Valley News Dispatch category, Page 13
Oakmont residents to see no tax increase for 2026
Oakmont Council has passed a 2026 budget with no tax increases. After a unanimous vote, the borough’s real estate tax rate will remain at 4.95 mills. A homeowner with a median assessed property value of $155,000 would pay around $767. Total revenue for the budget is set just over $6...
The Stroller, Dec. 17, 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. Community Hope Project to...
Springdale Council approves data center despite resident resistance
Saying its hands were tied, Springdale Council approved an application to construct an AI data center in the borough. After months of meetings and debate, council voted, 5-2, Tuesday night to approve a conditional-use application from developer Allegheny DC Property Co. to build a massive complex at the site of...
Incumbent retains East Deer commissioner seat
Incumbent Ed Kissel will keep his East Deer commissioner seat for the 21st year. The Nov. 4 race for the township’s 2nd Ward seat ended in a tie between Kissel, 75, and newcomer Alexander Gigler, 34. Each got 131 (49.8%) votes. After the results were certified by the Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh Brewing, Iron City Distilling host holiday tours
‘Tis the season for community, and Iron City Distilling is inviting just that. The distillery will temporarily open its doors for complimentary holiday tours. On Dec. 22 and 23, attendees will have access to the full benefits of a standard distillery tour for free. Features include two drink samples, a...
Harrison Township Water Authority says rate increase necessary
Harrison water rates will increase in January to help offset inflation and newly government-mandated but unfunded regulations, officials said. Residents will see a 10% increase beginning with their first bills after the new year. Minimum quarterly bills of $58.08 will climb about $5.80 to $63.90. For a typical family using...
Burrell bocce team drums up support for collaborative, competitive experience
Cold temperatures Tuesday morning didn’t stop hot drinks and sweet treats from being served up by members of Burrell High School’s unified bocce team. The team, comprising eight students with special needs and eight regular education students, was selling snacks and drinks at Cora Lee Cupcakes in Feldarelli Square, New...
Frigid temperatures hamper Buffalo Township fire response
It was 4 degrees Tuesday morning when Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matt Cypher and his crew were called to a house fire. Crews responded to the 600 block of Sarver Road in Buffalo Township at 1:30 a.m. When they got there, Cypher said, the five people living in...
Public tribute planned for late Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire
A tribute to late Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire will be held Jan. 2, three years after he was shot and killed in the line of duty. McIntire was ambushed during a hunt for a fugitive on Third Avenue in Brackenridge, just four doors from the house where he grew...
The Stroller, Dec. 16, 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. Free dine-in dinner set...
‘We weren’t going to win on Saturday’: Plow, salt crews weather weekend snowstorm
Hempfield Public Works Director Austin Erhard was upfront with his plowing and salting crews as nasty weather began to roll in this past weekend. “I was very clear with them: We weren’t going to win the day on Saturday,” he said. “We just weren’t going to be able to have...
Army Corps of Engineers receives another $32M for Parks Township remediation work
Another $32.4 million is on the way to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help remediate a former nuclear waste dump in Parks Township. Known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area by federal agencies, the 44-acre site will soon enter what’s set to be a yearslong cleanup process. The...
4-alarm house fire in South Buffalo results in total loss
A four-alarm fire in South Buffalo on Monday drew a dozen companies to a home on Collier Drive. South Buffalo VFD Chief Zachary Wood said both residents of the home were safely evacuated, but the structure is a total loss. Crews from Tarentum to West Kittanning responded to the blaze...
More than 100 New Kensington-Arnold children to benefit from Angel Tree
Karen Thomas didn’t flinch when the Angel Tree she coordinates for students in need at the New Kensington-Arnold School District was the biggest it has been in more than 20 years. She knew her colleagues would step up to provide gifts for 51 families in the district — 126 children...
Former Highlands teacher’s sex assault charges held for court
Charges of sexual assault against former Highlands School District teacher Sean Dicer were held for court during a preliminary hearing Monday. Dicer, 53, of Brackenridge, appeared before District Judge Michael J. Girardi in Harmar on charges that include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor...
Decisive vote expected for Springdale data center proposal
Months of meetings and discussions surrounding a massive proposed data center in Springdale are set to be resolved Tuesday. Springdale Council is expected to vote to approve or reject a conditional-use application for the center, which would sit at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station in the borough....
Oakmont welcomes new Dollar General location
Oakmont residents will have a new place to shop in 2026. The site of the former Rite Aid on Allegheny River Boulevard will be reopened as a Dollar General next year. According to a Dec. 5 Instagram post by Bennett Williams Commercial Real Estate agent Adam Hagerman, the building was...
Some fees waived for students at closing Penn State branch campuses
Students at the closing Penn State Commonwealth Campuses can take more classes than normal in their next three semesters and save some money while doing it. With the New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, DuBois, York and Mont Alto campuses scheduled to close after the Spring 2027 semester, students there can...
Iron City Distilling pays tribute to, makes history with whiskey release
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, Iron City Distilling is hitting a major milestone. On Friday, the East Deer distillery will be hosting a limited single-barrel release of its Bessemer Rye whiskey, marking the first drink produced completely in the distillery. “We distilled this about 21⁄2 years...
The Stroller, Dec. 15, 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. Festival of Trees raffle...
New Penn State building will remain closed next semester after ‘structural issue’
One of Penn State’s newest buildings will remain closed next semester because of a “localized structural issue.” The university’s $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building is scheduled to remain out of service for the entire spring 2026 semester. Though the building has been determined safe for limited reentry, it...
Free haircuts & cookies among offerings at West Deer free store Poppin’ Tags holiday party
Things were poppin’ for a holiday party at Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer on Sunday. The fourth annual party at Poppin’ Tags, which opened in May 2021, extended next door to Mama Jo’s House, which store owner Sonya Dembowski of Shaler opened in September. Named after Mary Jo...
1 killed in Saturday night house fire in Tarentum
Allegheny County officials have confirmed one person was killed in a fire that severely damaged a duplex home late Saturday in Tarentum. Kasey Reigner, spokesperson for the county’s Department of Emergency Services, said the fire is being investigated by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office. She was unable to provide...
The Stroller, Dec. 14, 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. Allegheny Valley Association of...
Snow brings Christmas feel to New Kensington church’s live nativity
The snow didn’t keep The United Presbyterian Church of New Kensington from staging its second annual live nativity early Saturday afternoon. Rather than a possible impediment, the Rev. Becca Siddle saw it as a feature. “For people in the neighborhood, it’s perfect because snow means Christmas,” she said. But the...
