Valley News Dispatch category, Page 730
Tarentum wage increases follow pay freezes for some
Some Tarentum employees are getting pay raises in 2019 after having their pay frozen last year. The salaries hikes are included in the borough’s $3.58 million 2019 general fund budget. There was no increase in property taxes, which remain at 5.48 mills. The borough’s public works, water plant and office...
Leechburg library reopens after major 8-month tech renovation
Although the renovated Leechburg Public Library opened last week, residents are invited to attend a grand re-opening at 6 p.m. Jan. 22. The library has been closed since May for extensive renovations. It now boasts a more open space with comfortable seating and technological upgrades, including a media center and...
Richland woman uses rare cancer diagnosis to help others, spread awareness
Ten years ago, Jean Diesch finally got the answer she had been looking for after suffering for years from chronic pain and fatigue. Diesch, then in her early 50s, was diagnosed with a form of a rare blood cancer called a myeloproliferative neoplasms — or MPN for short — that...
Armstrong County commissioners chairman, Pat Fabian, seeking re-election
Pat Fabian has announced that he will seek re-election for Armstrong County Commissioner. “I feel I am a proven leader, have made the tough decisions and am confident in my ability to produce positive results for the tax payers of Armstrong County,” said Fabian, 42, of Manor Township. “I come...
New Kensington working to require emergency lock boxes on new commercial buildings
New Kensington is on the way to becoming the latest municipality in the region to require new or newly-renovated commercial buildings to install a lock box to help first-responders gain access in emergencies. City council laid the groundwork this week to enable it to pass an ordinance Feb. 4 that...
Lane closures on Route 356 start Monday in Allegheny Township
Motorists can expect delays on Route 356 in Allegheny Township because of single lane closures starting Monday and running until Feb. 18 for core drilling between White Cloud Road and Pleasant Hill Road. The lane closures will occur from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting, according to PennDOT District...
Heights Plaza receiver reports early progress righting ‘sinking ship’
A receiver appointed to take over operation of the Heights Plaza shopping center in Harrison reports making early progress “to right the sinking ship.” An Allegheny County judge in October named Pretium Property Management of White Plains, N.Y., as receiver of the distressed shopping center, also known as Harrison Town...
Allegheny County Police charge man in Plum shooting
A 21-year-old man has been charged in connection with a shooting Thursday in Plum. Malik Hawkins, no address given, was arrested without incident, Allegheny County Police said Friday. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh without bail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, weapons...
Tarentum water valve installation finishes early
The installation of new water valves in Tarentum has been finished early. The work, initially expected to take two weeks, was completed on Thursday, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said. Residents were warned on Jan. 3 that the work could cause brief water outages. Nine new valves were installed as part...
4 Tarentum Council seats to be up for election this year
Four seats on Tarentum Council will be up for election this year instead of the usual three. The extra race comes about because of the resignation of 3rd Ward Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan. The six remaining council members accepted her resignation Thursday. In her resignation email Tuesday, Dzugan cited family matters...
New Kensington moving to hire more police officers
New Kensington council will be hiring three new police officers to fill vacancies created by retirements, city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said. Council is scheduled to vote on the hires at a special meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, once members receive an approved list from the city’s Civil Service Commission. That...
Expanded facilities are recipe for success at Leechburg Area High SchoolVideo
There’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen at Leechburg Area High School now. A new, expansive Family and Consumer Science Room renovation project was completed last year, providing five state-of-the-art kitchen areas for students in grades 7-12 enrolled in various cooking classes, culinary arts, finance, sports...
Florida man not hurt after rolling over flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison
A truck driver from Florida was not hurt after rolling over his flatbed tractor-trailer on Route 28 in Harrison early Thursday afternoon. The crash was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. It happened on the southbound side of the highway just past the curved bridge over Saxonburg Road past Exit 16...
Lenape vo-tech head hopes strong bond will continue with the school districts it serves
School officials are hoping the solid bonds the Freeport Area School District has with the Lenape Vocational School continue. Wesley P. Kuchta, Lenape’s new administrative director, spoke before the school board Wednesday night and emphasized the success Freeport Area students have had at Lenape. “It’s important that superintendents and I...
Driver injured in tractor-trailer rollover on Route 28 exit near Tarentum
The driver of a tractor-trailer truck was injured late Thursday morning after he lost control of his truck and it flipped onto its side on the off-ramp of Route 28 near Tarentum. State police charged the driver, Brian Dawson, 52, of Cabot, with driving a vehicle at unsafe speeds. State...
Elderly man staying in South Buffalo still missing after 2 weeks
Police still have not found the elderly man who went missing from South Buffalo more than two weeks ago. Several hundred emergency volunteers, family and friends searched for Kenneth L. Himes, 70, after he left the home of a family member along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road between 11:30 p.m. Christmas night...
Lack of document stymies Upper Burrell drilling appeal
The legal challenge to an Upper Burrell supervisors’ decision to allow unconventional gas drilling is stalled in Westmoreland County Court, in part, because not all of the paperwork has been filed. Upper Burrell Citizens Against Marcellus Pollution, a group seeking to curb gas drilling in the largely rural township, appealed...
Two new Marcellus shale gas sites proposed in Upper Burrell
Huntley & Huntley has applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for permits to drill unconventional gas wells at two sites in Upper Burrell. The sites are on industrial property owned by Acronic and Alcoa. The “Selene” and “Calliope” well pads are about a mile apart, located off of...
West Leechburg turkey captures hearts while eluding apprehensionVideo
A white turkey roaming free in West Leechburg has captured the hearts of some borough residents. It has managed to elude capture, and the identity of its owner remained a mystery Wednesday night. West Leechburg police Chief George Lebetz said his department received multiple calls about the turkey, including reports...
Apollo officials keeping services afloat, look to fill key positions
The lights are out on the Apollo Bridge, and the borough isn’t sure how to turn them back on. The lighting outage is just one of many tasks at the Apollo Borough office that need to be handled in the absence of a borough manager. Council Vice President Diane Bradshaw...
Arnold appoints deputy treasurer to fill treasurer role
Arnold has a new treasurer. Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to appoint Deputy Treasurer Cathy Ozdany, 65, of Arnold, at a salary of $45,364. She will fill the position vacated by Joseph Puet, who was hired as Cheswick’s borough secretary last year. “She was the only one that applied for...
Police: After nearly hitting officer with car, Arnold man tells them, ‘I’m drunk and high’
Police say an Arnold man nearly hit an officer with a car during a high-speed car chase through three Alle-Kiski Valley municipalities Monday night. Police allege Robert Maxwell Vining Jr. was drunk and high at the time. Vining allegedly apologized to the officer for nearly striking him with the car....
Property tax unchanged, electric cost up in Tarentum 2019 spending plan
Property taxes aren’t going up in Tarentum in this year despite nearly $1 million in increased spending. Council approved the borough’s $3.58 million 2019 general fund budget. That’s up about 32 percent from the $2.71 million 2018 general fund budget. The property tax rate remains at 5.48 mills. The owner...
Highlands Middle School could host proposed rain garden
Ground at Highlands Middle School has been selected as the site of a “green infrastructure” project in Harrison. If permitted by the school district, the proposed rain garden would be built this year, said Jeff Bergman, director of community forestry with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The garden is part of...
Tarentum Council considering renaming community garden for Pastor Greg Blythe
Tarentum Council is considering renaming the borough’s community garden. The existing Friendship Garden, from which people are free to take whatever fruits and vegetables they want or need, could be renamed to honor Pastor Greg Blythe. Blythe, pastor of Abundant Joy Fellowship, was one of the founders of the garden,...
