Valley News Dispatch category, Page 474
East Vandergrift making headway on rat problem
East Vandergrift officials appear to be making progress in the ongoing war against a rat infestation in the borough. Council voted last June to hire a commercial division of Terminix in Bridgeville for 10 weeks at a cost of $1,525 after fielding numerous complaints from residents about rats. The Terminix...
State police looking for information after bullet hit house in Oklahoma
State police are looking for information after a single bullet struck a home in Oklahoma on Friday night. Troopers said the incident is believed to have happened between 10 p.m. and midnight at a home on Hancock Avenue. It was unclear if anyone was hurt. Police are looking for information...
The Stroller, Aug. 16, 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. Concert to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin The Casino Theater, Vandergrift, will present, “United in Song,” a tribute to Aretha Franklin,...
Allegheny Township working to fix sewage issues on Labelle Vue Road
Allegheny Township officials are taking steps to tackle a sewage problem affecting multiple residences on LaBelle Vue Road. Eight houses on the rural road in Westmoreland County have what township Manager Greg Primm described as failing septic systems. An unidentified female LaBelle Vue Road resident filed a complaint June 28...
Shaw Foundation donates $15,000 to Lower Burrell for new police dog
The Officer Brian Shaw Foundation donated $15,000 to the Lower Burrell police department to buy and train a new police dog. The foundation was established to honor the memory of Shaw, a New Kensington police officer who was fatally shot while on duty in 2017. His foundation continues to support...
Resident sues Kiski Township, claims illegal dumping, burning and other environmental concerns
A resident has sued Kiski Township, claiming it is illegally dumping and burning in the township. Gene Kline, 41, who lives along Brownstown Road, filed his civil lawsuit against the township on Aug. 6 in Armstrong County Court. Kline said he is not looking for money. He wants the township...
Allegheny Valley School District superintendent proposes keeping mask requirement
Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Pat Graczyk said masks should remain on the faces of students, teachers and any visitors to Allegheny Valley school buildings for at least the start of the coming school year, and likely throughout it. He also said the same level of social distancing, contact tracing...
The Stroller, Aug. 15, 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. Peoples Library expands book sale to both locations Peoples Library will have its annual book sale at both the New Kensington...
Dozens of steel jobs coming to Alle-Kiski Valley in new venture at old Hyde Park FoundryVideo
A vacant warehouse in a historic Hyde Park foundry is about to get busy. Three Alle-Kiski residents with almost a century of combined mill experience working in the Valley’s steel industry have partnered to open a new metal toll processing business in the former hot metal section of the former...
Body of 3-year-old boy recovered from Allegheny River in Armstrong County
The body of a 3-year-old boy was found Saturday afternoon by dive teams in the Allegheny River in Armstrong County. Dwight Lee Dinsmore, 3, of Yatesboro was recovered from the water about 2:40 p.m., about a mile south of Lock No. 6 in Bethel, Armstrong County Coroner Brian K. Myers...
Impact of increased water cost on East Deer residents not known yet
East Deer will soon be paying more for water, but township officials don’t yet know if that cost will be passed on to township residents. East Deer buys water in bulk from neighboring Tarentum, whose council recently approved increasing the cost by 3 cents per 1,000 gallons beginning Dec. 1....
Markers installed in O’Hara Community Park to provide glimpse of local historyVideo
The U.S. Army’s 308th Calvary trained on land that now houses O’Hara Community Park. The land, in a nine-parcel estate that totaled 1,923 acres, was later owned by U.S. Senator James Ross. A picnic area known as Ross Grove became Pittsburgh’s entertainment resort, utilized by the H.J. Heinz Company, among...
The Stroller, Aug. 14, 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. Casino Theater looking for volunteers The Casino Theater in Vandergrift is seeking volunteers to check in ticketed guests for productions. Volunteers...
Scaled-back Saxonburg Carnival returns with food trucks, rides, games
After nearly scrapping the event due to pandemic restrictions, Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company has decided to host its 83rd Saxonburg Carnival. The event, a longtime fundraiser for the fire company, will be hosted from Aug. 18-21 at Saxonburg VFC Firemen’s Grounds, said Carnival Chairman Paul Donaldson, who serves as an...
Charity event in Vandergrift to offer free back-to-school haircuts for kids
A new charity event in Vandergrift is making the cut with area students. The Kiski Valley Lancers & Ramsey’s Place Cuts 4 Kids will offer free back-to-school haircuts to any student in prekindergarten through 12th grade at the borough’s Kennedy Park on Aug. 23. “There’s a lot of underprivileged people...
Lower Burrell solicitor says city needs rules for backyard chickens on small lots
Lower Burrell Council could consider making rules for residents living on small residential lots who want to keep backyard chickens. Solicitor Steve Yakopec advised council at Monday’s meeting that he believes the city needs an ordinance to set down regulations. Council did not immediately move to advance the issue. Farm...
Pa. Game Commission: Residents can resume bird feeding
Residents can resume one of the country’s most popular past times: feeding the birds. As bird deaths decrease, the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced Friday that it is lifting its recommendation issued in early July to cease bird feeding in the state because of a mysterious bird illness. Longtime bird-feeding aficionados...
Filming of Dakota Johnson movie underway at Pittsburgh Mills
Production of a movie is underway at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. Ernest Diaz, the mall’s general manager, said spaces throughout the mall have been leased for use in the production of “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” It stars Dakota Johnson. It’s directed by Cooper Raiff, who is also a...
Search to resume for missing 3-year-old on Allegheny River in Armstrong County
Dozens of police, fire, ambulance, river rescue and special operations task force units from around the region spent several hours Friday searching for a 3-year-old boy. The child was reported missing near a sandbar known for ATV recreational riding near the Allegheny River just off Kelly Station Road in Armstrong...
Lower Burrell Council honors Burrell wrestling teamVideo
Lower Burrell Council honored the red hot Burrell School District wrestling team with a proclamation Monday for capturing its 15th straight WPIAL Class AA wrestling title. Josh Shields, head coach of the Burrell wrestling team, and about a half dozen players received the proclamation at Monday’s council meeting. “This team...
State police seeking information about stabbing outside Oklahoma Borough bar
State police are investigating a stabbing that happened early Thursday outside an Oklahoma Borough bar. Two people went outside the Oklahoma Inn at 1544 Hancock Avenue around 1:30 a.m. to engage in what police described as a “mutual fight” in an alley. One of the people was injured during the...
New Freeport shop sells everything from produce to ammunitionVideo
A new shop in Freeport is selling a wide variety of products — many of which are locally produced — ranging from fresh produce to small furniture. Brandi and Alan Kepple of South Buffalo Township opened The Mercantile last weekend. The store sells “a little bit of everything,” Brandi said....
Lower Burrell man helps save friend who went into anaphylactic shock on canoe trip
A two-day canoe trip along the Clarion River in Elk County was supposed to be the last hurrah of the summer for Lower Burrell’s Austin Aikins and his friend, Chris Duca of Oakdale. But it almost turned deadly when Duca, 21, went into an anaphylactic shock in a remote area...
15-year-old charged in Arnold shooting that left 4 injured
A 15-year-old has been charged as an adult in connection with a shooting that police said left four people injured and endangered the lives of several others Sunday in Arnold. Ikquan Hassain Amid Lynn, of Arnold, faces numerous charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault and simple assault in connection with...
Masks are optional under Freeport Area School District’s safety plan
Masks will be optional this school year in Freeport Area School District, though some other covid-19 mitigation measures will remain in place, according to the Health and Safety Plan passed unanimously by the school board Thursday night. Masks are not required for students, staff or visitors, though anyone may choose...
