Valley News Dispatch category, Page 669
Leechburg police sporting new lookVideo
Leechburg police have a new look. Since Aug. 1, the department’s officers have been wearing dark blue uniforms, new badges and carrier vests over their dark-blue protective vests that read “police” in block white letters on the front and back. The department’s former uniforms were gray. Mayor Wayne Dobos said...
Glass recycling event coming to O’Hara
A pop-up event in O’Hara will give residents a chance to discard glass items which will be recycled into mayonnaise jars, beer bottles and other consumer products. The collection will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 14 in the municipal lot, 325 Fox Chapel Road. Presented by the Pennsylvania...
Leechburg Public Library to reopen after Labor Day
Leechburg Public Library hired a librarian and its collection should reopen next month, according to the president of the library board. Board President Karen Freilino said Leechburg resident Lisa Flick Kimbrugh was hired to direct the library when it reopens sometime after Labor Day inside Leechburg Junior/Senior High School. The...
New Kensington swears in police dog honoring slain Officer Brian ShawVideo
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo swore in the newest member of the city’s police force Monday evening — after the new recruit was done scratching. Deuce, an almost 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, was acquired with the help of slain police Officer Brian Shaw’s family. His parents, Stephan and Lisa Shaw, and...
New Kensington Council approves liquor license transfer for Sheetz
New Kensington Council on Monday approved the transfer of a liquor license for a Sheetz in the city despite the objections of several residents, including one armed with a petition. A remodeling of the convenience store and gas station on Freeport Street will include an addition with seating for 30...
Diving has become way of life for owners of Scott’s Scuba in FreeportVideo
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 Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. Scuba diving quickly became a way of life for...
Plea deal rejected in Arnold child rape case, suspect faces 100 years to life at trial
A Washington, D.C., man on Monday rejected a plea bargain offer that would have sent him to prison for at least 15 years for the alleged sexual assault of a young boy in Arnold. Delonte Haynes, 28, faces a potential life sentence if he is convicted of all four counts...
Lower Burrell firefighters save kittens from a storm sewer
During a meeting of junior firefighters Sunday at Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, someone asked if they really receive emergency calls about cats stuck in trees. “Yeah, we do it, but the stories about how it really happens are a bit exaggerated,” Brennan Sites, assistant chief, told the...
Chuck Booth remembered for his commitment to the Alle-Kiski Valley
Long-time New Kensington resident Chuck Booth may have been one of the most influential people in the Alle-Kiski Valley, but many never knew the full impact he made because he often worked behind the scenes without notoriety. “He worked hard every day of his life trying to make the Valley...
Tarentum police issue counterfeit money warning, seek suspect
Tarentum police are warning borough businesses about a man allegedly passing fake money. On its Facebook page, the department says it is asking for help identifying the man, who they allege is passing counterfeit $100 bills in the Tarentum area. He was described only as a black male. No other...
Police: New Kensington man who fought, lied to officers had drugs, stolen gun
A New Kensington man who police said provided officers with two phony names during a traffic stop Friday is accused of assaulting one officer and possessing heroin, crack cocaine and a stolen gun. Police said they pulled over a car driven by Robert Edward Kramer, 47, about 8:40 a.m. because...
Lily’s offers upscale dining with a view in Allegheny Township
It’s not just burgers and fries anymore at River Forest Country Club in Allegheny Township. Lily’s, the revamped restaurant at the golf course and country club, offers a fresh take on classics like chicken wings and sandwiches while adding in dinner entrees like a broiled rib-eye and shrimp scampi. “We...
New Kensington tattoo shop offers ‘ink’ to help leukemia patientVideo
Life right now for 14-year-old Veanna Pollard and her family revolves around her blood. Just over a month ago she was diagnosed with leukemia — a cancer affecting the blood. It means monitoring white blood cell counts and undergoing rounds of chemotherapy to push life-saving drugs into her veins. Her...
No one injured in Parks Township house fire
A smoldering cigar ash was the cause of a fire Saturday evening in Parks Township, officials said. Parks Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 Chief Jay Start said the fire happened around 6:45 p.m. at a home on Fitzgerald Lane. Start said the homeowner was smoking a cigar and some of...
East Deer officials trying to solve flooding woes on Clarks Pike
After sustaining five rounds of flooding during heavy rainstorms this year, East Deer officials are hoping to find a solution to the woes on Clarks Pike . A landslide caused by a pipe on private property added to the problems. Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani, Solicitor Craig Alexander and township engineer...
Springdale woman moved by reunion with UPMC doctors she thought she’d never see again
Six weeks ago, Evie Bodick had just about given up. The 75-year-old Springdale woman broke into tears in mid-June when she recounted that she had to shift her health care treatment away from the doctors and facilities she’d trusted for years, all because of a bitter battle between Pittsburgh’s two...
Harrison’s Chris ‘Z’ Ziemianski helps kids grow through basketballVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. People who play guard in basketball are known for seeing the whole court and making an assist so the team can succeed. Which is what made it natural for...
Audubon Society: Water quality in Buffalo Creek watershed worsening
A 10% spike in water quality impairment in just a decade in the Buffalo Creek watershed — an area known for its rich environmental quality and beauty — is among the findings of an Audubon Society report seeking final public comment. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania , which owns...
Grieving Harrison mother mentions suicide in daughter’s obituary to create awareness
When it came time for Michelle Gibb to begin the painful process of writing her daughter’s obituary, she had a choice to make: list her daughter’s death as a suicide, or use a more vague phrase, like “died unexpectedly.” To many people’s surprise, she chose the first option. It was...
Arnold ready to host Western Pa. Firemen’s Convention
Volunteer firefighters from across the region and numerous state fire officials will meet in Arnold next week for the annual convention for the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association. The Aug. 8-14 convention will be the fifth to be held in Arnold since the 1950s and the first since 1996, according to...
3 generations inspire annual Festa Italiana di Vandergrift
Vince Putignano watched his father Andrew’s face during the performance of the Italian national anthem at a festival in Pittsburgh’s Strip District many years ago. “The pride my dad saw that day when he looked at my grandfather during that song inspired my father to start an Italian festival in...
Brackenridge searches for money to fix collapsed sewer line
Brackenridge officials are considering borrowing money to help pay for emergency repairs to a collapsed storm sewer on Roup Avenue. Council on Thursday accepted the $106,400 bid of Glenn Johnson Inc. to do the repair work. Johnson’s bid was the lowest of three received in what was the second round...
New Kensington police seek help identifying robbery suspect
New Kensington police are asking for help identifying a suspect in a Friday night robbery. The incident happened at a New Kensington convenience store. The department posted a photo from a security camera to their Facebook page indicating the man shown is a suspect in a strong-arm robbery. Anyone with...
Hundreds come to Lower Burrell for Brian Shaw Memorial Fund eventVideo
Overcast skies in Lower Burrell on Saturday afternoon did nothing to temper the early turnout for the annual fundraiser celebrating the life of slain New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. The fundraiser — the prelude to a motorcycle ride next weekend — helps raise money for the Brian Shaw Memorial...
Hyde Park man to stand trial for wife’s 2017 death, her taped accusations played in courtVideo
Among the witnesses who testified Friday against a Hyde Park man accused of killing his wife in 2017 was the victim, herself. Jeffrey Mark Fondrk, 57, was ordered to stand trial Friday for allegedly beating Patricia Ann Fondrk to death in July 2017. Fondrk pleaded not guilty. At his preliminary...
