Valley News Dispatch category, Page 638
West Deer approves new hires, resignations
After nearly 40 years of working with West Deer, administrative assistant Cathy Sopko is retiring. Supervisors last week approved the hire of Sopko’s replacement, Jodi French, at a wage of $16.56 an hour. “I really enjoyed working with the township and working with the people here,” said Sopko, 65, of...
Father of New Kensington cop killer denied house arrest while awaiting trial
Gregory Baucum Jr. won’t have his bond lowered or be released from jail on house arrest while he awaits trial. Baucum, 49, is the father of convicted New Kensington cop killer Rahmael Sol Holt. Baucum is in the Westmoreland County Prison, awaiting trial on charges of threatening or intimidating witnesses...
Christmas events planned in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Apollo The Apollo Christmas Parade and Party will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Apollo Plaza. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue and North Second street into the plaza. The Apollo-Ridge High School Chorus will sing and the Christmas tree...
Crash causes outage, delayed start for Highlands ElementaryVideo
Highlands School District issued a two-hour delay for its elementary school in Tarentum on Tuesday. According to the district, a crash late Monday evening caused a power outage. Power was to be restored by mid-morning Tuesday. The delay affected only elementary students and staff. HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY FAMILIES: Due to an...
The Stroller, Nov. 26, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Boy Scouts to sell Christmas trees in Allegheny Township Boy Scout Troop 551 of Hyde Park is conducting its annual Christmas tree sale beginning Friday at Stanford Home Center, 1173 Route 356, Allegheny Township. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m....
Tarentum boy scores big with campaign to bring turkeys to needy familiesVideo
A Tarentum boy bothered by an unflattering description of hockey players decided to do something to prove them wrong. Wesley Westerman, 14, plays hockey for Highlands and the Vipers, a youth team in Lower Burrell. He attends cyber school through Highlands Middle School. He read an article and saw a...
Aspinwall author watches his novel jump from page to film
For Aspinwall’s Philip Beard, a punctuating moment in an 18-year journey came when he and his daughter watched actress Sadie Sink of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” shoot a scene in Kennywood Park for a movie based on his novel, “Dear Zoe.” “It’s surreal not only hearing my words coming from the...
Meadows off-track betting in Harmar robbed
A man claiming to have a gun forced an employee to open the cash room at The Meadows off-track betting facility in Harmar about a hour before the facility was scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Monday, police said. The man already was inside the locked building and surprised the...
New Kensington pushes back garbage pickup because of Thanksgiving
Friday garbage pickup in New Kensington has been pushed back a day, according to the city. The city said in a news release that garbage normally scheduled to be picked up on Friday would be picked up on Saturday instead because of the Thanksgiving holiday....
Thousands of miles apart, Oakmont brothers stay close through fishing
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things they do. A love of fly fishing and a love of helping people thousands of miles away has bonded a pair of Oakmont brothers. Matt Geppert and his older brother, Sam, grew...
Highlands hopes to address deficiencies in grade school English, math and science
Highlands School District appears ready to go to work to remedy deficiencies from a state performance measure. Assistant Superintendent Cathleen Cubelic said the Pennsylvania Future Ready Index showed Highlands students are not meeting state averages in a number of categories. The three testing categories were: state assessment measures, on-track measures...
Allegheny Valley School District considers fortifying wall of Veterans Memorial Stadium
Allegheny Valley School District officials are considering fortifying the Lincoln Avenue wall of Veterans Memorial Stadium in Springdale. “It’s pretty evident that the wall is continuing to move,” Matt Pitsch of Senate Engineering told the school board last week. The large block wall of the stadium where the Springdale Junior- Senior...
Rite Aid gives former pharmacy building to Tarentum church
Cathy Blythe was driving past the shuttered Rite Aid on Corbet Street in Tarentum when, she says, God spoke to her. He told her to call the real estate agent selling the building. Blythe took over as pastor of Abundant Joy Fellowship in Tarentum after her husband, Greg Blythe, died...
The Stroller, Nov. 25, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Stuff the Cruiser event set in Saxonburg Saxonburg Police Department will host a Stuff the Cruiser event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at South Butler County Library, 240 W. Main St., and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Saxonburg Coffee and Tea, 211 W. Main St., in...
Eccentric millionaire’s O’Hara mansion leaves lasting legacy as Bayernhof Music MuseumVideo
This isn’t your typical mansion-turned-museum. On high ground overlooking Sharpsburg and the Allegheny River in O’Hara sits the Bayernhof Music Museum, the former 19,000-square-foot residence of Pittsburgh millionaire Charles Boyd Brown III, known simply as “Chuck” to his friends. Often referred to as one of the area’s best-kept secrets, the...
Last call for electronic, hazardous household waste disposal in Cheswick
Cheswick residents can dispose of their electronic and hazardous household waste in the final of four special collections this year on Dec. 6. Residents have until 5 p.m. Monday to schedule a pickup by calling Vogel Disposal Service at 724-625-1511. Household items being collected include latex paint, automotive products, garden...
The Stroller, Nov. 24, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Alle-Kiski HOPE Center collecting clothing and personal items The Alle-Kiski HOPE Center is seeking donations of clothing and personal items for the clients that it serves. Items most needed include new pajamas, slippers, socks, underwear for all sizes and genders, full-size shampoo and body wash, hair brushes, combs and Chapstick....
No tax increase planned in Allegheny Township
Allegheny Township Supervisors have approved a $4.1 million preliminary budget that includes no property tax increase. If the final budget, scheduled to be approved next month, remains unchanged, it would be the 10th consecutive year without a tax increase. Proposed spending in the preliminary budget is 4.4% higher than this...
Allegheny Valley sewage authority upgrading treatment plant ahead of 2023 deadline
The Allegheny Valley Joint Sanitary Authority’s sewage treatment plant expansion is moving forward through the planning phase. John Mowery of KLH Engineers said Wednesday the mechanical design is all but complete, to be followed by the electrical design and structural design. The authority plans to expand its sewage treatment capacity...
Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas Parade gets Alle-Kiski Valley pumped for holidaysVideo
To his shivering musicians warming up their vocal chords, Matthew Beresik offered these motivational words: “Sing like Santa’s watching you.” The Highlands High School Golden Rams Marching Band director then led them as they ushered in the annual Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas Parade on Saturday by playing and singing familiar Yuletide tunes....
The Stroller, Nov. 23, 2019: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Cub Scouts to collect blankets for homeless veterans Cub Scout Pack 556 Wolf Den will host a drive to collect new or gently-used blankets for homeless veterans from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Lower Burrell Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1601 Wildlife Lodge Road. To make a donation at...
Fox Chapel native opens Simple Sugars holiday pop-up shopVideo
Bakery Square will be a little smoother this holiday season. Simple Sugars, an all-natural handmade skincare product line specially formulated for sensitive skin, has opened a holiday pop-up shop through Dec. 22 in the East End shopping complex. The products have previously been sold only through its website. “I have...
2 injured in Saltsburg Road crash in Washington TownshipVideo
Saltsburg Road was closed late Friday night near Pfeffer Road in Washington Township after two people were injured in a crash that left one car on its roof. Washington Township police said they believe one of the two cars involved was pulling out from Pfeffer Road into the eastbound lanes...
Deer Lakes Middle School students win ‘Powering Pittsburgh’ competitionVideo
Four Deer Lakes Middle School students are renewable energy champions. Students Natalie Shaffer, Elizabeth Strang, Jillian Beiber and Lia DeForce-Petersen placed first in the middle school division of Powering Pittsburgh, a competition that encourages students to come up with alternative ways to generate power in the city of Pittsburgh or...
Lower Burrell Republican hopes to challenge incumbent state Sen. Jim Brewster
A New Kensington-based attorney and mother of four wants to challenge state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, for his seat in the 2020 general election. Nicole Ziccarelli, a Republican, announced she is running for Brewster’s seat in the 45th Senatorial District, which includes the Alle-Kiski Valley communities including Plum, Arnold, Lower...
