Valley News Dispatch category, Page 556
Peregrine falcon nesting on the Graff Bridge near Kittanning and elsewhere subject of free discussion
While the handsome and formerly federally endangered peregrine falcon is known for nesting on Pittsburgh skyscrapers, the Cathedral of Learning and the Tarentum Bridge, a pair has been quietly nesting above the Allegheny River spanning Manor and North Buffalo townships. Kate St. John of Pittsburgh, the region’s expert on the...
Man arrested in Kiski Township after police say he tried to swallow drugs
An Apollo man faces charges in connection with an incident last month in which police said he tried to swallow two baggies of methamphetamine. Police said they responded to a house on Sugar Hollow Road around 8 p.m. Aug. 21 after receiving reports about possible drug activity there. When officers...
Gilpin plans ‘trunk-or-treat’ event
Gilpin plans to hold a Halloween “trunk-or-treat” event from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31. Township supervisors approved holding the event with a 4-0 vote Monday night. Supervisor Charlie Stull said Gilpin’s rural landscape can pose challenges for traditional trick-or-treating. “It’s hard to trick-or-treat … with homes not visible from...
The Stroller, Sept. 16, 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. Free concerts planned this weekend in Freeport Freeport Renaissance Association will sponsor two free outdoor concerts this weekend in Riverside Park,...
‘Weenie Wagon’ reopens in Leechburg
Weenie season is back in Leechburg. People who operate the popular Weenie Wagon, parked on a lot on the borough’s Market Street, usually start selling hot dogs from the wagon on Memorial Day and continue on Saturdays through October. Covid-19 restrictions and unusually hot summer temperatures presented problems this year,...
Highlands administrators ask parents for patience with online elementary program
Highlands administrators acknowledged at a meeting Monday that they are having problems with the district’s online elementary curriculum, but did not directly address a mother’s concern that its content is religious. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said she has gotten a handful of emails about the Accelerate Education program the district is...
Fawn police chief testifies officer altered report to include false accusation against supervisor
Fawn’s police chief testified Tuesday a now-suspended officer who is suing the township altered an incident report to say a supervisor threatened to assault his neighbor for having a fire at his home. Fawn Supervisors wrapped up an employment hearing for suspended Officer Keith Lazaron II, but took no action....
Yakopec is back as Lower Burrell solicitor
Lower Burrell is bringing back longtime Solicitor Stephen Yakopec Jr., more than a year after he was let go by the previous administration. City council unanimously approved contracting with Yakopec as solicitor Monday night. “I am grateful and thankful to be back and to continue to help the community in...
Authorities identify man found in Allegheny River near Kittanning
Authorities have identified a man whose body was found in the Allegheny River near Kittanning on Sunday. The man was identified as Clifton H. McHenry, 67, of Kittanning and formerly New Kensington, Coroner Brian Myers said in a statement Tuesday. Myers said McHenry was identified by “obvious markings” on his...
Fox Chapel Area School District prepared for shifts in instructional model
Fox Chapel Area administrators are considering ways to add a day of in-person instruction to the district’s hybrid model, or return to class entirely, but recommendations have not yet been brought before the school board. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac on Monday night gave a detailed report of her team’s efforts...
McDonald’s drive-thru reopens as remodeling of Harrison restaurant continues
The drive-thru of McDonald’s in Harrison reopened Thursday, but the dining area remains closed as a remodeling of the restaurant continues, a member of the family that owns the location said. The McDonald’s on Freeport Road in the Natrona Heights area of the township closed for remodeling on Sept. 9....
37th annual Penn’s Colony Festival canceled
The Penn’s Colony Festival in Saxonburg has been canceled because of the pandemic. The 37th annual event was scheduled for Sept. 19-20 and 26-27. Organizers plan for the festival return next year, setting the dates as Sept. 18-19 and 25-26, 2021. It is held at the Penn’s Colony Village Grounds...
The Stroller, Sept. 15, 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. Used Halloween costume drive planned Redemption Church in Lower Burrell is collecting new and gently-used children’s Halloween costumes through Oct. 4...
Plum appoints a familiar face as its new emergency management coordinator
Plum officials selected a familiar face as the borough’s new emergency management coordinator. Jim Sims, retired Plum police sergeant and current Holiday Park fire chief, was appointed to the position Sept. 14 by a 5-0 vote. Councilmen Mike Doyle and Mike Pastor were absent. Sims takes over for Brian Turpin,...
Suspended Fawn officer, attorney will not participate in hearing over his job
Fawn officials will continue a hearing for a suspended township police officer without the officer or his attorney participating, township Supervisor David Montanari said Monday. The hearing for Keith Lazaron II is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday. It will be held in person at the township building at...
4-year-old Springdale Twp. girl continues fundraising efforts for Allegheny Valley Police K-9s
Most 4-year-olds seem to have boundless energy and Zoey Walker is no exception. Except that Zoey’s energy has gone above and beyond what most people might expect. The Springdale Township girl has been indefatigable in her efforts to help raise money for a new police dog for the Allegheny Valley...
East Deer commissioner OK with water rate increase imposed by Tarentum
Tarentum last week approved increasing water rates for East Deer by 15% while decreasing the base rate for its own residents by 8%. As of Monday, East Deer had not yet received official word from the borough regarding the increase, Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said. “We have gotten no official...
Cooper-Siegel, Sharpsburg libraries to reopen doors Oct. 1 with limited capacities
Cooper-Siegel and Sharpsburg community libraries will reopen their doors Oct. 1, albeit with limited capacities. Twenty patrons will be permitted at one time to browse the shelves at Cooper-Siegel in Fox Chapel, while 10 will be allowed in to the smaller Sharpsburg site. “It’s been a long, hard road, but...
The Stroller, Sept. 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. 11th annual Tails on the Trails walk planned Sept. 26 The 11th annual Tails on the Trails dog walk to benefit...
Police seek help identifying man’s body found in Allegheny River near Kittanning
Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the man whose body was found Sunday afternoon in the Allegheny River near the Kittanning Marina. The body was found in the water around 3 p.m. several hundred feet north of the Allegheny Mariner restaurant, according to Armstrong County 911 dispatchers. He...
Deer Lakes School District to offer free meals through end of year
Free in-school and to-go meals are being offered by the Deer Lakes School District through the end of the year. The district offered free meals during the spring and summer as part of the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option. That program was extended through Dec. 31 because of...
‘Tarentum Night Market’ aims to bring shoppers to borough business districtVideo
Since opening her coffee and chocolate shop, Harvest Moon, in Tarentum earlier this year, Desiree Singleton has heard from people who can’t get there before she closes at 4 p.m. She’ll be among a group of borough business owners hoping to draw shoppers into town in the evenings by staying...
West Deer Parks and Rec Board looking for new member, volunteers
West Deer is looking for someone to join its parks and recreation board. The township is accepting letters of interest for a new board member through Thursday, Oct. 15. The parks and recreation board is made up of seven people. It is seeking one new board member to replace Tracy...
Springdale Township hoping to give roads much needed attention
Among the many aspects of society impacted by the pandemic, road work is definitely on the list. The covid-19 pandemic shut down many paving companies earlier this year causing them to fall well behind schedule. It means smaller places like Springdale Township are forced to wait to fix roads that...
Proposed car wash denied variance for site on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington
A proposal to build a $900,000 car wash on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington was dealt a potentially fatal blow by the city’s zoning hearing board, which denied it a variance. The Hutton Group was seeking permission to build the car wash at 215 Tarentum Bridge Road, where a...
