Valley News Dispatch category, Page 551
Free trees, shrubs, native plants to Buffalo Creek watershed residents
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is offering free trees, shrubs and native plants to residents of the Buffalo Creek watershed, particularly those who live along a creek or stream. Considered to be one of the wildest, untouched natural areas in the Pittsburgh region, the Buffalo Creek watershed covers about...
Lower Burrell police to be among 1st to undergo ‘legitimacy’ training at IUP
The Lower Burrell Police Department will be among the first in the region to take a new seminar at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Police Academy focusing on the concept of police legitimacy. The concept deals with the degree to which the public is willing to support and cooperate with police...
Freeport Area High School receives National Blue Ribbon School distinction
Freeport Area High School has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Blue Ribbon School distinction recognizes top public and non-public schools annually. Freeport Area High School was one of 367 schools nationwide to earn the title for this year. Principal...
Lower Burrell artist auctioning Josh Bell drawing to help KDKA reporter’s daughter injured in accidentVideo
A Lower Burrell artist who in 2018 auctioned off a portrait of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby to benefit a scholarship fund honoring a slain police officer is at it again. This time, he’s turned his sights toward helping a young girl’s recovery from a terrible accident. Larry “Klu” Klukaszewski’s...
Dry weather yielded smaller pumpkins, but Myers Pickle Farm in Gilpin has plenty
The roadside blaze of orange along Route 66 in Gilpin means one thing this time of year. Pumpkinpalooza. Every September, Alle-Kiski Valley residents in search of the perfect pumpkin can find their fix at Myers Pickle Farm, a popular produce stand in continuous operation since 1925. Family owned and operated...
Freeport Area confirms covid-19 case among middle school staff
Freeport Area School District officials confirmed Friday that a staff member at Freeport Area Middle School tested positive for covid-19. The individual was last at the school on Sept. 23 and contact tracing did not reveal any close contacts among students or staff. The school will not be closed because...
Mom, nurse, cancer survivor, singer: ‘Miss Freddye’ soothes in all aspects of her lifeVideo
When Freddye Stover learned she had breast cancer in 1998, the tears flowed.“Receiving the ‘C’ diagnosis is heartbreaking,” said Stover, known in the regional music scene as “Miss Freddye.” “I cried for 24 hours straight. I went to bed crying. I woke up crying. I cried in the shower. I...
Halloween activities in the Alle-Kiski Valley – Oct. 2, 2020
To have your event listed, send information to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com Community events Trick-or-treat and events open only to residents of the designated community include: • Allegheny Township: 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 • Apollo: Trick-or-treat: 6 to...
The Stroller, Oct. 2, 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 an email to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Leechburg Area Food Bank seeks volunteers Leechburg Area Food Bank is looking for volunteers to pack and carry food to cars on the monthly distribution day. A...
Harmar Village Care Center workers picket for better wages, health careVideo
Caryn Nelson stood along Freeport Road in Harmar on Thursday afternoon holding a sign that read “Heroes Deserve Health Care.” Nelson, 31, of Lower Burrell, is a certified nursing assistant and part of a group of employees of Harmar Village Care Center picketing in front of the facility. “We aid...
United Way expands regional volunteer efforts with Week of Caring
Volunteers are needed more than ever while area organizations cope with the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic. The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania has responded by organizing its first Week of Caring, running through Oct. 10. More than 700 volunteers have signed up to participate in 75 in-person and virtual...
Indiana man, others facing assault charges after brawl at North Apollo bar
An Indiana County man faces felony charges after police say he struck another man in the head with a beer bottle during a brawl at a North Apollo bar. Police charged Ian Russell Lamison, 42, of Indiana, with two felony counts of aggravated assault and additional offenses in connection with...
Arnold man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in teen’s 2016 shooting death
Aaron Waters said he will never forgive the man who shot and killed his 16-year-old daughter nearly four years ago in Arnold. “That person stole my joy, he stole my sunny days. I don’t see forgiveness in me at all. Acceptance, I have to,” Waters said Thursday during a hearing...
New Kensington woman appeals conviction on charges of helping cop killer
A New Kensington woman is appealing her conviction on charges she helped her cousin avoid capture after the 2017 killing of a police officer. In court documents filed this week, the lawyer for Lisa Harrington contends jurors should not have been allowed to watch video that depicted the Nov. 17,...
First tenants begin moving into New Kensington’s Pioneer Apartments
Erik Williams was expected to be among the first five tenants to move into New Kensington’s new, $18.2 million Pioneer Apartments on Thursday afternoon. “I just want to get in my apartment, period. It’s time for a change,” said Williams, who has lived at the nearby Arnold Towers for the...
Police: Harrison man solicited another person to join in on sexual assault of boy
A Harrison man is accused of inviting another person to join him in sexually assaulting a young boy. Police said they arrested Brandon Jones, 27, on Wednesday. A criminal complaint filed against Jones said a witness in the case reported receiving text messages from Jones in which he described sexual...
Freeport confirms athletics staff member has covid-19, cancels football game against Valley
Freeport Area School District on Thursday confirmed that a high school football coach tested positive for covid-19. The school will not be closed because of the case, but Freeport officials said Friday’s football game against Valley has been canceled and the district was considering shutting down football activities for two...
State police trooper hurt after car hits tree, catches fire in Armstrong County pursuit
A state trooper was hurt in a pursuit that police said started Monday after a Michigan man drove away from a traffic stop in Armstrong County. State police said it took troopers two tries to bring a car driven by Clark Kendrick Proctor Jr., 23, of West Bloomfield, Mich., to...
The Stroller, Oct. 1, 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 an email to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Children’s program offered at Outdoor Discovery Center The Outdoor Discovery Center at Crooked Creek will sponsor a free program for early elementary school children, “What Is Nature?”...
Pivik Elementary in Plum to close for 2 weeks after a staffer tests positive for covid-19
Plum School District’s Pivik Elementary students will be learning remotely for at least two weeks after a staffer tested positive for covid-19. District officials sent a letter to families Wednesday informing them of the discovery and subsequent changes. The letter from Pivik Principal Kristen Gestrich states the staffer was in...
East Deer Sheetz to permanently close Thursday, Oct. 1
After more than 34 years in business, the Sheetz in East Deer will permanently close at 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. The gas station and convenience store is located at 899 Freeport Road in the township’s Creighton neighborhood. Sheetz announced the closure on Wednesday. Spokesman Nick Ruffner said the company...
Leechburg Methodist church benefits from federal stimulus money, congregation’s generosity
A Leechburg church has some financial breathing room thanks to money it received as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, both from the federal government and members of the congregation. “Not only have we been able to meet our responsibilities this autumn, but for the first time in a while,...
State trooper tracks down Springdale teacher who picked up meal tab in act of kindness
Dan Pschirer believes it doesn’t take much effort to be kind. So when he recently saw a state trooper behind him at a Wendy’s drive-thru, he knew what he had to do. “Whenever we got up to the window I said to the lady working, ‘I’d like to pay for...
Highlands confirms covid-19 case at high school
Highlands School District has confirmed another covid-19 case at its schools. In response to an inquiry from the Tribune-Review on Wednesday morning, Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said there is a positive case at Highlands High School. Mawhinney did not say if the person testing positive was a student or staff member....
The Stroller, Sept. 30, 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 an email to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Free workshop series about healthy streams, ponds offered A free online workshop series, “Riparian Landowner Workshops,” for those who own property near a creek, pond or river...
