Valley News Dispatch category, Page 637
Highlands Early Childhood Center principal abruptly steps down
The principal of Highlands Early Childhood Center abruptly stepped down Monday afternoon without a clear explanation, district officials said. Highlands School Board accepted the resignation of Heather Bigney during a public voting meeting Monday night, just a few hours after Bigney submitted her resignation around 4 p.m., according to board...
Lions Club looks to clean, restore historic Apollo Cemetery
Back in the 1960s, it was enough for Apollo Area Lions Club members to take their own lawnmowers to cut the grass at the old Apollo Cemetery. But not anymore. Old trees have been uprooting some tombstones and threatening to swallow up the ownerless but historic cemetery in Kiski Township....
Deer Lakes to hold special meeting about bond issue refund
The Deer Lakes School Board has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday to discuss advanced refunding of the bond issue. The school board had hoped to formulate a resolution for advance refunding of its bond Tuesday night, but bond counsel Anthony Ditka of Dinsmore & Shohl erroneously submitted an old...
Amazon Studios scheduled to film in North Apollo
The bright lights of Hollywood will come to North Apollo in November, closing a nearly 1-mile stretch of Route 66 for a film shoot. Amazon Studios is scheduled to use the borough as a rural backdrop Nov. 6 and 7. PennDOT officials said three-quarters of a mile of Route 66...
Kiski Valley sewage customers get reprieve
Sewage customers will be getting a one-year reprieve from the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority’s move toward revaluation of dwelling units. The authority said last week that proper calculation of how much sewerage the average household or business produces will be put off until January 2021. The authority board...
The Stroller, Oct. 22, 2019: Events in the A-K Valley
Highlands High School to present Fall Follies The Highlands High School Fall Follies Talent Show will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in the high school auditorium, Harrison. The show will feature the high school honors choir, Variations Show Choir and selected auditioned acts. Admission is $2. Evening of beer and...
2 charged with fleeing police, other offenses in Route 28 crash
Three people were hurt in a police chase Sunday that started along Route 28 in South Buffalo and ended when the vehicle crashed into a concrete bridge abutment at the Tarentum exit. State police said the vehicle contained Derik Carothers, 24, of Washington; Isiaha Anthony Waulk , 23, of Johnstown;...
Nun celebrating 80th jubilee got her calling at St. Alphonsus School in Springdale
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. Audrey Sagan knew she wanted to be a nun when she was young. She credits her teachers — nuns — at St. Alphonsus School in Springdale for inspiring her...
Hartwood Restaurant, a ‘hidden gem’ in Indiana Township, celebrates 10th anniversaryVideo
A best-kept dining secret is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Hartwood Restaurant and Whispers Pub, located at 3400 Harts Run Road in Indiana Township, is touted as a “hidden gem” by owners Kate and Jeff Fenton of Fox Chapel. “We have customers telling us that they never knew we existed here,”...
The Stroller, Oct. 21, 2019: Events in the A-K Valley
Dinner to benefit Children’s Hospital The annual Chow-Chow Dinner to benefit the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Springdale Veterans Association, 1151 Pittsburgh St. Sponsored by the Allegheny Valley office of Howard Hanna, tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at...
Springdale water project nears completion
Springdale’s water system renovation project could be completed as soon as next month. Project engineer Kevin Szakelyhidi of Bankson Engineers that the $7.4 million project is 85% completed, based on payouts to contractors. Szakelyhidi said he hopes the project can be completed within the next month or so. In providing...
Leaf peeper season in full swing in the Laurel Highlands; Pittsburgh, Alle-Kiski Valley must waitVideo
Stunning fall colors in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas like the Alle-Kiski Valley are about a week to 10 days behind other areas in the state that are hitting their peak fall foliage about now, according to experts. The Laurel Highlands is at its peak for foliage-watching now, according to DCNR’s...
West Deer, Deer Lakes School District look for ways to spur growth
West Deer and Deer Lakes School District officials are exploring a joint effort to jump-start development and increase the tax base. Township Supervisor Arlind Karpuzi and school board president William Lupone discussed the matter at last week’s supervisors meeting. Karpuzi wants to focus on doing something that would benefit current...
Alle-Kiski Pavilion halfway house for state inmates closes in Arnold
The Alle-Kiski Pavilion, a halfway house along Fourth Avenue in Arnold, has closed because of budget cuts at the state Department of Corrections. As a result, 35 inmates have been relocated to other facilities. Alle-Kiski Pavilion, owned by the GEO Group Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., serves as a halfway...
World-renowned violinist, daughter to perform at Tarentum churchVideo
Violinist Andres Cardenes has performed all over the world with talented musicians. But he said the 16-year-old girl with whom he will perform Sunday in Tarentum tops them all. “Getting to perform with my daughter is number one,” Cardenes, the distinguished professor of violin studies at Carnegie Mellon University’s School...
Upper Burrell’s Oak Lake Golf Course to close
After a failed sealed-bid auction to sell Oak Lake Golf Course in Upper Burrell last year, the owners will close the 18-hole course Thursday, Oct. 24 and hold a public auction two days later. All of Oak Lake’s assets will be for sale at the Saturday auction, including the land,...
Shaler man waives drug charges to Armstrong County court
A Shaler man agreed Tuesday to stand trial for having about six bricks of suspected heroin when he was pulled over last month along Route 28 in South Buffalo. Anthony Donell Rue, 40, of Center Street, waived charges to court in the courtroom of District Judge J. Gary Decomo. He...
The Stroller, Oct. 19-20: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Alle-Kiski HOPE Center seeks donations The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center, Tarentum, is in need of household and personal items for the clients that it serves. Items needed include hair products, regular-size conditioner, make-up for all skin colors, new infant rattles, teething toys and pacifiers; and new brooms, mops and dust...
Tree of Life survivor among ‘A Gathering of Authors’Video
An author alone in a bookstore bothers Francine Costello. “I hate to see authors sitting in a bookstore waiting for people to come and buy books so they can sign them, and no one is there,” said Costello, co-owner of Word Association Publishers in Tarentum. “They are all by themselves....
Alle-Kiski Valley knitters show love by the skeinVideo
A dozen Alle-Kiski women are investing their dexterity and love for others by crocheting knit caps for newborns and a host of crocheted or knitted items to help cancer survivors. The items include “knitted knockers.” When a woman’s breast must be surgically removed and she decides against augmentation, she can...
Lower Burrell limits yard waste disposal to weekends during City Hall project
Lower Burrell residents who want to dispose of leaves and limbs behind City Hall will be able to do so only on weekends because a renovation project has closed some areas of the City Hall campus along Schreiber Street. Nita Serene, a city secretary, said the restriction will be in...
Westmoreland judge calls father of accused cop killer ‘danger to the community’
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Thursday that the father of accused cop killer Rahmael Sal Holt will remain in jail on $100,000 bond until after his son’s capital murder trial next month. Gregory Baucum Jr., 48, of Pittsburgh has been in jail since March after he was arrested and charged...
Food pantry opens in Harmar after overcoming hurdles
Feeding the Flock Ministries opened its Harmar food pantry Thursday, ending a months-long permitting dispute with the township. “It’s wonderful,” Director Michele Bock said. “I’m just hoping that moving forward we can be a good neighbor to the community.” Feeding the Flock, a nonprofit food ministry, is located at the...
Demolition of Belvedere Hotel in Oklahoma Borough cost 40% less than expected
The demolition of the Belvedere Hotel in Oklahoma Borough came in $36,000 under budget. The demolition was completed Friday and took a little more than a week. The final cost was $48,700, or about 40% less than expected. Originally, Westmoreland County came up with $75,000 and Oklahoma Borough pledged $10,000...
Vandergrift Council candidates to speak at forum
Vandergrift residents will have an opportunity to hear from three borough council candidates Thursday at a candidate forum at the Center on Franklin Avenue. Three four-year council seats are up for election this year. Candidates expected to attend include Republicans Tim Turner and Karen McClarnon and Democrat John Uskaritis. Council...
