Valley News Dispatch category, Page 338
One of 4,000 beagles saved from a Virginia facility finds home in Upper Burrell
There’s just something about a friendly, doe-eyed beagle with its unassuming size and floppy ears that caused Michele Binder to keep the dog breed at her side most of her life. When news broke in July of the rescue of 4,000 beagles in deplorable conditions at a Virginia breeding facility...
Harrison kayak launch parking lot inching closer to reality
Good news keeps rolling in for park-goers in Harrison. The township will receive $70,100 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for work on its kayak launch parking lot in the Natrona section. The grant covers about half of the $141,000 cost to transform a vacant lot into...
1 injured in overnight shooting in Arnold
A man was in surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital Friday morning after being shot overnight in Arnold, police Chief Eric Doutt said. The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Leishman Avenue. Doutt said the man, 43, was shot more than once. He did not know how...
‘il Messarggero’ tells the story of how a local Italian immigrant connected others to their homeland
A Sharpsburg native is paying tribute to his hometown with a documentary highlighting an Italian American immigrant who brought over more than just luggage with him from Italy. Pete Ferraro, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker, producer and writer, will premiere his documentary, “il Messarggero” — “The Messenger” — Oct. 1 on...
Police: Man who fled from stolen car in Springdale arrested same day trying to steal another one
Police say a man who fled from officers after the stolen car he was driving went over a hillside in Springdale Township was arrested later the same day when he tried to steal another one. Joshua James Short, 20, whose last known address was in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood, was charged...
The Stroller, Sept. 23, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. NK Salvation Army to offer holiday assistance, coats The New Kensington Salvation...
Aspinwall, O’Hara parks land state grants to improve and expand green space
Park users in Aspinwall and O’Hara will benefit from a round of state grants aimed at green space upgrades. Sites in both communities will see significant benefits thanks to grants from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Sept. 7. O’Hara Township will receive $62,500 for development of the...
Traffic to shift on Route 28 interchange ramps for PennDOT project
Motorists on Route 28 can expect traffic restrictions at the Cheswick/Springdale (Exit 12) interchange beginning at 6:30 a.m. Friday and lasting all day. Crews from Swank Construction Co. will mill the northbound interchange ramps and then will perform similar work on the southbound ramps. The ramps will remain open, but...
5 people left homeless when fire breaks out at Leechburg duplex
Five people were left homeless Thursday afternoon when fire heavily damaged a duplex on Main Street in Leechburg. Leechburg Fire Chief Tom Foster said the fire was reported around 5:48 p.m. at 135 Main St. Foster said two cats remained unaccounted for. The fire erupted from the second floor of...
New Kensington residents remember Azuree Charles the day after boy’s parents charged with his death
New Kensington residents from East Ken Manor and beyond gathered in front of 9-year-old Azuree Charles’ home to remember him Thursday, a day after his parents were charged in connection with his death in May. Some, including children, held signs saying “Justice has been served,” “Fly high,” and “I miss...
Logans Ferry Road reopens to traffic in Plum
Friday has come early for drivers who use Logans Ferry Road in Plum. “Logans Ferry Road has reopened to traffic,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said Thursday afternoon. Logans Ferry had been closed between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road, near New Kensington, since Aug. 2 while crews from Plum Contracting worked...
Bar fight leads to Penn State’s The Corner being shot up in New Kensington
Evidence markers show where nearly a dozen bullets struck the Seventh Street side of The Corner, Penn State’s entrepreneurial center in downtown New Kensington last Friday. Damage included a shattered window, marked by one of the the markers still on the building Thursday. New Kensington police did not respond to...
Woman found in Allegheny River in June died of accidental drowning, medical examiner says
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Tuesday released a cause and manner of death for a woman whose body was found in the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh in June. Julie Anne Keddie, 38, of Shadyside, died June 15 from an accidental drowning, the medical examiner’s office said. Keddie had...
North Hills Special Response Team earns negotiating award
When it comes to negotiating tough situations, the North Hills Special Response Team can be considered one of the best. It placed first in the Best of the Best negotiating competition hosted by the Pittsburgh FBI in August at The David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Six Pittsburgh-area special response teams...
Fawn Fire Company No. 2 boosts wildfire gear with state grant
Volunteers at Fawn Fire Company No. 2 will be better equipped to fight wildfires thanks to new gear and equipment. Phillip Smozski, fire lieutenant, said the department plans to outfit its utility terrain vehicle with $1,600 in firefighting equipment that includes fire rakes and Indian packs, or portable pump tanks....
New Kensington Arts Center hosting memorial to late educator, artist Patricia J. Rossi
Patricia J. Rossi — an artist, musician, piano teacher and more — had a philosophy of education. “My belief is that every child should have the opportunity to recognize and develop his interests and native abilities in the best possible environment,” she wrote in 1992. “A well-balanced education includes the...
The Stroller, Sept. 22, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Polkamaniacs set to play concert at Harrison Hills Park The Allegheny County...
Leechburg Area School District’s energy-saving renovations near completion
Leechburg Area School District is set for huge savings as it nears completion of renovations to ensure greater energy efficiency on campus. The district’s Energy Savings Project, implemented by Harrisburg-based McClure Co., began in June and is expected to wrap up in a few weeks. Eric Petrazio, McClure senior account...
Tarentum’s Pasta King gives takeout the royal treatment
Tarentum resident Dale Davis has earned his title as the pasta king. A longtime chef in restaurants across the Pittsburgh region, Davis made the leap to open the soul food takeout eatery Pasta King at 621 E. First Ave. in Tarentum just more than a year ago. “I started way...
Springdale Council promotes police captain to chief
Springdale has a new police chief, and he’s a familiar face to borough residents. Derek Dayoub was elevated from captain to chief this week by a 5-1 council vote with one abstention. Dayoub replaces George Polnar, who retired in June. A law enforcement member for 20 years, Dayoub will receive...
West Deer supervisors choose new colleague from 3 candidates
West Deer has a new supervisor. Supervisors chose David Harrison, a 32-year resident of the township who has served on various boards in the past, at a special meeting Thursday evening. He runs a consulting firm for sound and vibration engineering. A vacancy for District 4 supervisor was created when...
Tessa Pagone of Gibsonia crowned Miss Pennsylvania Jr. Teen
Tessa Pagone of Gibsonia was crowned the 2022 National American Miss Pennsylvania Jr. Teen at the state pageant held in Virginia in August. The Deer Lakes High School sophomore has participated in National American Miss pageants for six years and most recently competed in the age 13-15 bracket. She qualified...
Parents charged in New Kensington boy’s death
Both parents of 9-year-old Azuree Charles were charged Wednesday in connection with the New Kensington boy’s death in May. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said the boy’s father, Jean Charles, 40, of Brackenridge, is charged with first-degree murder, criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, unlawful restraint of a minor...
Freeport borough offices closed to public as council tries to hire backup secretary
One could make an argument that Freeport’s government is suffering from “long covid.” The term refers to having effects from the virus persist long after the infection is cleared. It’s much like Freeport’s situation with a borough building that has been closed to the public for the past two weeks...
Quick response to fire at Gilpin home prevents blaze from spreading
Firefighters from two municipalities were able to prevent a blaze from spreading after the awning of a home caught fire in Gilpin on Tuesday evening, according to authorities. Crews from the Gilpin and Leechburg volunteer fire departments were dispatched to a three-story frame home in the 3100 block of River...
