Norwin area: Irwin appointments, bingo, solar energy meeting, more
Irwin appointments Irwin Borough Council has appointed three members to the parks and recreation board, including two former council members. All terms began this month and run through Dec. 31, 2031. The appointees include former council member Fonda Dalbow, who recently sought a full four-year term in the November election,...
Spirit to resume Arnold Palmer Regional flights to Myrtle Beach
If the bitter cold weather on Thursday got you down, maybe thinking about a beach vacation in April might lift your spirits. Spirit Airlines said Thursday it is resuming its seasonal, five flights weekly nonstop service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe to Myrtle Beach, S.C., beginning April 15....
Environmental group protects 2,400 acres on Chestnut Ridge
A conservation organization has protected more than 2,400 acres of undeveloped forest land on Chestnut Ridge in eastern Westmoreland County. The land contains the headwaters for several wild trout streams. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy said agreements reached on land donations and a conservation easement on property owned by several families...
Sheetz in North Huntingdon sells $1.4 million winning lottery ticket
Someone who purchased a Match 6 Lotto game $2 ticket Wednesday at a Sheetz convenience store in North Huntingdon is a lot richer. The Pennsylvania Lottery said that a $1.42 million jackpot-winning Match 6 Lotto ticket was sold at the store at the intersection of Route 30 and Carpenter Lane....
Irwin OKs plans for Chipotle restaurant
Irwin officials gave the green light to a national Mexican food chain’s plan to build one of its 4,000 restaurants along Route 30 in the borough. Borough council on Wednesday unanimously approved the land development plan from Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. for its eatery at 9174 Route 30, the site...
Norwin school bus company facing driver shortages
Norwin’s bus transportation contractor, First Student, is faced with a driver shortage because of retirements and a rash of illnesses, forcing the district to scramble to get some students to school. “We communicate with First Student throughout each day to make and adjust plans to ensure that the driver shortage...
‘It was a big family’: Former Volkswagen assembly line workers will gather in Hempfield
A group of former autoworkers at the Volkswagen of America assembly plant near New Stanton will gather Saturday to renew old friendships and reminisce about their experiences at the factory. The reunion begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cabin Bar & Grille, 918 S. Center Ave., Hempfield, just a short...
Norwin area: Sage’s Army bingo, Irwin council elects leaders, more
Sage’s Army bingo, free movie Friends of Sage’s Army Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction and in recovery, will sponsor music bingo from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 22 at 814 Lanes & Games, 4589 Route 136, Hempfield. Midnight Haven Entertainment will provide the music. Admission...
‘Long overdue’: Tenaska power plant faces hearing on emissions, monitoring
From his Mendon Road horse farm, Eric Metz watches white clouds billow daily from the 940-megawatt natural gas power plant looming over South Huntingdon. “It’s really not a problem,” Metz said of the emissions drifting from the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station over his property. The health of the 23 horses...
Fire kills 6 dogs at North Huntingdon kennel
Six dogs were killed Wednesday night in a fire that destroyed a wood-frame kennel in North Huntingdon, a fire chief said Thursday. The kennel at Bowser’s Dog Services was in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene at 3031 Baker School Road, Larimer fire Chief William Hardy said. A neighbor...
North Versailles police officer, 2 others, hurt in crash
A North Versailles police officer was involved in an accident with another vehicle Tuesday afternoon, resulting in the officer and the other driver and a child being hospitalized in stable condition, according to Allegheny County Police. The vehicle was struck when it pulled out in front of the police vehicle...
Former convenience store CEO, expansion leader Steve Sheetz dies
Former Sheetz Corp. president and CEO Steve Sheetz, who oversaw the expansion of the Altoona-based convenience store chain, died Sunday, the company said. Sheetz, 77, was head of the family-owned multi-state convenience store chain from 1984 to 1995, succeeding his brother, Bob, who had founded the business in 1952, according...
Westmoreland Land Trust names Plum native as new executive director
The new executive director of the Westmoreland Land Trust brings a love of nature and extensive experience to a nonprofit organization that has helped preserve about 700 acres in the county. “I really connected to the trust’s mission of protecting and preserving land in Westmoreland County and making it accessible...
North Huntingdon is closer to adopting solar power ordinance
North Huntingdon officials are moving closer to joining other Westmoreland County municipalities in passing an ordinance to govern solar power installations. The township commissioners met this month to request revisions to a proposed ordinance regulating solar power arrays. Harry Faulk, township manager, said a third draft of the regulations should...
South Greensburg dental staff restores 12-foot holiday train displayVideo
Employees at a South Greensburg dental office have brought a traditional holiday train display back to life after more than 12 years in storage. The 144-square-foot layout at the office of Dr. Samuel Scardina features multiple trains chugging around village scenes and through a tunnel headed beneath a ski slope....
Where to recycle your live tree in Westmoreland County
Those who enjoy a live Christmas tree during the holiday season can do the environment a favor by recycling their tree rather than sending it to a landfill. “We all love the look and smell of a live Christmas tree. Don’t let its beauty end in a landfill,” said Michael...
Passing the torch: Aging VFW honor guards need younger veterans to step upVideo
Military veterans who serve on honor guards for local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts say there is an urgent need to pass the torch to a younger generation. “We’re always asking for young people, but they don’t have the time. We have seven or eight members who...
Ex-North Huntingdon EMS manager files federal sexual harassment lawsuit
A former North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue office manager is alleging in a federal lawsuit that she was subject to a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation by the service’s former executive director. Kelly Pirl, 39, of McKeesport, claims in the six-count suit that Shane Spielvogle, 50, of East McKeesport, subjected her...
Trafford historian seeks federal approval for naming Brush Creek tributary
A Trafford historian is seeking federal approval to name a North Huntingdon stream after the German immigrant family that settled along its banks in the 1870s. Andrew Capets, president of the Trafford Historical Society, is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formally designate the Brush...
Norwin area: Irwin appointments, book sale, auditions planned, more
Irwin resignations, appointments Irwin Borough is expected to vote next month to replace a borough representative on the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority board. John Slivka submitted his resignation from the municipal authority board at the end of the year. Slivka was elected to a four-year term on Irwin Council last...
North Huntingdon plans to raise administrators’ pay
North Huntingdon is expected to vote Wednesday at the commissioners meeting to raise the pay of most of its department heads by 3%, with two of the newer leaders getting 5% raises. The salaries proposed for 2026 were based on employee evaluations, township Manager Harry Faulk told the commissioners this...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
Greater Latrobe students accused of sharing intimate image of girl
Police have accused five juveniles from Greater Latrobe High School and one from Indiana County of using cellphones to disseminate an intimate image of an underage girl over the summer. Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg said Thursday they charged four girls from Latrobe — including one who was also described...
Heating costs $6,000 per month during Irwin office construction
Irwin will be paying $12,000 to provide heat this month and in January for the workers converting a former storefront into administrative offices at the borough building on Main Street. Borough council this week agreed to pay Sunbelt Rental of North Huntingdon for a temporary heating furnace at a rate...
Norwin area: Book sale, heating assistance, tree sale, more
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. 12; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 13; and from 10 a.m.-6 p.m....
