Valley News Dispatch category, Page 307
‘The clerk was in on it’: Harrison police nab accomplice in gas station robbery
Police say the robbery of a Harrison gas station earlier this month was staged. “The clerk was in on it,” police Chief Mike Klein said, without elaborating further. David Cousineau, 19, of Harrison is charged with criminal conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property. Police said he was party to a...
Westmoreland DA hopes to expand trauma intervention program in schools
A pilot program launched last year in response to the murder of an 9-year-old New Kensington boy has helped as many as 45 school-age children deal with ongoing trauma, according to the Westmoreland County district attorney. Nicole Ziccarelli wants to expand the program, which provides aid and comfort to children...
The Stroller, Feb. 23, 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. Indoor concert to benefit local police departments The Back the Blue...
Fish rodeo in O’Hara serves as day out for hospitalized veterans
The pond at O’Hara Community Park will provide the perfect setting for hospitalized veterans to reel in good times during the 11th annual fish rodeo in May. The festival-like event features grilled hamburgers, prizes, goody bags and, of course, some time casting lines into the water. Sponsored by the Morningside...
8 bands to rock Back the Blue concert to help Brackenridge police
An additional fundraising concert to benefit local police departments is taking place this weekend to raise extra money for the Brackenridge Police Department. This concert was added in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire in January, said David “Mogie” Magill, co-founder of AK Valley...
Holiday Park VFD in Plum starts fish fry fundraising season
For many religious practitioners, Lent is a season of prayer, fasting and observance starting on Ash Wednesday and leads up to Easter. For others, it’s fish fry season, a time to help support local fire departments, churches and restaurants in the pursuit of satisfying seafood and side dishes. This is...
Convenience of Ashes to Go climbs in popularity
Vehicles were moving through the Ashes to Go line Wednesday at St. Barnabus Episcopal Church in Brackenridge quicker than a Starbucks drive-thru. The program began at noon and within 30 minutes had seen more than 45 people requesting ashes on their forehead, a Christian tradition that marks the start of...
Survey to gather input on Tarentum-East Deer trail closes Friday
It’s time to hoof it if you want your trail ideas to be heard. Anyone interested in the proposed trail segment running through Tarentum and East Deer has only until Friday to review plans and offer input. Friends of the Riverfront is seeking opinions on a five-mile stretch of the...
Plum cop charged with DUI after found sleeping in running pickup, police say
A Plum patrolman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after another Plum officer found him asleep behind the wheel of a running vehicle, police said. Ryan E. Schneiderlochner, 51, of Plum is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 26 on the charge filed Jan. 24, according to...
Upper Burrell floats police merger with neighboring towns
Upper Burrell is looking to consolidate its police department with its neighbors. Township officials are asking Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Allegheny and Washington townships to take a survey gauging the feasibility of forming a regional police force. When Ross Walker, chairman of the Upper Burrell supervisors, was first elected...
Police and psychics step up efforts to find who took Cherrie Mahan 38 years agoVideo
Law enforcement and Butler’s psychic sisters are frustrated by a 38-year search for a suspect in the abduction of Cherrie Mahan from a rural bus stop in Winfield Township. But they are trying harder and upping their efforts to find answers around the anniversary of the 8-year-old’s disappearance Feb. 22,...
The Stroller, Feb. 22, 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. Magic and comedy show planned in Harrison Natrona Heights Veterans of...
Plum house a total loss after suspected electrical fire
No one was hurt in a fire Tuesday that destroyed a house in Plum. The fire at 435 Millers Lane was reported at 4:40 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. Tim Townsend and his fiancee, Christine Biros, own the one-story home and live there with his adult son,...
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher won’t seek reelection
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection. “After careful consideration, I have decided to not run for a third term as county commissioner,” Thrasher said in a news release issued Tuesday night. “I truly enjoyed my time as county commissioner, it afforded me the...
Rescued from atop New Kensington home, Roofus the cat waits to be claimed
A tabby cat rescued from atop a Fourth Avenue home in New Kensington is garnering some social media attention while fire crews search for its family. Named Roofus by the emergency crew that saved him, the cat was taken to Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley in Parnassus and is waiting...
Mary Queen of Apostles, Kiski Area get shares of $8M state grants for school safety
Kiski Area School District and Mary Queen of Apostles Catholic School are among 166 schools or districts across Pennsylvania getting shares of more than $8 million in state grants to improve school safety. Mary Queen of Apostles received two grants totaling nearly $100,000 for use at its two schools in...
The Stroller, Feb. 21, 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. Children encouraged to enter bookmark design contest Vandergrift Public Library is...
Indiana Township officials give tentative OK to housing development despite residents’ objections
Indiana Township supervisors gave tentative approval Feb. 15 to a proposed housing development despite strong objections from residents. The 3-2 vote in favor of the Indiana Trails planned residential development came with Republicans — Supervisor Paul Jorgensen, Deputy Mayor Albert Kaan and Mayor Darrin Krally — approving it. Democratic Supervisors...
Arnold approves selling Fourth Avenue lots to dumpster rental business
The owner of a dumpster rental company plans to start construction on a new home for his business in Arnold by the fall. Joe Cene, owner of Triple P Disposal, hopes the work along Fourth Avenue can start sooner than that. “I’m going to do all I can to get...
Gilpin officials investigating reports of stolen business yard signs
Gilpin officials are investigating recent reports of sign thefts in the township. Supervisor Charles Stull took to social media Friday to ask for the public’s help regarding multiple reports of what he described as a “strange” crime throughout the township. “Yard signs for various businesses throughout Gilpin Township have gone...
Free bus rides provide New Kensington, Arnold residents grocery shopping opportunity
Growing up in New Kensington in the 1950s and ’60s, Joan Smith said there was a variety of grocery stores, most within walking distance, no matter which section of town you lived in. “There was IGA and Gold Circle, and even at Kmart you could get some stuff,” Smith said....
The Stroller, Feb. 20, 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. Children encouraged to enter bookmark design contest Vandergrift Public Library is...
Plum awards contract for $1M road paving program, mostly for Holiday Park and Logans Ferry Heights
Plum’s Holiday Park and Logans Ferry Heights neighborhoods will be the main beneficiaries of road work in the borough this year. Of nearly a dozen roads that will be resurfaced, seven are in Holiday Park. Eighteen that will be tarred and chipped are all in Logans Ferry Heights. Borough council...
Harrison, Brackenridge police investigating after ‘taggers’ vandalize properties
Graffiti artists have left their unwanted mark on a Brackenridge business and other sites in Harrison. Property owner Cameron Yockey said he discovered Feb. 3 that his building along Brackenridge Avenue had been tagged. Vandals scribbled on the storefront, sidewalk and trash can. “Thankfully, we bought this building to renovate...
Plum Council approves first 35 houses of Patriot Estates plan; a total of 158 in the works
Plum Council has attached a few conditions to its approval of the first phase of a three-phase, 158-home housing development. Council voted 6-0 to give final approval to the 35-house first phase of Patriot Estates, a development that would cover about 140 acres off Davidson Road. Council’s approval followed a...
