Joe Napsha stories, Page 108
Heavy snow, 40 below zero temps stop Latrobe man’s Alaskan journey
Tim Hewitt’s hopes of trekking some 1,300 miles through the Alaskan wilderness were smashed last week by deep snow that slowed his progress, making every step in his snowshoes difficult and deep snow that obliterated any traces of a trail. Hewitt, a Latrobe attorney, said on Feb. 24 from his...
Norwin to restrict public access to school facilities to improve student safety
Norwin will close public access to its campuses on school days to improve student safety, the district announced. Only people with legitimate school business will be admitted to buildings and recreational facilities. The public will be prohibited from using the track or other recreation facilities from 7 a.m. to 4:30...
Excela Health challenged by ‘disrupters’ in health care market, CEO saysVideo
Excela Health not only faces competition from larger Pittsburgh-based health systems but also national tech companies “invading” the local market in an effort to change how people receive health care, the Westmoreland County-based system’s top official said. “The biggest disruption in our health care space is technology,” Excela Health CEO...
Lamp Theatre to show locally produced film by P-T gradsVideo
When Brandon Keenan was a teenager growing up in Harrison City, he would take a date to The Lamp Theatre, where the price of admission was cheap and so was the popcorn. Now 36 and living in Monroeville, Keenan will return to the Irwin theater on Saturday with fellow filmmaker...
Liberty Bridge, Andy Warhol Bridge cited as among top 19 in U.S.
All the commuters who drive across the Liberty Bridge and wait in rush hour traffic over the Monongahela River, and those traveling the Andy Warhol Bridge over the Allegheny River, can say they have been on one of the most outstanding bridges in the country. Both Pittsburgh bridges were among...
I-70 lane restrictions planned for Yukon area
Motorists traveling Interstate 70 between Yukon and Madison — exits 53 and 54 — will have to drive through lane-restricted areas next week, PennDOT said. There will be a single lane of travel in both directions while crews demolish the median barrier and install a temporary barrier. Work from 10...
Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski’s house in Hempfield goes on auction block
The Westmoreland County home of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski and his wife will go to the highest bidder, with the sale coming less than three months after memorabilia from his Hall of Fame career and other household items attracted hundreds of people to a New Year’s Day auction. Bids...
Ligonier man served his country and community
Francis Yandrick was a man who served his country and community, fighting in the Army during World War II and serving on Ligonier Borough Council. “He really did love the town of Ligonier,” said his granddaughter, Natalie Headley of Baltimore. Francis X. Yandrick of Ligonier died Friday, Feb. 14, 2020,...
Surveyors tackling resurvey of Mason-Dixon Line
A group of surveyors from Pennsylvania and Maryland starting this year plan to create a new record of what might be America’s most famous border: the Mason-Dixon Line. Members of both states’ surveyor societies will help survey the 196-mile border stretching from Delaware to the southeastern tip of Fayette County,...
Latrobe attorney takes on another brutally cold, long Alaskan wilderness run
Latrobe labor attorney Tim Hewitt is at it again, putting his body through yet another outrageously long journey through the Alaska wilderness in the middle of winter. He set the record for running the famed Iditarod Trail Invitational, billed as the “world’s longest winter ultra-marathon,” having covered more than 1,000...
Gala planned for Lamp Theatre
“A Night at the Speakeasy” will be the theme of The Lamp Theatre’s March 20 fundraiser that will take patrons back to the Roaring ’20s and the days of Prohibition. Patrons are encouraged to wear a cocktail dress, formal wear and 1920s-themed clothing to the gala that will be held...
Norwin Lions to hold ‘cubcakes’ fundraiser
Those who love cupcakes can eat them for a good cause at the Norwin Lions Cubcake Wars at the Norwin High School cafeteria, 251 McMahon Drive, North Huntingdon, from 1 to 4 p.m. March 29. Money from the eighth annual fundraiser will be used for the Norwin Lions and its...
Sage’s Army to hold family recovery meetings
Sage’s Army, a nonprofit fighting drug addiction, will hold a free family reinforcement/recovery session on Feb. 27. The event will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the group’s headquarters, 216 Fourth St., Irwin. The sessions are designed to provide information and guidance for family members who deal with...
Youngwood braces for ‘traffic nightmare’ with water, sewer line replacement projectVideo
Youngwood residents soon will live the highway construction mantra of “temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement.” All four lanes of Route 119 will be torn apart to install new water and sewer lines, followed by PennDOT’s reconstruction of the borough’s main north-south thoroughfare. “It’s going to be a traffic nightmare for two...
Norwin elementary school again recognized as top 5% in Pennsylvania
For the second consecutive year, Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace Elementary School is a Title I Distinguished School. Sheridan Terrace won the designation for the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 school years, according to the state Department of Education’s federal programs division. It was one of 94 schools to receive the award for...
NASA exhibit sought for 2021 Westmoreland air showVideo
After taking a year off, officials hope to land some help from NASA when the air show returns for Memorial Day 2021 at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. “We’re checking into something new,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the county Airport Authority. Monzo said he was not certain what...
Norwin to launch iPad program for students
Norwin plans to launch a program next school year to give iPads to students, starting in fifth grade and continuing over four years, so that all students from fifth through 12th grades will study on computer tablets that eventually will replace textbooks. The multi-year One to World program giving Apple...
Irwin hires code enforcement officer
Irwin Borough hired a part-time code enforcement officer. Joseph Volpe of Penn Hills was hired by borough council last week to work 20 hours a week, at a rate of $15 an hour, said council President Rick Burdelski. Volpe will be responsible for enforcing the borough’s Quality of Life ordinance...
Latrobe woman helping adults, children, deal with griefVideo
Maureen Ceidro of Latrobe has dealt with death and grief in her job as Excela Home Health Care and Hospice’s bereavement coordinator — helping those at the end of a long life and helping youngsters trying to make sense of their life after the loss of a loved one. “We...
Greensburg woman loved to travel – Feb. 8, 2020
Dorothy Piekarski loved to travel around the world with her husband, Robert, exploring new places. “They traveled to Egypt and rode the camels. They loved traveling along the coast of California and visiting the redwood forests,” said her stepdaughter, Nancy K. Coons. Dorothy J. “Dottie” Piekarski of Hempfield died Wednesday,...
Fundraiser planned for Norwin elementary school backpack program
Fans of chili and wings will be in their glory at the Norwin Rotary’s 10th annual Chili Cook-off and Wing Thing March 5 at various locations in downtown Irwin. The food will be available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Colonial Grille, Brandy’s on Main, the Cheesecake Caffe...
Greensburg-based Mutual Aid Ambulance removes CEO, 2 others
The longtime executive of Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, the Greensburg-based organization serving about two-thirds of Westmoreland County, was removed from his job this week, an ambulance service official said. Mutual Aid board member Dale Hassinger confirmed that chief executive Joseph Yenchawas removed from his post Thursday, along with operations director...
Irwin splash park feasible; funds needed
Irwin officials learned this week they can put a splash park in Irwin Park, but they have yet to decide how big it might be, the cost or how the borough would get the money to build it. Lucien Bove, borough engineer, presented a draft design of where a splash...
Money available for student buses to Flight 93 Memorial
Western Pennsylvania school districts can seek money to help pay to transport students to the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, which commemorates the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93, who gave their lives to prevent hijackers from crashing the plane in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001....
Pittsburgh jobless rate rises in December, highest since April 2018
The Pittsburgh region’s economy showed signs of slowing in December as the unemployment rate in the seven-county region rose 0.2 of a percentage point to 4.5%, the highest rate since April 2018, the state reported Tuesday. The unemployment rate, as adjusted for seasonal hiring factors, was 0.3 of a percentage...
