Valley News Dispatch category, Page 351

There’s a new preschool in Vandergrift. Westmoreland Community Action has opened a Head Start classroom in the lower level of The Center on Franklin Avenue, in the former Trinity United Presbyterian Church. Teacher Abby Wilcox of Kiski Township welcomed new students Monday. Head Start prepares children ages 3 to 5...

Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers will see no rate changes for the next year under part of a new $107.6 million operating budget unanimously approved Wednesday by the agency’s board of directors. Water rates last were increased in 2017 as part of a three-year plan to raise revenues...

The masking requirement will remain at Allegheny Valley School District. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, board members voted 5-4 to keep a mandatory masking policy in place, rather than switching to recommended masking. School board member David Buchman said the board will revisit the mask requirement if improvement...

A New Kensington man accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with three girls, ages 11, 13 and 14, has been ordered to stand trial on multiple felony charges. Lawrence William Barber, 67, of Parkview Drive was charged Dec. 9 with three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children...

It’s time to take down the silver mirror ball at the Tarena. Council on Tuesday night approved a conditional use by a Wexford-based construction company to transform the long-running Tarentum entertainment spot into a storage facility and staging area. “We have to take the emotion out of it,” council President...

New Kensington police charged a Manor Township man with felony stalking after, they say, he repeatedly harassed a woman who obtained a protection from abuse order against him in 2020. Scott Eugene Rupert, 49, of Mateer Drive, Manor Township also was charged with harassment in connection with an investigation that...

A New Kensington woman accused a man for whom she provides care of assaulting her and threatening to shoot her and other staff at a residence that provides care for people with mental challenges, New Kensington police said. Police charged Marvin Tyree Hall, 36, of Constitution Boulevard, New Kensington with...

A winter tradition at Community Library of Allegheny Valley is filling the Harrison site with bright, spring-like colors. The 24th annual Quilt Show is on display with about 20 entries hanging above the book stacks, slung over exposed ceiling beams in the facility on Broadview Boulevard in Natrona Heights. Voting...

Start the new year off right! Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Food drive to benefit Westmoreland County Food Bank The Fallen Officer Food Drive will be from...

There are about 40 Marcellus shale natural gas wells in Washington Township, but adding another to that total isn’t yet a done deal. Supervisors did not make a decision Jan. 13 on Olympus Energy’s proposal to drill a natural gas well off Kistler Drive, as questions arose regarding access to...

Brackenridge is without a recreation committee, at least temporarily. All five members of the volunteer group resigned during the borough’s reorganization meeting Jan. 3. “I am proud of everything this committee has done,” said Cindy Kish, who stepped down as president of the group. “We have always done our best...

A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday lowered the bond of an Arnold man who police said shot three people during a baby shower last fall at the Lower Burrell fire hall in Kinloch. Isiah Jumaane Hampton, 25, is awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated assault and one charge of...

An Upper Burrell man who police said pointed a gun and pulled the trigger during a domestic dispute two years ago with his wheelchair-bound mother was paroled from prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Matthew Best, 33, had been in jail since his arrest on Oct....

A Lower Burrell man was ordered to serve up to eight years on probation for the sale of drugs that caused the 2017 fatal overdose of a childhood friend in New Kensington. Donald K. Lewandowski Jr., 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony drug count in connection with the May...

Kiski Township police say they had to use a Taser to stop a man who fled from a home early Monday morning after throwing a hammer and shards of broken glass at an officer. An officer responded to a home in the 600 block of Isabella Avenue shortly after 3...

Start the new year off right! Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Vaccination clinic planned at Knead Community Cafe Covid-19 vaccinations will be available from 5:30 to 6:30...

When people hear the word “goat,” they think of the stubborn animal, or maybe the slang for “Greatest Of All Time” athletes in their respective sports. For those strolling along Market Street in Leechburg, the word soon will make them think of a sweet circular treat. Gilpin resident Jeremy Smail...

A two-acre addition to Allegheny RiverTrail Park (ARP) in Aspinwall is a coveted gift to the community, park founder Susan Crookston said. “For now and for generations to come,” she said. The site, just off Freeport Road, was awarded a $367,000 state grant last week to help with the purchase....

Tarentum council on Tuesday will provide the public with a chance to weigh in on the proposed transformation of the Tarena roller rink. A Wexford-based construction company hopes to buy the 50-year-old skating rink and use it as a storage facility. Bridges & Co. is seeking a conditional use zoning...

A Fox Chapel councilwoman is expected to launch her candidacy on Tuesday for state House of Representatives in the 33rd District. Mandy Steele is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat in the May 17 primary. She is the first candidate to announce a campaign for nomination. Steele, 44, said...

West Deer has received a $291,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to rehabilitate and develop Bairdford Park. The grant is a part of a $70 million pool helping to fund more than 300 recreation and conservation projects across the state. West Deer was among three...

The first time Brian Jacob tries to answer the question raised by his memoir, “Is Life Fair,” he is remembering an unpleasant experience attending a play with his wife. Brian and Jamie Jacob were at a Pittsburgh Public Theater performance when an employee approached Brian, who is quadriplegic and uses...

Start the new year off right! Publicize your events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Open house planned at the Corner Launchbox The Corner Launchbox in New Kensington will host a...

The Projecting Hope Film Festival, a showcase of faith-focused movies with uplifting themes, will be held at the GQT Pittsburgh Mills Cinema from Jan. 21 to 23. Admission to all seven of the films is free — with free popcorn, too. It will be the 18th Projecting Hope festival, which...

Leasing space in Arnold City Hall to outside parties has emerged as a bit of an issue for two city officials. Mayor Joseph Bia and Councilman George Hawdon are on opposite sides on just how much space the city may need in the building and how much it should lease...