Valley News Dispatch category, Page 678
New Kensington’s fire chief still named Saliba
The name of Ed Saliba will remain at the top of the New Kensington Fire Department’s chain of command. On Monday, Edward C. Saliba, the son of the city’s longtime fire Chief J. Edward Saliba, was appointed unanimously by council to succeed his father as the city’s fire chief. The...
Route 28 to be reduced to one lane early Wednesday morning
Route 28 will be reduced to a single lane in Springdale and Harmar townships early Wednesday morning. Crews will be conducting demolition work on the Hite Road Bridge, near exit 12, causing single-lane restrictions in both directions. The southbound lanes will be restricted to one lane from 3 a.m. to...
Vandergrift will have to wait until next year for paving money
Vandergrift got some bad news from the Westmoreland County planning department last month. The borough was turned down in its bid to acquire funds to pave 12 streets this summer. Instead, Vandergrift will have to reapply for funding through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program next year. The...
Harmar bridge to close for 3 months for replacement project
A Harmar bridge will shut down this month and remain closed for three months for a $1.1 million bridge replacement project. Little Deer Creek Bridge on Jacoby Road will close at 6 a.m. July 17, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. The closure will be followed by...
Customers lament lack of items at Allegheny Township Kmart
What’s next for the only remaining Kmart in the Alle-Kiski Valley? Some customers shopping Tuesday at the Big Kmart in Hyde Park Shopping Center in Allegheny Township were pondering that question as they commented on changing conditions at the store. The Valley’s only other Kmart, along Tarentum Bridge Road in...
Leechburg area campaign underway to say thanks to troops, first responders
Leechburg-area children and adults are encouraged to take part in the second annual Operation Gratitude collection of letters, cards and drawings for troops and first responders from the community. The drive is underway through the end of the month. Sponsor Brittany McLaughlin said she is hoping to get at least...
Harrison man indicted for possessing child pornography
A Harrison man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of possessing child pornography last year, according to federal prosecutors. According to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady, Jack Ulrich Jr., 41, used computer graphics files to store pornographic photographs and videos of minors, some of whom...
Fox Chapel Area Superintendent to retire in 2020
Fox Chapel Area School District Superintendent Gene Freeman has announced his impending retirement after five years with the district. His departure is effective June 12, 2020. Freeman said it has been a great honor to lead the district and he’s proud of the path it has taken. Since he began...
Tarentum jewelers create meaningful relationships with friends, families
Seita Jewelers in Tarentum has been putting engagement rings on people’s fingers for more than 60 years. Owners Curt and Sandi Marino have plenty of stories about how their customers popped the question, from putting a ring inside a specially made hockey puck to proposing on top of a Las...
New Stanton man charged with assaulting woman in Bell Township
Police say a New Stanton man put his knee on a woman’s throat and held a lit cigarette to her chest during an assault in Bell Township. State police said Cody James Barron, 26, of East Street, New Stanton, also is accused of hitting a woman in the face with...
Fire companies in need of bottled water donations
While firefighters use untold gallons of water to fight blazes to save lives, they don’t want to come up short taking care of their own water needs. Keeping first responders hydrated for hours in the heat can become a challenge that impacts their performance and health. Volunteer firefighters, strapped by...
Man killed in Arnold alley identified as East Franklin resident; police investigating
A heavy-equipment operator and father of three from Armstrong County died after being shot in an Arnold alley Friday night, according to investigators. Gregory Ray Wynkoop, 35, of East Franklin died of a single gunshot wound at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. in the...
Cheswick, Springdale Twp. begin era of regional police force
The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department is officially on patrol. Officers started the first shift for the newly formed department, which merged the Cheswick and Springdale Township departments, at 7 a.m. Monday. The department is headquartered in Springdale Township and has a substation in Cheswick. The merger took a year...
6 shootings in 6 weeks rattle residents in New Kensington, Arnold
Larry Rowe woke shortly after 1:30 a.m. in late May to the piercing sound of back-to-back gunshots on his Arnold block. The 74-year-old retired high school history teacher nudged his wife and headed toward his bedroom window. “I rolled out of my bed, I’m almost to the window, and then...
Longtime pastor of Lutheran church in Harrison retires
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Barbara Ravenstahl felt a calling to become a preacher when women weren’t allowed behind the pulpit. The Lutheran Church in America ordained its first female minister in November 1970....
Good things come in small batches at Saxonburg eateryVideo
Two best friends are cooking up success together — one batch at a time. That’s how Batch, a fresh food eatery and retail store in Saxonburg began five years ago — with buddies and business partners Meghan Pohl and Jessica Brewster making their specialty homemade jams and jellies in small...
State delays change to Westmoreland’s paratransit system
A proposed state change local officials said could devastate Westmoreland County’s paratransit system for low income and elderly riders has been delayed. Gov. Tom Wolf late last week signed legislation authorizing a six-month study of the plan approved last year giving oversight of the state’s medical assistance transportation program to...
Boil-water advisory in effect for Harrison residents through Monday
A boil-water advisory remains in place for residents of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood at least through Monday. Emergency services officials confirmed late Sunday that the advisory will continue until testing demonstrates that the local water is safe to drink. Residents should boil their water before using for drinking or cooking. Homes...
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church celebrates 60 years in Brackenridge
There was a time, not so long ago, when the congregation of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church had all but disappeared. When the Rev. Frank Yesko arrived in 2011, he didn’t know if they’d end up closing their doors, but he knew he had to try. Now, the church has about...
The Freeport Theatre Festival celebrates 30 yearsVideo
Inside this former machinery barn the magic of theater unfolds. The Freeport Festival Theatre has been presenting summer shows in this space in the Allegheny- Kiski Valley for three decades. It’s the mission of actors and married couple Rennick and Marushka Steele. The theater, nestled on the Steele Farm in...
Man dies after being shot on residential street in Arnold
Police are investigating a fatal shooting Friday night on a residential street in Arnold, officials said. Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers received a report of a shooting about 6:30 p.m. in an alley between Taylor and Woodmont avenues, said Detective John Clark of the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. Officials found...
Tarentum Action Committee works to combat blight in the borough
They’re cleaning up Tarentum by pulling one weed at a time. A group of volunteers calling themselves the Tarentum Action Committee spent Saturday morning outside seven blighted properties in the borough, pulling weeds and clearing debris to improve their curb appeal, according to the committee’s chairwoman, Lorri Wildi. “This is...
Harrison girl, 7, a fundraising sensation, gets $7,500 surprise from Walmart
Kaohmi Gold, a Verona girl who turned 4 earlier this month, has set her sights on a new role model. Her name is Kaley Bastine of Harrison, and at 7, she’s not much older than Kaohmi. They both really like dogs and cops — and especially police dogs. Kaohmi has...
Boil water advisory in place for Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood
People who live in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood are advised to boil water before drinking it. Harrison Water Authority board member Mark Krumenacker said the advisory was issued because of a large water main break Friday on Springhill Road. The line was repaired Friday, but the advisory will remain in place...
Storm downs trees, power lines in part of Alle-Kiski Valley
A fast moving thunderstorm rolling through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley at about 2 p.m. Saturday knocked down trees and power lines causing outages to about 250 electric customers, according to 911 dispatch reports. According to West Penn Power, most of the outages were reported in Washington Township with 203...
