Valley News Dispatch category, Page 630
The Stroller, Dec. 24, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Special visitor set to visit the Alle-Kiski Valley tonight Hopefully the clouds will hold off in the Alle-Kiski Valley tonight. Many children – and adults – will have their eyes focused on the skies looking for a special visitor! HOPE Center seeks donations Throughout the winter months the HOPE Center...
Harrison optometrist’s childhood vision comes full circle
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Dr. John Bissell knew by age 13 that he...
Longtime Gilpin firefighter, fire truck collector dies at 92
Lawrence Goodbread didn’t just love fire trucks, he collected them. Goodbread, who died Dec. 18 at 92, owned two antique fire trucks at the time of his death. To honor the longtime firefighter and avid collector, a 1946 Ford fire truck that Goodbread took to parades was parked outside the...
New Kensington Council schedules special meeting to adopt budget, tax increase
New Kensington Council has scheduled a special meeting to adopt the city’s 2020 budget, which includes a proposed property tax increase. Council will meet at 5 p.m. Dec. 30 in council chambers at city hall, 301 11th St. Council earlier this month approved an $8.1 million preliminary budget that would...
Harrison police arrest 3 teens suspected in car, purse thefts
A New Kensington-area teen is accused of throwing an unloaded gun at police as they pursued him and two other teens in connection with the theft of a purse last week in Harrison. That didn’t stop police from arresting the teens on Dec. 17, a day after police said they...
The Stroller, Dec. 23, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Peoples Library seeking tutors for elementary students Peoples Library in New Kensington is seeking adult volunteers to tutor elementary students in its afterschool program. Adult tutors work one-on-one with at-risk students from the New Kensington-Arnold School District from 4 to 5:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the New Kensington library,...
Lower Burrell school nixes holiday parties, replaces with ‘Kids for Kids’ market fundraiser
Stewart Elementary School ditched its typical holiday parties this year. Instead, the Lower Burrell school’s roughly 265 fourth- and fifth-graders spent their final day before winter break working together to raise money for sick children. “We broke away from our traditional classroom parties,” Principal Jim Croushore said. “We wanted to...
ATI steelworkers are Secret Santas giving A-K Valley kids free bikes
Steelworkers at ATI in Harrison are Secret Santas, as they bought 39 bikes and helmets for Alle-Kiski Valley kids this Christmas. The money was raised over the last two months, according to Bill Campbell, union grievance representative for the United Steelworkers Local 1196 in Brackenridge, which serves ATI’s steel mill...
Springdale Council set to raise property tax 6.5%
In an effort to do some much-needed paving, Springdale Council will vote this week on a 6.5% property tax increase. Council unanimously agreed last Tuesday to raise taxes by a half-mill in order to pave either Colfax Street or Rosslyn Avenue in 2020. The vote on the tax hike will...
Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream stands out with more than just coffeeVideo
This coffee shop brews up the cool factor. Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream, known as ABC by the locals, serves up coffee, specialty drinks and homemade breakfast and lunch items amid 1960s and ’70s pop/rock memorabilia. “The decor isn’t the usual coffee shop vibe,” said co-owner Pete Sanida of Squirrel Hill....
Section of Route 28 in Armstrong County reopens after crash
A section of Route 28 northbound in Armstrong County was reopened around 8 p.m., after a crash caused the road to be closed Sunday for more than seven hours. State police said two vehicles crashed when a truck lost a load on the road in Mahoning Township at about 12:45...
The Stroller, Dec. 22, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Hockey game to benefit Brian Shaw Memorial Fund The Brian Shaw Memorial Hockey Game will be at 8 p.m. Friday at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena, 700 Craigdell Road, New Kensington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Plum Mustangs and Kiski Cavaliers varsity hockey teams will play. Admission is $5 and...
‘Officer’ Rudy, newest member of Gilpin’s police force, has a nose for trouble (and snacks)Video
“Officer” Rudy is the newest addition to the police force in Gilpin. He loves belly rubs, snacks and attention. Rudy is a 3-year-old Belgian Melinois, a popular breed for training as police dogs. He received his K-9 certification from the North American Police Work Dog Association this month. He reported...
Vo-tech schools serving Westmoreland, A-K Valley districts get nearly $82K in grants
Three vo-tech schools that serve 11 school districts in Westmoreland County and the Alle-Kiski Valley have received close to $82,000 in grants from the state Education Department. Lenape Technical School received $40,675, Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $49,999, and Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $16,930. The...
The Stroller, Dec. 21, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Knead Community Cafe closed for holidays Knead Community Café in New Kensington will be closed Tuesday through Jan. 1 for the holidays. For upcoming events at the café, visit kneadcommunitycafe.org/events/. Calendar Kittanning Monday: A free family support group for anyone struggling with the addiction of a loved one will meet...
More than 10,000 Christmas lights on display at Bob’s Garage in O’HaraVideo
At Bob’s Garage, Christmas decorations stay up until February to accommodate the masses still crowding the small bar renowned for the outrageous number of Christmas lights enveloping the inside and outside. “It’s like walking on the inside of a Christmas tree,” said Bob Paganico, 72, of Penn Hills. Paganico started...
‘Make Yourself at Home Bandit’ suspected of robbing Harmar betting parlor linked to 12 robberies in 7 states
The masked man who forced an employee to empty the safe of a Harmar off-track betting parlor last month may be wanted in connection to at least dozen robberies across seven states, police said Friday. Lloyd Eugene Rhodes, 57, who has warrants out for his arrests from the FBI and...
New Ken-Arnold student left on W.L. Roenigk bus, 2nd pupil in 10 days
A New Kensington-Arnold School District special needs student was left alone on a W.L. Roenigk school bus at the Clairview School in Greensburg on Friday, school and bus company officials said. The driver was immediately fired, a Roenigk official said. It was the second time in 10 days that a...
Woman, children injured in Brackenridge head-on collision, other driver’s condition unknownVideo
A woman and two elementary-age children were taken to a hospital for treatment after a car and a minivan collided head-on Friday in Brackenridge, police said. It’s unclear if the other driver was also taken for treatment of his injuries. The wreck happened about 1 p.m. on Freeport Road near...
At least 1 hurt in 2-car wreck along Freeport Road in New KensingtonVideo
A two-car crash along Freeport Road in New Kensington sent one woman to an area hospital Tuesday. City police said her infant accompanied her in the ambulance. The wreck appears to have happened when a white rental car hit the rear of a black Ford Taurus at about 10:30 a.m.,...
Valley High School volleyball tournament benefits Salvation Army food pantry
Valley High School students served up nearly 3,000 cans of food Friday as part of the school’s seventh annual Christmas Classic Volleyball Tournament. “That’s amazing,” Salvation Army Capt. Phillip Davies said of the students’ efforts. “The need is so great at this time of the year. Our inventory of emergency...
New Kensington-Arnold School Board continues to pave way for hefty property tax hike
New Kensington-Arnold School District will go forward with preparing a preliminary budget for the 2020-21 school year as it readies to ask the state for permission to increase property taxes by more than twice its limit. The school board voted unanimously Thursday night against a measure that would have prevented...
Buffalo Township hires new cop, inks 5-year deal with chief
The police force in Buffalo Township is expanding, and the chief has a new long-term contract. Township supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved the hiring of a new full-time officer, Jeffrey Swiklinski, who is retiring as Freeport’s police chief, according to Buffalo police Chief Tim Derringer. Swiklinski assumes his new position...
3 cars damaged in crashes on icy stretch of Route 910 in HarmarVideo
Two vehicles were heavily damaged Friday morning in a head-on crash on an icy stretch of Route 910 in Harmar, but the two drivers involved managed to walk away unhurt, Harmar police said. Also damaged in the crash was an unoccupied third vehicle that had been disabled on the side...
West Deer adopts 2020 budget without tax increase
West Deer Supervisors on Wednesday adopted a $6.5 million budget for 2020 that keeps the property tax rate at 2.99 mills. At that rate, the owner of a median-priced home of $115,650 would owe $345.79 in taxes, the same as this year. The biggest line item in the budget calls...
