Valley News Dispatch category, Page 17

Only $20 million is up for grabs statewide for small cities and boroughs looking to improve their downtowns, but local officials say they’re optimistic the money could head their way. The money is designated for a new Main Street Matters program that aims to foster economic growth and development for...

A nationwide loss of more than 3 billion birds since the 1970s has spurred an effort to make Pittsburgh and its suburbs a better place to roost. Bird Town, a statewide grassroots program, is partnering with the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania to restore habitat and bring people together for...

Lifting the lid and reaching in to sneak a cookie from a cookie jar is a childhood memory for many. There was nothing better than grabbing one — or more — of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies we knew were just waiting for us inside that ceramic, porcelain or...

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. East Deer Summer Celebration planned Saturday The sixth annual East Deer...

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As a Plum community pauses to remember those who died in a fatal house explosion a year ago, questions about the cause remain unresolved, and a mayor is demanding answers. Six residents of the Rustic Ridge neighborhood died as a result of the massive Aug. 12 explosion, which sent shock...

The St. Margaret Mary Parish Festival of Friendship capped off its annual two-day fundraiser on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. on parish grounds in Lower Burrell. A summer tradition stretching back decades, the event featured kids’ rides such as the inflatable whip and train, as well as other youthful...

Two songs into a concert Friday night to raise money so Tarentum could acquire a police dog, country music star Brian Kelley summoned to the stage the young girl from Harrison who had spearheaded the benefit. That’s when things really got interesting. After all, Kaley Bastine, 12, her parents and...

One of Plum School District’s two assistant superintendents is retiring, so the district is looking for a replacement. Denise Sedlacek will retire on Nov. 1, Superintendent Rick Walsh said. Sedlacek, a resident of Allegheny Township, started her education career in 1984 and has been in administration since 1991. She came...

Publicize your nonprofit’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. Drug disposal box available in Washington Township The Washington Township Police...

No paper note for a student’s absence will be no problem this year in the Allegheny Valley School District. One of the additions in the Springdale-area district will be an electronic excuse form for parents and families to document student absences. “It’s an electronic form that parents can use to...

Many people who attended a benefit concert in West Deer said they had no issue with travel or parking despite a nearby tunnel closure. The 130-year-old Rural Ridge Tunnel on Little Deer Creek Valley Road in Indiana Township closed Friday, the same day former Florida Georgia Line frontman Brian Kelley...

Brackenridge Council will learn within 90 days whether it can move forward with construction of a $1.1 million public works building. Allegheny County hosted a Zoom meeting Thursday to review the preliminary land development application to replace the current facility that’s nearly 125 years old. The county oversaw the process...

While work is underway at the site of a former Sheetz on Plum’s Golden Mile Highway, the future of the property is unclear. Crews were seen this week dismantling and removing the last pieces of the canopy of the shuttered convenience store and gas station. Sheetz closed the location at...

In the coming years, Brackenridge residents might be able to walk to a community fruit grove and pluck an apple or plum from a tree along Stieren Avenue. Councilman Dino Lopreiato is working to turn a vacant gravel lot into a hub for health and socialization. As head of the...

A 61-year-old Plum man is accused of taking two underage teen girls he met outside a bar to his home and giving them marijuana before having sex with one of them. Plum police say John Dale Vorous admitted to taking the girls, ages 14 and 15, to his Francis Road...

A wooden footbridge is coming to First Avenue in Brackenridge to connect the borough’s two sections of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. It will span a water intake well near Morgan Street and provide a link in the borough’s walking trail, which was partially constructed last year. “The (well) structure...

A Buffalo Township winemaker is pouring her entrepreneurial energy into expanding the family winery. Francesca Howden is the petite Italian force behind the 12-year success of La Vigneta Winery in Buffalo Township. “My parents always made wine when I was growing up. Dad always made it in the basement,” Howden...

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. Western Pa. toy run to benefit children’s charities The 33rd annual...

Publicize your class’s high school reunion announcement. Send information as soon as possible to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. • Ken High Class of 1958 will have a reunion Sept. 19 at Hill Crest Country Club, Lower Burrell. Classmates...

If it seems like the first day of school is getting earlier each year, you might not be too far off. It just depends on which district you live in. An analysis of the first day of school for students found some have inched up the start date over the...

An epic car cruise is brewing next Saturday in East Deer, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and MaxMotive officials say. The two landmark businesses have paired up for the Iron City Car Cruise on Aug. 17 at the brewery. The event already has 650 car registrations, said Rachel Semelbauer, brewery spokeswoman. The...

Joanna Studeny of Aspinwall couldn’t stop smiling as she watched her young daughter make new friends at the borough ball field. Four-year-old June Mastrangelo never hesitated to splatter bubbles or dive into a pile of suds sprayed by Camp Guyasuta volunteers. It wasn’t for a merit badge or some cooperation...

A tunnel closure in Indiana Township and a high-profile country music concert in West Deer could create a traffic nightmare Friday. The 130-year-old Rural Ridge Tunnel on Little Deer Creek Valley Road is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Friday for five weeks of repairs. On Friday night, former Florida...

Look out Pittsburgh — restaurant burgers are getting bigger and more creative. The classic burger that once graced most menus has evolved into beefy specialty creations at most eateries. “Gone are the days of your traditional burger,” said Cicero’s Bar & Grill co-owner Olivia Rapone. “They’re not as simple anymore.”...