Valley News Dispatch category, Page 500
Pennsylvania’s push for vaccine equity has been a challenge
Getting shots into the arms of the state’s most vulnerable elderly and minority residents remains a challenge, even as vaccine begins a steady flow into Pennsylvania, state officials said Tuesday. It took the combined efforts of three managed care giants tasked with reaching out to the marginalized and those most...
New Kensington-Arnold’s new superintendent eager to get started
After a second interview, Chris Sefcheck said he wanted the job of superintendent of the New Kensington-Arnold School District so much he didn’t care if it meant a longer commute. He’ll start making that drive on July 1, after the school board hired him on Tuesday. “I really already feel...
Aspinwall seeking more than $215,000 in grants for townwide upgrades
Aspinwall council is seeking three grants totaling more than $215,000 for townwide upgrades. They include money for trail improvements at Fireman’s Memorial Park, sewer separation along Western Avenue and work at the Aspinwall Volunteer Fire Department garage. Work at the park in upper Aspinwall will include replacing the current asphalt...
Support sought for purchase of Brilliant Line rail corridor for bike/ped trail from Aspinwall to Pittsburgh’s East End
Residents from Sharpsburg to Pittsburgh’s East End could be connected by a four-mile bike/pedestrian corridor that would provide access to fitness, recreation, shopping and dining in a project that’s expected to cost nearly $14 million. Allegheny Valley Railroad has agreed to sell the Brilliant Line to Aspinwall Riverfront Park. The...
The Stroller, April 6, 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. Tarentum community garden plans workday The community is welcome to participate in a spring workday set for 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the...
Holiday Park VFD Junior Fire Academy to return in June after yearlong covid hiatus
An educational program designed to teach teens about leadership, teamwork and safety skills is expected to return after being canceled last year due to the covid pandemic. Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department is expected to host its Junior Fire Academy from June 21-25. “I think it’s very important to bring...
Neighbors object to use of New Kensington building for mental health, substance abuse services
New Kensington Council postponed voting on a nonprofit’s proposed use of an office building for its outpatient mental health and substance abuse services Monday after a few neighbors raised concerns. Southwest Behavioral Care, an affiliate of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, wants to move from its existing location at 408 8th...
With eyes on revitalization, business owners band together in VandergriftVideo
Steve Jurovic said he had grown tired of hearing local people complain that the Vandergrift area was economically depressed. “There’s too much defeatism and pessimism in this area. You can’t just sit there and sulk,” said Jurovic, 83, who owns Apollo Replacement Windows on Vandergrift’s Grant Avenue. Jurovic said he...
Spring lantern walk by Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy brings in nearly $20,000 for preservation efforts
A starry night and a tree-lined walking path combined for a picturesque fundraiser by the Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy. The group ushered in spring with a lantern walk at Riding Meadow Park, the second in a series of four fundraisers to protect green space in Fox Chapel. “It was a...
Apollo native Dan Swank gets gig with favorite band All Time Low
How many music lovers dream of getting onstage with a favorite band? How many actually get a chance to do it? Apollo native Dan Swank is one of the lucky ones. In 2020, he became a member of his all-time favorite band, All Time Low. Working with the band as...
The Stroller, April 5, 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. Manos Gallery seeking entries for child’s art exhibit The Manos Gallery, 320 E. Fifth Ave., Tarentum, is accepting entries from children age 5 to...
Restaurants seeing resurgence as restrictions loosenedVideo
It was a great day for family gatherings this Easter, as the country emerged from the darkness of a year ago when restaurants were open only for takeout and the covid-related restrictions were just beginning to clamp down on the country. “We had 2,000 reservations,” Ron DeNunzio said Sunday, counting...
Kiski police accuse Brackenridge woman of DUI, gun violations and possessing cocaine
A Brackenridge woman is facing charges of driving under the influence, concealing a loaded gun in her car and possessing suspected cocaine after a traffic stop 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Kiski Township police said. Sherry Milanak, 50, was speeding and swerving on Route 56 causing, police said. She was stopped and...
Leechburg students selling handmade soap for scholarship fund
Leechburg Area School District’s “Creation Café” was in operation less than a year before the covid-19 pandemic altered everything. Opened in 2019, the space was designed provide a unique learning opportunity for students enrolled in life skills/learning support classes in the district, serving a variety of hot foods and drinks...
Lower Burrell’s drive-thru hazardous waste recycling set for May 8
After canceling special waste collections during the pandemic last year, Lower Burrell will hold a drive-thru hazardous household waste recycling dropoff in May. Household hazardous wastes include flammable products, paint, pesticides, pool chemicals, drain cleaners, batteries, motor oil and more. The event will be held Saturday, May 8, at Lower...
Coming in July: Vandergrift’s Artfest; artisans, volunteers wanted
Vandergrift’s annual Artfest is back, and organizers are seeking artisans and volunteers. In-person activities resume this year for the popular summer daylong festival scheduled for Sunday, July 25. Last year’s event was held virtually because of the pandemic. This year’s theme is “Art, Heart and Soul.” Art, Heart, and Soul:...
Burrell life skills students publish cookbook: ‘Special Recipes Made by Special Kids’
As the pandemic zapped the usual educational experience for many students, one Lower Burrell family came up with an alternative educational adventure. The Kobelenske family raised money for Burrell School District’s special education life skills students to make their own recipes and pen the cookbook “Special Recipes Made by Special...
‘B’man’ continues to enjoy his honking ‘Beeple,’ but now also volunteers, raises money for charityVideo
After receiving countless beeps and honks from the motoring public, B’man is giving back. Sixteen-year-old Bill Carney, also known as B’man, is a fixture most evenings at what his family dubs his “corner office,” located at the corner of Freeport and Fox Chapel roads in the Fox Chapel Plaza parking...
In Alle-Kiski Valley churches, coping with pandemic will be part of Easter sermon message
Alle-Kiski Valley churches will be filling its pews on Sunday after not being able to hold in-person Easter services last year. Many churches had to resort to online streaming to deliver sermons during the 2020 Easter holiday. This year, church members can be present for Sunday’s worship where many will...
The Stroller, April 4, 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. Volunteers needed Saturday for cleanup Kiski Watershed Association will hold a cleanup from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the West Leechburg Native...
5-year anniversary: Rescued puppies galore at Paws Across Pittsburgh in TarentumVideo
There’s nothing like a parking lot of homeless puppies on a Saturday in Tarentum. But it’s a typical occurrence at Paws Across Pittsburgh, which is celebrating its fifth year of animal rescues, now topping more than 2,000 dogs and 740 cats. Paws Across Pittsburgh is a nonprofit that is a...
Mass covid-19 vaccination clinic set for former Sears at Pittsburgh Mills in FrazerVideo
The Allegheny Health Network is opening a mass covid-19 vaccination clinic in the former Sears Grand store in the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer on April 20. About 6,000 to 6,500 people are expected to receive the first Pfizer vaccine April 20 and the second one May 11, according to...
Trout season gets off to a chilly startVideo
For several of the folks casting lines the first day of trout season Saturday on the chilly shores of the lake at Northmoreland Park, the efficient work of a passing osprey accounted for much of the early morning excitement. “I think that osprey was the only one to catch a...
Pittsburgh man dies after being struck by industrial container at RIDC Park aromatics business
A 43-year-old Pittsburgh man died after being struck by an industrial container full of liquid Friday morning in the RIDC Park in O’Hara, according to county detectives. Allegheny County police said Jason D’Alicandro was working at Alpha Aromatics, on Alpha Drive in the RIDC Park, when he was struck by...
Shopping, food & fun in store as Tarentum Night Markets resume
Tarentum business owners are hoping people are ready to boogie back into the borough for the nightlife. The monthly Tarentum Night Market, launched in September, is set to resume in April. Events are scheduled for the third Thursday of each month — beginning April 15 — and continuing through October...
