Valley News Dispatch category, Page 391
Cheswick merger with Allegheny Valley Fire Department in final stages
After a two-year process, Cheswick will soon be merging its fire department with the Allegheny Valley Fire Department. The merger agreement is in the final stages of the process. After the state approves it, Cheswick officially will consolidate with Allegheny Valley, said Kevin Funkhouser, Allegheny Valley’s fire chief. He said...
Tarentum Council eyes tighter ordinance for abandoned vehicles
Tarentum council will consider beefing up the borough’s ability to get abandoned vehicles off the street. Mayor Bob Lang is proposing that council tighten an ordinance that currently gives owners 10 days to remove an uninspected or unregistered vehicle from the road. Police are able to tag an illegal vehicle...
Plum’s Easter celebration drive-through for 3rd straight year
Plum officials are gearing up for the borough’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza. It will take place April 16 in drive-thru fashion for the third straight year at the public works building, 2001 Old Mine Road. The free event is for borough residents only and limited to the first 700 children who...
Vandergrift hires a street paver to repave 8 streets, but needs to come up with a bit more money
Vandergrift Council has awarded a $147,000 contract to A. Folino Construction of Oakmont for this summer’s paving program. The amount allocated for paving by Westmoreland County is $137,000. Vandergrift officials had thought that the county’s allotment would be enough to pay the whole cost, but the price of asphalt has...
Arnold burglary nets at least 2 years in prison for West Leechburg man
A West Leechburg man was ordered to serve at least two years in prison for stealing nearly $44,000 of equipment from an Arnold landscaping business site last year. Randy D. McGuire Jr., 32, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to burglary and other offenses in connection with thefts of tools and other...
Bless A Dress to give away 3,000 prom gowns at event in Harmar
Those still in search of a prom dress are in luck: The organization Bless A Dress is holding its annual free prom gown event this week. An estimated 3,000 gently used, donated dresses will be up for grabs at the three-day event, starting Thursday, at the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena...
New Kensington honors first responders for recent efforts to save lives
New Kensington Council bestowed commendations on several first responders and a marina employee who all, successfully and unsuccessfully, tried to save lives in recent tragic incidents in the city. Police officers Christian Leonarski and Jerry Hobeck and Assistant Fire Chief B.J. Kersey were honored for efforts to try to save...
The Stroller, April 6, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events 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. Animal Protectors welcomes donations Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, 730 Church St., New Kensington, is accepting donations to help with daily operations...
New Starbucks in Harmar preps for opening
Harmar residents will be able to get their java at another Starbucks as the franchise is set to open its newest freestanding location on Freeport Road on Friday. Store manager Keri Chitester said her crew just started getting things organized Tuesday morning. She said the store’s focus is on hiring...
Plum Council OKs $900,000 contract to repave 20 streets
Plum officials plan to spend a little less than $900,000 to repair 20 streets. Council recently awarded this year’s paving project to Derry Construction. Derry was the lowest of nine bidders at about $892,300. The borough allocated about $775,700 in state liquid fuels tax money for street reconstruction this year....
Sneakers, jacket and car trouble lead to charges in Fox Chapel, O’Hara burglaries
Police said they used a Squirrel Hill man’s distinctive Adidas shoes and North Face jacket to link him to a series of burglaries in Fox Chapel and O’Hara over the course of a year, according to charges filed Tuesday. Andrew Clinton, 20, faces more than a dozen charges, including burglary,...
Kiski Area student found with bullets on school bus
Kiski Area School District officials and police are investigating after an elementary student was found with bullets on a morning bus route. Superintendent Misty Slavic alerted families in a letter, saying the student had two bullets but an initial investigation showed “no evidence to suggest malicious intent” and no evidence...
Tom Hanks visits Arnold as filming for ‘A Man Called Otto’ continues in Pittsburgh region
Most days, Robert Simpson is president of a reinforcing bar fabricator in Arnold. On Tuesday, the president of Simpson Reinforcing was filming movie scenes with Tom Hanks. “It’s pretty cool,” Simpson said at the end of a lunch break that came after filming the same scene over and over again...
Glass recycling bin available at Harrison Hills Park through Thursday
A dumpster to collect glass for recycling is available at Harrison Hills Park through sundown Thursday. Allegheny County is partnering for the second consecutive year with the Pennsylvania Resources Council to offer the Traveling Glass Recycling Bin program in parks throughout the region on a rotating schedule. Up next, collections...
Fireworks expert enlivens his Indiana Township neighborhood with birthday blasts, more
You could call him Pyro Joe. Joe Veltri has a blast using his love of fireworks to brighten the nights of residents in his Indiana Township neighborhood, known as Park Place. Veltri, 49, began putting on fireworks shows in the neighborhood after virtually everything — including in-person birthday parties —...
Man accused of running from Tarentum traffic stop, leaving toddler behind, faces multiple felony charges
A Wilmerding man faces multiple felony charges in connection with two incidents in Tarentum, including one in which police said he ran off and left his toddler son behind when the car he was riding in was pulled over for traffic violations. Vern Alexander Connor, 40, of the 100 block...
Police: Drug charges filed against West Deer man who said disturbance was reaction to attack by demons
A West Deer man faces a felony drug charge after telling police he woke his neighbors at 2 a.m. because he was being attacked by white demons with black eyes, authorities said. Donald A. Cowfer Jr., 34, of Tarentum-Culmerville Road was charged with felony possession of drugs with the intent...
Police: Ford City man faces felonies for hitting neighbor in head with baseball bat
A man told Ford City police that he was hit in the head with a baseball bat when he went to a neighbor’s house to retrieve items from his former girlfriend. Benjamin Peter Space, 45, of the 700 block of Fourth Avenue in Ford City, faces charges of aggravated assault...
The Stroller, April 5, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events 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. Leechburg Area High School to present, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ The Leechburg Area High School Drama Club will present the musical, “Annie...
Firefighters stage fundraisers for Arnold emergency scene photographer who lost legVideo
Steven Matto shoots some of the most intense fire scene photos ever taken. It’s just that most people don’t get a chance to see them. Matto, 54, is the official photographer for many Alle-Kiski Valley fire companies, documenting more than 700 emergencies. His photos are used by fire companies to...
Building the Valley: New Kensington Massage Therapy business flourishing
Tonie Vaughn-Clemons had no intention of opening her own business. A trained massage therapist, she worked side jobs for income while volunteering her skills at a Sarver chiropractor’s practice, for the satisfaction of the healing work. Then covid-19 hit, and the activity she cherished was shut down amid pandemic restrictions....
Kiski Area School District forms new subcommittee to help with communications, brand improvements
Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic is on a mission to improve communications and brand awareness in the district. Slavic has partnered with the school board to form a new Public Relations Subcommittee with a goal of increasing positivity in the district. “We’re trying to get our community members involved,” Slavic...
Flag-raising ceremony honors organ donation awareness at Allegheny Valley Hospital
A small crowd gathered Monday in the courtyard at Allegheny Valley Hospital to raise awareness about the gift of life. A flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m. honored those who have donated organs and called attention to the need for more people to register, organizers said. The event was outside the...
The Corner hosting events for business owners, entrepreneurs in New Kensington
Several free programs for those who own or are interested in starting a business will be offered this week at The Corner in New Kensington, including the introduction of a four-week “boot camp” open to business owners and entrepreneurs in New Kensington or Arnold. The events, beginning Tuesday night and...
Scrap yard worker burned in Washington Township
A worker was burned using a torch at scrap yard Monday in Washington Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The incident occurred around noon at B&M Auto Recycling scrap yard along Silvis Road, the 911 supervisor said. Fire units were called to the scene to extinguish some vehicles...
