Valley News Dispatch category, Page 520
Leechburg church partners with Lower Burrell area charity to bolster food distributions
A Leechburg church has partnered with a Lower Burrell- area nonprofit to ensure food supply is not a problem in future free distributions. Twice last month, volunteers from Kiski Valley Community Church had to turn away families who waited for hours at the Leechburg Fire Hall for boxes of food....
Tarentum approves Easter egg hunt; Brackenridge, Harrison plan alternatives
Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum each have different plans for Easter this year, after community egg hunts were canceled in 2020 because of the covid pandemic. While Tarentum is returning to a traditional event, Brackenridge and Harrison each are doing something different. Brackenridge Brackenridge will be handing out Easter treat bags...
Saint Vincent College announces 2021 scholarship winners, marks 40 years of Wimmer scholarship awards
Giovanni Cicala is entering a select fraternity this fall. The Kiski School senior from Avonmore hit the books, weathered the pandemic and scored high enough in a competitive scholarship exam to win an opportunity to attend Saint Vincent College tuition-free for the next four years as one of the winners...
World War II veteran from Freeport ready to celebrate 100th birthday
Charles “Bud” Early said “never in a million years” did he think he’d live to see 100. Early will celebrate that milestone birthday with his wife and six children on March 21. “It’s just the aging process, I guess,” said Early, who spends the winter months in Florida with his...
The Stroller, March 6, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch will publish a list of community Easter egg hunts and activities. To have an event listed online and in the print edition, send the information as soon as possible to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Fourth Ave., Tarentum PA 15084 or email Carol Pinto-Smith; email...
Some UPMC St. Margaret patients may have had health information ‘inappropriately disclosed,’ officials say
Health information of some UPMC St. Margaret hospital patients might have been “inappropriately disclosed” after an employee sent a medication administration report to an outside organization without a business need, UPMC officials disclosed Friday. According to a release from the health care network, officials learned of the the breach Aug....
‘We’ve had enough’: 95% of United Steelworkers support striking against ATI
A whopping 95% of 1,300 United Steelworkers agreed to authorize a possible strike against Allegheny Technologies Inc. after more than a year of stalled contract negotiations, union officials said. The vote included more than 420 members who cast their ballots at the union hall on Brackenridge Avenue by 5 p.m....
Plum High School baseball and softball fields get artificial turf
Work to replace the playing surfaces of Plum High School’s baseball and softball fields with synthetic turf is underway. Workers with Art Global, an artificial grass manufacturer, were working on the project Friday, which was approved by Plum’s school board last April. At the time, the manufacturer was awarded a...
Semper Gratus charity 5K race returns to West Leechburg
The Shamrock Shuffle race is back and scheduled for March 13 in West Leechburg. The annual 5K race/one-mile walk by the nonprofit Semper Gratus will return this year, about a year after the 2020 race was postponed and ultimately canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic. “Our efforts as an organization...
The Stroller, March 5, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch will publish a list of community Easter egg hunts and activities. To have an event listed online and in the print edition, send the information as soon as possible to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Fourth Ave., Tarentum PA 15084 or email Carol Pinto-Smith; email...
Owner vows to rebuild after losing his Upper Burrell mobile home in a blaze
An Upper Burrell couple was left homeless Thursday when fire raced through their mobile home on Amy Lane. Neither the couple, their pets nor any firefighters were reported to have been injured. Shortly after Larry Sieff turned on his hot water tank, he saw smoke in his kitchen and found...
Blawnox launches Adopt-A-Block program to keep borough clean
Blawnox is launching a new beautification program in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. Adopt-A-Block is a volunteer initiative designed to rid the streets of litter and other debris. Spearheaded by residents Casey Cunningham and Leah Krenn, it is a simple way to show community pride, the duo said....
Washington Township man in his 80s homeless after fire destroys mobile home
A Washington Township man in his 80s was displaced Thursday morning when fire destroyed the George Drive mobile home in which he lived alone. Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Clayton Murphy said the fire in the 300 block of rural George Drive started around 10:30 a.m. The occupant of...
Aspinwall resident, former Allegheny County assistant district attorney, seeking District Judge position
A former Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney is calling for increased diversity in the court system and will seek to fill the vacant magistrate office in Sharpsburg. Jen Evashavik, an Aspinwall resident for more than 20 years, said she has worked tirelessly through both her professional and personal life to...
New Kensington’s Knead Cafe to receive $25K grant from Northwestern Mutual
For the second time in three years, New Kensington’s Knead Community Cafe is receiving a $25,000 grant from Northwestern Mutual for its work in the community. Kevin Bode, who with his wife, Mary, founded Knead four years ago, has been a financial adviser with Northwestern Mutual for 34 years. They...
Tarentum approves buying police SUV, policies on rifles, cameras
Tarentum police soon will be able to use their own rifles on the job under a policy approved this week by borough council. Council also OK’d plans to buy a new hybrid SUV for the department and approved the use of mobile video and audio recorders and body-worn cameras. Borough...
In the Kiski Area School District, students tutoring students benefits bothVideo
There was fraction action happening Tuesday at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School. Fifth-grader Kolton McKain met with Kiski Area High School 10th-grader Kayla Mull after school for one-on-one math tutoring — part of a new After School Mentorship tutoring program. “I couldn’t imagine trying to learn fifth-grade math online —...
Neighbor Spotlight: Blawnox fire chief, coordinator of Allegheny County Swiftwater Rescue Team, retires after 32 years
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Neighbor Spotlight: Mona Costanza wears many hats as a Plum community leader
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
The Stroller, March 4, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Valley News Dispatch will publish a list of community Easter egg hunts and activities. To have an event listed online and in the print edition, send the information as soon as possible to The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Fourth Ave., Tarentum PA 15084 or email Carol Pinto-Smith; email...
After some rancor, Lower Burrell sanctions St. Patrick’s Day parade
Plans for what started as a small community St. Patrick’s Day parade late Saturday morning gained traction, stirring controversy and confusion before receiving official support from Lower Burrell Council. The estimated 20-minute parade on Leechburg Road, from Nevada Street at Stewart Elementary School to Hillcrest Shopping Center at Leechburg and...
Police: Gilpin man reports own dog as stray, asks officer to remove it
A Gilpin man is accused of lying to police last month when they said he reported a stray dog had been barking all night outside his residence and asked for the dog to be removed. Police said they learned that the dog belonged to the man, identified in court documents...
Tarentum awards contract to demolish fire-damaged home on Lock Street
Tarentum Council has awarded a contract to tear down what remains of one of two Lock Street homes destroyed by fire on Feb. 15. Investigators ruled that the accidental fire started after a pot of food had been left on a stove with a burner in the “on” position. The...
Vandergrift website remains dark, officials mum on details
Vandergrift residents still don’t have a functioning borough website, and some residents are seeking answers from council. The website went offline more than a week ago. The outage was brought up by Councilwoman Karen McClarnon during Monday’s virtual council meeting. Visitors to the disabled website encounter an oversized message stating...
New Kensington-Arnold to interview 7 candidates for superintendent
New Kensington-Arnold School Board will soon begin interviewing candidates for district superintendent, including the man who has been serving as the district’s acting chief since last summer. The district in December hired the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to help it find a replacement for former Superintendent John Pallone, who resigned...
