Joe Napsha stories, Page 10
IUP reaches deal with Torrance hospital for clinical training, addressing crisis in rural health care
Four years from now, there could be a dozen or so students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s medical school doing some of their clincal training at Torrance State Hospital near Blairsville. The experiences these IUP students from the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine would face at the state hospital in...
Female veteran from Greatest Generation: ‘Best thing that ever happened to me’
The world that young Emily Drake was navigating in the spring of 1942, armed with an Aspinwall High School diploma, was awash in war — in Europe, Asia, Africa and throughout the South Pacific. Drake, who lives in O’Hara, wanted to join the Women’s Army Corps to serve her country...
As 50th anniversary of Saigon’s fall nears, Greensburg VFW to honor Vietnam vets
The 50th anniversary of the end the Vietnam War will be commemorated with a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 33 in Greensburg. The National Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony at the VFW Post 33 at 516 E. Pittsburgh St., will honor the thousands...
Norwin School Board candidates face hearing on petition challenges
Three Norwin School Board candidates should be removed from the May 20 primary ballot, according to legal challenges filed by two opponents. Westmoreland County Judge Harry Smail is scheduled to hear challenges Wednesday to the nominating petitions of Alex Detschelt, a current school board member seeking a nomination on the...
North Huntingdon plans to drain, dredge popular Indian Lake
Those who love to fish at Indian Lake Park in North Huntingdon will have to find a new spot when the township drains the lake in the next few years. North Huntingdon officials plan to apply for a $1.33 million grant for a multi-phase project to dredge the lake and...
Duquesne beer: ‘Prince of Pilseners’ will return to shelves this spring
An iconic Pittsburgh beer, Duquesne — with its “Prince of Pilseners” logo — has popped up again. Bill Clevenger, whose grandmother sold Duquesne beer through her distributorship in his native McConnellsburg in Fulton County, has revived the Pittsburgh beer that had been dormant since 2021. “I’m keeping the tradition and...
Despite looming ‘fiscal cliff,’ Westmoreland Transit isn’t eyeing cuts, director says
Those riding Westmoreland County’s transit system are not in danger of massive service cuts like the ones facing those who rely on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, county transportation officials said this week. “We are not there. I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” said Alan Blahovec, executive director of the...
Greengate Mall topic of historical society lunch and program
The Live Casino in Hempfield will be the location for a nostalgic look at the former Greengate Mall, which was a shopping destination for decades. Gary Nelson will present the program, “Remember When We Shopped at the Greengate Mall,” from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. April 6 at the casino along...
North Huntingdon parks will see new security cameras, drinking fountains
North Huntingdon’s parks will be spruced up this spring with more than $100,000 of improvements — new trash cans, water fountains and playground equipment. Township commissioners recently awarded a $52,904 contract to Tree Top Products of Batavia, Ill., for 66 new sturdy trash cans, 40 of which will be placed...
Friends of Norwin Trails seeks $35K for study, tools
A recreational trails group wants to create a hiking and biking trail that will connect Irwin with Larimer in North Huntingdon and is seeking a $35,000 state grant for a feasibility study for the project. The Friends of Norwin Trails Inc. won approval from Irwin Borough Council on March 12...
Sheetz to hold hiring event for 440 openings in state
Sheetz Inc. has plans to hire more than 440 employees for its 310 stores in Pennsylvania and a total of 1,350 throughout its seven-state footprint, the Altoona-based company said Wednesday. To seek employees in a tight labor market, Sheetz is holding hiring events with on-the-spot interviews at its 310 stores...
Norwin budget projection: more revenue; expenses to be revealed
Norwin expects to have about $4.66 million more for the upcoming school year than the current fiscal year without raising local taxes, due in large part to a $4.3 million increase in state revenue, school officials were told. Ryan Kirsch, Norwin’s director of business affairs, told the school board Monday...
Historical society rebuilding ‘log skyscraper’ at Hanna’s Town
Workers at Historic Hanna’s Town are rebuilding part of Westmoreland County’s colonial history, stacking two-century-old, 20-foot-long logs to give new life what the county historical society is calling its “log skyscraper.” “It’s unusual (for log houses) because the first-floor ceiling is 10 feet tall. It looks like we are constructing...
Irwin appliance store staying in town
Rosendahl’s Appliance Center, a fixture in downtown Irwin for decades, is staying in town. Rosendahl’s will not have to move far at the end of the month when its lease expires for the space on the first floor of the Irwin Borough Building at 424 Main St. That’s because it’s...
Bids being accepted for Norwin stadium project projected to cost $24.8M
Norwin school officials will learn next month whether the extensive renovations planned for the Knights Stadium will cost the estimated $24.8 million, or even more, when bids for the project are opened on April 8. The school board in January had decided to proceed with an option presented by its...
Norwin hires new board secretary; school police officer retires
The Norwin School Board has a new secretary and the district’s superintendent has a new excutive assistant. The school board Monday hired Leslie DeZorzi as the board secretary and as executive assistant to Superintendent Natalie McCracken at a salary of $59,000, prorated for the remainder of the school year. DeZorzi...
Scottdale heart transplant patient: Recovering ‘each day, one day at a time’
Thirteen-year-old Marshall Fee of Scottdale is the rare person who will celebrate a birthday twice in one year. While his regular birthday is in October, his second commemorates the day he received a new heart — which has given him hope for a full life. Fee, who had suffered from...
Chief: North Huntingdon fire department working to improve insurance ratings, community confidence
After being slapped with the worst possible fire insurance score in July, the Strawpump fire department in North Huntingdon has added members and continues to respond to calls as it works to regain an acceptable rating, the department’s new chief said. Township commissioners in November approved a plan from the...
Western Pa. wood carver recalls special gifts he made for President Carter and first lady Rosalyn
It’s not every day that a person gets to give a work of art to a former U.S. president and first lady who also were fellow trout anglers, but that is what happened to a member of the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited. With the death of 100-year-old former...
Norwin area: Church to sell pirohi, soups; Lamp Theatre gala set
Church to sell pirohi Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church at 90 Bethel Road, North Huntingdon, will sell priohi from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28. The potato and cheese pirohi and sweet cabbage are $14 per dozen; sauerkraut is $15; lekvar is $16; and cottage cheese is $17. Pirohi may...
Norwin students to perform ‘High School Musical’
The Norwin High School auditorium will come alive in late March with a musical of high school high drama replete with cliques and rivalries. The Norwin High School Theatre Company will entertain audiences with “High School Musical,” the play based on the hit Disney television film about students performing in...
Hearing set on Rostraver landfill permit to dump treated leachate into river
A Penn Township environmental organization is opposing a draft permit the state has issued to a Rostraver landfill operator that wants to pipe treated leachate from its garbage dump into the Monongahela River. “Our main concern is with the leachate runoff. Are they going to process it properly?” asked Gillian...
Norwin area: Elks to hold Vietnam War Veterans Day lunch; trip to Lancaster theatre planned, axe throwing contest
Norwin Elks to hold Vietnam War veterans lunch The Norwin Elks off Sandy Hill Road in Manor will hold a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 29 to recognize Vietnam War veterans and all other United States veterans. The complimentary lunch is being held in conjunction with the...
Summer concert, car show set for Westmoreland Fairgrounds
Music fans, motorcycle lovers and car cruise enthusiasts are the target audience for a three-day extravaganza, June 27 to 29 at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds near Mutual. Eleven bands are scheduled to perform at the Whiskey Throttle Fair, which also will feature tattoo artists and food trucks, said Michael Morelli, 31,...
Norwin cheerleaders shine in national competition
The Norwin cheerleaders performed some magic recently in the magical land of the Walt Disney World Resort, during the national cheerleading championship competition in Orlando, Fla. “We really tried to take it to the next level. They had great execution,” said cheerleading coach Sarah Brooks, about the 23-member squad. The...
