Valley News Dispatch category, Page 238
Armstrong County woman charged with abandoning dog at Pittsburgh airport
Allegheny County Police charged an Armstrong County woman with cruelty to animals and other offenses, saying she abandoned a dog at Pittsburgh International Airport earlier this month. Police announced Thursday that charges were filed against Allison Lyn Gaiser, 44, of East Franklin. They said investigators determined Gaiser intentionally abandoned a...
The Stroller, Aug. 24, 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. Community Day planned Saturday at Animal Protectors Animal Protectors of Allegheny...
Harmar supervisor balks at requirement of county’s block grant program
Hamar supervisors recently approved a resolution to be included in the Allegheny County Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnerships Program for 2024 through 2026. But the move didn’t come without some concern. The vote was 4-1 with Supervisor Bob Exler dissenting. Exler objected to the HOME Investment Partnerships...
Plum holds first council meeting since house explosion killed 6, including 2 borough officials
David Soboslay has been named the interim manager of Plum, replacing Michael Thomas, who was one of the six people killed in the Rustic Ridge house explosion Aug. 12. Plum Council met Wednesday night for the first time since the explosion. Its regular August meeting, scheduled for Aug. 14, was...
Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum robbed by man wielding knife; suspect sought
The only thought that entered April Baczynski’s mind when a knife-wielding man entered Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum on Wednesday afternoon demanding money was her baby. “I thought it was odd that he was wearing sunglasses when he came in,” the 29-year-old store clerk said. “But I didn’t think much about...
Judge dismisses Leechburg district’s immunity claim in lawsuit alleging girl was raped at middle school
An Armstrong County judge struck down the Leechburg Area School District’s claim that a state law gives it immunity from being sued by the mother of a former middle school student who alleges her daughter was raped during an after-school program in 2021. In May, the girl’s mother filed a...
Back-to-School Bash at Brackenridge Salvation Army outfits 500-plus kids with backpacks, haircuts, supplies
More than 500 Highlands students will be sporting new backpacks when school starts Aug. 31, thanks to the annual Back-to-School Bash by the Salvation Army in Brackenridge. “It was another great success,” Captain Dave Bender said. Pioneer Hose Company pulled up in a fire engine Saturday to give children an...
Wendell August Forge ornament to honor, support Plum community
Wendell August Forge announced Wednesday it is producing an ornament honoring the Plum community following the fatal Aug. 12 house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The “Plum Proud” ornaments cost $20 and are available directly from Wendell August Forge through its website. The Grove City company said half...
Music festival Sept. 3 at Hartwood Acres in Hampton, Indiana townships
The Hartwood Acres Park Amphitheatre will rock Sept. 3 with the Allegheny County Music Festival to benefit children and youth. The music begins at 5:30 p.m., with Men Without Hats to take the stage at 8 p.m., according to an Aug. 23 announcement from the Allegheny County Department of Human...
Kindergarten enrollment spikes at Leechburg’s David Leech Elementary School
A surge in kindergarten enrollment has hit David Leech Elementary School in the Leechburg Area School District. The kindergarten program welcomed 69 students Wednesday on the first day of classes. That’s a 64% increase over last school year’s enrollment of 42 pupils. As a result, a fourth class was added...
Springdale man accused of firing shots along riverbank that nearly hit passing boater
Springdale police arrested a man Saturday after a boater told them he heard a volley of gunshots ring out from along the riverbank before a bullet whizzed past him. Michael Bonomo, 31, of the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue was charged with felony counts of discharging a firearm into an...
Dwindling interest slashes cross country, girls soccer at Highlands
When Highlands cross country coaches Rich Bogaty and Kevin Deasy retired in the spring, it appears most of the team hung up their running shoes as well. The district won’t field a cross country team this year for lack of interest, according to athletic director Katie Jo Stobert. The same...
West Leechburg motorcycle crash sends 1 to hospital
A Leechburg man was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital after his motorcycle crashed Wednesday morning in West Leechburg, according to state police. Joshua Young, 38, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash that happened shortly before 7 a.m. on Main Street, just north of the Summit Street intersection, police said. Young...
The Stroller, Aug. 23, 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...
Stolen Jeep results in arrest of convicted sex offender
When a Vandergrift man called police to report his Jeep had been stolen, he was the one who ended up being arrested. State police say Calvin Walter Kendall Jr., 44, of the 100 block of Longfellow Street is a convicted sex offender who did not report to police that he...
Allegheny Valley School District renews Superintendent Pat Graczyk’s contract through 2029
Patrick Graczyk will lead the Allegheny Valley School District through the 2028-29 school year. The school board Aug. 15 approved Graczyk’s contract for a term effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029. He will receive a base salary of nearly $182,000 for the 2024-25 school year, according to the...
Crash on Tarentum Bridge snarls traffic Tuesday afternoon
A multi-vehicle crash on the Tarentum Bridge inbound to Tarentum from New Kensington snarled traffic for a bit Tuesday afternoon. Allegheny County 911 dispatch said the incident occurred around 5 p.m. on the Tarentum side of the bridge. It was unclear if anyone sustained minor injuries. Dispatchers said no one...
Fox Chapel council to welcome 2 new junior members
Fox Chapel Council continues its junior council program with appointment of Shady Side Academy juniors Avery Litwin and Ethan Kole as junior council members on Aug. 21. They are expected to be sworn in Sept. 18. Junior council members do not vote on issues brought before council. They cannot participate...
Deputies arrest man in New Kensington wanted by Allegheny County sheriff since January on multiple warrants
A Pittsburgh man wanted by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office since January on multiple arrest warrants was taken into custody Tuesday after deputies found him hiding in the bathroom of a New Kensington home. Pittsburgh police charged Tre DeVaugn Wingate, 31, on Jan. 13 with felony counts of aggravated assault,...
Springdale promotes 2 police officers to sergeant
Two Springdale police officers soon will be referred to as sergeants. Council approved the promotions for Paul Perriello and Fred Hockenberry at its meeting Aug. 15. “I’m just happy that I have a supportive mayor and council. I look forward to bolstering our department and continue to grow it for...
NTSB will not investigate fatal Plum home explosion for now
The National Transportation Safety Board has opted not to investigate this month’s massive fatal explosion in Plum based on preliminary information that the source of the blast was inside the home that blew up — not in an outside pipeline. That could change, as more details emerge about the disaster...
West Deer, Deer Lakes schools renew police agreement
West Deer’s police department will continue to station officers at Deer Lakes schools. Township supervisors and the school board approved a memorandum of understanding between the two bodies for policing at Curtisville Primary Center, East Union Intermediate Center and Deer Lakes Middle School. Police Chief Robert Loper told supervisors Deer...
Large crowd voices opposition as Highlands renews superintendent’s contract
An overflow crowd turned out Monday to hear the Highlands School Board consider a contract renewal for Superintendent Monique Mawhinney, seven months before her term is set to expire. Close to 100 people crammed into the high school library, with several asking the board to consider the district’s economics, test...
Resource center event announced for Plum’s Rustic Ridge residents
Multiple services and help will be available for residents of Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood during an event Thursday afternoon at the borough’s municipal center, officials announced Tuesday. The Multi-Agency Resource Center will be offered from noon to 8 p.m. in the municipal center’s gymnasium. Individuals will need to provide identification...
The Stroller, Aug. 22, 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. Cookie and candy sale to benefit hospital auxiliary projects Allegheny Valley...
