Valley News Dispatch category, Page 289
Arnold Council to consider decertifying 1 of 2 fire departments
Arnold Council may vote Tuesday to decertify one of the city’s two volunteer fire departments. A vote to decertify the No. 1 fire department will be on the council’s agenda, said Councilman George Hawdon, who is in charge of public safety. Hawdon declined to discuss details of the matter ahead...
Arnold woman accused of fatally shooting dog she recently adopted
An Arnold woman is accused of shooting and killing her dog on Sunday. Arnold police charged Susan Mullenax, 49, of Alcoa Drive with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. She was arraigned Sunday and released from the Westmoreland County jail after a professional bondsman posted her $25,000 bail,...
Bullying, staff turnover among concerns by Highlands teachers to be presented to school board
The Highlands School Board will hear Monday night from the teachers union about concerns throughout the district, including bullying and turnover rate for staff. The Highlands Education Association plans to make a presentation during the board’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. It will be in person in the high school...
Police investigate shots fired in Tarentum
Two people suffered minor injuries after gunshots were fired early Monday near Corbet Street in Tarentum, authorities said. The victims were not hit by gunfire, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers responded about 2:45 a.m. to the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Corbet Street, near the railroad tracks. At 5:15...
The Stroller, June 12, 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. Volunteers needed at Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley Animal Protectors of...
Motorcyclist dies from hit-and-run in Plum
A man died Sunday night after being involved in a hit-and-run collision in Plum earlier in the day, authorities said. James W. Baker, 66, of Penn Hills died about 8:40 p.m., according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Baker was riding a motorcycle in the 100 block of Unity...
Plum superintendent resigns to assume post at North Allegheny
Plum Borough School District announced Sunday that Superintendent Brendan Hyland was resigning to take the same post at North Allegheny School District. Hyland’s resignation takes effect June 30. The announcement came via a press release emailed to parents from school board. “Dr. Hyland has been an integral asset and catalyst...
Expression of faith in a rainbow of colors continues with ‘sawdust carpets’ at new site in Springdale
A local Catholic church’s decades-old tradition of celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi by creating temporary visual expressions of faith using a rainbow of colored sawdust marked its 80th year on Sunday at a new location. While the venue has changed, the cooperative weather did not. Nobody on site could...
New owners plan renovations to Leechburg B&B, eye former church as rental venue
A Chicago couple have traded in their big-city lifestyle for small-town living. “I wanted to buy an old church or house — and I got both,” said co-owner Jason Fitzpatrick, who originally was from Butler County. Fitzpatrick, 48, and husband Thomas Murphy, 32, who married seven years, began their search...
Faces of the Valley: Ken Kaminski has volunteered his time in the Alle-Kiski Valley for nearly 50 years
Ken Kaminski has blazed a trail volunteering in nature, emergencies and fires across the Alle-Kiski Valley since he was 14. Giving back to his community is a mainstay for the 63-year-old Allegheny Township resident. Kaminski’s nature-loving mission involves volunteering as president of the Roaring Run Watershed Association in Kiski Township....
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from May 31-June 7
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, the Tribune-Review’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate,...
Remember When: New Kensington beauty salon owner best known for piloting hot-air balloons
The late Ron Barth of Lower Burrell was best known by many as the pilot of a hot-air balloon that was a familiar sight in Alle-Kiski Valley skies for more than 25 years until the mid 1990s. Barth purchased his first balloon in 1971 for less than $6,800. He took...
Funding deadline causes cancellation of proposed garden, playground in New Kensington
Two organizations will not move forward with plans for a community park and garden along 10th Street in New Kensington. Westmoreland Community Action and Wesley Family Services had proposed building them on vacant city-owned lots on either side of Third Avenue. The city’s planning commission in February had recommended approval of...
Lower Burrell eyes master plan for parks, meeting scheduled this month
Lower Burrell residents should keep an eye out for park plans and ideas this month. Last Monday, planner Carolyn Yagle of Environmental Planning & Design LLC in Pittsburgh provided an update on Lower Burrell’s parks master plan. The study, which began last year, includes an inventory of the city parks...
The Stroller, June 11, 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. Free shuttle service available for NK, Arnold residents The New Ken...
Westmoreland human services director has personal stake in crisis intervention program
Rob Hamilton was a troubled young man. He struggled with homelessness and drug abuse during his formative years and, upon returning home from military service, couldn’t stay out of trouble. It wasn’t until he reunited with then-Blairsville police Officer Robert “B.J.” Shaw that Hamilton’s life changed. Shaw, rather than shuffling...
Vocational prowess earns spot in national skills championship for recent Kiski Area grad
Jack Skroupa has a knack for working with his hands that has his career heating up just one week after graduation from Kiski Area School District. Skroupa studied heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center and already landed an apprenticeship because of his skills....
Prosecutor accuses Harrison contractor of taking $50K for new kitchen cabinets and not doing the job
A remodeling contractor from Harrison is accused of taking more than $50,000 up front from a woman for new kitchen cabinets that he never installed. A detective with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office accused Dylan Seelnacht, 30, of the 300 block of Primrose Lane with two felony theft counts...
Upper Burrell supervisors to fix Lower Drennen Road stormwater runoff issue
The Upper Burrell supervisors continue their work to make improvements on Lower Drennen Road. At its meeting Wednesday, the board authorized its engineer, Michael Moore of Bankson Engineers, to prepare the specifications for the stormwater runoff issue on Lower Drennen, as well as other prep work using the township’s federal...
The Stroller, June 10, 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. Golf outing to benefit Five Forces veterans charity A golf outing...
Former ATI property on the market in Leechburg
Leechburg officials are hopeful a newly available riverfront property will entice a buyer or developer looking to invest in a scenic location. A 2.83-acre property along the Kiski River, previously used by ATI’s idled plants in Bagdad and West Leechburg, went on the market May 8 for $1.39 million by...
After yearslong court battle, construction for electronic billboard in Tarentum begins
Construction of an electronic billboard near the Tarentum Bridge has begun, after a yearslong battle in court and before borough officials. America First Enterprises, doing business as Oliver Outdoor, sought to place the electronic billboard at the Tarentum end of the bridge, at 107 E. Fourth Ave. A representative for...
New Kensington man guilty of child sex assault
A New Kensington man has been convicted of the sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl. A Westmoreland County jury deliberated more than five hours on Thursday before returning guilty verdicts against Chester Elmer Green Jr., who prosecutors contended had improper sexual contact with a young girl in 2013 and 2014....
Alle-Kiski High School Class Reunions
• Ken Hi Class of 1959 will have a reunion from 4 to 10 p.m. Aug. 17 at Hill Crest Country Club, Lower Burrell. Reservations required by July 25. Details: Keith and Bev at 724-594-0108 or Mic and Patti at 724-335-2914. • Freeport Area High School Class of 1961 will...
Kiski Area alum killed in crash remembered for kindness, work ethic
Family and friends are mourning the sudden death of a standout student hockey player from Washington Township. Alex Presley Orange, a 2020 Kiski Area High School graduate and PennWest University California student, died Sunday from injuries sustained in a car crash. He was 21. His parents, Todd Orange and Leesa...
