Mere months after the founding of New Kensington in 1891, the Alle-Kiski Valley marked another milestone: the birth of the newspaper that would become today's Valley News Dispatch.
The Kensington “Dispatch will exercise a fearless independent right,” editor H.L. Goerman wrote in the inaugural edition on Nov. 21, 1891. “It will not be given to shaping up national issues, but all questions of local importance will receive such attention as the case may merit. ... At all times the furtherance of Kensington, and Kensington people will be of first importance.”
Over the ensuing 125 years, the newspaper's scope broadened beyond New Kensington, but the concentration on local news remains. Changes were made last week to reinforce the newspaper's commitment to the Alle-Kiski Valley.
“As we move our news organization into the future, our editors, reporters and photographers are committed to continue in their roles as storytellers and recorders of history and to provide even more of the local news and sports that have sustained this newspaper for well over a century,” said Sue McFarland, editor of the Valley News Dispatch and Westmoreland editions of the Tribune-Review.
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo and Tarentum historian Cindy Homburg said the presence of a local newspaper has contributed to the longevity of their towns.
Guzzo said the newspaper, along with assets such as Valley Points Family YMCA, Peoples Library and Westmoreland County Community College, signal the continuing vitality of New Kensington.
“People don't realize how important those things are,” Guzzo said. “They're institutions. When you have those, you are a real city.”
“For us to have a paper in Tarentum is really awesome,” said Homburg, who regularly scans microfilm of the VND archives for her historical research. “For us, now in the 21st century to still have it, it means a lot.”
The birth of the VND
The Valley News Dispatch is the offspring of two merged newspapers: The Kensington Dispatch and the Tarentum-based Valley Daily News, whose first edition was published on June 27, 1904.
The two papers were rivals until the Valley Daily News' publishing company bought the New Kensington Daily Dispatch in 1960.
Both papers continued to print until they merged into one edition in 1971, just a few weeks shy of the New Kensington paper's 80th anniversary.
The merger was overseen by publisher Eugene “Gene” Simon, who had led the Valley Daily News since 1949, when he took over the reins upon the death of the paper's founder, his father-in-law, Charles P. Howe.
Simon was once dubbed “the social conscience” of the Alle-Kiski Valley because of his willingness to shed light on everything from civil rights issues to communism to the Mafia's stranglehold on Westmoreland County. He continued at the helm of the VND until the paper was sold to Gannett Co. in 1976. Simon retired to a ranch in New Mexico; he died in 2012.
Gannett published the VND for two decades before selling the paper to Richard Mellon Scaife's Tribune-Review Publishing Co. in 1997.
Scaife's death in 2014 triggered a restructuring of the Tribune-Review. The Pittsburgh edition moved to an all-digital format last week; additional resources are being directed to the VND and Westmoreland editions, which will continue to be printed.
“Our Westmoreland and Valley News Dispatch readers are loyal to these newspapers, and we want to give them even more of the local coverage that will keep them coming back every day,” CEO and President Jennifer Bertetto, of Lower Burrell, announced in September.
A way of life
Guzzo, 56, said his appreciation for the VND began in his childhood, even before he became a paperboy, when he'd scan the sports pages for baseball box scores.
Guzzo recalls appreciating the syndicated sports columns of Mike Royko, local features writer Rex Rutkoski's music reviews, and Simon's editorials.
Both he and Homburg said they've always read The Stroller column.
A section that features community events and announcements, it has gone through many iterations since that header first appeared on the front page of the Kensington Dispatch in July 1893, offering “Observations, Notes, Comments and Suggestions on Various Topics.”
A rhyming, weekly Stroller column debuted in the Valley Daily News on Sept. 25, 1917, written by A. Knutt: “Each week I'll write, Some little verse, About like this (Perhaps much worse). I'll tell of things, I see and hear, About our town — far and near.”
For many years, The Stroller was written by former editor Frank Anderson, whose likeness was used to create the cartoon image that continues to festoon the column. Anderson retired in 1988 and died in 1991.
“It's all in The Stroller — everything you need to know,” said Homburg, 67.
Homburg said the obituaries and coverage of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams are must-reads for her. She also keeps a scrapbook of clippings of Tarentum events.
Guzzo credited reading about politics in the newspaper with fostering his interest in government.
“I have every article I've ever been in. I have so many boxes of papers. God forbid the house ever catches on fire,” said Guzzo, who noted the weight of the papers stored in the attic of his former house began to crack the bedroom ceiling.
“(The paper) has played a pretty big part in my life,” Guzzo said. “I have really fond memories of the Valley News Dispatch.”
“We are proud and grateful that our newspaper has played such a vital role in chronicling the rich history of this area and its residents,” McFarland said. “It is our hope that the stories told in the pages of this publication not only inform current readers, but also link members of future generations to their pasts and the incredible strength, fortitude and unshakable work ethic that have sustained this region.”
Liz Hayes is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680 or lhayes@tribweb.com.
