Valley News Dispatch category, Page 498
West Deer couple claim neighbor shot at them while having property surveyed, police say
A West Deer couple told township police that a neighbor shot at them Tuesday while they were having their property surveyed. Police charged Raymond Nelson, 63, with two felony counts of aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person. In a criminal complaint against Nelson, police said...
Defense points finger at victim’s friend for 2018 Arnold shooting
The lawyer for a man charged in the attempted homicide of man in Arnold three years ago said it was another man who fired three shots in a secluded alley. Defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday that, despite what he expects will be a courtroom identification...
2 red Jeeps shot up in New Kensington, Arnold
Two vehicles, both red Jeep Cherokees, were struck by gunfire in Arnold and New Kensington Tuesday night, New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said Thursday. Deringer said there was one shooting incident in New Kensington Tuesday in the 400 block of Fifth Avenue. A later call for a vehicle shot...
Valley High School’s musical ‘Peter & the Starcatcher’ to be streamed online
The audience was limited for the two performances of Valley High School’s spring musical, but that doesn’t mean everyone won’t get a chance to see it. The drama club’s production of the Peter Pan origin story “Peter and the Starcatcher” was recorded and will be available for streaming at 7...
Fox Chapel Area Rotary donates $10,000 for StoryWalk in Aspinwall park
Colorful and oversized illustrated children’s book pages will line the path at Aspinwall Fireman’s Memorial Park thanks to a grant from the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area. The club awarded $10,000 to Cooper-Siegel Community Library to install a permanent StoryWalk in the park in Upper Aspinwall. There will be...
UPMC clinic at Pittsburgh Mills will continue with different vaccine
Hospital systems in Western Pennsylvania are pausing distribution of the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine, following recommendations from federal regulators. Both UPMC and Allegheny Health Network last week announced plans for mass vaccine clinics to administer a combined 25,000 shots. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...
The Stroller, April 13, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. In-store campout to benefit food banks, Salvation Army Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Leechburg will host its annual Campout for Community from 6 a.m. to...
Fox Chapel Area set to stream ‘Songs for a New World,’ vignettes about overcoming adversity
In what seems a fitting theme for a pandemic year, a cabaret filled with vignettes about survival will replace the traditional spring musical at Fox Chapel Area High School. Students will stream “Songs for a New World,” comprising pre-recorded short pieces about struggles and success, during four shows April 15-18....
Springdale Township to start paving project
Springdale Township plans to repave several township streets this week in a project that Commissioners President Anthony Rozzano said is long overdue. “The roads are deplorable. It’s sad,” said Rozzano. “(The township has) been saving money for the past four years to invest in the roads … where it’s needed...
Vandergrift to install cameras at Kennedy Park in attempt to stop vandalism, littering
Vandergrift officials plan to install surveillance cameras in the borough’s Kennedy Park in attempt to stop ongoing vandalism there. Council recently approved installing video cameras in the park. The $1,200 cost will be covered through a donation by Vandergrift resident and longtime parks volunteer Anthony Guerrera. “My goal is to...
Security upgrades planned for Westmoreland County Housing Authority sites
Eight public housing complexes throughout Westmoreland County will see security upgrades later this year. Those upgrades included installation of high-definition security cameras at seven county Housing Authority sites in Irwin, Latrobe, Scottdale, Monessen and Trafford, and modernized door locks at a facility in New Kensington. The project will be paid...
New Kensington man accused of threatening to kill police with ax, knife
Editor`s note: The charges were dismissed in April before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. New Kensington police say a city man was holding an ax and a knife when he threatened to kill officers serving him with a protection-from-abuse order. A criminal complaint filed against Oleg Vivcharchyn, 32, said...
The Stroller, April 12, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Run on the River to benefit YMCA Valley Points Family YMCA annual Run On The River will be June 12 at K-9 Officer Derek...
Bus company serving Riverview School District among those getting state grants to retire diesel buses
The state Department of Environmental Protection has awarded nine grants, including $174,000 to Allegheny Transportation Services of Etna, to replace old diesel school buses for newer, cleaner diesel buses. DEP’s Driving PA Forward program awarded grants totaling $2.4 million statewide the grants to busing and trash collection companies throughout the...
New Kensington residents gather for community cleanup, mural dedicationVideo
Much like the unfinished mural that was dedicated Sunday, many see New Kensington as a work in progress worth celebrating. “This is the beginning of the new New Kensington,” said Kim Louis, a city resident and director of Sonward Youth Programs. “We want to honor the people who live here...
Upper Burrell wants closer look at PennDOT drainage problems along Route 780 and Lower Drennan Road
Upper Burrell officials want to make sure PennDOT is aware of the extent of drainage issues with its drainage pipe from Route 780 and surrounding properties that discharge to Lower Drennan Road. During their meeting Wednesday, supervisors temporarily shelved development plans for a Dollar General along Route 780 at Dewey...
5 questions with incoming New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck
Not long after New Kensington-Arnold School District students celebrate the end of this school year, Chris Sefcheck will become the district’s superintendent. Sefcheck, 52, of South Park is expected to start as the district’s new leader July 1. The school board approved hiring him to a five-year contract at its...
Covered bridge in the works for Roaring Run trail
The Roaring Run Watershed Association is turning a narrow bridge into an opportunity to enhance the beauty of the 5-mile Roaring Run recreational trail: The association plans to build a covered bridge to augment a former railroad bridge. About 1.5 miles from the trailhead in Kiski Township off Canal Road,...
With their Brackenridge captain, these flag-waving pirates are a PNC Park fixtureVideo
They are usually easy to spot high atop PNC Park — waving large skull-and-crossbones flags and sporting tricorn hats, bandanas and patches over their eyes. Some carry fake swords in waist holsters. Their captain hails from Brackenridge. These pirates aren’t after buried treasure. They’re seeking victories from a struggling baseball...
Volunteers gather to clean up, plant at Tarentum’s community gardenVideo
For the first time since the covid pandemic broke out over a year ago, volunteers gathered to clean up Tarentum’s community garden and begin planting for the season. While individuals came out throughout 2020 to keep the Greg Blythe Friendship Community Garden going last year, group events like Saturday’s spring...
The Stroller, April 11, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Drive-through food distribution set for Tuesday at Pittsburgh Mills Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host a...
Vandergrift considering its options in getting a borough website up and running again
Vandergrift officials are hopeful they will fix ongoing website woes. The borough hasn’t offered a functioning website for the public since February. Visitors to the site encounter an oversized message stating the site is no longer being updated or maintained. “We’re hoping we can move forward on getting this website...
Witnesses say truck driver had little time to react to oncoming train in Springdale
Two men who witnessed a train colliding with a tractor-trailer at a crossing in Springdale on Friday said the truck driver had little time to react to the oncoming train. Chad Cochran of Springdale and Ken Trim of West Deer said they were leaving work at R.I. Lampus shortly after...
Restaurant restrictions loosened, but workers hard to find in Western PennsylvaniaVideo
“Help wanted” signs at restaurants across the region are as noticeable as menus, as businesses scramble to hire enough workers to serve more customers under loosened indoor dining restrictions. Restaurant owners and managers have been challenged to find enough workers to stay open longer and feed customers in a timely...
ATI calls on Steelworkers union to let employees vote on contract offer
As a strike by the United Steelworkers union nears two weeks, Allegheny Technologies Inc. is calling on the union to allow employees to vote on the company’s contract offer. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said details of the company’s proposal have not changed since March 29, the day before about 1,300...
