Joe Napsha stories, Page 127
Salem Township woman loved to work in her garden
Helen Kersten loved to garden. It was the place where she could be creative, and she had a real good sense of colors, said her daughter, Donna McDowell of Ligonier. “She had a beautiful garden,” McDowell said. “She always liked flowers that were different.” Mrs. Kersten did not rely on...
Irwin plans to pave 15 streets
Irwin has approved paving 15 borough streets this summer. J.M. Paving Inc. of North Huntingdon, the lowest of 10 bidders, was awarded the $245,616 paving contract. The streets slated for paving are: parts of Cedar, Center, Green, Oak, Sixth and Walnut streets; Penglyn and Short streets; parts of Melrose and...
Irwin Boy Scouts to sell mulch
The Irwin Boy Scout Troop 284 is selling mulch — red, brown and black — on May 4-5 to raise money to go the World Scout Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia from July 22 to Aug. 2. Free delivery is available to those in the Irwin 15642...
1 dead, 1 injured in double shooting in Homestead
One man has died in a shooting in Homestead on Thursday afternoon and another was reported in critical condition, Allegheny County police said. The deceased, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting in the 300 block of Oak Way, police said. The other victim...
16th possible arson damages vacant Somerset mobile home
The cause of a suspicious fire inside an abandoned Somerset mobile home early Thursday morning is being investigated as the 16th possible arson at the same mobile home court since last May, Somerset police said. Somerset police and the state police fire marshal are seeking the cause of the fire,...
North Huntingdon donates used police car to Norwin
The Norwin School District’s police officer has a police vehicle to drive between the district’s seven buildings — not a new one, but a used one from the North Huntingdon Police Department. The township commissioners unanimously approved a request on March 20 from Norwin to donate a 2014 Chevrolet Impala....
3 to graduate from Westmoreland drug treatment court
Three people will be recognized Thursday for graduating from the Westmoreland County Drug Treatment Court. Westmoreland Judges Christopher Feliciani and Megan Bilik-DeFazio will preside at the graduation ceremonies at noon Thursday in Courtroom 5 at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on North Main Street, Greensburg. The diversionary court program works to...
Finalists for Norwin superintendent’s job address school officials, teachers
The Norwin School Board has narrowed its choice for its next superintendent to two experienced administrators — the Mars Area superintendent and a North Hills assistant superintendent. Both finalists for the job — Wesley Shipley, 52, a Scottdale native, and Jeffrey Taylor, 46, a Canonsburg-area native — told the school...
Units responding to Washington Township barn fire
Firefighters from multiple departments were responding to a barn fire in Washington Township Wednesday afternoon, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety reported. Several tankers were dispatched to the fire at 260 Echo Ridge Road. It was reported at 3:40 p.m. Additional details were not immediately available....
Norwin senior league seeks softball players
The Norwin Senior Softball League is looking for players — specifically ones who are age 55 and older and still want to play for fun. The slow-pitch league typically fields six teams, said Bill Rollason, president of the Norwin Senior Softball Association. Players need not be North Huntingdon residents. Those...
Norwin student project picked in PennDOT worker safety contest
An idea to keep highway construction workers safer through the use of laser technology led to two Norwin High School students being rewarded by PennDOT. Emily Jumba and Hannah Jackson, mentored by math teacher Thomas Harskowitch, won the recent Innovations Challenge sponsored by PennDOT District 12 in Uniontown, with its...
Parkwood Inn fundraiser set for Southwest Greensburg woman suffering epileptic seizures
Shelby LaBar‘s daily routine requires her to take a cocktail mix of medications to try to prevent epileptic seizures that have altered her life since she began having them last May. The 27-year-old Southwest Greensburg woman takes 18 pills from at least five different medications in what has become an...
Old Fleatique, grocery store to become greenway corridor
Property along Route 30 in Ligonier Township, where the Fleatique and Red & White grocery store once were in operation, will become part of the greenway corridor between Idlewild Park and Ligonier. The 3.3-acre property at the intersection of routes 259 and 30 was purchased in October 2018 by the...
Avian researcher at Powdermill Nature Reserve gets grant
An avian research coordinator for the long-term bird-banding program at Powdermill Nature Reserve was named a Western Pennsylvania Environmental Award winner. Lucas W. DeGroote was one of the four winners of the award, presented to organizations and individuals demonstrating leadership, effectiveness and results in making an impact on the environment....
Greensburg-born Civil War hero to be inducted into Hall of Valor
A Civil War soldier from Greensburg who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the waning days of the war will get long overdue local recognition when he is inducted into a hall of fellow heroes in Pittsburgh. John C. Matthews will be among nine inductees into the...
Southwest Greensburg WWII hero wanted to be bomber pilot
Robert “Archie” Long of Southwest Greensburg wanted to be a pilot when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December 1943. With the United States fighting a war in Europe against the Germans and Italians and a war in the Pacific against the Japanese, the Army certainly needed pilots....
Longtime bike seller, repairman not yet at end of trailVideo
When Karl Tringhese of Southwest Greensburg started working in a bike shop in his native Johnstown as a teenager in the 1960s, there were no internet sales to keep customers at home if they wanted a bike, no super discount store down the highway that brought bikes in by the...
Norwin to reveal two finalists for superintendent’s post
The two finalists competing to be Norwin’s next superintendent will have an opportunity Wednesday to explain what positive impact they would have on the district. With the public meeting and presentations by the candidates, the board wants to make the hiring process as transparent as possible, said Barbara Viola, board...
Landmark Scottdale collectible shop closingVideo
After 30 years of operating country gift, antique and collectible stores, floral shops and a tea room, Martha “Marty” Savanick is calling it a career. “It’s been a great run. People are saying there is really no stores close by like ours with the extensive inventory,” said Savanick, who is...
DeMarino joined Marines, was World War II hero
Sante DeMarino joined his three brothers in serving with the Marines during World War II and was awarded the Silver Star for his heroism against the Japanese in a battle on the island of Saipan in June 1944. He was severely wounded during the fighting, resulting in the loss of...
Westmoreland transit authority driver shortage easing
The driver shortage that forced the Westmoreland County Transit Authority to cancel some bus routes last month is moving closer to being resolved as six people are in training, authority officials were told this week. There have been no service cancellations in almost two weeks, transit authority Executive Director Alan...
North Huntingdon OKs fire tax credit deal with Irwin, but with a hitch
North Huntingdon residents already volunteering with Irwin’s fire department or emergency medical service will get a tax break similar to one proposed for Irwin residents serving the same roles in North Huntingdon. North Huntingdon commissioners this week unanimously approved extending the volunteer service tax credit for residents serving in Irwin...
WCCC culinary art students break the ice on sculpting work
Westmoreland County Community College culinary art students who are learning the art of cooking and baking, brandished different kind of sharp utensils Thursday to fine tune creations that a professional ice sculptor carved out of 265-pound blocks of ice. Jared McAlister, an ice sculptor for DiMartino Ice Co. of Jeannette,...
Police: Missing 10-year-old girl from North Huntingdon found safe in White Oak
A missing 10-year-old North Huntingdon girl was found safe in a wooded area in White Oak on Wednesday night, police said. A searcher found the girl, who lives in that neighborhood, shortly before 11 p.m., lying down about 50 feet from the road, said North Huntingdon Police Chief Robert Rizzo....
‘Mary Poppins’ to fly over Norwin stage
Mary Poppins, the magical English nanny made famous in the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews, will be flying across the stage at the Norwin High School auditorium. “We chose ‘Mary Poppins’ because we thought it would be a perfect show to showcase the students’ talents, especially in terms of the...
