Valley News Dispatch category, Page 444
Vandergrift Holiday Festival and Parade returns
Vandergrift is rolling out a three-day holiday welcome mat. The 2021 Vandergrift Back When Holiday Extravaganza festival returns Dec. 3-5. Founder and organizer Denise Lewandowski-George launched the event last year — despite a pandemic. Many Vandergrift residents were disappointed when the annual holiday parade sponsored by the Vandergrift Improvement Program...
Mayor’s dinner, parade mark start of holiday season in New Kensington
New Kensington will celebrate the holiday season with events during the first two weekends in December, starting with the return of Mayor Tom Guzzo’s community dinner and the city’s holiday parade. The dinner and parade were canceled last year because of the covid pandemic. The free buffet dinner will be...
Nouveau PGH, an upscale consignment shop for women and kids, opens in Aspinwall
It’s out with the old and in with the new-to-you in Aspinwall. Nouveau PGH is a new designer consignment store offering upscale women’s and children’s clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories. It’s located at 21 Brilliant Ave. Owner Jessica Rehling Vukmir of O’Hara owns Dovecote, which is located right across the...
The Stroller, Nov. 28, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Charity basketball game to feature Burrell, Valley alumni A co-ed basketball game featuring alumni of Burrell and Valley high schools will...
Marcellus shale natural gas driller proposes compressor station in Upper Burrell
Olympus Energy is seeking state approval to develop a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station in Upper Burrell, off White Cloud Road on undeveloped industrial property owned by Arconic. Olympus Energy of Canonsburg has three well pads to tap natural gas in the Marcellus shale rock formation approved by the...
Leechburg officials expected to hold the line on taxes in next year’s budget
Leechburg property owners should not expect to pay more in real estate taxes as part of the borough’s 2022 budget. Council recently authorized advertising next year’s preliminary spending plan, which maintains the tax rate at 22.5 mills. The goal is to formally adopt the budget at the Dec. 21 meeting....
Small shops in Alle-Kiski Valley go big on Small Business Saturday
Debbi Young has never gone Black Friday shopping. Instead, the Leechburg resident prefers to shop locally on Small Business Saturday. “It’s our tradition — when the boys go hunting, the girls go shopping,” Young said. “I grew up shopping for my clothes and everything in downtown Leechburg and I think...
Upper Burrell forgoes fire tax as volunteer fire department buys new truck
The Upper Burrell supervisors are no longer considering enacting a controversial fire tax to help the township’s volunteer fire department buy a new truck. That’s because the township’s fire department announced earlier this month that they just bought one. “I don’t think we’re going to have a fire tax because...
Harmar officials propose backflow preventers if sewage backup not resolved
Harmar Township officials assured residents they will find an answer to their sewage backup issues as they continue their investigation. During the supervisors’ Nov. 18 meeting, residents were updated on what is next on the township’s agenda to finding the main cause of the sanitary sewage overflows. It’s an issue...
The Stroller, Nov. 27, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Holiday rock concert planned Dec. 4 at Casino Theater The annual Jingle Bell Rock concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec....
‘It’s a magical mailbox’: Christmas decoration becomes conduit for letters to Santa in Arnold
Christmas is Joe Lebert’s favorite holiday, but decorating for it isn’t much fun at his rural home in Fawn, where few will see it. His mom’s house on Rankin Street in Arnold, across from H.D. Berkey Elementary School, was a better place. For a while, he put a Christmas tree...
Lower Burrell Councilman Joe Grillo close to completing his final term
While Lower Burrell Councilman Joe Grillo is perhaps best known for belting out the “God Bless America” for city events, the elder statesman will miss his official duties when he completes his term at the end of the year. Grillo has been a city councilman for nearly 16 years and...
No tax increase likely for Tarentum residents
Tarentum residents likely will not see a property tax increase in 2022. The proposed budget, just more than $11 million, maintains a tax rate of 5.48 mills — the same as it’s been since 2007. If approved, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would again pay $548 to...
Arnold native opening Deadstock & Dandies in New Kensington, buying and selling shoes with style
Denzel Carter didn’t want to spend his life in a cubicle. It was even worse when the 30-year-old from Arnold figured out how much of his time, money and life he lost commuting to a job — and working for someone else. The covid pandemic, and being furloughed, helped Carter...
New Kensington man sentenced to probation, house arrest in drunken-driving arrest
A New Kensington man was sentenced to seven years of probation Tuesday after city police said they used a Taser on him during a drunken-driving arrest. Lee Edward Jones, 54, was sentenced to 18 months under electronic home monitoring on charges of fleeing from police, driving under the influence, resisting...
A Leechburg holiday tradition returns Saturday
A holiday tradition in Leechburg that was scaled back last year because of the pandemic is set to return Saturday with more activities and fun. Leechburg Area Community Association presents Luminate Leechburg. Activities begin about 1 p.m. along Market Street. The event has taken place on what is commonly referred...
The Stroller, Nov. 26, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Highlands High School AFS conducting annual citrus fruit sale Orders are being taken for the annual Highlands High School AFS fruit...
Feast of friendship served across Alle-Kiski Valley on Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, Freeport native Jean Urik kept her kitchen clean. She and Don Hines of Butler enjoyed a free holiday turkey meal with all of the trimmings at St. Mary’s Parish on High Street in Freeport. “It’s hard to cook Thanksgiving for just two people without having a ton of...
The Stroller, Nov. 25, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your club meetings, community events 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. Count your blessings this Thanksgiving As you sit down to dinner with your loved ones, take the time to say a...
Vandergrift councilwoman suing borough officials resigns her seat
Vandergrift councilwoman Karen McClarnon has resigned her position. McClarnon submitted a letter of resignation, effective immediately, to council President Kathy Chvala and borough secretary Steve Delledonne. Council approved McClarnon’s resignation during a special meeting Wednesday afternoon. Borough solicitor Larry Loperfito was absent. McClarnon did not attend the meeting and declined...
Vandergrift woman charged with filing false claims to get $25K in Medicaid payments
A Vandergrift woman is accused of illegally receiving more than $25,300 in Medicaid payments by submitting false time sheets to a program that pays people who provide in-home personal care for patients. An agent with the state Attorney General’s office charged Christina Jean Myers, 39, of Lowell Street with felony...
Police serve up lunch for Kiski Area elementary students
Three Washington Township cops were serving it up Wednesday at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School, but there were no warrants involved. “It’s lunch with the law,” joked police Chief Scott Slagle. Slagle, joined by Officer Kenneth Hollis and Sgt. Vince Surace, served lunch to almost 550 students. The annual event...
West Deer woman charged with allowing child to spend time with registered sex offender
A West Deer woman is accused of repeatedly allowing a young boy to spend time with a convicted sex offender, according to police. West Deer police charged Amy Lynn Lambert, 46, with one count of felony endangering the welfare of children. At the time, she was already detained in the...
Plum School Board puts mask decision in hands of students, regardless of vaccination status
The Plum School Board on Nov. 23 passed a new mask policy that will allow all students, regardless of vaccination status, to decide whether or not they want to wear a mask at school. Additionally, seating restrictions in lunch areas will be rescinded, certain guest restrictions would be lifted, field...
Tax hike, numerous cuts not enough to close gap in Verona’s proposed 2022 budget
A nearly 26% tax hike, as well as cuts to engineering, consulting, legal services, no paving and not hiring another full-time police officer, still does not make up for a deficit in Verona’s proposed budget. Next year’s spending plan does not look good for borough officials or residents as elected...
