Valley News Dispatch category, Page 671
Tarentum police seek help identifying assault suspect
Tarentum police are working to identify a man wanted in connection with an assault. The assault happened in the 300 block of East 6th Avenue, police Chief William Vakulick said Tuesday. He did not say when the assault happened. The man was seen driving a black Chevrolet Avalanche. Borough police...
Route 908 Extension work detours traffic in Fawn, Frazer
Route 908 Extension in Fawn and Frazer will be closed weekdays through August, PennDOT announced. The road will be closed between Bull Creek and Bakerstown roads from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 30. PennDOT crews are repairing a slide, replacing cross pipe and inlets, improving shoulders and...
Selling cellphones a family business for the SwackhammersVideo
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. Separating work and family matters, knowing how to communicate...
Armstrong County drug case dismissed after judge says speedy trial rule violated
An Armstrong County judge threw out drug charges against a Ford City man, saying prosecutors took too long to bring the case to trial. Matthew Cani, 44, was facing six felony and four misdemeanor drug charges after police said he sold drugs to a confidential informant in May 2018. The...
Allegheny River lock 2 to close to all boat traffic for repairs
After years of chasing money for repairs, the Army Corps of Engineers is ready to start a $6.6 million project to fix the crumbling land wall of Allegheny River lock 2 near Highland Park. Recreational boaters and commercial traffic will be out of luck as the lock chamber will be...
Brian Shaw memorial fundraiser to be bigger than last year, organizers say
After raising more than $7,100 and offering 93 gift baskets of items for the first Officer Brian Shaw Memorial fundraiser last year, the staff at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell is setting higher goals this year. Already, more than 100 baskets have been accumulated for the silent auction and...
Fall opening eyed for New Kensington O’Reilly Auto Parts store
The steel frame for a new O’Reilly Auto Parts store is up in New Kensington. Work is continuing on the store along Tarentum Bridge Road at Carl Avenue. The store is scheduled to open this fall, said Nathanael Coram, a project administrator at the company’s headquarters in Springfield, Mo. The...
Christmas already? Harrison residents prepare wreaths for holiday seasonVideo
It’s not quite Christmas in July, but a handful of Harrison residents are already looking ahead to that most wonderful time of the year. On Monday, under hot sun and in muggy air, members of the township’s Recreation Board and others cleaned up Christmas wreaths that will be hung on...
Former Harrison cop ‘Bucky’ Taraszewski just can’t seem to retire
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. When Floyd “Bucky” Taraszewski retired after nearly 50 years from the Harrison Township Police Department in 2016, his wife jokingly scolded him. “She told me I wasn’t just...
Oversized fun for all ages at Harmar’s Zone 28
Oversized patio games, a fire pit and more than 100 different beers are just some of the options being offered at the new beer park at Zone 28 in Harmar. The beer park is the latest in Zone 28’s entertainment evolution over the past few years. In that time they’ve...
Tri-City Historical Society hopes to learn more about area’s past
The Tri-City Historical Society may be relatively new, but its members already have high aspirations for what it will be able to offer the Alle-Kiski Valley in the future. The nonprofit group was founded this year to collect, preserve and make available materials related to the histories of Arnold, New...
Autistic musicians rock at Pittsburgh Blues and Roots FestivalVideo
There was nothing not funky about the Spectrum’s version of “Play that Funky Music White Boy” at the Syria Shrine Center in Harmar on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival. But there was an aura — something almost supernatural and powerful — that wowed the crowd. Maybe it...
Annual Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival heating up the summer
The Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival, scheduled for July 27-28 at the Syria Shrine Center in Cheswick, delivers again with a lineup of blistering blues talent. Those on the bill include national marquee acts Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, “Across the Universe” fame and Joplin-esque vocalist Dana Fuchs, Joe Grushecky...
Plans for 162-acre development off Route 28 a ‘go,’ developer says
Plans to develop 162 acres near the Tarentum interchange along Route 28 are moving forward, according to a consultant on the project. Nothing has been built on the Harrison site known as Jobe’s Hole since trees were cleared from it more than two years ago to protect an endangered species...
South Buffalo police actively patrolling 30 square-milesVideo
South Buffalo is regularly patrolled by police officers who know the township’s 30 square miles and the neighboring community of Cadogan Township. That comes as a surprise to some residents, said police Chief Jeffrey Kuntz. Maybe that’s because, the chief says, the most dangerous thing in the quiet community might...
At Vandergrift’s Artfest, thousands showed they could be an artist for the dayVideo
Several thousand visitors attended Vandergrift’s Artsfest on Saturday, where anyone was an artist, with children freestyle painting and adults throwing some clay on a potter’s wheel. Sponsored by the Vandergrift Improvement Program (VIP), Artsfest featured 37 artists, crafters and vendors selling paintings, jewelry, prints, leather work, home decor items, photography...
Recent flooding forces Plum’s Monday Market to change location
The location of this week’s Monday Market has been changed to the Plum Municipal Building parking lot, 4575 New Texas Road. The change comes as the result of flooding at Plum Creek Park and activity scheduled at its fields. The market will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m....
Brackenridge woman, 28, dies in Washington Township crash
A 28-year-old woman was killed Saturday morning in a two-vehicle accident in Washington Township. Washington Township police identified the fatality victim as Haley D. Montgomery, of Brackenridge. Montgomery was driving northbound on Route 66 and attempted to turn left onto Greensburg Road (Route 366) at about 7:40 a.m. Saturday. She...
Police: Drums, guns, alcohol played role in Washington Township arrest
A Washington Township man is accused of threatening to shoot police officers who responded to a noise complaint at his home and then resisting arrest. Police say it took multiple attempts to subdue Robin Mitchell Saula, 61, with a Taser. Police said they received calls after 11 p.m. Tuesday about...
Arnold man accused of punching New Ken police officer in face
An Arnold man will stand trial on charges that he punched a police officer in the face earlier this month in New Kensington. Chaz Anthony Hooper, 30, will head to Westmoreland County Court on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and public drunkenness in connection to...
New restaurant owners look to infuze Brackenridge with flavorsVideo
Tim Emery has been in the restaurant business since he was 13. He’s been a busboy, a line cook and a chef. He’s opened hundreds of restaurants working for a chain. “I’ve been cooking almost my whole life. I’ve cooked every cuisine you could think of,” said Emery, 36, a...
Historic Brackenridge cemetery seeks help to make a comeback
Vegetation used to be a problem at Prospect Cemetery. Now, it’s an enhancement. The historic Brackenridge cemetery, where many prominent and notable figures from the area’s past are buried, was once being consumed by grass and weeds. That slide into disrepair was reversed. And now, a small hill in the...
Frosted Mug in Cheswick, soon to close, remembered for much more than good food
The freshly popped popcorn on the tables, the chicken wings and the fish sandwiches are just a few of the items regulars of the Frosted Mug in Cheswick will miss once it closes. Karen Black, 62, said the bar and restaurant will close its doors and she will retire later...
New Kensington-Arnold reports progress in teacher contract talks
New Kensington-Arnold School District officials are optimistic that teachers will have a new contract before classes resume next month. The district’s teachers have been working without a contract for almost two years. The last contract ended on Aug. 31, 2017. At a school board meeting Thursday, Superintendent John Pallone said...
6 things to do in and around Westmoreland: July 26-28
We are creeping toward August but there’s still plenty of summer fun yet to come. Here’s what’s going on in and around Westmoreland County this weekend. Ready for some football? Just like the swallows to Capistrano, the Pittsburgh Steelers return each summer to the Unity campus of Saint Vincent College...
