Valley News Dispatch category, Page 575
Badly damaged AAA office in Lower Burrell to reopen Monday
After a car plunged through the storefront of AAA Travel Insurance office in Lower Burrell’s Crossroads Plaza and demolished the entrance, the motor club plans to reopen on Monday. On Thursday, AAA declined to release an update on the condition of an AAA employee who was injured because of privacy...
Lower Burrell woman sentenced to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charge
A Lower Burrell woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and four years of supervised release in connection with a 2018 traffic stop in which she was caught with an assortment of illegal drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan imposed the...
Truck driver dies in crash with train in CheswickVideo
The driver of a tractor-trailer died in a collision with a train Thursday morning in Cheswick, according to Allegheny County Police. The crash happened at Pittsburgh and Blockdale streets about 5:20 a.m., according to Allegheny County 911. The collision appeared to push the trailer into a corner of a building....
The Stroller, Aug. 20, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Small Acts of Kindness Did your neighbor call and check on you, or bring a face mask or groceries? The Stroller wants to recognize those around us who are performing small acts of kindness for others during this stressful time. Send a short, one-paragraph note highlighting someone and how they...
Paving project to restrict Freeport Road traffic, among others, through NovemberVideo
A $9 million PennDOT paving project will restrict traffic for several months in some areas of the Alle-Kiski Valley. Work on the project began in June and is expected to be complete by late November, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. Alle-Kiski Valley roads that will be affected include Freeport Road...
The Stroller, Aug. 19, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Small Acts of Kindness Did your neighbor call and check on you, or bring a face mask or groceries? The Stroller wants to recognize those around us who are performing small acts of kindness for others during this stressful time. Send a short, one-paragraph note highlighting someone and how they...
Burrell School District to delay first day of school by a week for preparations
The Burrell School Board has decided to delay the start of school by a week, moving the first day of school for students from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8. Earlier this month, the board agreed to offer student families the choice of venue for their children’s education for 2020-21: live...
Car slams into AAA office in Lower Burrell injuring the driver and an employee inside
An employee of the AAA travel office in the Crossroads Plaza in Lower Burrell was hospitalized Tuesday after a car slammed into the front of the building. A Toyota Prius jumped the curb, crashed through the storefront and pushed the woman into the front counter, according to Lower Burrell Fire...
Police searching for man who nearly hit officer with car during Kiski Township traffic stop
Authorities are searching for a man who police said nearly hit an officer with a car as he sped away from a traffic stop in Kiski Township over the weekend. Police said Jacob Matthew Hoover, 26, of no known address, led the officer on a high-speed chase through Armstrong and...
Leechburg Public Library will leave school, move to new home on Market Street
It’s the end of an era in Leechburg. For the first time in its roughly 100 years of existence, Leechburg Public Library will no longer be located inside Leechburg Middle/Senior High School. “It’s a bittersweet thing. It truly is,” said Doreen Smeal, the library board’s secretary and treasurer. “There’s two...
Fox Chapel set to restore wetlands in Hardie Valley Park
Plans for Hardie Valley Park are underway in Fox Chapel with a six-year, $3.3 million development plan that includes wetland restoration and trail relocation. The borough purchased the highly-coveted 17-acre parcel in 2019, as it links the northern and southern tracts of the borough’s park system. “The new park will...
No criminal charges to be filed in 2-year-old’s drowning in Harrison
No criminal charges will be filed in the July drowning of a 2-year-old New Kensington boy in Harrison, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. Cassius Alexander Saulsgiver died July 20, four days after he was found in an in-ground swimming pool at his grandfather’s Opal Court home. Mike...
Highlands approves calendar changes, school year to start remotely
The Highlands School Board has approved changes to the district’s 2020-21 school year calendar. As a result, the first day of school will be Friday, Aug. 28. It will be a remote learning day for all students. The first day of school had previously been Thursday, Aug. 27. That day...
The Stroller, Aug. 18, 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. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Knead Community Café to distribute grab and go dinners...
Oakmont officials to review fire siren use in response to resident’s concerns
Oakmont officials want to review the use of borough fire department sirens in response to resident complaints. Councilwoman Leah Powers on Aug. 17 requested a log of the sirens’ uses and for what calls after a discussion with resident Jill Weeks. Weeks showed council a video that evening with children...
Kiski Area School Board approves reopening plan
Kiski Area School District will start out the school year with two weeks of 100% remote instruction, followed by an optional hybrid plan. The first day of classes will be Aug. 31. The district had long planned to start out the year online, suspecting much would still be uncertain by...
Oakmont officials waive amusement device fees for businesses
Oakmont officials are giving a break to some borough businesses hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic. Council unanimously adopted a resolution Aug. 17 waiving its mechanical amusement device tax for the year. Police Chief Michael Ford, whose department collects the fee, made the recommendation. He said the tax is levied...
Riverview School District to start next school year with new superintendent
When school begins, Riverview School District students and staff will see new safety protocols, new challenges and a new superintendent to help guide them through it all. Neil English, district curriculum coordinator and high school instructional principal, was chosen to succeed Peggy DiNinno as Riverview’s top administrator. DiNinno is retiring...
Gilpin man charged with breaking into woman’s home, threatening to kill her
A man accused of breaking into a Gilpin woman’s home last week told police after his arrest that he would kill the woman after being released, and he also threatened the woman in a series of text messages, according to a criminal complaint. Jamison Eugene Rush, 43, of Gilpin, faces...
Virtual teaching: Be improvisational, engage students, experts say
As teachers get ready to return to a school format in which many will have to do virtual instruction, area experts in online teaching offer some advice. Connect with students, offer rigorous instruction, be a bit improvisational and refrain from simply providing students at home with the same lesson as...
Vandals break lights on Leechburg’s gazebo, mayor hopes to purchase cameras to discourage behaviorVideo
Leechburg’s gazebo was vandalized again. Mayor Wayne Dobos said someone broke strands of decorative lights that hang around the white gazebo, located in Leechburg’s Riverfront Park. Residents informed him of the situation last week. “I can’t understand why somebody has to destroy something that’s nice,” Dobos said. “There’s no reason...
The Stroller, Aug. 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. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link to The Stroller. Changes made to annual Spartan Scramble golf outing St....
Indiana Township man left homeless after fire levels house, policeman alerts neighbor of the blaze
An Indiana Township man is homeless after a fire destroyed his home Saturday night, officials said. Chief Adam Siemianowski of Rural Ridge Volunteer Fire Company said a West Deer police officer spotted smoke around 10:30 p.m. coming from the home in the 250 block of Little Deer Creek Valley Road....
Pandemic doesn’t stop 400 bikers from supporting the memory of Officer Brian Shaw, memorial scholarshipVideo
Sam Borowski and his girlfriend, Jessica Villella, didn’t know Brian Shaw. But they still felt compelled to participate in a 67-mile motorcycle run held in his honor on Sunday. “I did not know Brian, but I heard the whole story. Tragic,” said Borowski, 47, of East Deer. “I’m in definite...
Deer Lakes approves hybrid, fully online classes for start of 2020-21 school year
Deer Lakes School District will welcome students back with a mix of blended learning and fully online classes. The updated plan gives students the ability to attend in-person classes twice a week and work remotely the remaining three days, or choose between two online learning tracks. Classes are scheduled to...
