Valley News Dispatch category, Page 418
Northbound Route 28 in Aspinwall to have single-lane restriction during the day starting Monday
Lane restrictions will start Monday on northbound Route 28 in Aspinwall, PennDOT announced. Single-lane and shoulder restrictions are planned between the on-ramp from the Highland Park Bridge to the Delafield Avenue exit starting Monday, weather permitting. Officials said they will continue as needed weekdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m....
Cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor found when cops raid New Kensington house; 2 people arrested
Investigators say crack cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor and other evidence of a drug-dealing operation were discovered Wednesday when they raided a home in New Kensington. Markus Jaquell Bryant, 28, and Khadijah Wright, 27, were taken into custody when officers from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and state narcotics...
After pandemic break, Burrell Bowl-a-thon returns this weekend to benefit education
After taking off two years during the pandemic, Burrell Bowl-a-Thon rolls again Sunday at Wildlife Lanes in Lower Burrell. The fundraising event is from 1 to 4 p.m. and is open to Burrell School District families and friends. Prizes and a 50-50 raffle will add to the festivities. Four-person teams...
Allegheny Township renames Community Hall after longtime political watchdog
It’s not often that political figures or municipal officials want to honor someone who kept them on their toes. But Allegheny Township supervisors this week voted 3-0 to rename the municipal building’s Community Hall to the Mable V. Mazza Community Hall in memory of the longtime community activist and historian....
Highlands superintendent makes staff health, wellness a priority
Highlands teachers will be pampered Friday with yoga sessions, gourmet coffee and some love from four-legged friends. A Health and Wellness program spearheaded by Superintendent Monique Mawhinney is meant to uplift spirits and refresh well-being. The program is built into a professional development day. There are no classes for students...
Kiski Area considers dropping quarantines, contact tracing
With coronavirus cases dropping dramatically since September, the Kiski Area School Board is anxious to move on from the two-year pandemic crisis. The school board scheduled a vote for Monday, Feb. 28, to consider ending contact tracing and quarantines. Mask-wearing on buses, however, might have to continue a little longer....
Lower Burrell drafts vacant building regulations — with fines to come
Fed up with unsightly vacant storefronts and other vacant properties, Lower Burrell Council has unanimously agreed to create a vacant property ordinance. Council is expected to approve the ordinance in the next month or so. The ordinance will require owners of vacant properties — residential, industrial and commercial — to...
Valley High School students learn to ski at Boyce Park ahead of Seven Springs trip
Feeling free is what Patty Mallough has found she enjoys most about skiing. “It’s like you have no problems,” said Mallough, 18, of Arnold. A senior at Valley High School in New Kensington, Mallough has been among 30 to 40 students from the New Kensington- Arnold school who have been learning...
Failing storm line near Highlands High School expected to be replaced
The Highlands School Board is expected to move forward with a project to replace a dilapidated stormwater line behind the high school. The board will vote to advertise for contract bids at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 in the high school library. The meeting also is available on Zoom. Highlands...
Juices are flowing as Juicery at Oakmont opens along Allegheny Avenue
A Fox Chapel couple has opened a new business at the former Oakmont Bakery location along Allegheny Avenue. The Juicery at Oakmont has replaced Rev22 Salud Juice and Wellness Bar. The new smoothie and shake shop had a soft opening in November after some renovations and adding a new menu....
The Stroller, Feb. 17, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Reservations being...
Many Alle-Kiski residents experience delay in receiving free at-home covid tests
Almost a month since the Biden administration launched a website for every American household to request free covid-19 tests, many across the nation are still waiting for theirs to arrive. An informal survey of some Alle-Kiski residents showed the patchwork results. Announced on Jan. 18, the website covidtests.gov lets people...
Group of Fox Chapel Area School District parents continue push to make masks optional
Protests against masks for Fox Chapel Area School District students continued Wednesday outside of the administrative offices, marking the third such gathering against the district’s policies this month. About 13 protesters, including two children, gathered along Field Club Road about 2:30 p.m. during dismissal at the high school. They later...
Police: Allegheny Township woman charged with felony for shoplifting $12 pair of leggings
Allegheny Township police charged a woman with a felony count of retail theft after, they say, she stole a $12 pair of leggings from the Family Dollar store along Hyde Park Road, according to her arrest papers. Barbara Ellen Sanders, 48, of the 1100 block of Route 356 in Allegheny...
New Kensington group offers support for those coping with death
The youngest of Michael DeFalco’s three sons, whose name was Dominic but everybody knew as “Nico,” was 17 when he died in an ATV accident on April 5, 2020. DeFalco, of Allegheny Township, said his wife, Melissa, was never the same without Dominic. When she died just over a year...
Peoples Natural Gas donates money, time for upkeep of Prospect Cemetery
A partnership with Peoples Natural Gas has landed Prospect Cemetery with money to help buy a new mowing tractor to maintain the 13-acre site. “This was a great help to us,” said Cindy Homburg, president of the historic Brackenridge cemetery. “We work very hard to keep Prospect looking good and...
Pittsburgh area grads contribute to THON success, help fight pediatric cancer
Local high school alumni will be getting their groove on for a good cause later this week. Erik Frantz, Olivia Ahr and Jennifer Gustafson, each from the Highlands School District Class of 2018, along with 2020 Norwin grad Abby Bartos, are some of the local alumni who will participate in...
The Stroller, Feb. 16, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Garden center...
$1.17 million conservation grant to help Buffalo Creek watershed landowners and farmers
A $1.17 million USDA grant with matching funds will pay for farmers and residents in the Buffalo Creek watershed area, roughly from Freeport to Chicora, to plant buffers along streams and cover crops and more. The Buffalo Creek watershed covers 170 square miles in Butler, Armstrong and Allegheny counties. It...
McRandal Fluid Power, a maker of industrial hoses in East Deer, recognized as national sales leader
Along Freeport Road in East Deer’s Creighton section, there’s a building nestled behind the train tracks that might not draw much attention from passersby: McRandal Fluid Power. “Custom Made Hydraulic Hoses” is what they offer. Few people appreciate the necessary role of the equipment in the machinery of the modern...
The Stroller, Feb. 15, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Highlands to...
Building the Valley: Couple opens Portage Inn at site of former Jim’s Pub 66 in Gilpin
A Gilpin couple is making its way through the food industry by opening a second restaurant in the Alle-Kiski Valley area, the Portage Inn. Jeremy and Ashley Smail have taken over the space of Jim’s Pub 66 in Gilpin along Route 66, closing on the deal in January. In six...
Vandergrift’s Sweetlane hosts ‘Big Bucker’ food challenge to highlight expanded menu
Brett Zambotti recently traveled from his home in Kittanning to downtown Vandergrift with a gastric goal — take The Big Bucker food challenge at Sweetlane Chocolate Shop. The old-fashioned confectionery broadened its range last month, offering breakfast and lunch. To promote the expanded menu, Sweetlane created a breakfast sandwich that’s...
Aldi to build new store on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington
Aldi has been confirmed as the grocery store that will be built on the site of a former Kmart on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington. The city’s planning commission approved a land development plan for the project, along with a ModWash car wash, said Tony Males, New Kensington’s engineer...
Cocaine, guns, cash seized in 10-suspect roundup; 5 face felony child endangerment charge
Police say nearly two ounces of cocaine — along with handguns, digital scales and about $20,000 in cash — were confiscated during a raid at a New Kensington home Friday that netted some of the 10 people charged with felonies as part of a drug sweep. In addition to multiple...
