Valley News Dispatch category, Page 491
Tarentum Democrat wins Republican nomination for mayor; 3rd Ward seat also to be contested
Tarentum voters will have a choice for borough mayor in November. Former borough police Officer Robert Lang, who lost the Democratic primary in May to current Councilwoman Carrie Fox, won the Republican nomination as a write-in. Lang, a registered Democrat, said he will accept the Republican nomination but otherwise declined...
Burrell approves anatomy class to ready students for medical careers
The Burrell School Board voted this week to add an anatomy and physiology course to prepare students for various medical fields. Bryan Mike, a Burrell High School science teacher and head of the science department, spoke before the school board last week to present his ideas on the new course....
Tarentum Bridge closure chokes ambulance traffic
The closure of the Tarentum Bridge has made things difficult for ambulances trying to get patients from the New Kensington side of the bridge to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. Emergency traffic has had to follow detours like all other vehicles, said Addie Birch, emergency medical services director with the...
Westmoreland County Food Bank doubles number of Summer Food Service program sites
The Westmoreland County Food Bank had a ground-level picture of how the covid-19 pandemic affected food security for families in the region. Its staff members worked food distribution centers where people waited hours lined-up in cars to receive a box of food. That is a big part of why the...
Wandering black bear spotted in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell police and residents reported seeing a black bear at several locations over the past several days. Police said the bear was seen in the Braeburn Heights and Spooky Hollow areas. Residents reported spotting the bear in the last several days along Garvers Ferry, White Cloud and Wildlife Lodge...
New Kensington woman charged with leaving 3 children with convicted sex offender
A New Kensington woman faces child endangerment charges after police say she left three children alone with her husband, a convicted sex offender. Police charged Jaymi Lyn Kenney, 41, on Friday. Police say she left three children, ages 5, 7 and 16, in the care of Earl Eugene Kenney, 40,...
The Stroller, June 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. Free Pot Love luncheon planned Saturday Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church will host its free monthly takeout Pot Love Dinner at...
Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame finds home in Tarentum
The Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame has enshrined and celebrated area athletic greats for 50 years, and now the signature plaques and photographs of past inductees have a permanent display in Tarentum. The record of local sports history is housed in a gallery at the renovated G.C. Murphy Building...
Kidspalooza returns to Parks Township this weekend
A Parks Township fire company is giving back with a free children’s festival. The 4th Annual Kidspalooza returns Saturday after being canceled last year because of the covid-19 pandemic. The daylong festival is sponsored by the Parks Township Fire Department. Lead organizer and volunteer firefighter Jaden McCluskey said Kidspalooza was...
New Blawnox salon requires no startup hassles for independent owners
A revolutionary new concept in the beauty business has landed in Blawnox. Sola Salon Studios is part of a growing movement that supports independent beauty professionals by providing upscale, fully-equipped suites with the tools needed to launch and operate. “For the first time in state history, beauty professionals can go...
Fire company’s carnival returns to Lower Burrell
The annual Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 carnival is back. The event serves as a key fundraiser for the VFC and was canceled last year because of the covid-19 pandemic. Guests may purchase individual ride tickets or buy a Ride-All-Night wrist band for $20 each. The carnival opened...
Earth Volunteer Fund will match up to $1,000 in donations for Sycamore Island in Blawnox
In the 13 years since Allegheny Land Trust acquired Sycamore Island near Blawnox, the property has transformed from neglected to nurtured. Plopped in the middle of the Allegheny River between Blawnox and Verona, the land is healthier, life-sustaining and more visitor-friendly than ever, said Lindsay Dill, ALT’s marketing and communications...
Aspinwall Riverfront Park offers busy slate of summer music
Aspinwall Riverfront Park is the place to get your jam on this summer. Whether it’s a festive Friday evening or a lazy Sunday afternoon, the park will host live bands, drum circles and musical theater to appeal to all ages. “A core part of the park’s original mission is to...
The Stroller, June 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. Allegheny Valley Hospital to participate in Tarentum Night Market The monthly Tarentum Night Market will be Thursday evening in the borough....
Natural gas price drop means less money for towns
Pennsylvania will distribute about $46 million less in natural gas impact fees this year to the state’s counties and municipalities because of the drop in natural gas prices in 2020. That’s bad news, especially for rural townships in Marcellus shale-rich regions of Southwestern Pennsylvania already coping with pandemic-related income losses....
Senior lofts in former elementary school coming to East Vandergrift
A new loft-style residential complex for senior citizens is coming to East Vandergrift. Morning Sun Senior Lofts is billed as an affordable 42-unit housing development for people 62 and older. The $13 million revitalization project involves developing the former East Vandergrift Elementary School on McKinley Avenue. The building, currently abandoned...
Train hits pickup truck carrying watercraft on Cheswick railroad tracks
A pickup towing a Sea-Doo watercraft was struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train at a railroad crossing in Cheswick shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday. No one was injured, but trains were stalled for about three hours. The truck and the watercraft were totaled. The GMC pickup was parked unoccupied...
Twisted Thistle in Leechburg temporarily closes amid staffing, cost issues
An upscale eatery in Leechburg has closed for the summer months. Twisted Thistle on Market Street announced the news on social media Saturday. Co-managing partners Linda Alworth and Joe Hesketh said the decision to close to the dining public was necessitated by staffing issues and increased food prices and poor...
Arnold eyes spray park, other recreation projects
Arnold Council appears ready to allocate a large chunk of its 2021 Community Development Block Grant funds to recreation. On Tuesday, council gave preliminary approval to allocating $69,000 out of its CDBG allocation of nearly $312,000 with an eye toward creating a water spray park for children similar to one...
The Stroller, June 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. Free GED prep class offered in Harrison and online Allegheny Family Network North in Natrona Heights, Harrison, offers a free adult...
3 Freeport EMTs recognized for lifesaving work
Three Freeport emergency medical technicians are being recognized for their work to save a Freeport woman’s life. Daniel Kline, Kaylee Polena and John Zotter worked to save a Freeport woman after she went into cardiac arrest in her home in early April, according to Mike Greiser, Freeport’s fire marshal and...
Tarentum bridge reopens to traffic headed toward New Kensington
The Tarentum Bridge reopened Sunday to traffic going toward New Kensington. The bridge closed Wednesday to all traffic, and the closure for vehicles headed toward Tarentum is expected to remain in effect through June 27. The closure is needed for a $3.4 million rehabilitation project, which is expected to be...
Former Yankees star Joe Page inducted into Allegheny Valley School District alumni Hall of Fame
Any Springdale athlete wondering if it’s possible to go from a small town known for its mining history to big time professional sports, need look no further than Joe Page’s story for inspiration. Page, who went from the coal mines of Springdale to being a World Series MVP pitcher for...
Freeport Area School District property taxes to increase between 2.5% and 3%
Homeowners in the Freeport Area School District will pay more in property taxes next school year — either 2.5% or 3%, depending on which county they live in. The district’s final $36.8 million budget for 2021-22, which a divided school board passed Thursday in a 5-4 vote, includes different tax...
Pandemic wreaks havoc on school food service, transportation budgets
As school leaders across the region debated the best way to keep students safe during the covid-19 pandemic, budgets for food and transportation services largely went bust as both districts and outside companies were left with fewer bodies queuing through cafeteria lines or riding buses. With schools bringing students back...
