Valley News Dispatch category, Page 246
The Stroller, Aug. 5, 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. Local churches collecting used mobility aides Central Presbyterian Church, Tarentum, and...
After much-hyped billboard goes up in Tarentum, longtime business seeks approval to raise one
The billboard wars might be heating up again in Tarentum. On the heels of a yearslong legal battle from Oliver Outdoor and the eventual erection of an electronic billboard on Fourth Avenue, another company is seeking to raise a billboard in town. Weleski Transfer, a longtime moving company with offices...
Avonmore man sentenced to prison for attacks on girlfriend, police
An Avonmore man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison in connection with a knife attack inside an Avonmore home last year and an unrelated confrontation with police. Richard William O’Brien, 47, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated simple assault, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest related to...
Pair ordered to stand trial in connection with June 12 shooting in Tarentum that injured 2
A man accused of firing at least eight shots at two people in Tarentum in May has been ordered to stand trial. A district judge also ordered a woman who police said instigated an argument earlier in the day that resulted in the shooting to stand trial. Steven Jermain Prezzie,...
Debris falls from railroad bridge spanning Route 28 in Harmar; work to impact southbound lanes next week
Restrictions are planned next week for the southbound section of Route 28 in Harmar after stones fell from an overhead railroad bridge and forced the northbound lanes to close for hours early Friday. According to PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan, the stones fell because the flashing covering concrete joints, which prevents...
Fate of Tarentum docks to be debated
Boaters who lease dock space in Tarentum could find themselves without a home on the water next spring. Council is debating whether to renew the borough’s 34 slips while it addresses aged electric codes and other safety violations. “It’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer,” said longtime boater Ray Fortuna, a...
Alle-Kiski Valley High School Reunion news Aug. 4, 2023
• Ken Hi Class of 1958 will have a reunion at noon Sept. 21 at Hill Crest Country Club, Lower Burrell. Classmates who have not yet received information should contact Marie Thompson Capo at 724-448-0841 by Aug. 23. • Plum High School Class of 1963 will have a reunion at...
Helicopter aids hunt for Kiski River alligator
A helicopter joined the search for an alligator reported to be in the Kiski River, but didn’t spot it. Since Sunday’s initial report, Kiski Township Police Chief Lee Bartolicius said multiple sightings of the reptile have been reported. He said authorities are working to locate it, safely remove it from...
The Stroller, Aug. 4, 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. Firemen’s convention plans parade, battle of the barrel The 130th annual...
Olympus submits DEP application for 5th well pad in Upper Burrell
A fifth natural gas drilling well pad may be on its way to Upper Burrell. Township officials received notification that Olympus Energy of Canonsburg is applying for an erosion and sediment control permit to the state Department of Environmental Protection for the proposed Artemis well pad project. Artemis would be...
First responders mingle with the public, display their equipment at New Kensington’s National Night Out
Most police officers want youths to engage in friendly conversations and be in a good mood when they see them ride around town. At least, that’s the case for New Kensington Sgt. Nick Rutkoski. A veteran of the city police force, Rutkoski has been involved in many community events. This...
No one injured after early riser alerts Harmar neighbors to laundromat fire; 6 apartments evacuated
Donna Bendel was already done showering and feeding her dog, Jet, before heading out for work about 3:45 a.m. Thursday when a fire broke out in the laundromat in the same building as her apartment and five others. “I heard the front security door bang shut, but didn’t think anything...
‘The Center Shines On’ 40 years later; O’Hara facility serves 10,000 people a month
Inside the kitchen of a home in the Falconhurst neighborhood in the early 1980s, friends Sue Golier and Gretchen Montgomery plotted the beginning of something magnificent. They just didn’t know it yet. The pair discussed the need for a community center in the Fox Chapel Area, and at the same...
New playground, pickleball courts included in Lower Burrell parks improvements
Enhancements are coming to Lower Burrell’s parks and playgrounds. The city is working through two grants to improve its parks, Councilman Chris Fabry said. The impact of the first grant can be seen at Veterans Park for two new playgrounds — one of which was installed a couple weeks ago....
New Kensington-Arnold approves hiring, personnel moves ahead of new school year
The New Kensington-Arnold School District hired several teachers and other personnel ahead of the start of the 2023-24 school year. Nicholas DeFrancesco was hired as a DECA teacher at Valley Junior-Senior High School, with a starting salary of $53,368. DECA, short for Distributive Education Clubs of America, prepares students for...
Plum homeowner said to be making progress on fixing home borough sought to demolish
A Plum resident has been making “good progress” toward repairing his home that borough officials previously declared dangerous and sought to tear down, according to the borough manager. Council is scheduled to hold a follow-up hearing on the property at 247 Francis Road at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the...
Lady Mustangs lead Plum soccer camp
They may be knee-high to the proverbial grasshopper, but they know how to shoot and score. And they’re learning how to get better. Girls as young as kindergarten, 56 strong, signed up for a soccer camp conducted by members of the Plum High School Lady Mustangs, perennial participants in the...
The Stroller, Aug. 3, 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. Mt. St. Peter Parish to celebrate 42nd Festa Italiana The 42nd...
Lower Burrell angler catches American eel in Allegheny River
Shirley Cooper was hoping the fishing would be good while on her friend’s boat in the Allegheny River on Monday night. But she caught something she’d never seen in the river before — and neither have most people. At 9:50 p.m. near the Cheswick Marina, Cooper, who has fished her...
Plea deal drops 9 felony counts against O’Hara skills coach accused of sexually assaulting teen student
A former standout high school and college basketball player who was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage student at a skills school he operated in Ford City has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor indecent assault after prosecutors agreed to drop nine felony counts. Last October, South Buffalo police charged Mark Anthony...
Tour de Sharpsburg bike run rescheduled
A community bike run designed to showcase Sharpburg has been rescheduled. The inaugural Tour de Sharpsburg was moved from July 29 to Sept. 16. It’s organized by the Sharpsburg Community Library. The run starts at 11 a.m. at the library, 1212 Main St. The route will likely be set the...
Blawnox’s National Night Out celebration draws a crowd from neighboring towns
Blawnox families and folks from surrounding neighborhoods gathered in the borough’s community park to celebrate first responders. About 150 people participated in Blawnox’s fourth annual National Night Out celebration Aug. 1. It was presented by the nonprofit Best of Blawnox (BoB). Children learned about fire safety, explored police vehicles and...
Summer youth basketball program enlivens New Kensington
There have been shoot-arounds and pickup games on the new basketball courts at the Barnes Street Playground for a couple of months since they officially opened in the spring. Ian Benson said he believes the current Kings & Queens of the Court summer youth basketball program at the park is...
Ford City insurance agent guilty of working with lapsed license, taking money for bogus policy
An Armstrong County insurance agent pleaded guilty to operating with an expired license and taking money from a customer for a policy that never was issued. Last summer, the state Attorney General’s Officie charged Thomas John Scheeren, 42, of the 100 block of Sherwood Drive in East Franklin with felony...
Tarentum residents will pay $10 monthly fee for extra trash cans
Tarentum residents who require an extra trash can will pay an additional $10 a month for the service. The borough on July 1 changed from unlimited collection to a new “cart service” contract through Waste Management, which allotted each property one 96-gallon can. The $10 monthly fee is a switch...
