Valley News Dispatch category, Page 9
New engine on the horizon for Springdale VFD
Springdale Volunteer Fire Department will soon have a new fire engine for the first time in more than two decades. The department has ordered a Ferarra Cinder, which Fire Chief Dan Copeland described as a “rescue-style pumper.” Copeland became chief of the department in July after spending more than a...
Taco Bell planned at former Sheetz site in Plum
A new Taco Bell location seems to be on the way in Plum. Developers submitted an application to the borough’s planning commission to build a franchise location of the popular chain at the site of the former Sheetz on Golden Mile Highway. The one-acre site has sat vacant since 2024,...
Police: Man used ‘special key’ to gain access to skill games, cash fraudulent $5K voucher
Allegheny Valley Police charged a North Carolina man with felony fraud and criminal conspiracy after, they say, he used a generic key to gain access to cash vouchers in a skill game machine at a Cheswick Sunoco in July. Jhueate Andrews, 25, then cashed a $5,000 voucher he obtained from...
Single-lane traffic coming to Harmar, Indiana Township and Fox Chapel
Motorists in Harmar, Indiana Township and Fox Chapel should allow extra travel time to account for traffic restrictions. PennDOT announced work will continue through mid-December on Saxonburg Boulevard, Harts Run Road, Dorseyville Road, Fox Chapel Road and Guys Run Road as part of an $11.8 million paving group project. Work...
The Stroller, Nov. 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. Christmas for Vets event...
The Stroller, Nov. 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. NK Salvation Army accepting...
Allegheny County Council approves increases to air-quality permit fees
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday moved forward with an air quality permit fee schedule that, officials say, will promote public health and relieve financial pressure on the county health department’s air quality program. The fee changes include raising a range of permit and maintenance costs for industrial facilities starting Jan....
Harrison man indicted after officials say he threatened to shoot postal carrier and shoot up post office
A federal grand jury has indicted a Harrison man on 11 charges after he was arrested in a raid on his home late last month. The grand jury indictment against Thomas Dorn, 39, of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood adds eight counts of interstate threats and a single count of threatening to...
Pittsburgh Mills property owners ordered to pay another $17.6 million in fines
Property owners for the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer were ordered to pay more than $17 million in response to poor road, sidewalk and door conditions at the mall complex, an Allegheny County judge ruled Tuesday. In sum, Judge Thomas Flaherty handed down $17,634,080 worth of fines against the four...
Tarentum taxes to remain steady under proposed budget; utilities to increase slightly
Property taxes were held steady in Tarentum, although residents will likely see a slight increase in some utility costs. The proposed $5.7 million general fund budget was passed Tuesday. It maintains a property tax rate of 5.98 mills. If approved, the owner of a home assessed at the borough’s median...
Tarentum man mauled by his own dogs
A Tarentum man who faced charges last year after his pit bulls attacked several people on Halloween was mauled by his three dogs Tuesday at a borough apartment. Brandon Baynes, 37, suffered severe injuries to his face, Tarentum police said. Emergency crews were called early Tuesday to an Allegheny County...
Ross Manager Ronald Borczyk, a West Deer resident, announces retirement
After nearly 30 years as an elected and appointed local government official, Ronald Borczyk is calling it a career. Borczyk, 67, will retire Jan. 9 from his current position as manager of Ross, Commissioner Dan DeMarco announced during the commissioners meeting on Monday, Nov. 17. “We’re gonna miss you, Ron,”...
Verona Police launch new features on refurbished website
The Verona Police Department has streamlined multiple services and information access through its newly refurbished website. The improvements will significantly improve the department’s online presence, according to a post on its Facebook page. New services available on the site include paying parking tickets online, requesting police reports, applying for handicap...
Wilkinsburg man accused of beating woman to death in Plum
Allegheny County Police have accused Shawn Higgins of beating his girlfriend to death in Plum on Saturday. Higgins, 62, of Wilkinsburg is charged with criminal homicide in connection to the death of Jacqueline Pryber. Police in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, initially located Pryber’s body in the passenger seat of Higgins’...
Hunt Elementary initiative’s goal is to send every student home with food before Thanksgiving
When students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School go home for holiday breaks, their teachers worry. Almost 87% of the school’s students are economically disadvantaged, according to data from the state department of education’s Future Ready Index. So, with the recent federal government shutdown concurrent with a state budget impasse...
The Stroller, Nov. 18, 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. Food collection to benefit...
Springdale incumbent mayor increases lead to 3 votes
Springdale’s Republican incumbent Mayor Joel Anderson now leads his opponent by three votes after Allegheny County updated its unofficial election results. The unofficial results currently show Anderson with 521 votes to Democrat John Murray’s 518. Initial unofficial results had shown Anderson leading by a single vote, 517-516. Anderson did not...
Springdale Planning Commission OKs data center project; proposal moves to council
After months of discussion, Springdale’s Planning Commission offered its blessing to a massive data center proposed in the borough. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the three-member body opted to recommend that Springdale Council approve the project. The commission, which is not elected, is only an advisory group. The elected...
Water at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield is usable again, DEP says
After about a month without drinkable water, residents at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield can begin to use their faucets again, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Decker. Laboratory test results showed the water to be compliant with Environmental Protection Agency standards, which allowed water operators...
Crews battle second-alarm house fire in South Buffalo
More than a dozen fire departments were dispatched to a second-alarm house fire Monday afternoon in South Buffalo. Armstrong County 911 operators said they received the first calls for the blaze on Iseman Road around 4:20 p.m. No one was transported from the scene, and crews contained the fire about...
New Kensington woman charged after 1-year-old overdoses
A New Kensington woman faces child endangerment charges after her 1-year-old overdosed in her care, according to authorities. Kylie Marie Ritchie, 32, is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of drug possession in connection to the incident. On Nov. 14, New Kensington Police...
Paving begins on Pittsburgh Mills roads while mall owner fights $11 million in fines
Shoppers at Pittsburgh Mills didn’t seem to mind the maze of detours Monday at the Frazer mall. They were too busy celebrating the milling and paving of the pothole-riddled Village Center Drive, which runs in front of Lowe’s, Ross and Aldi. The road had become notorious for massive craters that...
State Sen. Lindsey Williams hosts food drive in Harrison, Ross
State Sen. Lindsey Williams is hosting a food drive to benefit local families. Her office at Heights Plaza in Harrison is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. In addition, donations will be collected at her Ross office along McKnight Road. Proceeds will benefit Feeding the Flock...
Lower Burrell woman restarting efforts to help children who have been bullied
Growing up can be difficult, says 23-year-old Emma Kobelenske. About 10 years ago, a muscle disorder caused Kobelenske to walk with a crooked gait, leading her to walk sideways. During a class speech in 2020, she remembers standing up to her peers who had made fun of her sideways walk....
Lawmaker wants to give towns the ability to clamp down on irresponsible e-bike drivers
E-bikes have been nothing but a pain in Arnold, says Mayor Shannon Santucci. With e-bike riders zipping down the middle of the street, or not following road rules, Arnold is at a crossroads of what it can and can’t do to enforce rules for the motorized bikes. “There’s so many...
