Somerset News
Route 219 south project clears hurdle
By Joe NapshaWork could begin this summer on grading a path through southern Somerset County for a four-lane Route 219 between Somerset and Meyersdale now that federal environmental regulators are not going to insist on a more extensive review of the environmental …
Somerset County couple charged with setting up ‘marijuana grow’ operation
By Mary PickelsA Somerset County man and woman are charged with operating a “marijuana grow,” which police learned about while investigating a report of a domestic assault this week. Mary Elizabeth Beeman, 24, and Johnathan Richard Barr, 21, both of Somerset, were …
Sen. Toomey: Navy to launch USS Somerset in Philadelphia
By Mary PickelsKen Nacke of Baltimore hopes to be in Philadelphia in January as the Navy commissions the USS Somerset, formally placing the ship into active service. …
Flight 93 ship set to honor victims
By Bob StilesThe group Families of Flight 93 continues efforts to commission a ship out of Philadelphia and have mementos of their loved ones who perished on the plane on the naval vessel, the group’s president said on Saturday. Gordon Felt, whose …
Injured motorcyclist eager to be fitted for prosthetic arm and leg
By Tony LarussaRyan Dalla Valle grins as he tries to endure the pain of a shattered pelvis and burns he suffered in an April 13 motorcycle wreck …
Students not yet born on 9/11 help to test educational materials during visit to crash site
By Mary PickelsChildren not yet born on Sept. 11, 2001, are contributing to the Junior Ranger program at the Flight 93 National Memorial. About 75 fifth- and …
Meyersdale apartment contained working meth lab; 2 men charged
By Rossilynne SkenaState police in Somerset County discovered a working methamphetamine lab in a Meyersdale apartment early Tuesday morning and charged two men with operating it. Jordan Michael O’Donnell, 22, and Matthew Gordon Bowman, 29, both of Meyersdale, face multiple drug charges. …
Somerset County man sought in fraudulent donation scheme for state police youth program Camp Cadet
By Mary PickelsA Somerset County man who allegedly solicited donations fraudulently from businesses, claiming they would benefit a state police youth program, is being sought by police. David Wayne Brant, 46, of Meyersdale is charged with theft by deception in connection with …
Husband charged with getting contraband for Somerset inmates after wife tipped off authorities
By Paul PeirceState corrections officials were tipped last fall that a guard at SCI Somerset was smuggling contraband to inmates when his wife grew suspicious about his late-night texting and numerous packages arriving to the couple’s home, according to court documents. The …
Somerset County nets $118,000 in disaster relief money to deal with Superstorm Sandy’s impact
By Kari Andren 7:24 p.m.Damaged power lines, downed trees and snow removal resulting from October’s Superstorm Sandy has netted Somerset County more than $118,000 in disaster relief money. The majority of the aid so far, about $68,700, has been earmarked for the Somerset Rural …
Volunteers plant ‘living memory’ trees at Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County
By Bob StilesAlan Kersten gently pushed the sapling into the open ground and remembered 40 heroes. On a blustery Saturday, Kersten and about 150 other volunteers planted …
Park Service seeks workers for Flight 93 center
By Mary PickelsArea companies are being invited to pursue subcontracting opportunities for the planned Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center in Somerset County. A site visit for potential subcontractors is planned on Tuesday, National Park Service spokeswoman Lindy Allen said in a …
Somerset man who left dead body apologizes to victim’s kin
By Paul PeirceA Somerset County man apologized Friday to the family of a 53-year-old Friedens man whose body he moved out of his apartment and abandoned in a truck after the victim fatally overdosed last Jan. 23. Michael T. Moore, 37, also …
Air Force vet gets jail for stealing $5K from Somerset vets’ group
By Paul PeirceAn Air Force veteran will spend one to 23 months in jail and was ordered to repay more than $5,000 she stole from a Vietnam veterans organization in Somerset County. Lorrie Sue Fisher, 39, of Friedens, was sentenced Thursday by …
Somerset man suspected in threatening ex-girlfriend commits suicide during pursuit by state police
By Mary PickelsA Somerset County man who allegedly brandished a firearm during a dispute with an ex-girlfriend committed suicide Saturday as he fled pursuing state police. Randy Mel Kearns, 49, of Somerset Pike, Sipesville, died as a result of the 7:47 p.m. …
Fire damages Stoystown log cabin dating to 1700s
By The Associated PressSTOYSTOWN — A log cabin that dates to the 1700s and was once used as a stagecoach stop in southwestern Pennsylvania has been damaged by a fire. Stoystown fire Chief Dave Johnson tells the (Somerset) Daily American that the current …
State police: $1 million worth of heroin found in Pittsburgh man’s car during turnpike traffic stop
By Greg ReinboldState troopers said the $1 million worth of heroin seized from a Pittsburgh man’s car during a traffic stop Friday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike …
Police allege Somerset man destroyed property
By Tribune-ReviewA Somerset man was jailed Tuesday on state police accusations that he was intoxicated and destroying property in a Lillian Lane home. Jared Benjamin Knopsnyder, 24, was hiding behind a door with a filet knife when troopers arrived at about …
Flight 93 National Memorial delays summer hours
By Rossilynne SkenaThe Flight 93 National Memorial and the other four national parks in Western Pennsylvania are trimming programs, staff and hours because of a 5 percent funding cut, a result of the federal sequester’s automatic across-the-board spending cuts. The cuts, which …
Feds seeking $900K from Somerset contractor that received earmarks from Murtha
By Adam BrandolphFederal prosecutors are seeking $900,000 from a Somerset County defense contractor that received earmarks from the late Rep. John Murtha. U.S. Attorney David Hickton on Monday filed a civil complaint against Windber-based Kuchera Defense Systems Inc. and its owners, brothers …
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