Valley News Dispatch category, Page 247
Harmar House events center catches fire, displaces 9 residents from apartments
Futules’ Harmar House banquet hall caught fire Wednesday evening right before dusk, displacing nine residents in apartments there. The first call came in at about 7:20 p.m. and first responders reported that there was heavy fire in the banquet hall. Numerous fire companies responded. Lower Valley EMS chief Jamey Lavelle...
Part of former Springdale plant pulled down; more demolition planned in late September
Part of the former Cheswick Generating Station’s boiler building in Springdale was pulled down Monday night, making way for the rest of the building’s demolition next month. Scott Reschly, vice president of operations for the property owner, Charah Solutions, said the selective catalytic reduction portion of the plant is what...
Vandergrift man arrested at gunpoint, charged in break-in
Vandergrift police say a woman’s former boyfriend was arrested at gunpoint inside her kitchen Monday after she barricaded herself in the attic and called 911 when she heard somebody break into her home. Adam Richard Younkins, 24, of the 100 block of Lowell Street was charged Monday, Aug. 28 with...
Greensburg bishop strengthens spiritual and ancestral ties with faith-filled trip to Slovakia
It was a European trip filled with faith, family, friends — and a first. Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick combined exploring his Slovak heritage with official duties during a trip this summer to numerous towns in Slovakia, including his ancestral village of Nova Bystrica. While there, he experienced a vocational...
5th gas well pad planned in Frazer
Plans for a fifth unconventional fracking well pad in Frazer are underway. Lori Ziencik, township secretary and supervisor, said Range Resources received permitting July 20 for the Drape James well pad, which would be located at 60 Kenny Lane. “It’s a permitted use in that zoning district, which is rural...
The Stroller, Aug. 30, 2023: 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. Tails on the Trails walk fundraiser welcomes canine participants The 14th...
Vandergrift steel processing company for sale for nearly $10M
A longstanding specialty steel processing business is for sale in Vandergrift. MSI Corp., at 210 First St., is listed for $9.9 million by listing agent Scott Lewis of Edward Lewis Inc., based in Youngstown, Ohio. Owners Henry “Duke” and Gisela McLaughlin of Allegheny County, both in their 70s, are looking...
Sharpsburg launches new borough website, adds features
Sharpsburg officials have launched a new website designed to increase transparency and make borough business easier. The revamped sharpsburgborough.com went live on Aug. 23. Borough officials worked with the municipal website company GovUnity over the summer to recreate Sharpsburg’s online presence. The contract was for about $6,000 payable over three...
New Kensington man sentenced for child sex assault
A New Kensington man was ordered to serve up to 13 years in prison for the sexual assault of a child. Chester Elmer Green Jr. 63, was convicted in June by a Westmoreland County jury of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2013 and 2014. Green was found guilty aggravated indecent...
Apollo-Ridge officials condemn racist social media posts ahead of game against Valley
Apollo-Ridge School District officials Tuesday condemned racist images targeting Valley High School’s football team ahead of the schools’ scheduled game Friday in New Kensington. In a statement, Apollo-Ridge Superintendent Matt Curci said the racist material posted to social media was brought to officials’ attention Monday night. One image was a...
Trafford’s Theatre Factory to debut play this weekend at Pittsburgh New Works FestivalVideo
When Josette Kurey realized she would be directing actors Ron and Mary Ferrara of Vandergrift as part the world premiere of a new play about a married Italian-American couple from Queens, N.Y., she knew things were on the right track. “They’re almost playing themselves, married Italian grandparents. It’s very funny,...
Oakmont Carnegie Library encourages children to approach reading paws-itively
A new weekend program taking place at the Oakmont Carnegie Library intends to teach children that learning to read isn’t always so “ruff.” Stories with Sandy is a reading program that utilizes therapy dog Sandy, a Goldendoodlecertified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, to help children ages 5 to 10...
Lane shifts on Greensburg Road in Plum end
Lane shifts on Greensburg Road in Plum have ended earlier than expected, Allegheny County’s department of public works announced Tuesday. The lane shifts began March 13 and were originally expected to last into December. They were required for the replacement of Pucketa Creek Bridge No. 5, which carries Lincoln Beach...
Police charge Brackenridge man with breaking down door, threatening housemates with ax
Tarentum police arrested a man after his housemates told them he used an ax to break through a door because he was angry they weren’t chipping in enough to pay the bills. David Hood Monroe, 64, of the 1100 block of Roup Avenue in Brackenridge, was charged with a felony...
Unsubstantiated threat causes increased police presence at Fox Chapel Area’s Kerr Elementary
Fox Chapel Area School District’s Kerr Elementary was placed on lockdown Monday as O’Hara police investigated a threat in the area. Police Superintendent Jay Davis said there was an increased police presence around the school from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said officers received information from another department,...
2 of 3 people accused in Tarentum robbery hoax have prior felony arrests for theft
Two of the three people accused of staging an armed robbery at Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum last week already were facing felony theft charges when the alleged crime was committed, according to court records. Connor Whited, 26, and his girlfriend, Leah Baczynski, 24, are accused of hatching a plan for...
Riverview selects Ernie Tillman, Kareem Gahed to fill vacancies on school board
The Riverview School Board tapped a former director and a newcomer to fill two board vacancies. School directors selected Ernie Tillman and Kareem Gahed to fill board spots vacated by Jeanine Hurt-Robinson and Jane Miller. The appointments are effective until the term ends at the board’s reorganization meeting in December....
Community invited to ‘Worship by the Water’ at Allegheny RiverTrail Park
So long as Danny English is Director of Music Ministries at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, worshippers can expect something special. From original scores at Sunday services to his efforts to maintain a choir despite changing demographics at the Center Avenue church, English has poured his heart into the job since 2016....
The Stroller, Aug. 29, 2023: 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. Butler County purse bash to benefit hospice youth care program A...
Monroeville man crowned Pittsburgh’s ‘ultimate zombie’ at ScareHouse
Pittsburgh Mills mall went to the zombies Monday night. As they moaned, groaned and shambled their way through the ScareHouse — the Frazer mall’s former H&M store — a panel of local celebrity judges examined the three contestants’ acting and their wardrobes, ultimately crowning Jarrod Joos, 32, of Monroeville, Pittsburgh’s...
Plum mayor, police advise residents to secure vehicles parked outdoors
Plum officials are warning residents to secure vehicles that are parked outside. At the August borough council meeting, Mayor Harry Schlegel said police had 866 calls for service in July, a 16% increase over June. Thefts from vehicles are one of the things he said have been keeping officers busy....
District judge orders Tarentum man accused of strangling his girlfriend twice to stand trial
A Tarentum man accused of strangling his girlfriend during separate altercations earlier this month has been ordered to stand trial. James Robert Miller, 46, of the 100 block of Heuser Way was charged Aug. 8 with two felony counts of strangulation along with two counts each of making terroristic threats,...
The Stroller, Aug. 28, 2023: 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. Outdoor Discovery Center to host Sept. 9 fundraiser “Summer’s Last Fling,”...
Butler County leaders get a close look at agricultural issues — and an elk farm — on tour
To say Bill Duncan is busy man probably would be an understatement. Duncan, his wife, Jean, and their son, Jim, own and operate an elk farm at their Clinton Township property. The unusual form of agriculture was the spotlight of a recent Butler County Farm Bureau legislative tour, during which...
Public to weigh in on proposed Leto compressor station in West Deer
West Deer supervisors have set a Sept. 26 public hearing date on a proposed compressor station on the Leto well pad property. The hearing will be held at St. Victor Church, Our Lady of the Lakes Parish. Vice chairwoman Shirley Hollibaugh said during the board’s recent meeting that the township...
