fall Fest to celebrate autumn The Plum Fall Fest will...
Gilpin officials host tour of Schenley Industrial Park with eyes on redevelopment
An industrial park dating to 1888 is rolling out a commerce welcome mat in Armstrong County. That’s the message from Gilpin Supervisors Chairman Charles Stull as he spearheads efforts to attract businesses to the location that once housed the largest distillery in the U.S., The Schenley Distilling Co. Gilpin officials...
Kayaker videotapes alligator swimming in Kiski River near ApolloVideo
A Vandergrift couple paddling the Kiski River on Saturday had an up-close encounter with a small alligator. Theresa Jeroski was kayaking with her husband, Heath Evans, about 4 p.m. when three kayakers ahead of them alerted the couple to an alligator sighting. “They said, ‘There’s a gator over here,’ ”...
Rockin 4 Rustic Ridge concert fundraiser draws sell-out crowd in Plum
Guitarist John Collins said he didn’t immediately know how to help the families impacted by the Aug. 12 explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. “I’m a Plum grad, I’ve been here all my life and I wanted to do something,” said Collins, a performer with MoJo-The Band, which specializes in...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Sept. 7-13, 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,...
Trial ordered for man accused of threatening to shoot woman and burn down her home
An Allegheny Township man accused of causing a woman to flee her apartment in fear after he ignited a torch and threatened to set the place on fire has been ordered to stand trial in Armstrong County Court. Paul Joseph Best II, 37, of Bourbon Hill Lane also is accused...
Faces of the Valley: Plum teen Trevor Walling enjoys time raising pigs, entering them in Butler Farm Show
Plum freshman Trevor Walling is not afraid of knowing how the sausage is made. He is responsible, after all, for generating many pounds of it on Burton Farm, not far from his home. Trevor, 14, raises pigs as part of a livestock program with Butler County 4-H — a nonformal...
