Valley News Dispatch category, Page 56
Gilpin supervisors fill vacancy
Gilpin Township has welcomed one more supervisor. Gary Hall, 65, was unanimously appointed to a vacant seat Thursday night. He’ll fill a position left by Kris Kulick in May. “The biggest reason was to put faith back into the governance of Gilpin Township,” Hall said when asked why he decided...
Free program on purple martins hosted at Harrison Hills, home to only colony in Allegheny County Parks
Harrison resident Ken Kostka has worked for years to revitalize the region’s colony of purple martins — the species of bird that vanished from Western Pennsylvania after Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972. His efforts have taken flight. Harrison Hills, the 500-acre park off Freeport Road, is home to the only...
U.S. Open honors Flag Day, Army’s 250th birthday
The opening ceremony of the 125th U.S. Open wasn’t just about golf. Notable figures in the USGA, local government and military gathered at the tournament’s Fan Central for an opening ceremony and flag raising. Special guests, including USGA president Fred Perpall; Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato; Director of U.S. Army...
Cheswick man charged with sexual abuse of a minor extradited from Ohio
About two weeks after filing their initial criminal complaint, Allegheny County Police have custody of Jeremiah Segan, 42, who is charged with statutory sexual assault and numerous other sex crimes in connection with the alleged yearslong sexual abuse of a minor. According to police spokesman Jim Madalinsky, the longtime resident...
Fawn seeking resident to fill supervisor vacancy
Fawn residents interested in serving in local government can apply for a temporary supervisor’s term. A vacancy was created after board member Phillip Smozski resigned effective June 3. His departure was announced at Tuesday’s supervisor’s meeting. “It was a learning adventure,” Smozski said, when reached by phone on Wednesday. He...
Gov. Josh Shapiro touts Pennsylvania as nation’s golf capital during U.S. Open visit
Gov. Josh Shapiro called the state of Pennsylvania the “golf capital of the United States” during a visit Friday to the Oakmont Country Club for the U.S. Open. The Keystone State has hosted the most United States Golf Association championships compared to any other state — at 95 as of...
Harmar police seek driver who struck pedestrian in hit and run
Harmar police are looking for a car that struck a pedestrian Thursday night. A 28-year-old woman, who police have not identified, was struck by a vehicle on Freeport Road around 10:13 p.m., Police Chief Jason Domaratz told TribLive. The woman was using a crosswalk near Alpha Drive West to get...
Allegheny Valley to spend $500k for high school facade repairs
The Allegheny Valley School Board will pay a masonry firm more than $500,000 to repair a problem with the facade at the rear of Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. In a unanimous vote, the school board awarded a $513,000 contract to Mt. Pleasant-based Arch Masonry on Tuesday for repairs to the...
Winning Match 6 ticket worth $620K sold in Harrison
Someone who bought a lottery ticket in Harrison on Thursday is $620,000 richer. A jackpot-winning PA Lottery Match 6 Lotto ticket was sold at a Freeport Road gas station. The winning ticket was sold at Bob’s Exxon, 2602 Freeport Road. It correctly matched all six winning numbers, 1-14-28-35-42-47. The gas...
Fire damages multiple mobile homes in Buffalo Township
A shed fire spread to two mobile homes in Buffalo Township on Thursday night, seriously damaging them. A Butler County dispatcher said crews were alerted of a fire around 9:45 p.m. in Jack’s Mobile Homes park along Shaner Drive. No injuries were reported, the dispatcher said, but the Red Cross...
Buffalo Township supervisors delay vote on solar farms after residents blast the plans
Buffalo Township residents voicing concerns about two proposed solar farms prompted the supervisors to postpone a vote on the facilities. Residents were united in their opposition to SolAmerica’s proposal at two public hearings Wednesday. The hearings, which were attended by about 35 residents and went on for almost three hours,...
51st Oakmont Greek Food Festival to feature traditional food, music
Some extra food is being made in preparation for the 51st Oakmont Greek Food Festival presented by the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave. later this month. Event co-chair Andy Gavrilos said last year’s festival ended in disappointment for some attendees when a few of...
Aspinwall conference room dedicated to longtime councilman, firefighter
Memories flooded back to former Aspinwall councilman and volunteer firefighter John “Jack” Lovey as he stood in a recently renovated borough building conference room. Lovey was on Aspinwall council for 28 years and president for 15. “It brings back a lot of memories sitting there looking at my people,” he...
A-K Valley High school class reunions, June 15, 2025
Publicize your high school’s class reunion for free for free in The Stroller. 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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. • Ken Hi Class of 1959 will...
The Stroller, June 13, 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 rides available to...
Fun while learning: New Kensington STEAM Camp ‘a great community program’
The more than 30 campers at the New Kensington STEAM Camp this week each had a different answer when asked their favorite part of the four-day session. To JT Slosky, 9, of Lower Burrell, it was coding. To brother and sister Alivia Saunders, 9 and Alex Saunders IV, 6, of...
Missing Upper Burrell man with dementia found safe
An Upper Burrell man was found safe Friday morning, a day after he was reported missing, according to state police. Police and firefighters spent several hours Thursday evening looking for Harry Radaker, 69, after he was last seen around 4:15 p.m. near Alcoa Lab Lodge in Upper Burrell. They searched...
Oakmont native returns to U.S. Open, 72 years after caddying for Ben Hogan’s 1953 victory
Carl Nasse was 10 when he began working as a caddie at Oakmont Country Club in the late 1940s. Just a few years later, a 15-year-old Nasse found himself walking the Oakmont course as Ben Hogan’s caddie when the Texas-born golfer won the 1953 U.S. Open Championship. Nasse was paid...
U.S. Open photo gallery: 1st round
The first round of the U.S. Open got underway Thursday at Oakmont Country Club. Here is a look at the day in pictures....
Oakmont residents find community, sweet memories selling parking spots
Mike Komaniak is one heck of a Tetris player. But his version of the game is a bit more immersive than the actual puzzle-building video game. Every five years since 2006, Komaniak and his wife, Suzanne, open their backyard to men’s and women’s U.S. Open spectators trying to find a...
U.S. Open interns get a crash-course in planning, executing a major sporting event
For a college sports management major, practical experience doesn’t get much better than working a major American golf championship where 200,000 people are expected to come through the gate. So when Dakharee Mann’s professor texted him last fall about the U.S. Golf Association’s Pathways internship program at the U.S. Open,...
Attorneys for cop killer Rahmael Holt request trove of FBI documents
Defense attorneys are seeking copies of more than 1,400 documents from the FBI in an appeal for a man on death row for killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. A response to a public records request filed by attorneys representing Rahmael Holt, 37, of Harrison indicated it would take...
Spectators soak up U.S. Open atmosphere at Oakmont — and some see historyVideo
Scores of spectators filed onto the Oakmont Country Club grounds shortly after sunrise Thursday, some with specific viewing strategies and groupings they planned to follow, others guided by a sense of spontaneity. All were eager to see how the world’s best golfers stacked up against mighty Oakmont during the first...
Hulton Road among routes seeing jump in traffic, slower commute during U.S. Open week
Clare Sliben had to leave for her summer job as a lifeguard almost an hour early Monday morning. Like many other Oakmont residents, Sliben, 16, has been battling traffic, mainly on Hulton Road, during rush hour each day this week as the 2025 U.S. Open takes place at Oakmont Country...
Harrison suspect in pet cremation scandal scheduled for arraignment
Terry Onufer will never get a pet cremated again. The Buffalo Township resident is still reeling after Patrick Vereb, owner of Harrison and Pittsburgh funeral homes and pet crematoriums, was charged in April with allegedly discarding animals in landfills. “He had disrespect and disregard for our pup and others,” Onufer...
