Joe Napsha stories, Page 123
Rafferty, Stewart, Walsh win judicial nominations; set to battle for two seats
Two Democrats — Michael Stewart II of Hempfield and Jessica Rafferty of Unity — and Republican Justin Walsh of Rostraver will battle in the November general election for two seats on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas, based on unofficial results in Tuesday’s primary. Stewart took second on the...
Irwin Rotary offers Care & Share Pantry to provide food for the needy
A glass-enclosed cabinet outside an Irwin church is filled with nonperishable food — an inventory that changes as people donate what they can and take what they need. The Irwin Rotary Club is responsible for the Care & Share Pantry that stands outside First Assembly of God Church at 501...
Norwin grad to speak at Irwin Memorial Day parade
A Norwin High School graduate who is the commander of 173 members of the elite 82nd Airborne Division, will be the keynote speaker at the Irwin Memorial Day Parade on Monday morning. Capt. Ellyn Grosz, 29, an Irwin native who has been deployed to Afghanistan three times since 2013, will...
Hard work helps Norwin Air Force Junior ROTC win high honors
Hard work combined with community service were responsible for Norwin High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program earning the second-highest recognition from the Air Force’s Junior ROTC, officials with the program said. “They worked very hard this year as a team. One of the program’s goals is for cadets to...
PennDOT to unveil plans for Route 30 improvements from North Huntingdon to North Versailles
The state will unveil plans to modernize a two-mile section of busy Route 30 from the western end of Westmoreland County to North Versailles, Allegheny County. The proposed design plans for the roadway from the Carpenter Lane/Leger Road intersection in North Huntingdon to Route 48 in North Versailles will be...
Norwin grads killed in 9/11 attacks remembered with a plaqueVideo
Two Norwin High School graduates who were among the first victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, were remembered Saturday in a memorial ceremony at the Norwin High School Veterans Memorial. A plaque with the names of Brian Dale, class of 1976, and David Kovalcin,...
Trail Town Festival set for Heritage Trail
Bikers, walkers and joggers can join in the Westmoreland Heritage Trail’s first Trail Towns Festival on June 1, which coincides with National Trail Day. Start at one of the trail access points — Roberts Parcel, Braun/Carson Street or Saunders Station and travel to Trafford’s BY Park for music, food, ice...
Car with 4 occupants goes into creek in Plum
Four people were injured when a car went into a creek in Plum Borough Friday night. A Plum police spokesman said the occupants were “injured but stable.” The accident was reported near the intersection of Kerr Road and Dinwiddie Drive at 7:07 p.m., an Allegheny County Department of Public Safety...
Wanted: New place for Irwin fire whistle
Wanted: Home in Irwin for a fire whistle. Must be atop a high building and cause minimal disruption to neighbors when it sounds in the middle of the night. Irwin officials are trying to figure out what to do with the fire department’s whistle, which is mounted on the roof...
9 seek 5 spots in Norwin School Board race
With two school directors deciding not to seek re-election, the Norwin School Board will have at least two new faces on the board next year. Three incumbents and six challengers are on the May 21 ballot in competition for five open seats. All nine candidates have cross-filed. Directors Robert Perkins, a...
Cops: 19-year-old wearing ear buds hit by train in Mt. PleasantVideo
Miranda Cook is lucky to be alive after being hit Thursday afternoon by a slow-moving freight train engine in Mt. Pleasant, authorities said. “She was under the train. It was a matter of inches or it would have been a lot worse,” Mt. Pleasant Patrolman Tim Ferree said of the...
North Huntingdon OKs Sheetz site plan; awaits request for liquor license
North Huntingdon officials have approved Sheetz Inc.’s plans to expand its store along Route 30 so that it can meet state liquor laws in order to sell alcohol at the site. Township commissioners Brian Blasko, Zachary Haigis, David Herold and Tony Martino voted to approve the site plans to expand...
North Huntingdon to appeal zoning board OK of cell phone tower
North Huntingdon is taking its township zoning board to court over its decision to allow a cell phone tower to be built on property bordering Manor borough. Township commissioners this week authorized an appeal to Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court. The zoning board on April 2 granted TowerCo 2013 of...
Norwin Meals on Wheels to hold card party
Area residents can enjoy games of cards, bingo and a meal while helping the Norwin Area Meals on Wheels during its annual spring card party on May 23 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s social hall, Leger Road, North Huntingdon. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the party will run from...
Bingo fundraiser set for Humane Society of Westmoreland County
Bingo players can enjoy the game they love while raising money for the Humane Society of Westmoreland County, which will hold Bingo for the Animals on May 18 at the American Legion, 109 S. Fifth St., Jeannette. The doors open at 11:45 a.m. and lunch will be at noon, with...
Car, motorcycle, truck show set for Norwin Middle School
Motorists who love to show off their pride and joy — their cars, motorcycles and trucks — will get the opportunity at the 13th Annual Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 19 at Norwin Middle School, 10870 Mockingbird Lane, North Huntingdon. The Norwin Band...
Bidwell rep to discuss workforce training at Norwin library
A Bidwell Training Center representative in Pittsburgh, a subsidiary of the Manchester Bidwell Corp., will discuss workforce training at 1 p.m. May 21 at the Norwin Public Library, Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Bidwell Training is a nonprofit, post-secondary career training school that offers workforce training in seven different careers at no...
Irwin hires part-time police officer
Irwin Borough has hired a part-time police officer to replace a former officer who was named police chief for Elizabeth Borough in Allegheny County. Cody Stanoszek of North Huntingdon was hired May 8 as a part-time officer to replace William Sombo, who became Elizabeth Borough’s police chief in late March....
Westmoreland Heritage promotes tourism ‘passport’
People who visit at least 25 Westmoreland County historic and cultural sites, art centers, theatres and community festivals this year can not only learn about the county’s history and heritage but get some prizes in return. A passport program offered by Westmoreland Heritage, in conjunction with the Laurel Highlands Visitors...
Norwin to honor graduates killed in 9/11 attacks
Two Norwin graduates who were on a hijacked American Airlines plane that terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on 9/11 have not been forgotten. On Saturday , Brian Dale and David Kovalcin will be honored when a plaque inscribed with their names is placed on...
Kennametal in talks with union about closing its Carbidie plant in Hempfield
Kennametal Inc. could close its Carbidie manufacturing operations in Hempfield, potentially shuttering yet another of the industrial toolmaker’s Westmoreland County plants. “No final decisions have been made at this time, and we are currently in discussions with (United Steelworkers) … about this plan,” Kennametal spokeswoman Christina Sutter said in an...
Mt. Pleasant Area’s Rumbaugh Elementary School to close
Lloyd F. Rumbaugh Elementary School, which has educated Mt. Pleasant Area students for about 60 years, will shut its doors for good at the end of the school year. Operational efficiency as well as academic opportunity were the driving factors in the decision to close Rumbaugh and reconfigure the elementary...
Westmoreland County Democratic political activist, labor activist, to be honored
Westmoreland County Democratic political activist and labor activist will be honored at the Woman of the Year Award Dinner on May 16 at Giannilli’s II on Route 30 in Unity. Harriet Ellenberger of Norvelt, Mt. Pleasant Township, is president of the Women of Westmoreland, which sponsors the annual award dinner....
CMU, North Huntingdon to join in Route 30 study to improve mobility
What can be done to improve traffic flow while ensuring safety through North Huntingdon’s main east-to-west thoroughfare — Route 30? As PennDOT plots major safety improvements for the corridor from Irwin to North Versailles, North Huntingdon joins forces with two Carnegie Mellon University research institutes to determine innovative ways to...
Slide closes North Huntingdon road
A landslide has closed a section of Guffey Road in North Huntingdon and may remain closed for two weeks, depending on the weather, PennDOT said. The slide occurred Wednesday on Guffey Road between Turner Valley and Mickanin roads, the state said. Motorists traveling that section of Guffey Road from Irwin...
