Valley News Dispatch category, Page 422
Leechburg truck driver named Highway Angel for act of kindness on the road
Truck driver Greg Rupp, a Leechburg resident, expected his last route at 5 a.m. to be his usual quiet drive. But on Oct. 14, he witnessed a horrific event. What he did next earned him a Highway Angel award from the Truckload Carriers Association, the national group that represents his...
Valley grad with desire to help others readies for global adventure
A vacation to Kathmandu, Nepal, planted the seed of adventure in Valley High School graduate Skylar Houck. “I went there to study Buddhism, but I developed this itch to travel,” said Houck, 23. “I really enjoyed the culture shock and experiencing things that are completely different from what I’m used...
Alle-Kiski Valley duo holds guitar show in New Kensington
An Alle-Kiski Valley duo had a rockin’ good time Sunday afternoon holding their inaugural guitar show in New Kensington. The show, dubbed The Best Guitar Show, was at the Quality Inn on Tarentum Bridge Road from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 40 vendors were on-site selling everything from...
Police: Kiski Township man arrested after armed standoff
A Kiski Township man is in custody after an armed standoff with police on Sunday, according to a news release from the Kiski Township Police Department. Joshua Reilly, 36, of Water Street was charged with terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, flight to avoid apprehension, discharge of a...
Food trucks galore, craft beer, whiskey on tap for Lower Burrell fire department events
After a successful run of four food truck rallies last year, Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 will present four new events this year featuring food trucks, craft beer and whiskey, and arts and crafts. When the covid-19 pandemic quashed most fire companies’ fundraisers — a necessity for the...
Kiski Area seeks volunteers, supporters for district nonprofit
Kiski Area officials are seeking supporters and donations from the community to help bolster the coffers of the Kiski Area Education Foundation. Foundation president Ron Ferrara said the pandemic affected fundraising the past two years, resulting in a loss of about $25,000. The foundation has only 16 volunteers, all serving...
Organizers of Tarentum garden eye prosperous growing season
Organizers of a community garden in Tarentum are working hard to see the site prosper in 2022, despite being targeted late last year by vandalism. “While the snow is on the ground, the leadership of the garden is already marking plans,” said the Rev. Phil Beck, pastor of First United...
New Kensington-Arnold teacher gives peek into challenges of teaching during pandemic
Special education teacher Gina Brestensky wasn’t wearing a hat when she addressed the New Kensington-Arnold School Board, but teachers wear lots of them, she said. “Just today I’ve been an educator, a leader, a role model. Those are all very important roles, and we know them well,” she said. “But...
The Stroller, Feb. 6, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Drive-through food distribution set Tuesday at Pittsburgh Mills Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host...
Bear reports spike during pandemic as harvests also rise in Western Pa.Video
Looking at the statistics, it appears there are more black bears in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. But state officials aren’t sure if that really is the case. For the public, however, it seems black bears are popping up all over urban settings. In late December, a Pennsylvania Game Commission game...
IRS wants cut of internet sales topping $600 or more per yearVideo
Online sellers who hope to cash in on anything from baseball and football card collections to a valuable old toy may now have to pay a portion of the proceeds to Uncle Sam if they use a third-party payment platform to collect the proceeds. “It will be a change for...
Leechburg elementary school students celebrate 100th day of classes in fun way
Students from David Leech Elementary School in Leechburg dressed up as 100-year-old ladies and gentlemen Friday, Jan. 28 to celebrate their 100th day of school. The event is an annual tradition that the students look forward to. Students have a choice of dressing up as an elderly person or wearing...
Weather can be second foe for firefighters battling blaze on frigid winter day
Darting in and out of a smoke-filled building in search of occupants and scaling a ladder to the roof as flames roar is dangerous work, even in the best weather conditions. Add frigid temperatures, whipping wind and falling snow, and the dangers multiply dramatically for firefighters trying to save lives...
Police: New Kensington man faces felony gun charges after video shows him point pistol at woman
New Kensington police charged a felon with illegal possession of a firearm after seeing a video of him pointing a pistol at a woman during an argument, authorities say. Don Levon Graves, 57, of Main St., New Kensington, was charged with felony counts of possession of a firearm by a...
Arnold native, Valley High alum named assistant dean at Harvard Law School
An Arnold native and New Kensington-Arnold School District graduate has been named an assistant dean at Harvard Law School. Monica E. Monroe will start Feb. 22 as assistant dean of the Office of Community Engagement, Equity and Belonging at Harvard Law School. She is going to Harvard from the University...
Couple accused of endangerment for using cameras to monitor kids; keeping food, bathrooms locked up
An Allegheny Township couple was charged with multiple felonies after their three children told police they are under near-constant video surveillance and most of the food in the house is kept locked up. Leann Marie Lawson, 35, and Nevin A. Lawson, 51, of the 100 block of Indian Hill Road,...
The Stroller, Feb. 5, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Lenten fish fries listings wanted Lent is just around the corner! The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place...
Trial postponed for New Kensington-Arnold teacher accused of sending sexual texts to students
The trial of a New Kensington-Arnold music teacher accused of sending inappropriate text messages to students has been delayed for two months. Sean Timothy O’Neil, 34, was scheduled for trial in two cases Feb. 10. They have been rescheduled for April 18. On Friday, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli...
Harrison man, 60, dies in Route 28 crash near Tarentum when car hits fire truck responding to previous wreck
A Harrison man was killed Friday afternoon on Route 28 when his car slammed into a Tarentum fire truck that was providing traffic control because of a previous accident near the Tarentum exit, state police said. Jeffrey A. Wagner, 60, of Juniata Street, Natrona Heights, was killed when his northbound...
Converted Tarentum church now a bustling community spot as The Clement
Once a gathering place for prayer and worship, The Clement in Tarentum is a community hot spot where the multitudes come together. “Every single room was destroyed when I bought it,” said Phillip Rhodes, 54, a Highland Park software engineer. “Now, every room is filled.” From guitar lessons and yoga...
Upper Burrell supervisors approve Marcellus shale gas compressor station
The Upper Burrell supervisors have approved a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station off of White Cloud Road on Arconic property, which is zoned industrial. The official vote Wednesday night was unanimous but complicated. Two of the three supervisors, Michael Conley and Kenneth Slahtovsky, initially abstained from voting because they...
‘Beloved’ former Kiski Area school slated for demolition
A former school building that served elementary, middle and high school students in Washington Township is slated for demolition. The former Washington Elementary School at 4728 Route 66 was part of the Kiski Area School District. The school opened in 1927 and closed in 2013. Township supervisors granted a demolition...
The Stroller, Feb. 4, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Armstrong Conservation District to sell fruit trees and seedlings Armstrong Conservation District will conduct its annual fruit tree and seedling sale through...
Natrona Heights native Jimmer Podrasky releases 1st Rave-Ups album in 3 decadesVideo
Having left the Alle-Kiski Valley behind in the early 1980s, Natrona Heights, Harrison, native Jimmer Podrasky doesn’t miss the weather headed Pittsburgh’s way this weekend. “It’s been 40 years since I’ve driven in that kind of weather, and it still haunts me,” said Podrasky, 64, now a Los Angeles resident....
Highlands Musical Cabaret promises to have audience dancing in their seats
It’s been 32 years since Highlands High School alum Michelle Peters sprayed her hair into a black beehive and strutted across stage as the misunderstood bad-girl Rizzo in the high school production of “Grease.” She’ll be back in the same auditorium on Saturday, belting out a ballad from the show...
