Valley News Dispatch category
Funeral fund established for 3-year-old girl who died in Natrona
The extended family of 3-year-old Karma Murray-Sinicki, who died Wednesday in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood, has established a GoFundMe to assist with the cost of funeral services. “Sweet little Karma passed away unexpectedly at 3 years old,” read the fund created by the child’s aunt, Rachel Kish, of Greensburg. “Mom &...
Back to business: Local shops, restaurants come back to life after snowstorm
Small business owners say they’ve weathered a storm that left 10 or more inches of snow on downtown streets this week. It took a mix of snow shovel handiwork, municipal plow trucks and private contractors with backhoes and tri-axle dump trucks to bring business districts back to life. “This storm...
Public input sought for Parks Township dump cleanup plans
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a five-year review of the project to clean up the former NUMEC nuclear waste dump off Route 66 and Kiskimere Road, formally known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area. It’s the second such review, designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleanup...
Resident, 71, and his dog killed in West Deer fire in which ammo exploded repeatedly
Fire crews attempting to knock down a West Deer blaze Wednesday were hampered by heavy rounds of ammunition exploding in the back of the home, authorities said. “When we got on scene, there was heavy fire — about 60% involved — and a solid half-hour of ammunition going off,” said...
Man who led police on hours-long chase up frozen Allegheny River remains jailed
Police say a Pittsburgh man who shouted to them that he wasn’t “going back to jail” as he led officers on a slow, 5-mile foot pursuit on the frozen Allegheny River on Wednesday is, in fact, back in jail. Gary Cawley, 47, is facing felony charges of burglary and criminal...
Former Highlands teacher gets house arrest while awaiting trial on sex assault charges
Former Highlands School District teacher Sean Dicer can stay at his Brackenridge home while awaiting trial on charges he sexually assaulted former students. Dicer has been in Allegheny County Jail since Dec. 4, when county police arrested him on charges that include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful...
O’Hara resident at the helm of 2 marinas in Allegheny County
Jim Scott of O’Hara doesn’t have a boat. Yet. But as the new owner of two established Allegheny County marinas — Fox Chapel Yacht Club and South Side Marina—Scott’s interest in a boat is ramping up. “I feel like you can’t own a marina without a boat,” said Scott during...
Volunteers face cold, snow to help local food banks
Cory Nulph and Jacob Ritchie didn’t hesitate when they were asked to clear snow from Leechburg’s First Methodist Church parking lot Monday evening. The men had spent most of the day plowing and shoveling their own driveways in Gilpin and those of their neighbors. Monday evening, when borough Mayor Doreen...
Police investigate child’s death in Harrison following ‘medical incident’
Police are investigating the death of a child Wednesday in Harrison. Harrison police Chief Brian Turack said township officers responded to Pine Street for a medical incident involving a 3-year-old child inside of a residence. He said Allegheny County Police were subsequently requested to the scene to handle the investigation....
The Stroller, Jan. 29, 2026: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Benefit concert to aid...
Man trying to flee police walks several miles up the frozen Allegheny River, authorities say
A man is in stable condition and facing criminal charges after a three-hour police chase Wednesday over a frozen Allegheny River — from Highland Park to Harmar. Pittsburgh police say they were dispatched at 1 p.m. to the 7100 block of Highland Drive for a report of a person trespassing...
Communities call in the heavy machinery for snow removalVideo
Some towns are trading in their snowplows for front loaders and dump trucks to deal with the remnants of Sunday’s snowstorm. With bitter cold expected to keep the snow piles around for at least a week, communities have nowhere to push the snow, so they plan to pick it up...
Westmoreland County, Allegheny Township sued over 2024 fatal motorcycle crash
The family of a Butler County man killed in a 2024 motorcycle crash filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that poorly marked curves and a history of “roadway departures” at a local intersection led to his death. Roger Davis Jr., 25, died from injuries suffered in a Sept. 15, 2024, crash...
1 dead after West Deer fire
One person is dead following a fire Wednesday morning in West Deer. Emergency crews responded at about 11 a.m. to the 100 block of Trump Road for a fully involved house fire. Kasey Reigner, public information officer for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services, confirmed the fire involved a...
Slopes to shovels: Valley High ski club clears snow for safe bus stopsVideo
Na’Zere Johnson knew when he joined Valley Jr.-Sr. High School’s ski club earlier this year that he’d be expected to brave wintry weather. But this week, Johnson and his peers traded the slopes and skis for hills and shovels. A group of ski club members has spent afternoons this week...
Audubon closes 2 nature stores, expands programs at Buffalo Creek, Succop, Beechwood Farms
The new executive director at Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is making changes to connect more people with the outdoors. Chris Bason said that reconfigurations at Buffalo Creek and Succop nature parks will create more opportunity for birding, a passion shared by more than one-third of U.S. adults, according to...
Lower Burrell man charged in Mogie’s shooting declared competent to stand trial
The man charged in the murder of a popular Lower Burrell bar owner is competent to stand trial. The decision by a Westmoreland County judge ends nearly 16 months of uncertainty regarding the prosecution of the case. Prosecutors contend Nathan Salem, 47, of Lower Burrell shot and killed David “Mogie”...
Iron City Distilling to host whiskey encore with online release
Whiskey lovers who missed the first release of Iron City Distilling’s Bessemer Rye Whiskey are getting a second chance at the limited spirit sooner than expected. Following what the East Deer distiller is calling a “rapid sellout” of the first round, a second sale of the single-barrel rye will be...
Highlands goes to remote learning for the week; other districts take it day-by-day
Highlands School District students will stay home the remainder of the week. Frigid temperatures, combined with the aftermath of Sunday’s monster snowfall, prompted the decision for remote learning for the rest of the week, administrators said. “Conducting remote learning all week was not expected,” Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said. “The safety...
New Kensington-Arnold considers adding in-house ESL service, phasing out French
New Kensington-Arnold School District officials are looking to create an in-house program for English as a second language while phasing out the high school French program. Jennifer Pallone, the district’s special education director, said the declining popularity of French and a rapid expansion of the number of students who speak...
Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services lands $242,700 federal boost for turnout gear
Members of the Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services will now be easily identified as a cohesive department with new turnout gear emblazoned with their call number — 102. The protective gear will replace outdated items and also reflect the merged department, comprised of Aspinwall and Sharpsburg, Chief Mike Daniher said....
The Stroller, Jan. 28, 2026: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Drive-thru dinner to aid...
West Deer Cub Scouts use snowfall to raise money for church roof
While many people stayed inside snuggled up and warm during the snow Sunday and Monday, Scouts from Cub Scouts Pack 965 got to work. The Scouts worked for most of the day Sunday shoveling driveways throughout the West Deer area in exchange for donations to help East Union Community Center...
Lower Burrell’s new training proves crucial in snowstorm
Lower Burrell officials were more prepared for Sunday’s snowstorm than any other event in the past 12 years, according to Mayor Chris Fabry. The preparedness can be attributed to city officials’ participation in a community risk reduction course in late November, he said. The course saw city officials from public...
Fox Chapel’s Cooper-Siegel library opens $2.5M expansion, ‘a space where ideas can flourish’
Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel has started a new chapter, one that bolsters its mission of cultivating a community of lifelong learners. On Jan. 23, the library opened its $2.5 million expansion of the facility’s lower level, complete with a Makerspace, small group study rooms, common area with tables...
