Joe Napsha stories

North Huntingdon officials plan to raise real estate taxes by 3.5 mills in 2026 to balance a general fund budget of $15.8 million, a tax increase they said is necessary to fund ongoing operations and projects now that federal covid funds have been exhausted. Without the tax hike, the township would...

Scouts to sell Christmas trees Boy Scout Troop 284 of Irwin will be selling live Christmas trees at the Busy Beaver store parking lot at the Norwin Hills Shopping Center. The tree sale will be from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 12; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 6 and 13; and...

Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle plans to open a new eatery in Irwin. The Irwin Planning Commission is scheduled to review a land development plan at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 that Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has filed with the borough for a restaurant at 9174 Route 30 where Denny’s is currently...

A New Kensington man who was a juror in the trial of a man accused of a triple murder in Loyalhanna testified Tuesday in Westmoreland County Court that he heard a fellow juror comment on why the suspect did not join the judge, attorneys and jurors when they toured the...

A group of Norwin High School students gave of money that students raised and gave of their time Thursday to shop for and shelve groceries at an Irwin food pantry to help less fortunate families. “The food bank is really important,” said Lizzy Martina, a junior who is her class’...

The merger of smaller regional hospital systems such as Independence Health with a larger health system — this one from West Virginia — is likely being driven, in part, by hospitals hurting from insufficient reimbursement for the cost of treating patients, a Pittsburgh-based health care consultant said. West Virginia University...

Sage’s Army holds toy drive Sage’s Army and Dream Life Recovery are holding a holiday toy drive for children and teens, with a party planned for 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at its Hempfield office, 6044 Route 30, Suite 400. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours....

A Norwin School Board member has filed a second federal lawsuit against the district and fellow directors. Alex Detschelt, an attorney representing himself, claims he was retaliated against for exercising his First Amendment rights after the board censured him for sexually descriptive blog posts. Detschelt filed the three-count lawsuit Monday...

Autumn Serembo, a Norwin High School senior, was busy Tuesday afternoon scraping off stickers that would identify books as being from Norwin Public Library, in preparation for the books to be sold at an upcoming book sale. She was one of about six students at the library who are in...

A North Huntingdon native who was the national archivist until she was removed by President Donald Trump in February has found a new role leading an initiative that will explore lessons in leadership from American presidents. Colleen Shogan, who led the National Archives and Records Administration from May 2023 until...

The Norwin School District hopes to sell the naming rights to its stadium to recoup some of the cost of a $25.4 million renovation that began this month. School leaders want the funds to defray the cost of the renovation of the 60-year-old Knights Stadium, said Superintendent Natalie McCracken. “We...

Irwin council this week approved another round of unanticipated costs for converting a former storefront in a century-old building into modern municipal offices, resulting in a project delay of about four months. On Wednesday, the council approved approximately $148,000 in additional spending to convert the former appliance store into accessible...

Irwin sets holiday parade, free parking The annual Light Up Norwin event will usher in the holiday season with a parade and entertainment on Nov. 20 along Main Street in Irwin. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with the East End Kids, followed by Main Street Music students at 5:30 p.m....

Demand for food assistance is surging in Westmoreland County following the cutoff of federal benefits caused by the six-week U.S. government shutdown, a food bank official said Wednesday. It is uncertain when the aid will resume. Jennifer Miller, executive director of the Westmoreland Food Bank in Salem, said need has...

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 33 of Greensburg will hold a free community-wide American flag retirement burning ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lynch Field along New Alexandria Road in Greensburg. During the ceremony, participants will present torn and tattered flags to the VFW Post’s fire crew, which will...

State regulators say they will issue an air quality permit to the natural gas-fired power plant in South Huntingdon, despite objections from environmental organizations that say issues should be fixed before the permit is approved. The Department of Environmental Protection has stated it will issue a Title V air quality...

Irwin Borough Council is expected to approve a request for six duty weapons for the police department, ensuring officers will have new, standardized equipment. The anticipated approval is for six duty weapons and two holsters from Witmer Public Safety Group Inc. of Coatsville for $6,074. The cost is discounted for...

Fire destroyed or extensively damaged three rooms at Budget Inn on East Byers Avenue in New Stanton on Friday afternoon. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, which was reported at noon, according to the Westmoreland County Public Safety department. Several people were moving out of the motel Friday afternoon...

The Norwin High School marching band won first place overall at the 2025 Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Oct. 25 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. The competition featured 30 high school bands from four states, including New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and eight from Pennsylvania....

Irwin expects to maintain tax rate Irwin Borough Council has introduced a $4.4 million general fund budget for 2026 that will maintain the current tax rate for property owners. The rate will remain 23 mills for the general fund, 3 mills for the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department, and 2 mills...

Seventeen artists received ribbons and a monetary award as winners for their entries in the Norwin Art League’s 49th Annual Art Exhibit last month. Several of the artists were winners in multiple categories in the contest judged by Jeffrey Jarzynka, owner of Jarzynka Gallery in Pittsburgh. The contests attracted 120...

Irwin borough council will see two new members join two reelected incumbents, based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. One newly appointed incumbent failed to win a full term. Councilman Tyler Baum, a Republican, led all candidates with 23.6 of the vote in his bid for a second four-year term...

Yough voters gave all four incumbent school board directors another term in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results. Jared Filapose of Sewickley, current board president, led the ticket with 23.3% of the vote, followed by Linda Knor of Herminie at 20.3%. Matt Gardner of South Huntingdon, board vice president, received...

A retired Army officer has won a two-year seat on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. Republican William Johnson of Mt. Pleasant Township received 51.6% of the vote, while Democrat Kathleen Ceroni received 44.8% of the vote. Ceroni, a retired Southmoreland High School...

A Charleroi-area food processing plant scheduled to close by the end of the month could remain open if a deal is reached with a prospective buyer, a federally appointed business receiver said Wednesday. “We are negotiating with the buyer… and expect an agreement with an investment group” within a week,...