Valley News Dispatch category, Page 548
Allegheny Valley schools superintendent wants K-6 students back in classroom
Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Pat Graczyk is proposing expanded in-person learning at Acmetonia Elementary School. “I’m asking the board for our elementary students (K-6) to come back four days a week for in-person learning starting on Oct. 26,” he said. Under Graczyk’s proposal students would be in classrooms Monday,...
3 covid-19 cases identified in Kiski Area schools; no closures planned
Three cases of covid-19 have been identified in the Kiski Area School District in recent days. Superintendent Tim Scott said the district was in the process of consulting with the state Department of Health concerning the next step after a staff member at Kiski Area Upper Elementary tested positive. While...
The Shadows attraction in Fawn isn’t scaring anyone this Halloween
The screams are silent this season at a popular Halloween destination in Fawn. The Shadows, Alle-Kiski’s only outdoor haunted attraction, announced late last month on Facebook that it would not open for the season. Co-owner Chuck Lynn said the decision not to open was made because of covid-19. “It was...
St. Joseph students return to school after being cleared from covid-19 exposure
About 15 students at St. Joseph High School in Harrison worked from home for two days until it was confirmed they had no contact with a person from another school who had tested positive for coronavirus, a school spokesperson said Wednesday. “Our soccer team played Serra Catholic over the weekend...
2 dead after dispute between siblings in Allegheny Township
Authorities said a domestic dispute between a brother and sister ended in a murder-suicide early Wednesday in Westmoreland County. The shootings took place at a home in the 900 block of Route 356 in Allegheny Township following a dispute between a man in his late 50s and his sister, who...
The Stroller, Oct. 14, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Toys for Tots sign-ups scheduled Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots served by the Allegheny Valley Detachment will have sign-ups from 8...
Preliminary hearing scheduled for Hampton woman accused of sexually assaulting 2 children
A Hampton woman accused late last year of sexually abusing two children starting when they were 7 and 8 years old is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing next month, court records show. Iris Schmidt, 21, is free on $25,000 bond while awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of...
East Deer replaces garbage hauler in deal that will save township $80K
East Deer has replaced the company that has been its garbage hauler for about a decade in a move that will save the township nearly $80,000 over four years. Commissioners voted to hire Bankosh Sanitation of Loyalhanna Township, one of two companies that bid for the East Deer contract running...
Man charged in Arnold shooting accused of asking inmate to deny his involvement
A Somerset man is accused by police of asking a fellow inmate to claim that someone else was involved in the 2018 shooting of an Arnold man during a robbery, according to court papers. Nicholas J. Haynes, 24, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of criminal solicitation and attempted fabrication of...
Lower Burrell suspends rentals of Burrell Lake’s Fisher Hall because of covid-19 restrictions
Lower Burrell Council has suspended rentals of Burrell Lake’s Fisher Hall for October, and possibly longer, because of covid-19 restrictions. The closure is part of a string of shutterings of some venues across the country for weddings, showers and other events. While a number of facilities remain open, shifting state...
Fox Chapel Area School Board approves 5-day in-person class for elementary students
Fox Chapel Area elementary students will return to the classroom full-time in November, while those in middle school and high school will continue hybrid and remote learning models for at least the next nine weeks. The school board on Monday night voted 7-2 to give kindergarten through fifth-grade students the...
The Stroller, Oct. 13, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch is compiling a list of autumn events and Halloween parades, parties and trick-or-treat nights. Send information to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. New Ken/Arnold Band Blast to raise funds for park upkeep New Ken/Arnold Social in the Park will host a benefit concert, “Band Blast,” from noon to 8 p.m....
Oakmont officials discuss next year’s budget; trying for no tax increase
Oakmont officials hope to hold the line on real estate taxes in next year’s spending plan. Council had its first 2021 budget meeting Monday night at the borough building. Discussions focused on the general fund with expenses and revenues estimated at $4.8 million, about $100,000 less compared to the current...
Highlands parents asked to complete survey on children’s schooling model
Parents of students in the Highlands School District are being asked to fill out a survey if they want to change how their children attend school. The district is conducting the survey as it nears the end of the first nine week grading period. Surveys are due by Friday. At...
Deer Lakes confirms covid-19 case at middle school
A staff member at Deer Lakes Middle School has tested positive for covid-19, according to Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden. The district was notified of the case on Monday, Logue-Belden said in a letter sent to families. The letter did not identify the infected individual other than to say it is a...
Vandergrift to show movie in the park Oct. 17
Vandergrift will host a movie night in Kennedy Park on Saturday, Oct. 17. The field will open around 5:30 p.m. for viewers. The plan was initially discussed at the council’s September meeting. Councilman John Uskuraitis said he pitched the idea “to give the community something to look forward to” amid...
Staff member at Allegheny Valley School District’s Acmetonia Elementary tests positive for covid-19
The Allegheny Valley School District was notified Friday that a staff member at Acmetonia Elementary School has tested positive for covid-19. The last date of possible exposure at the school was last Tuesday. “We were made aware by the staff member that they tested positive on Friday,” superintendent Patrick M....
Hockey referee plans to keep officiating after attack at New Kensington arena
When Mario de Leon returned home from refereeing an adult league hockey game Oct. 2, his wife saw the cut on his nose and wanted to know what had happened. He decided not to tell her, but then a court summons showed up. A Buffalo Township man accused of attacking...
The Stroller, Oct. 12, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch is compiling a list of autumn events and Halloween parades, parties and trick-or-treat nights. Send information to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Allegheny Valley Association of Churches Food Bank open Wednesday The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches Food Bank will be open to anyone in need from 1:30 to 5:30...
Be my guest: Charming Leechburg bed-and-breakfast (and former church next door) can be yours
The only B&B in Leechburg is for sale. John Truett, a former Disney World executive, owns both the Old Parsonage Bed and Breakfast and the Enchanted Abbey (formerly Holy Innocents Episcopal Church) at 156 Siberian Ave. The two buildings are listed at $185,000 and are on the same lot. Truett,...
Trump supporters gather in Alle-Kiski Valley for caravan, rally
Hundreds of people made their way to the Heights Plaza in Harrison on Sunday for a caravan and rally in support of President Trump’s re-election campaign. Supporters waved American flags and carried signs that read messages such as “Make America Great Again” and “Keep America Great.” The caravan left shortly...
After missing for more than 100 years, 8 species of freshwater mussels found in the KiskiVideo
— A recent scuba survey of the Kiski River, the first in more than 110 years in what was once a dead river, turned up eight species of freshwater mussels, surprising researchers. For more than a century, the river was sullied by large amounts of noxious drainage from coal mining...
Cement blocks keeping cars off pedestrian-only road in Harrison
Bollards that blocked cars from driving on the pedestrian-only portion of Center Street in the Natrona area of Harrison will be replaced, Commissioner William Heasley said. The bollards were removed when part of the road, closed to vehicles between Spruce and Pond streets, was repaved, and vehicles immediately began driving...
The Stroller, Oct. 11, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch is compiling a list of autumn events and Halloween parades, parties and trick-or-treat nights. Send information to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. 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 drive-through food distribution for...
West Deer house fire that killed girl, 14, ruled an accidentVideo
The fire that killed a 14-year-old West Deer girl in March has been ruled accidental, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Saturday. Dayanna Shaffer, an eighth-grader at Deer Lakes Middle School, called 911 to report the fire at her home on Shepard Road on the morning of March 26....
