Valley News Dispatch category, Page 489
Lower Burrell and public works employees reach deal on new contract
Lower Burrell council recently approved a new five-year labor agreement with its 10 public works department employees who are represented by the United Steelworkers. Both sides said they were happy with the contract that provides 1.5% in the first year, then 2.5 %, 2.5% and 3% in successive years and...
Vandergrift Borough’s website is up and running again
Vandergrift has solved its ongoing website issue. The borough had been without a functioning website since February. Visitors to the site encountered an oversized message stating it was no longer updated or maintained. Jim Rice of ASDM Networking was hired by the borough to get the website back up and...
Burrellton Garden Club to dedicate Blue Star plaque May 29 to honor veterans
The Burrellton Garden Club is sponsoring a Blue Star plaque dedication on Memorial Day weekend. The organization earned approval from a national club to bestow a Blue Star marker honoring all military veterans. The marker is a project of the National Garden Clubs. The event will take place Saturday, May...
The Stroller, May 16, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Information about Memorial Day events should be sent as soon as possible to: Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com or fax 724-226-4677. Play to highlight history of Vandergrift The Casino Theater in Vandergrift is seeking adults to audition for a two-act plan, “Vandergrift,”...
Trib Total Media names Luis Fabregas as next executive editor
A veteran, award-winning journalist and longtime Trib Total Media editor has been named the company’s next executive editor. Luis Fabregas will assume the role Sept. 16, succeeding Executive Editor Susan McFarland, who announced she will retire in the fall. “I am so pleased that we have someone with Luis’ talent,...
Cheswick hunter nails triple trophy for big game
Nathan Sipes of Cheswick not only bagged three big-game animals during the 2020-21 hunting season, but he also nailed two of them on Sundays. Sipes, 24, has been hunting since he was 11. Like many hunters, he never had such a sensational season. He harvested an eight-point buck in Upper...
Mural project in New Kensington meant to inspire community, invite participation
Organizers of Murals on a Mission were expecting as many as 100 people to turn out Saturday for the first of several events promoting the painting of six murals in New Kensington over the next few months. Held at the Voodoo Brewing Co. on Fifth Avenue, Saturday’s event offered a...
Burrell passes preliminary 2021-22 budget to raise school taxes by 3.5%
Property owners in Burrell School District will pay 3.5% more next school year. The school board unanimously approved a preliminary budget of $32.7 million that includes a tax hike of 3.5 mills. For a home assessed at $22,900, the district’s average home tax assessment, the homeowner would pay an additional...
The Stroller, May 15, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Information about Memorial Day events should be sent as soon as possible to: Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com or fax 724-226-4677. Food distribution set Tuesday in Cheswick A free drive-thru food distribution will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Feeding the Flock...
Springdale Council votes to oust manager
Springdale Council voted Thursday to fire Borough Manager Kimberly McAfoose. The move was approved in a 5-1 vote. Council President Jim Zurisko declined to comment on the decision or give a reason for the dismissal, other than to acknowledge McAfoose was “relieved of her duties.” She was an at-will employee...
4 Republicans, 3 Democrats seeking seats on Harmar Board of Supervisors
Four Republicans and three Democrats are vying for two nominations in their respective party’s primary races for the Harmar Board of Supervisors. The board is made up of five supervisors who are elected to six-year terms. The primary is May 18. The GOP race features incumbent Robert Seibert, who was...
District Judge Tom Swan faces primary challenge from West Deer attorney Shea Kraft
West Deer attorney Shea Kraft is challenging incumbent District Judge Tom Swan in a primary race in the magisterial district that includes East Deer, West Deer, Hampton and Richland. Swan, 63, a Republican from Richland, is in the final year of his six-year first term. Kraft, 30, a Democrat, is...
Eat it or toss it? What those food expiration dates really mean
You pull an item out of the refrigerator, freezer or pantry and see it’s past the date on the package. “Should I eat this or not?” “Those dates are there for a reason,” said Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety extension associate for Penn State University in the college of agriculture...
Freeport Area School Board candidates focus on taxes, bouncing back from pandemic
Candidates running for seats on Freeport Area School Board are emphasizing issues such as taxes and recovering from the pandemic’s effects on education. Five candidates are running for four nominations on the Republican ticket: incumbents Christine Davies and John Haven; along with Gary Risch Jr., Andrew Vento and Melanie Zembrzuski....
1 incumbent, 4 newcomers vie for spots on Deer Lakes School Board
Five candidates are vying for four slots for the Deer Lakes School Board in Tuesday’s primary election, with issues such as mental health and re-focusing on academics after the pandemic taking center stage. Candidates include one incumbent, Kristi Minnick, along with four new candidates: Brian Brown, Jeremy Love, Jonathan Majernik,...
Leechburg man identified as early Friday crash victim on Route 28 in O’Hara
A Leechburg man was killed in an early morning crash Friday in O’Hara, according to state police. The crash occurred along the southbound lanes of Route 28 near the RIDC Industrial Park shortly before 3 a.m. Friday, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. According to state police, Robert L....
Allegheny Valley Hospital dedicates tree to honor covid patients, staffVideo
A white birch tree was planted in front of Harrison’s Allegheny Valley Hospital on Thursday to honor those who lost their lives to covid — and to honor the nurses, doctors and staff members who cared for them. “The tree is a symbol of hope: the tree of life. It’s...
The Stroller, May 14, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Information about Memorial Day events should be sent as soon as possible to: Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com or fax 724-226-4677. Golf outing to benefit Leechburg Area Education Foundation Leechburg Area Education Foundation will host a scramble golf outing July 17 at...
State police investigating crash near Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer
State police are investigating a crash Thursday night along the Route 28 overpass near the Pittsburgh Mills mall. Troopers said the two-vehicle crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. and both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. No injuries were reported. The crash remains under investigation....
2 seek GOP nomination in West Deer supervisors race
Two Republicans are vying for one nomination in the GOP primary race for an at-large seat on the West Deer Board of Supervisors. Incumbent Supervisor Beverly Jordan faces former Supervisor Gerry Vaerewyck in the May 18 primary. They previously served together on the board from 2016 to 2018. No Democrats...
Harmar Township hires new manager
The Harmar supervisors have rehired a familiar face to become the new township manager. Anthony Rozzano got the job last Friday in a 3-1 vote. Supervisors Bob Exler, Linda Exler and Lee Biermeyer voted to hire Rozzano, while Supervisor Harry Lenhart voted against the hiring. Supervisor Bob Seibert did not...
Kittanning man’s police confrontations lead to 5-year prison sentence
A Kittanning man will serve up to five years in prison for two incidents last year in Allegheny Township and Vandergrift in which police said he became physical with arresting officers. Jacob John Zoeller, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, child endangerment and resisting arrest in connection with a...
3 candidates vie for state Rep. Jeff Pyle’s seat in special election
Three candidates will vie for the seat of former state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, in a special election being held in the 2021 municipal primary election on Tuesday, May 18. Pyle, in his ninth term, stepped down in March for health reasons. The winner of the special election will...
Unity VFD in Plum to rethink vehicle purchase plan after council fails to approve funding
Plans to replace an aging rescue truck at Unity Volunteer Fire Department in Plum were sent back to square one after council opted not to contribute the bulk of its cost. Instead, elected leaders contracted with Emergency Vehicle Response to do a fire apparatus fleet analysis for the borough and...
The Stroller, May 13, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Information about Memorial Day events should be sent as soon as possible to: Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com or fax 724-226-4677. Free Pot Love luncheon planned Saturday Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church free takeout monthly Pot Love Dinner will begin at noon...
