Madasyn Lee stories, Page 8
Poll: Most Pennsylvania voters will cast their ballots in person in November
More Pennsylvanians will vote in person than by mail in the November election, but there are strong partisan differences when it comes to the two choices, a new poll shows. A Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday said 62% of voters expect to cast their ballot in person, while...
CDC, Pa. health department ease up on covid-19 travel guidelines
Federal and state officials have eased up on some of their guidelines for coronavirus-related travel restrictions. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health removed Arizona from its list of travel restrictions originally announced on July 2. No new states were added. The states that remain on Pennsylvania’s travel restriction list...
Sports teams will pay to use lights at West Deer’s Bairdford Park
Youth sports teams that play at West Deer’s Bairdford Park will now pay for any electricity they use while there, township Manager Dan Mator said. The agreement ends a dispute of almost 20 years over who pays for what at the 94-acre township park — the taxpayers or the youth...
West Deer, Hampton kids to raise money for Free Store through ‘Snack Shack’ fundraiser
A West Deer nanny and five children are raising money for a store that gives free items to those in need. A “Snack Shack” fundraiser to benefit the Russellton Free Store will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday on Woodlake Drive in West Deer. The group will...
West Deer considers stiffer penalties for false alarms
West Deer Supervisors are considering imposing harsher fines on people who own or maintain alarm systems that accidentally go off three or more times a year. At a meeting last week, Supervisor Brandon Forbes suggested updating the existing ordinance to increase the fine for multiple false alarms to $100. “You...
ScareHouse moving to Pittsburgh Mills mallVideo
The ScareHouse is moving to the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “You know that Pittsburgh Zombies love shopping malls,” the haunted attraction said in announcing the move with a cheeky homage to George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead,” filmed primarily at the Monroeville Mall. “We think you will love...
More than 4,000 gallons of milk, food will be given away in Western Pa. this week
Got milk? If you don’t, you may be in luck this week. The American Dairy Association North East is working with Schneider’s Dairy, AMI Food Group and four Western Pennsylvania community organizations to distribute more than 4,000 gallons of milk and food boxes through drive-thru pickup events. Each vehicle will...
West Deer women open Free Store in Russellton to help those in needVideo
Don’t want it? Two West Deer women will take it. And give it to those in need. Sonya Dembowski and Nicole Docherty are moving their Free Store from East Deer to West Deer’s Russellton neighborhood. It will be at 9 Creighton-Russellton Road, stocked with items donated or thrown away by...
West Deer cop followed smoke to burning home, found man in front yard uninjured
Running up to a burning house to check for potentially trapped occupants is just a normal part of the job for West Deer police officer and volunteer firefighter Edward Newman. Newman had been on routine patrol last Saturday when he spotted smoke coming from the 250 block of Little Deer...
Couple attacked by dog at North Park when defending their dog
A man and a woman were injured while trying to defend their dog at an Allegheny County dog park on Saturday. Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said police and medics were called to North Park Dog Park because of a dog fight and reported bites shortly after 10:15 a.m. Saturday....
West Deer leaders discuss potential tax deferral program for low income residents, seniors
West Deer’s leaders are considering new rules that could stop low-income residents and senior citizens from having to pay increased real estate taxes. Township Supervisor Brandon Forbes is pitching an idea that would add any township real estate tax increase as a lien on a person’s property. It would not...
Zoning change in West Deer could clear way for 18-home development
West Deer Supervisors approved a zoning change that could enable a developer to build up to 18 homes in the township. Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to rezone a property at 4391 Bakerstown-Culmerville Road from rural estate to rural residential. More homes can be built on properties that are zoned rural...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Family-owned book retailer to close 8 stores, including 1 in Pittsburgh Mills mallVideo
The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer is losing yet another tenant. Bradley’s Book Outlet, a discount book retailer based in Blawnox, announced this week it is closing all eight of its brick-and-mortar stores, including the one in the Mills mall, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the viability of the...
There’s still time to order banners honoring Leechburg, Gilpin veterans
Orders are still being accepted for Leechburg’s “Hometown Hero” banner program. Mayor Wayne Dobos, a member of the three-member committee working on the program, said 133 banners honoring veterans and active military service members had been created and were ready to be hung as of Wednesday. “I think for a...
Leechburg Area to start school year with online-only instruction
Leechburg Area School District will offer online classes only for at least the first month of the school year, reversing a previous decision that gave children the option of returning to school for full-time, in-person instruction. The school board voted 8-0 on Wednesday to modify its back-to-school plan and push...
Kiski Watershed Association to hold highway cleanup in Leechburg and Gilpin
A nonprofit dedicated to conserving and rehabilitating natural resources is doing its part to clean up litter and debris that could potentially get into the Kiski River. The Kiski Watershed Association will hold a highway cleanup along River Road and Market Street in Leechburg and Gilpin at 9 a.m. Saturday....
Leechburg Area to discuss changes to back-to-school plan
Leechburg Area School District will discuss modifying its back-to-school plan Wednesday based on new recommendations from the state Department of Education, according to district officials. The school board in June approved a back-to-school plan that gave students the option of returning to school for full-time, in-person instruction. But the state...
