Valley News Dispatch category, Page 567
Burrell spectator policy keeps out visiting fans for football, indoor events
Burrell School District’s spectator policy for football and indoor sporting events, adopted this week, allots two tickets to every senior participant and one ticket for each underclassman. There isn’t enough room to accommodate everyone who wants to attend games given guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...
Leechburg food truck festival looks to raise money for ailing fire company
A new food truck festival is coming to Leechburg. The “Food Truck Rally on the River,” sponsored by the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company, is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday on the fire company grounds on Canal Street. The outdoor foodie fundraiser is needed more than ever, said Brian...
The Stroller, Sept. 17, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Leechburg food truck rally to raise money for new river rescue boat Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company will host a Food Truck...
New Kensington man accused of lying about his age to get involved with 13-year-old girl
A New Kensington man is accused of indecent assault in connection with an alleged incident involving a 13-year-old girl in Brackenridge. Police said Kristopher Skufca, 19, met the girl through a friend on social media, but he told her that he was 16. A criminal complaint filed in the case...
Lower Burrell police nab 5 boys trying to break into cars, say one had stolen gun
Five boys were scoping out cars to break into in Lower Burrell over the weekend, and one of them was carrying a stolen handgun, according to city police. Another one of the boys had a key fob matching a vehicle that was stolen out of New Kensington, police said. Police...
2 garbage haulers vying for East Deer contract
East Deer could potentially choose a new garbage hauler after working with the same company for roughly a decade. Vogel Disposal Service of Adams, Butler County, and Bankosh Sanitation of Loyalhanna Township submitted bids to handle the township’s garbage collection from 2021 to 2024. Vogel has been the township’s garbage...
Fox Chapel Area student-led documentary on Fred Rogers airs on YouTube
A student-produced documentary on legendary Pittsburgher Fred Rogers taught Fox Chapel Area senior Jean Daniher to aspire to be better simply by slowing down. “We all have the opportunity to be as kind and understanding as he was if we just slow down,” said Daniher of O’Hara. She worked as...
Fox Chapel Area Adult Education goes remote for fall semester
For someone who values movement as much as Pilates instructor Cara Metallo, the covid-19 pandemic has taught her a newfound appreciation for words. Moving to an online platform for her classes forced Metallo, an O’Hara resident, to find “an eloquence and connect with students deeper in regards to goals with...
Peregrine falcon nesting on the Graff Bridge near Kittanning and elsewhere subject of free discussion
While the handsome and formerly federally endangered peregrine falcon is known for nesting on Pittsburgh skyscrapers, the Cathedral of Learning and the Tarentum Bridge, a pair has been quietly nesting above the Allegheny River spanning Manor and North Buffalo townships. Kate St. John of Pittsburgh, the region’s expert on the...
Man arrested in Kiski Township after police say he tried to swallow drugs
An Apollo man faces charges in connection with an incident last month in which police said he tried to swallow two baggies of methamphetamine. Police said they responded to a house on Sugar Hollow Road around 8 p.m. Aug. 21 after receiving reports about possible drug activity there. When officers...
Gilpin plans ‘trunk-or-treat’ event
Gilpin plans to hold a Halloween “trunk-or-treat” event from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31. Township supervisors approved holding the event with a 4-0 vote Monday night. Supervisor Charlie Stull said Gilpin’s rural landscape can pose challenges for traditional trick-or-treating. “It’s hard to trick-or-treat … with homes not visible from...
The Stroller, Sept. 16, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free concerts planned this weekend in Freeport Freeport Renaissance Association will sponsor two free outdoor concerts this weekend in Riverside Park,...
‘Weenie Wagon’ reopens in Leechburg
Weenie season is back in Leechburg. People who operate the popular Weenie Wagon, parked on a lot on the borough’s Market Street, usually start selling hot dogs from the wagon on Memorial Day and continue on Saturdays through October. Covid-19 restrictions and unusually hot summer temperatures presented problems this year,...
Highlands administrators ask parents for patience with online elementary program
Highlands administrators acknowledged at a meeting Monday that they are having problems with the district’s online elementary curriculum, but did not directly address a mother’s concern that its content is religious. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said she has gotten a handful of emails about the Accelerate Education program the district is...
Fawn police chief testifies officer altered report to include false accusation against supervisor
Fawn’s police chief testified Tuesday a now-suspended officer who is suing the township altered an incident report to say a supervisor threatened to assault his neighbor for having a fire at his home. Fawn Supervisors wrapped up an employment hearing for suspended Officer Keith Lazaron II, but took no action....
Yakopec is back as Lower Burrell solicitor
Lower Burrell is bringing back longtime Solicitor Stephen Yakopec Jr., more than a year after he was let go by the previous administration. City council unanimously approved contracting with Yakopec as solicitor Monday night. “I am grateful and thankful to be back and to continue to help the community in...
Authorities identify man found in Allegheny River near Kittanning
Authorities have identified a man whose body was found in the Allegheny River near Kittanning on Sunday. The man was identified as Clifton H. McHenry, 67, of Kittanning and formerly New Kensington, Coroner Brian Myers said in a statement Tuesday. Myers said McHenry was identified by “obvious markings” on his...
Fox Chapel Area School District prepared for shifts in instructional model
Fox Chapel Area administrators are considering ways to add a day of in-person instruction to the district’s hybrid model, or return to class entirely, but recommendations have not yet been brought before the school board. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac on Monday night gave a detailed report of her team’s efforts...
McDonald’s drive-thru reopens as remodeling of Harrison restaurant continues
The drive-thru of McDonald’s in Harrison reopened Thursday, but the dining area remains closed as a remodeling of the restaurant continues, a member of the family that owns the location said. The McDonald’s on Freeport Road in the Natrona Heights area of the township closed for remodeling on Sept. 9....
37th annual Penn’s Colony Festival canceled
The Penn’s Colony Festival in Saxonburg has been canceled because of the pandemic. The 37th annual event was scheduled for Sept. 19-20 and 26-27. Organizers plan for the festival return next year, setting the dates as Sept. 18-19 and 25-26, 2021. It is held at the Penn’s Colony Village Grounds...
The Stroller, Sept. 15, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Used Halloween costume drive planned Redemption Church in Lower Burrell is collecting new and gently-used children’s Halloween costumes through Oct. 4...
Plum appoints a familiar face as its new emergency management coordinator
Plum officials selected a familiar face as the borough’s new emergency management coordinator. Jim Sims, retired Plum police sergeant and current Holiday Park fire chief, was appointed to the position Sept. 14 by a 5-0 vote. Councilmen Mike Doyle and Mike Pastor were absent. Sims takes over for Brian Turpin,...
Suspended Fawn officer, attorney will not participate in hearing over his job
Fawn officials will continue a hearing for a suspended township police officer without the officer or his attorney participating, township Supervisor David Montanari said Monday. The hearing for Keith Lazaron II is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday. It will be held in person at the township building at...
4-year-old Springdale Twp. girl continues fundraising efforts for Allegheny Valley Police K-9s
Most 4-year-olds seem to have boundless energy and Zoey Walker is no exception. Except that Zoey’s energy has gone above and beyond what most people might expect. The Springdale Township girl has been indefatigable in her efforts to help raise money for a new police dog for the Allegheny Valley...
East Deer commissioner OK with water rate increase imposed by Tarentum
Tarentum last week approved increasing water rates for East Deer by 15% while decreasing the base rate for its own residents by 8%. As of Monday, East Deer had not yet received official word from the borough regarding the increase, Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said. “We have gotten no official...
