Valley News Dispatch category, Page 53
Fun while learning: New Kensington STEAM Camp ‘a great community program’
The more than 30 campers at the New Kensington STEAM Camp this week each had a different answer when asked their favorite part of the four-day session. To JT Slosky, 9, of Lower Burrell, it was coding. To brother and sister Alivia Saunders, 9 and Alex Saunders IV, 6, of...
Missing Upper Burrell man with dementia found safe
An Upper Burrell man was found safe Friday morning, a day after he was reported missing, according to state police. Police and firefighters spent several hours Thursday evening looking for Harry Radaker, 69, after he was last seen around 4:15 p.m. near Alcoa Lab Lodge in Upper Burrell. They searched...
Oakmont native returns to U.S. Open, 72 years after caddying for Ben Hogan’s 1953 victory
Carl Nasse was 10 when he began working as a caddie at Oakmont Country Club in the late 1940s. Just a few years later, a 15-year-old Nasse found himself walking the Oakmont course as Ben Hogan’s caddie when the Texas-born golfer won the 1953 U.S. Open Championship. Nasse was paid...
U.S. Open photo gallery: 1st round
The first round of the U.S. Open got underway Thursday at Oakmont Country Club. Here is a look at the day in pictures....
Oakmont residents find community, sweet memories selling parking spots
Mike Komaniak is one heck of a Tetris player. But his version of the game is a bit more immersive than the actual puzzle-building video game. Every five years since 2006, Komaniak and his wife, Suzanne, open their backyard to men’s and women’s U.S. Open spectators trying to find a...
U.S. Open interns get a crash-course in planning, executing a major sporting event
For a college sports management major, practical experience doesn’t get much better than working a major American golf championship where 200,000 people are expected to come through the gate. So when Dakharee Mann’s professor texted him last fall about the U.S. Golf Association’s Pathways internship program at the U.S. Open,...
Attorneys for cop killer Rahmael Holt request trove of FBI documents
Defense attorneys are seeking copies of more than 1,400 documents from the FBI in an appeal for a man on death row for killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. A response to a public records request filed by attorneys representing Rahmael Holt, 37, of Harrison indicated it would take...
Spectators soak up U.S. Open atmosphere at Oakmont — and some see historyVideo
Scores of spectators filed onto the Oakmont Country Club grounds shortly after sunrise Thursday, some with specific viewing strategies and groupings they planned to follow, others guided by a sense of spontaneity. All were eager to see how the world’s best golfers stacked up against mighty Oakmont during the first...
Hulton Road among routes seeing jump in traffic, slower commute during U.S. Open week
Clare Sliben had to leave for her summer job as a lifeguard almost an hour early Monday morning. Like many other Oakmont residents, Sliben, 16, has been battling traffic, mainly on Hulton Road, during rush hour each day this week as the 2025 U.S. Open takes place at Oakmont Country...
Harrison suspect in pet cremation scandal scheduled for arraignment
Terry Onufer will never get a pet cremated again. The Buffalo Township resident is still reeling after Patrick Vereb, owner of Harrison and Pittsburgh funeral homes and pet crematoriums, was charged in April with allegedly discarding animals in landfills. “He had disrespect and disregard for our pup and others,” Onufer...
Then and Now: Sharpsburg YMCA to Linden Gym has long provided recreation
On any given day, the Linden Gym is bustling with basketball fanatics hitting the courts. It’s been that way for more than a century, since the building was established in the late 1800s as a YMCA. Early on, the building at 205 N. Canal St. served the borough’s youth and...
Agan Park reopens after 40-day closure; dog park remains closed
After crews removed several overhanging trees in the area, Agan Park reopened this week following a more than 40-day closure caused by severe April storms. The park is an extensive green space along Riddle Run Road in Springdale Township but is jointly managed by Springdale and Cheswick boroughs. Cheswick Council...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre still a beacon of culture after 125 years
The Casino Theatre in Vandergrift could have become anything over the years — a parking lot, like the theater on Longfellow Street did, or maybe basketball courts. Yes, that almost happened. It even survived a 13-year period of neglect, between 1982 and 1995, after the company that ran it as...
Freeport’s 1st manager reflects on defining the role as he readies to resign
Zachary Filous described his 2½ years as Freeport borough manager, especially early on, like “drinking from a fire hose.” He’s done more than just send emails and direct personnel. His hiring roughly coincided with the departure of the borough’s treasurer, public works director and sewage plant operator — roles he...
Leave it to the laser: Green beam gets rid of geese at Blawnox park
Green means go, at least to the geese at Blawnox Community Park. Mayor Tony Gross said that for whatever reason, the borough’s new green laser system meant to shoo geese is working like a charm. Council hired Harrietta Hills Trout Farm to tackle the persistent problem of birds on the...
The Stroller, June 12, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Volunteers needed at Animal...
How they track the flight of golf balls at the U.S. Open for TV viewers, spectators on siteVideo
When a golfer at the U.S. Open tees off, in less than one second the members of the NBC Sports broadcasting team know where the ball is headed, how far it will go and where it will land. That’s great for viewers watching at home, who see a comet-like streak...
U.S. Open meteorologist runs 1-man show from women’s locker room at Oakmont
Amid the sweeping grounds of Oakmont Country Club sits one man alone in the women’s locker room of the clubhouse — meteorologist Jake Swick — whose sole job is to monitor the weather for the U.S. Open in real time. Inside that women’s locker room is a window that opens...
Freeport Area School Board OKs $55 million high school renovation, tax hike
After years of planning and debate, the Freeport Area School Board moved ahead Wednesday with a $55 million high school renovation project — and approved a tax increase to help fund it. Both measures passed 5-4. The school directors who voted for both were Christine Davies, Michael Huth, Gregory Selinger,...
Community bids Stewart Elementary — ‘the centerpiece of Lower Burrell’ — a fond farewell
Denise DeSalvo makes trips back to her hometown of Lower Burrell to visit family every once in a while, but she wanted to make sure that her most recent trip coincided with the last time Stewart Elementary opened its doors. “I could not miss it,” said DeSalvo, who now lives...
Plum Zoning Board rejects fracking injection well after lengthy battle; company plans to appeal
After a yearslong legal battle, the Plum Zoning Hearing Board rejected the application for a second injection well in the borough, which is an about-face from its initial decision. Board member Mike Monfredi, who made the motion to reject the application, was joined by Andrew Novick and Linda Wilkins in...
USGA’s course maintenance teams work all night to ensure a pleasant U.S. Open experience
Leighton Schwob, the U.S. Golf Association’s U.S. Open Championship director of operations, wishes he had a little more darkness to work with. “Too much land, not enough night,” he said of the daily — or in this case, nightly — maintenance of public areas at Oakmont Country Club. One doesn’t...
U.S. Open volunteers share what drove them to come to Oakmont this year
Karen Beeken assured a volunteer arriving early Wednesday at Oakmont Country Club that they would get their credentials. “I’ll take care of ya,” said Beeken, 72. Beeken of O’Hara is one of more than 4,000 volunteers working the 125th U.S. Open. They come from near and far, from all across...
Verona Council hires new police chief
Thomas Dessell wears multiple hats in the Verona community. A Verona native, Dessell has been a borough police officer and president of the Verona Chamber of Commerce. But council promoted him to police chief on Tuesday night. The hiring comes on the heels of previous chief Ron McLemore’s honorable discharge...
Detectives: Arnold mother charged after baby tests positive for meth
Westmoreland County detectives charged an Arnold woman after her infant tested positive for methamphetamine. Ariana Carter, 33, was charged with endangering the welfare of children and possession of drug paraphernalia after a ChildLine referral was turned over to the county detective bureau. A ChildLine report was received by the Westmoreland...
