Valley News Dispatch category, Page 381
Butler-Freeport trail lands $750,000 grant to shore up cracks in the trail
PennDOT has awarded the Butler-Freeport Community Trail a $750,000 grant to reinforce sections of the trail that have cracked in Buffalo Township. The 21-mile recreational trail stretches from Freeport to Butler. “I am happy and elated to receive the grant,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail council....
One Song Show Choir Festival offers chance for some Alle-Kiski choirs to show their stuff
Highlands High School hosted musical theater students from four Alle-Kiski Valley school districts April 27 for the annual One Song Show Choir Festival. Highlands, Freeport Area, Springdale and Kiski Area choirs participated. Song performances included “Cruisin for a Bruisin’,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “The Greatest Show,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine...
Faces of the Valley: Leechburg Area mother’s volunteer work sets shining example
Missy Rowan lives next door to her childhood home in Leechburg and says she has no plans of leaving the borough she once vowed to escape. “My mother always said I’d be the one to move away, and here I am, living in Leechburg,” Rowan said. “When I was preparing...
Casino Theatre in Vandergrift gets new and improved fire escapes
Two structurally deficient and crumbling fire escapes dating to the 1930s have been replaced at Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre. Janice Oberdorf, treasurer of the nonprofit Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, said the project took about a year to complete and was long overdue. “It was literally held on to the...
Vandergrift brewery Allusion wins national awards for clever beer-themed marketing
Vandergrift’s only in-house brewery snagged two national awards this week for their marketing efforts in the beer industry. Allusion Brewing Co. won “Best Tap Handle” and “Best Flight Display” at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards, held in Minneapolis on May 4. More than 600 judges voted, with Allusion earning the...
The Stroller, May 8, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Annual St. Joseph HS golf fundraiser set for June 10 The 30th annual St. Joseph High School Spartan Golf Scramble will...
Burrell teacher is a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
A Burrell geography teacher is one of a dozen finalists for the 2023 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education this week announced the names of 12 educators, which included Ashlee Peters-Roberts, a teacher in Burrell’s Huston Middle School. The state’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes...
Dems in 33rd state House race agree abortion now a hot-button topic in midterms
Both Democrats seeking nomination to the state House seat in District 33 say they would fight to protect abortion rights in Pennsylvania. Tristan McClelland, 21, a Harrison native who lives in O’Hara, is preparing to graduate this year from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in economics and...
‘Gospel Explosion’ felt in New Kensington as Alle-Kiski Valley, Pittsburgh churches singVideo
Halls of the Quality Inn in New Kensington were rocked by an explosion Saturday evening. It was the inaugural Gospel Explosion, featuring nearly a dozen churches from the Alle-Kiski Valley and Pittsburgh area. The event featured 10 singers and was hosted by Shiloh Baptist Church in Brackenridge. “We do this...
The Manos Gallery in Tarentum showcases student, professional artwork, benefits free hospital care
A Tarentum art house has partnered with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for a monthlong fundraiser benefiting the Free Care Fund. The Manos Gallery is presenting “Artist of Tomorrow,” an exhibit featuring pieces from 65 student artists from across Western Pennsylvania. Paintings, drawings, mixed media and other artistic creations from...
The Stroller, May 7, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Motorcycle poker run to support homeless vets Ride for Homeless Vets Motorcycle Poker Run will be June 12 at Natrona Heights...
Plans in works for 60 trees to be planted in New Kensington
New Kensington residents will have opportunities to learn about trees before five dozen are planted in the city this fall. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will hold two “tree tender” training sessions before the trees are planted in at least two sessions in late October and early November, said Brian Crooks,...
Vandergrift might no longer pick up large furniture, mattresses during trash collection
Vandergrift’s trash haulers may soon stop picking up large furniture such as sofas with the regular garbage collection. Council has authorized Solicitor Larry Loperfito to makes changes to the borough’s trash collection rules to prohibit borough crews from taking upholstered furniture and mattresses. Instead, residents would have to contact private...
Pine Run, tributaries spill over near at Washington Township mobile home parkVideo
Thomas Bowers has lived at his home on Goldfinch Drive in Washington Township for nearly three decades and weathered storms plenty worse than the steady rain that fell across the region all day Friday. “I’ve had water all the way around the house before,” Bowers said. “But the houses around...
Former Avonmore secretary pleads guilty to theft of borough funds
Avonmore Borough’s former secretary pleaded guilty Friday to the theft of more than $54,000 in taxpayer funds. Rebecca E. Steele, 46, worked for more than a decade as the secretary for the tiny Kiski Valley town when an audit in 2019 revealed large amounts of money had disappeared from borough...
Man awaiting trial for tossing hammer at Kiski Township officer arrested on drug charges in Tarentum
A man awaiting trial on charges that he threw a hammer and shards of glass at a police officer while fleeing from a Kiski Township home in January has been arrested on drug charges by Tarentum police. Tarentum police say Alfred Keith Steele, 42, called 911 shortly before midnight on...
Father of New Kensington boy found dead arrested in connection with November incident
The father of Azuree Charles, the 9-year-old New Kensington boy who was found dead early Wednesday, was arrested Thursday in connection with assault and child endangerment charges from November. Jean J. Charles, 40, was arraigned Thursday on charges of simple assault and endangering the welfare of children regarding an incident...
The Stroller, May 6, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Children welcome at free fishing derby Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Jefferson will have its free Fishing Derby for kids 14 and...
Women of Alle-Kiski Engaging to hold session on finding work-life balance
As she wrote prescriptions for her patients, Dr. Danielle Godinez decided to pen a new script for her well-being, figuratively. She was living the hectic life of an ambulatory medicine physician: seeing patients every 15 minutes, filling out mounds of paperwork and logging long hours. Godinez walked out of that...
Candles lit, balloons released in memory of Azuree CharlesVideo
“Playful,” “friendly,” “polite” and “nice kid” were all common responses from people when asked about Azuree Charles. The 9-year-old boy was remembered by at least 200 people outside the East Ken Manor office building along Gardlock Court in New Kensington on Thursday evening, a day after his body was found...
Vandergrift man charged with 16 felonies after 2 children tell cops he sexually assaulted them
A Vandergrift man faces 16 felony charges after two police departments in the Alle-Kiski Valley accused him of sexually assaulting young children. Vandergrift police charged Timothy Robert Johnson, 37, of the 300 block of Lowell Street, with 11 felony sex charges after a girl reported he sexually assaulted her multiple...
New Kensington-Arnold approves proposed final budget with 5% tax increase
Grants are boosting New Kensington-Arnold School District’s budget by $7.2 million, but a maximum allowable property tax increase — 5% — remains. The school board approved the district’s proposed budget for the 2022-23 school year, with plans to take a final vote on June 7. The budget is showing a...
Westmoreland DA: There is a ‘person of interest’ in the death of New Kensington boy, 9
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said authorities have a person of interest in the death of Azuree Charles, a 9-year-old resident of East Ken Manor in New Kensington. Ziccarelli did not share any details Thursday afternoon as East Ken Manor residents prepared to honor the memory of Azuree, who...
The Stroller, May 5, 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. Please include a daytime telephone number. Gospel concert to feature local musicians A gospel music concert, Gospel Explosion, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at...
Victim of fatal Arnold apartment house fire identified, cause under investigation
A man died in a fire early Thursday at an apartment house on Woodmont Avenue in Arnold. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Frank J. Cable, 54. The early morning blaze in the two-story frame house at 1937 Woodmont Ave. also claimed the life of Cable’s dog,...
