Joe Napsha stories, Page 11
Church resurrects Monroeville DoubleTree, plans to emerge as Legacy Hotel
A Monroeville church plans to resurrect the former DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Monroeville and create a boutique lodging site. The multimillion-dollar renovation announced Tuesday will feature a theme paying homage to Western Pennsylvania legends in industry, sports and entertainment, church and hotel officials said. Two Trees Global LLC of...
New homeless shelter in Youngwood funded by $2.1M in federal cash
A homeless shelter planned in the Youngwood area would fill a need in Westmoreland County, the director of a Greensburg nonprofit said. A planned family shelter with 10 separate living units could make it easier for those living south of Greensburg, said Kristin Zaccaria, executive director of Homes Build Hope...
Ending diversity push or fueling student anxiety? Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance sparks debate
The Trump administration’s plan to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives on college campuses has sent universities scrambling to determine how to follow the guidelines or risk losing federal funding. Local colleges said they still are considering how to respond to U.S. Department of Education demands issued Feb....
Greensburg couple accused of child abuse
A Greensburg couple is accused of allowing children to live in squalid conditions, according to city police. The children were at the residence of Robert B. Conklin Jr., 39, and Erin E. Pitts, 38,, both of Allegheny Avenue, when a Westmoreland County Children and Youth Services caseworker found them living...
North Huntingdon scraps plan for developer to build sports complex on public land
After nine months of debating whether a $30 million sports complex should be built on North Huntingdon’s public works property, township officials Wednesday put a halt to drafting a lease with the developers of the proposed sports complex and terminated any talks with them. The vote to end the process...
Norwin awards $6.39M auditorium renovation project
Extensive renovations to Norwin High School’s 60-year-old auditorium will move forward now that school board members have awarded $6.39 million worth of contracts for the project. The school board awarded the $4.48 million general construction contract to R.A. Glancy & Sons Inc. of Richland; the $393,700 heating, ventilating and air...
Proposed Pa. minimum wage hike is bitter pill for many business owners
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage by more than 100% — from $7.25 to $15 an hour — is being panned by area business owners. Most say they already pay workers more than the minimum wage, and the rate should be set by the market, not by...
Race for Grace may top $2M in cancer fundraising
A few thousand runners and walkers are expected to turn out April 5 at Norwin High School for the 17th annual Race for Grace, which is expected to top $2 million in total funds raised this year. The event raises money for families and children battling pediatric brain cancer and...
Housing developer sues North Huntingdon over rejection of its housing plan
A developer has sued North Huntingdon over its rejection of a subdivision to build 49 single-family homes on a 37-acre parcel near the Altman Farms neighborhood, contending the township had no right to deny approval based on traffic and safety concerns. Maronda Homes LLC of Robinson is asking a Westmoreland...
Charleroi glass plant operators extend operation 3 months, through the end of July
Workers at a Charleroi glass plant learned this week the Pyrex cookware factory would remain open for at least three months, extending its operation through the end of July, a union official said. Some union workers at the Corelle Brands LLC who were anticipating a layoff learned on Thursday that...
Party at The Palace gala celebrates Broadway’s Golden Age
The Golden Age of Broadway is the theme of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s “Party at The Palace” with live music on Feb. 22 at The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg. “It is the most exclusive gala in Westmoreland County,” said Daniel Stainer, a spokesman for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, a...
Irwin Borough office redesign unveiled
Irwin residents should be able to walk into the borough’s new administrative offices and the police department next year without having to navigate a series of steps — making both accessible to those with handicaps. The proposed design for the new offices for the administration and police department were unveiled...
Norwin School Board censures controversial director; he vows lawsuit retaliation
The Norwin School Board on Monday voted to censure one of its directors over what the board majority deemed offensive language in a social media post aimed at other school board members. Directors Bill Bojalad, Ray Kocak, Tim Kotch Sr., Heath Shrum, Matt Thomas and Nina Totin voted to censure...
Controversial Norwin director faces censure vote again over graphic social media language
A controversial Norwin school director faces a possible censure vote and a demand to resign Monday over language deemed offensive toward fellow board members in his online publication. Director Alex Detschelt, a Republican, is being targeted for censure for his Jan. 24 post on his Substack page. The resolution before...
Westmoreland museum marks Black History Month with art-filled observance for all
It was celebration time Sunday for Laurie Johnson-Wade of New Kensington, who brought her seven grandchildren and two of her daughters to Greensburg for a lesson in Black history — the arts, singing, painting and poetry. “It’s a celebration of all things good about our history,” said Wade, a descendant...
Colonial history comes alive at Bushy Run Battlefield event
The Graham family of Madison took time Saturday to see a slice of 18th-century colonial life on the Western Pennsylvania frontier — guns, knives, compasses, a canteen, powderhorns, bowls, woodworking tools and a variety of animal pelts — at the living history event at the Bushy Run Battlefield Museum in...
Trump fires head of National Archives, a North Huntingdon native
North Huntingdon native Colleen Shogan said she was fired Friday night from her job as archivist of the United States without being given any reason for her dismissal, which President Donald Trump had hinted at during an interview before his inauguration. Shogan, who had served as the head of the...
Hempfield park solar power project to be revisited
A proposed solar power project at what is to be Hempfield’s new emergency management headquarters and municipal park was put on hold last week over concerns that federal funding designed to fuel clean energy projects might be in danger because of the actions of the new administration. But that hold...
Donegal man accused of scamming insurance companies out of $30,000
A Donegal man faces multiple counts of insurance fraud and theft on accusations that he scammed two insurance companies on separate occasions with false claims totaling more than $30,000. Walter A. Smith Jr., 45, was charged on Friday by the state Attorney General’s Office. Smith faces eight counts of insurance...
WVU scraps Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division office
West Virginia University in Morgantown has scrapped its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division and is replacing it with a new initiative, keeping in line with the state’s governor who declared an end to DEI offices. State-owned WVU said the move was in compliance with Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s executive order prohibiting...
Monroeville Mall sold for $34 million; buyer not disclosed but store employees, shoppers hopeful
The Monroeville Mall and its annex have been sold for $34 million in cash, the mall owner said Friday. CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., did not disclose the buyer. In a statement, CBL said the sale will allow it to focus its efforts on properties with a higher productivity than...
Spirit plans for return of daily flights to Myrtle Beach from Arnold Palmer Regional
Spirit Airlines plans to resume daily flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Myrtle Beach, S.C., in May, an airport official said Tuesday. The daily flights from the county airport to Myrtle Beach International Airport will resume May 7, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County...
Nonprofit civic groups to connect with community at Greensburg forum
A Greensburg area organization is sponsoring an event to connect smaller nonprofit organizations with each other and with the community to make people aware of the life-affirming services that are available, the organizer said. The Connections for Life event will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the...
Westmoreland nurses form group to honor career of service
To Lynn Lawrence of South Greensburg, the solemn ceremony a group of area nurses conducted at a Greensburg funeral home to honor her late mother’s long career as a nurse, was “absolutely beautiful.” “We were so touched … the entire family. We were so grateful that we were part of...
Norwin Lions seek bakers for ‘Cubcake Wars’ fundraiser
The Norwin Lions Club is looking for a few good bakers for its 10th cupcake fundraiser, which raises money to provide food to students from food insecure families in three Norwin elementary schools and the intermediate school. “We’ve raised between $90,000 and $100,000” from 10 years of what the group...
