Valley News Dispatch category, Page 70
Burrell superintendent recognized with award for leadership
Shannon Wagner, superintendent of the Burrell School District, is the winner of the 2025 Dr. Jean E. Winsand Distinguished Woman in Education Award. According to the University of Pittsburgh website, the award is presented to a woman who has made a “significant impact and positive difference” throughout her career. It...
Fox Chapel Area School District’s community safety event set in Aspinwall
Fox Chapel Area School District’s annual Community Safety, Health & Wellness Event is fast approaching. Its fourth installment will take place on April 26 at the Aspinwall municipal parking lot, 217 Commercial Ave. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It intends to create camaraderie among area residents, first responders and district...
The Stroller, April 22, 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. Leechburg Area Community Association...
Former Vandergrift cop accused of having sex with underage girl waives charges to court
Former Vandergrift police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Depanicis, who is accused of having sex with a minor about 100 times in the early to mid-1990s, waived his charges to court Monday. A criminal complaint filed by state police alleges he invited a 14-year-old girl to his Oklahoma Borough home for sex...
Cheswick turns to AI program to assess road conditions
Cheswick Council approved a contract that will enable the borough to scan its roads with AI-powered software to assess conditions and determine future projects. The borough inked the $12,000, three-year contract with German software company Vialytics for its RoadAI scanning program. To perform the scans, borough workers will attach a...
4 vying for Highlands School Board in Region 2
Four people are competing for two positions to represent Highlands School Board Region 2. Incumbent Debra Lehew will go up against newcomers Shane Chesher, Jeff Thimons and Whitney Washington in the May 20 primary. Incumbent Nicole Kocon is stepping down. Region 2 includes Brackenridge and parts of Harrison. All of...
Blawnox to create time capsule as part of centennial celebration
Blawnox officials hope to collect items from past and present residents as part of a historic celebration. The Centennial Committee is creating a time capsule with the size and shape to be determined. The goal is to pack it with mementos, news articles, old menus, photos, yearbooks, magazines, newsletters and...
Survey finds ignorance and fear surrounding nuclear cleanup in Parks Township
A report from a University of Pittsburgh public health graduate student has found lingering information gaps and distrust surrounding the Army Corps of Engineers’ planned cleanup of the Parks Township nuclear waste dump. “There is a very intense fear around the site, and people have stuck to that,” said Ariana...
The Stroller, April 21, 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. Civil War photos wanted...
Penn State New Kensington students help attract homeowners, visitors to Leechburg
Leechburg residents are getting the chance to share their ideas. A group of Penn State New Kensington business students is working on a marketing plan for the borough to attract homeowners and visitors. “We want to emphasize the hidden gems and the little treasures Leechburg has to offer,” said Madaline...
Vehicle destroyed by fire on Route 28 in Armstrong County, no one hurt
No one was hurt in a vehicle fire Sunday morning on Route 28 in Armstrong County, according to Freeport Fire-EMS. The fire on northbound Route 28 just north of the Buffalo High Level Bridge in South Buffalo was reported around 9:30 a.m., according to Armstrong County 911. Freeport Fire-EMS was...
7-year-old boy struck by SUV in Arnold
A 7-year-old boy was bleeding from his head after being hit by an SUV in Arnold Sunday night, fire Chief Eric Gartley said. The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on Kenneth Avenue between Moore and Ewing streets, according to Westmoreland County 911. The boy was hit by an SUV. The...
Planter fire damages exterior of Frankie’s Friends in New Kensington
A fire in a planter caused minor damage Sunday to the exterior of a cat rescue in downtown New Kensington. The fire at Frankie’s Friends in the 700 block of Fifth Avenue was reported about 5:20 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. According to fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr.,...
After years of turmoil, Lower Valley Ambulance Service does ‘complete 180’
When Terry Anzaldi took over as EMS chief of Lower Valley Ambulance Service in October 2023, he said reordering the foundering service was like putting together pieces of a puzzle. In 2022, the service rang the alarm bells, saying it had entered a “financial crisis” and needed relief from local...
The Stroller, April 20, 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. Happy Easter! St. Joseph...
3 Republicans running to replace Albert ‘Ouch’ Roenigk as Buffalo Township supervisor
Republicans voters in Buffalo Township will have three choices for supervisor in the May 20 primary. Bob Buterbaugh, John Haven and Heath Singer all are vying for a six-year term. No Democrats are on the primary ballot. The winner likely will succeed Albert “Ouch” Roenigk, who is stepping down from...
Building the Valley: Numa Yoga brings a calming presence to Freeport
It’s mid-morning on a Thursday in March, and Kristen Formaini is searching for “effortless.” The soft music, wafts of burning palo santo and three heaters set to a stuffy 85 degrees are all meant to help her and her students find it. “We repeat things all the time in this...
Volunteers turn out to get New Ken mansion in order for reopening as restaurant, bed-and-breakfast
Robin Richards has been fascinated by the former Bloser Mansion in New Kensington since she was a little girl. She had always wanted to go inside but wasn’t even allowed on the property. “We were dirty looking little kids,” she said. Richards went inside the mansion for the first time...
New farmers market launches in downtown New Kensington
An oasis in downtown New Kensington’s food desert formed on Saturday. About a dozen vendors participated in the first of the New Ken Downtown Partnership’s new series of farmers markets. They’re scheduled to be held weekly from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Oct. 19 on Fifth Avenue at 10th...
The Stroller, April 19, 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. Kids’ Fishing Day planned...
Leechburg churches observe Good Friday with outdoor ‘cross walk’ service
Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church in Leechburg held a Good Friday cross walk in which a group of about two dozen church members carted small wooden crosses around town to place in front of businesses and institutions....
Artificial intelligence to help Lower Burrell public works save money, plan road repairs
Lower Burrell officials expect to save a few thousand dollars annually by using artificial intelligence software to determine the quality of city roads. Council on April 14 approved a five-year agreement with Vialytics of New Jersey at a cost of $11,520 annually plus a setup fee of $2,875. “By implementing...
Outlawing noisy brakes may be uphill battle for stretch of Lower Burrell road
Lower Burrell is asking PennDOT to weigh public safety against peace and quiet on a stretch of Route 56. Council last week requested PennDOT complete a “brake retarder study,” in the section of Route 56 between Hill Crest Country Club and its intersection with Puckety Church and Leechburg roads. Mayor...
Blawnox to convert old police station to office space
Blawnox officials plan to turn their former police station into office space. The shift will also allow the borough to move its food pantry from the second floor of the municipal building to the first floor, making it easier for deliveries and distribution. Council announced the changes on April 9....
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills for sale
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer is on the market. In what might be another nail in the coffin of the beleaguered mall, one of its last remaining original tenants, and largest, is poised to leave as the department store chain leans into its smaller, more luxury-oriented holdings. A prospectus...
