Valley News Dispatch category, Page 241
Millions in state funds sought for proposed development in Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg is seeking $3 million in state funds to develop infrastructure and create access for a proposed riverfront development. The Mosites Co., best known for its redevelopment of the East Liberty commercial corridor, wants to create housing, commercial and retail space along the Allegheny River from Sharpsburg to O’Hara. Sharpsburg...
The Stroller, Aug. 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. Summer Celebration set Saturday in East Deer The East Deer Summer...
Extended weekend lane restrictions on Route 28 to start Thursday in Harmar
PennDOT’s extended weekendlong single-lane restrictions in both directions on Route 28 will begin Thursday in Harmar, near the structure over Barge Basin. Crews will perform expansion dam replacement work and approach roadway reconstruction according to the following schedule: • Northbound — Starting at 6 p.m. Thursday and running through 3...
No common links between Plum home explosions, gas company says
Peoples natural gas company officials said Wednesday there does not appear to be a common denominator linking last weekend’s fatal house explosion in Plum with four previous blasts in the borough since the mid-1990s. “At this point, there’s not any indication of any relationship,” said spokesman Nick Paradise, adding that...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials excited to start the school year
The halls of Fox Chapel Area School District schools soon will echo with young voices and the tread of new shoes as students and staff begin the new school year on Aug 29. And for those wondering, the last day of school for students is June 6, 2024. The district’s...
6th annual Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride to draw 800-plus bikers
A charity motorcycle ride in memory of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw has grown into the largest of its kind in Western Pennsylvania. The event, scheduled to pull out of the Shrine Center in Harmar at 10 a.m. Saturday, is expected to draw more than 800 riders, organizers said....
Harrison police accuse ‘stressed’ babysitter of walking out on 3 kids under 3 years old; felony charges filed
Harrison police accused a woman who was babysitting three children under the age of 3 of walking out on them because she was frustrated about the way they were behaving. Charlene Reed, 33, of the 400 block of Park Avenue in Harrison was charged by summons with three felony counts...
6th victim dies from Plum house explosion
For four days, Paul Oravitz fought for his life in the UPMC Mercy burn unit as the Rustic Ridge community prayed. On Wednesday, his fight ended. Oravitz died as a result of injuries suffered in a house explosion Saturday in his home in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood of Plum. He...
Remembering borough manager who died in explosion: Michael Thomas was ‘a Plum guy through and through’
Andy Zarroli got to know Michael Thomas first as a friend, and then as Plum’s borough manager. And their friendship overcame the fact that Zarroli, 56, is from Philadelphia and Thomas, 57, grew up in Pittsburgh’s Morningside neighborhood. “Mike was a friend of mine. He was a close friend of...
Springdale High School to establish Mabel C. Pratt scholarship fund after late music teacher
An Alle-Kiski Valley music teacher’s legacy will be remembered now in the form of scholarships. Allegheny Valley school directors on Tuesday accepted a distribution from the estate of Mabel C. Pratt for $10,000 to create the Mabel C. Pratt Music-Arts Scholarship Fund. The move is in accordance with Pratt’s will....
Springdale formally joins Riverview in 3 sports
Springdale and Riverview will put the rivalry aside — at least in three sports. The Allegheny Valley School Board on Tuesday gave final approval to a cooperative agreement that allows the schools to have partnerships in wrestling, softball and golf. Board member Paula Moretti said the schools have had an...
Peoples restores Rustic Ridge natural gas serviceVideo
Workers from Peoples natural gas purged gas lines Wednesday in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in preparation for restoring gas service to residents there. According to the borough, the work took place along Rustic Ridge and Brookside drives and Timberwood Court. Peoples spokesman Nick Paradise said purging the lines is part...
Safety tips on natural gas usage and home inspections
Keeping a home fueled by natural gas safe is pretty simple, said Dennis Caveglia, who has operated Valley Plumbing & Heating in his native Leechburg for 40 years. Caveglia, like many working with natural gas, wouldn’t hypothesize about what caused the Plum house explosion Saturday morning that killed six people...
Plum girls organize separate charity events to help victims after house explosion
A pint-sized Plum Area School District student put her grief to good use Saturday with an on-the-spot charity event to raise money for victims of the house explosion in Plum. Emmy Halasowski, 7, was understandably shaken and scared Saturday as events unfolded after the deadly explosion on Rustic Ridge Drive...
The Stroller, Aug. 16, 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 Riverbration planned in Kittanning The Kittanning Boat Races Riverbration event...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell
(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...
New bike sharing program coming to Sharpsburg
A new community initiative designed to get people bicycling through Sharpsburg may soon be ready to roll. The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization has partnered with Sharpsburg Community Library to create the borough’s first bike sharing program. Details are still being finalized. Here are the rules so far: Riders don’t need to...
Rustic Ridge community gathers in 2 places to honor the lives lost in house explosion
Teresa Champion-Feigel and her husband, Tim, walk on the weekends in the neighborhood of Rustic Ridge in Plum. On Saturday, she said she didn’t feel like walking. Her husband suggested they go to the nearby park — Ridge Top Park. “We were walking, and that’s when we heard the explosion,”...
For one afternoon, Rustic Ridge kids put horrific explosion out of their minds
The corner lot of 154 Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum on Tuesday turned into a therapeutic group session for dozens of kids in the neighborhood — even if they didn’t know it. At least two dozen kids of all ages, from toddler to teen, gathered in the driveway and backyard...
Veto override withdrawn for Allegheny County property assessment bill
After a series of successful efforts overriding Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto, another veto override was withdrawn Tuesday. Allegheny County Council passed a bill in July to establish a new chief assessment officer appointed by council that would render calculations each year of the county’s property tax ratios. That...
Remembering devoted mom who died in Plum explosion: Heather Oravitz was ‘a special wife’
Lindsay and Fran Sciullo thought so highly of Heather and Paul Oravitz that they entrusted to the Oravitzes’ daughter what was most precious to them — their two sons. Taylor Oravitz would babysit the Sciullo boys, Maddox and Brady, when Lindsay and her husband, Fran — educators in the Plum...
‘Notorious Pittsburgh’: Book tells tales from city’s seedy underbelly
A man of questionable business practices fishes in his pocket for the key to his Cadillac, which is parked in a dark alley. He probably hears the sound of approaching shoes as he attempts to enter the car. Soon, he is mortally wounded by four gunshots to the chest, shoulder...
Felony charge reduced against teen accused by Tarentum police of having gun; trial ordered
Tarentum police say a 19-year-old passenger in a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation at the boat launch under the Tarentum Bridge was arrested after a loaded gun was found in his backpack. Frederick Xa Dorsey-Hua, 19, of the 7500 block of Ormond Street in Swissvale was charged with...
Longtime Trib employee Janet Beresik remembered for friendliness, dedication to family
Janet Beresik never went searching for the next career opportunity once she started working in sales and marketing for her hometown newspaper. “My sister had wonderful people skills, so when she started working at the Valley News Dispatch (now the Tribune-Review), it really was the perfect job for her,” said...
Natural gas leaks found in Plum’s Regency Park neighborhood following fatal Rustic Ridge blast
Following a fatal explosion that investigators say may have been fueled by natural gas in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, two natural gas leaks have been found in another borough neighborhood. Leaks were reported in the area of Crestview and Mower drives, and on Kathy Lynn Drive in Plum’s Regency Park...
