Valley News Dispatch category, Page 5
Heavy storms cause cleanup of clogged drains, culverts in Fawn
Fawn resident Paul Freshwater spent Thursday morning shoveling 2 inches of water from his garage off Metz Road. It was only the second time in 60 years that Freshwater remembers storm runoff causing an issue at his property. “It came down so fast and so hard that you couldn’t see...
Striking workers from Springdale’s Greco Steel Products push for improved safety, benefits
Worries about safety and his poor life insurance policy pushed Jerry Harris to go on strike from Springdale-based Greco Steel Products. Harris, 35, of Jeannette recalled watching a co-worker fall through a roof and die on the job in June 2023. Several of Harris’ striking colleagues pointed to that moment...
Filming of Apple+ series in South Buffalo to begin next week
Film crews will be in and out of South Buffalo until around Thanksgiving for an AppleTV+ series tentatively titled “Parallax.” The shoots will take place in the township’s Clinton neighborhood. It will total only about six days over the next several months, according to Kannie Yu LaPack, executive vice president...
Allegheny Township to pay workers comp for fire departments from general fund, not use fire tax money
Allegheny Township will continue to use money from its general budget to pay worker’s compensation insurance premiums for the township’s fire departments. The township supervisors this week opted not to use money from the township’s 1.15-mill fire tax to pay the insurance premiums. “This wasn’t actually an item for business,”...
Kinloch streets marked for Lower Burrell summer paving
More than 20 streets in Lower Burrell are on tap to be paved this year. City Council on Monday approved a contract of close to $235,000 with Russell Standard to chip-seal 19 streets — the majority of which are in Kinloch — this summer. The full list of roads, according...
Tarentum dog-mauling victim reels from learning what police say about attack
Tarentum resident Michael Shutack was still reeling from a Halloween dog mauling when he learned Tuesday that the man who police said helped him escape the jaws of two pit bulls is the person who set them loose. “As much as I went through my whole life, including being in...
The Stroller, July 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. ‘The Roeblings of Saxonburg’...
Lower Burrell approves cooperative fire agreement: ‘a realistic solution,’ mayor says
A cooperative fire agreement among Lower Burrell, New Kensington and Arnold fire departments has won approval from Lower Burrell officials. Council approved plans outlining rules to establish a Tri-Cities duty crew for daytime volunteer fire coverage among the three cities. “I’m very excited for the Tri-City duty crew and its...
Tarentum’s Dreshar Stadium, rich in sports history, ‘served its time’
Amy Nulph grew up at Dreshar Stadium in Tarentum. “My dad coached there for the Hornets, my brothers played there and now my kids are there with RYFO (Rams Youth Football Organization),” she said. Plans to demolish the 87-year-old sports complex are bittersweet for Nulph and many area families. Work...
Roads closed, wires down after rain pummels Harrison, Fawn
Heavy thunderstorms rolled through the area Wednesday, wreaking havoc in local municipalities, particularly Fawn and Harrison. In Fawn, Bull Creek Road was flooded for a considerable stretch in the vicinity of Iron Bridge Road. There was a report of a house that in that area having 5 feet of water...
Burrell elementary school expansion to be tweaked after bids come in over budget
Burrell School District officials need to pare the cost of construction projects at Bon Air Elementary School after bids came in over budget. The lowest bid for Bon Air’s proposed cafeteria and kitchen addition, and heating and cooling projects, came in at $12.6 million, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner. “That...
Plum inks deal with DA for body cam footage requests
All Right-to-Know requests for police audio and video footage in Plum will go through the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office first after Plum Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the DA’s office. The memorandum requires the borough to forward all requests for audio and video related to “criminal and...
Shoe Sensation nearing opening date in Allegheny Township
A Shoe Sensation is coming to Allegheny Township. The store, in the Hyde Park Plaza, 451 Hyde Park Road, tentatively plans a soft opening Aug. 15, according to a representative from Shoe Sensation. The representative offered no other details about the store. Shoe Sensation sells an assortment of shoes and...
Fox Chapel Area School District STEAM camp draws nearly 200 students
Fox Chapel Area School District hosted its annual STEAM Camp at Fairview Elementary School last month. About 200 students participated in the week dedicated to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. It was open to students in first through eighth grades. District community engagement specialist Jill Leonard said students attended...
Oakmont man threatened to use guillotine on Florida hospital CEO, police say
An Oakmont man was arrested and charged with cyber harassment of a Florida hospital CEO, including threats to use a guillotine. Florida officials are seeking to extradite Lawrence Brunn, 63, to face charges that he has been harassing the CEO of Tampa General Hospital, according to court documents. The CEO,...
The Stroller, July 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 concert to feature...
Tarentum man charged in connection with Halloween dog attacks
Editor’s note: This story was changed on Wednesday, July 15, to reflect that all charges against Brandon Baynes were dismissed in June. A Tarentum man is facing criminal charges, accused by police of letting pit bulls out of an apartment on Halloween that attacked and severely injured other residents. Shawn...
New Kensington murder suspect given deadline to decide on plea deal ahead of August retrial
A New Kensington man has just hours to decide whether to accept a plea deal involving the 2020 murder during a botched robbery and the unrelated shooting of four others a year earlier. The combined plea offer comes just weeks before the scheduled retrial of Latresse T. Williams, 34. Prosecutors...
Natrona Heights woman tries to retract manslaughter plea at sentencing
Brook Lynn Lank pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on June 11 — admitting she shot her boyfriend three times before dumping his body in a McKees Rocks alley. In preparation for sentencing, she wrote a letter to the court acknowledging what she called her mistakes, and saying, “I take full...
‘Unforgivable’: Final defendant gets life sentence in starvation death of Oakmont girl
Throughout her prosecution for killing a 3-year-old girl, Alexis Herrera blamed her actions — starving, assaulting and torturing the child — on her sister, Laura Ramriez. It was Ramriez who hated Bella Seachrist, a child born from her husband’s affair. It was Ramriez who first started abusing the child in...
PennDOT rejects Lower Burrell’s request to outlaw jake brakes on stretch of Route 56
The loud roar of diesel trucks using brake retarders will continue to be heard on Route 56 between Hillcrest Drive and Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell. City officials in April had requested that PennDOT look into outlawing brake retarders, commonly known as jake brakes, on that stretch of road after...
Girl’s fall from Leechburg Bridge under investigation, officials say
Leechburg officials said Tuesday they’re still investigating after a girl fell from the Leechburg Bridge on Monday night. First responders were dispatched to the Leechburg Bridge at around 7:30 p.m. for a juvenile who had fallen from the bridge and onto the shoreline along the Kiski River. It’s unclear at...
Lower Burrell’s Kotecki Park to include space for dogs
Lower Burrell police Officer Derek Kotecki’s legacy will be remembered in the city in a new way. Council approved plans for a dog park at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. The dog park will be located past the outfield of the ballfield, closest to where people pull in to...
The Stroller, July 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. Tarentum Summer Concert series...
Girl falls from Leechburg Bridge onto shoreline of Kiski River
A girl was taken by medical helicopter to a local hospital after falling off the Leechburg Bridge and onto the shoreline along the Kiskiminetas River Monday evening. Lower Kiski Ambulance Service confirmed the incident via its Facebook page. The post said crews responded to the scene at the bridge, along...
