Valley News Dispatch category, Page 435
About 200 more housing units draw closer to approval in Buffalo Township
Growth in Buffalo Township shows no signs of slowing down, as plans for nearly 200 housing units are moving forward. Township supervisors approved preliminary site plans for two housing developments this month. Each calls for about 100 dwellings. Both are on the south side of South Pike Road (Route 356),...
Plum man accused of killing landscaper in Penn Hills
A 23-year-old man from Plum is charged with homicide in the June shooting death of a man working with a landscape crew in Penn Hills. Allegheny County Police say Tracy Carpenter, of Sardis Road, was arrested without incident Wednesday afternoon at a residence in Plum. That was a day after...
Make a New Year’s resolution to help your chubby pet lose weight
The new year is approaching and we’ve had our fill of cookies, egg nog and other high-calorie holiday treats. Our pants might be feeling a little tight. Jan. 1 is usually the day when we start on our New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more and lose a few...
Tarentum homicide suspect had been ordered to pay victim child support
A man charged with shooting a woman to death in Tarentum has a 5-month-old child with the woman and had recently been ordered to pay child support, according to Allegheny County Police. DaShawn Frederick, 26, of Wilkinsburg surrendered to authorities Thursday night. He is charged with criminal homicide in the...
Freeport Council passes budget, votes down tax increase
Freeport Council held the line on real estate taxes by the slimmest of margins after it voted to pass the 2022 budget Monday night. The budget passed unanimously, by a 5-0 vote. After passing the budget, though a motion to raise taxes by 1 mill failed by a 2-3 vote....
The Stroller, Dec. 24, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your holiday 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. West Deer train display to benefit food bank The Model Train Association at Bull Creek United Presbyterian Church, 224 Tarentum-Culmerville Road,...
Suspect in fatal Tarentum shooting Dec. 16 turns himself in to authorities
A Wilkinsburg man was jailed Thursday night in connection with the Dec. 16 fatal shooting of a 30-year-old woman in Tarentum, Allegheny County Police said Thursday night. DaShawn Frederick, 26, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection with the death of Arquwonna Wright, 30, of the Philip Burtner...
Feast of the Seven Fishes highlights Italian family tradition in Western Pa.
Dinnertime, for an Italian family, is sacred. It’s an opportunity to gather around the table, share a meal, drink some good wine and engage in great conversation. The spread on Christmas Eve represents the heart of this tradition. The Feast of the Seven Fishes — for which seven seafood items...
Kiski Area students raise more than $12K for charities with annual Cav-A-Thon
Students from the Kiski Area School District have been having fun, fundraising. The district’s annual Cav-A-Thon wrapped up this week, raising more than $12,500. The event raises money for Alle-Kiski Valley charities. “It will be shared with the Alle-Kiski HOPE Center, Kiski Valley Food Bank and the Stuff-A-Bus organization,” said...
Plum School District’s Make-A-Wish telethon exceeds $1M lifetime goal
With Plum School District’s Make-A-Wish telethon closing in on a lifetime collection of $1 million, high school teacher Rick Berrott was being cautious. It would be OK if they came up short, Berrott said, because whatever money they raised would go to a good cause. His caution proved to be...
Harrison taxes expected to remain steady in 2022
Harrison residents likely won’t pay higher real estate taxes next year, pending a final vote by commissioners on the township’s 2022 budget. The board is considering a $5 million budget proposal that maintains the property tax rate at 5.1 mills. If approved, owners of a home assessed at $100,000 would...
Leechburg kids spread Christmas joy with surprise gifts for Lee Haven Towers residents
A cover of “Last Christmas” was blaring from an apartment with its door wide open when Madison Chiusano, 6, and Olivia Chiusano, 3, walked up to it with a red stocking. “We have a gift for you,” Madison cheered as a man walked out donning an elf hat and red...
Alcoa-inspired flagpole with metal Christmas tree shines on near Route 66 in Gilpin
A flagpole in Gilpin has a unique holiday addition, compliments of a former Alcoa employee. “It’s Dad’s Alcoa flagpole tree,” joked Joseph Kovalchik of his late father’s handmade aluminum creation. John Kovalchik worked for 34 years as a maintenance electrician at Alcoa’s research lab in New Kensington. He died in...
Pittsburgh police recover car stolen at New Kensington Sheetz
A car stolen Wednesday night from New Kensington was recovered about five hours later by Pittsburgh police, New Kensington police Chief Bob Deringer said. The car, a 2021 Audi S5 sport sedan, was taken from the parking lot at Sheetz on Freeport Street shortly before 10 p.m., Deringer said. It...
Kiski police arrest Vandergrift woman in North Apollo stabbing
Kiski police have arrested a woman accused of stabbing a man in North Apollo early Thursday morning. Police said the suspect, Amy Hepler, 38, of Vandergrift turned herself in at approximately 9 a.m. Police said officers responded around 2:15 a.m. to a report of a domestic assault at a home...
Pitt Panthers players encourage Burrell students to end mental health stigma
Pitt wide receiver Tre Tipton suffered a collapsed lung in 2016 and laid in the intensive care unit at a Miami hospital for four days. It was the turning point in his young life, despite years of suffering from depression, experiencing gun violence firsthand and dealing with multiple family hardships,...
The Stroller, Dec. 23, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your holiday 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. Classes offered by Concordia Institute for Lifelong Learning Concordia Institute for Lifelong Learning is offering free classes for those of retirement...
New Ken-Arnold food drive shatters goals for food, cash donations
Valley High School’s annual food drive came back — and came through — in a big way this year. After not being held last year because of the covid pandemic, the now-districtwide effort shattered goals for food items and cash so much that not one but two New Kensington police...
Westmoreland County settles federal lawsuit alleging assault of inmate from New Kensington
A federal lawsuit filed by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who claimed he was beaten by a guard in 2018 has been settled. The county commissioners this month approved a $27,500 settlement to end the case filed by DaRob Wright of New Kensington. “It was completely unjustified,” attorney John...
Fawn-Frazer water customers ordered to conserve after water main break
Due to a water main break along Bull Creek Road, the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority issued a water conservation order for all of its customers. All unnecessary use of water is prohibited, according to the order. In addition, customers are asked to conserve on the use of water for drinking...
1,000 candles set to glow in Washington Township
A neighborhood in Washington Township is set to glow with more than 1,000 candles on Christmas Eve. Washington Acres will host a luminary evening beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. Light Up Washington Acres is sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 211, based in Delmont. The event serves as a fundraiser for...
Holidays from the Heart remembers patients of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Anne Alter walked back into UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Oakland on Friday — but not as a patient this time. She walked in as someone who is living proof that it’s possible to be well and live in recovery. Alter returned to sing a moving Hanukkah song at Holidays...
The Stroller, Dec. 22, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your holiday 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. HOPE Center collecting donations for its SAF-T kennel The Alle-Kiski HOPE Center offers a Sheltering Animals and Families Together (SAF-T) Kennel...
Indiana Township neuroscientist turns her passion to art
Paintings by an Indiana Township neuroscientist-turned-artist are on exhibit at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. YeePing Lucia Wong Yip, born in China and raised in Hong Kong, worked as a cancer researcher for nearly four decades before reigniting her childhood passion for art. As an artist, she uses the...
Parking meters in Vandergrift to get stylish enhancements
Some parking meters in Vandergrift are set to receive a fancy, metal makeover. The Vandergrift Improvement Project (VIP) is moving forward with plans for the Streetscape project, with 10 custom-made V-shaped metal baskets to be installed over parking meters along Grant and Columbia Avenues in the historic shopping district. “The...
