Joe Napsha stories, Page 20
Spirit to cut back on Palmer Regional flights to Orlando
Spirit Airlines plans to eliminate daily flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to Orlando in August and September, the Florida-based airline said Monday. Spirit will fly only four days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — from the Unity airport to the Orlando MCO airport during those two...
Norwin OKs contract for Superintendent Natalie McCracken
Norwin’s new superintendent, Natalie McCracken, has a five-year contract with a 4.2% increase in the base salary she was to receive as the school district’s assistant superintendent. School board directors Christine Baverso, Bill Bojalad, Raymond Kocak, Tim Kotch Sr., Heath Shrum and Matt Thomas voted to approve the deal at...
Emmy winner, a North Huntingdon native, remains passionate about making movies
A North Huntingdon native was pursuing a career in computer engineering in Cleveland in the 1980s when she made an independent film that changed her life, setting her on course for an award-winning career. “I fell in love with making a movie,” said Annetta Marion about her first experience in...
Nurse accused of diverting nursing home patients’ medications for personal use
A nurse is accused of taking prescription painkillers and medication for anxiety and panic disorders from 13 nursing home patients in Baldwin, North Huntingdon and McCandless. Monica Blackwell, 41, of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, told the state attorney general’s agents that she took the medications for her own use, according to...
North Huntingdon seeks to fill assistant manager post
North Huntingdon officials want the township to have an assistant manager, a position that has gone unfilled since the former assistant retired in April 2023. Township commissioners this week voted to advertise the position at a salary range of $70,331 to $115,272. North Huntingdon has been without an assistant manager...
North Huntingdon tightens rules on backyard chickens
North Huntingdon officials hope the long debate over backyard chickens has gone to roost. A new ordinance prohibits chickens from being kept in a zoned residential neighborhood on less than one acre of property. The commissioners Wednesday voted 6-1 to adopt the new rules. Commissioner Eric Gass, who cast the...
North Huntingdon commissioners want more time to consider natural gas lease
A majority of North Huntingdon commissioners decided this week they need more time to study a proposed lease to tap into a pocket of natural gas trapped in a 4½-acre parcel of township land and possibly extract a better deal from the drilling company. Commissioners on Wednesday voted 5-2 to...
Natural gas well impact fee allocations drop, but ‘every little bit helps’
Communities accustomed to receiving large checks from Marcellus Shale wells through the state’s natural gas impact fee will get less money this year because gas prices have fallen and fewer wells are being drilled, according to the state. The state Public Utility Commission will hand out $100 million less next...
North Huntingdon could get nearly $7K for gas rights under township land
A natural gas production company wants the gas rights to a 4½-acre parcel owned by North Huntingdon. The company, Apex Energy, is offering the township a lease worth $1,500 per acre — equal to $6,760 — to drill into township-owned land abutting homes along a portion of Peregrine Drive. “It’s...
As director moves on, North Huntingdon reorganizes recreation department
North Huntingdon’s recreation and parks department will be reorganized under a plan township officials will consider this week on the heels of the former director’s resignation. The commissioners are expected to vote Wednesday to advertise to replace the former director, Daniel Miller, with a coordinator of parks and recreation, whose...
Norwin names McCracken as district’s superintendent
The Norwin School Board voted 5-4 Monday to hire Natalie McCracken as the district’s superintendent. McCracken, an assistant superintendent for the district since 2012, was hired with four of the five members elected in November supporting her. Board President Matt Thomas was joined by fellow first-term members Bill Bojalad, Tim...
New Stanton home brewer opens taproom in the borough
A longtime home brewer in New Stanton is taking the plunge into the beer business and opening a brewery in the borough, the only one between Greensburg and West Newton. “This has always been my dream. I had a five-gallon batch system in my kitchen, then a 20-gallon system in...
North Huntingdon backyard chicken debate pecks on
A North Huntingdon man who has hens and a rooster in his backyard pleaded with township officials Thursday to revise a proposed ordinance that would limit the number of people who may want to raise chickens in a neighborhood. “Try not to be so one-sided,” Bradley Clark of Crestwood Drive...
Norwin sets vote on hiring current assistant superintendent, Natalie McCracken, as new leader
The Norwin School Board will consider hiring a person very familiar with the school district — the district’s assistant superintendent — as the new top administrator when the board meets Monday morning. Assistant Superintendent Natalie McCracken, of North Huntingdon, was named Friday in the special meeting agenda as the person...
North Huntingdon teen killed in Butler crash
A North Huntingdon teen who graduated from Norwin High School last year was killed early Thursday morning in a one-vehicle crash in northern Butler County, state police at Butler said. The victim, Josiah Pastories, 19, was traveling northward along Kittanning Pike in Fairview Township at about 6:20 a.m. when he...
Caterer seeks to rent former Rostraver Airport restaurant
An Allegheny County man who recently sold his Elizabeth Township tavern said he wants to rent a former restaurant at the Rostraver Airport for his catering business and to serve takeout barbecue meals. Gary Musisko of Elizabeth said he wants to rent the site of the former Eagle’s Landing II...
Arnold Palmer Regional director says other carriers won’t compete against Spirit at Unity airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport officials have yet to find a way to persuade other airlines to compete against ultra-low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines for flights out of the Unity airport. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said this week he has talked with other discount carriers about providing service...
Yough students riding ATVs, learning safety and career opportunities
Some schools offer career days that give students an opportunity to learn about fields as diverse as social work, teaching, nursing, finance, business, machining and manufacturing. The Yough Intermediate Middle School offers a slightly different career — a Career and Ride Day to the Mountain Ridge ATV Park near the...
Man shot in Stowe Township, in critical condition
A man shot was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Wednesday after being shot in the chest in Stowe Township, Allegheny County Police said. The victim was shot in the 400 block of Hemlock Drive, around 5:40 p.m., county police said. Allegheny County Police Department’s Homicide Unit assisted Stowe Township...
Authorities: Brentwood police fatally shoot suspect during pursuit
An armed man who fought with Brentwood police as they tried to arrest him Wednesday afternoon was fatally shot by a police officer, Allegheny County Police said. The victim, who was not immediately identified, died in a hospital after being shot multiple times by an unidentified Brentwood police officer, Allegheny...
Norwin OKs study for stadium project
The proposed Norwin Knights Stadium project to demolish home side grandstands and construct auxiliary facilities at the field took another step forward this week when the Norwin School Board awarded a contract to an engineering firm to conduct a project study. The school board awarded a $112,300 contract to Civil...
It will cost more than $5K to tap in to North Huntingdon’s sewage system
It will soon cost $125 more to tap-in to North Huntingdon’s sewage system. The township’s municipal authority is increasing the tap-in fee from $5,375 to $5,500, effective July 1. The fee is included in a $10.4 million budget for the authority’s fiscal year, which started May 1. Residential customers pay...
Norwin raises taxes, taps fund balance to cover $7.8M deficit
Norwin property owners will see a 6.8% increase in their property taxes for the 2024-25 school year to help balance the school district’s $91.42 million budget. The school board Monday approved the final budget on a 5-4 vote. Directors Bill Bojalad, Tim Kotch Sr., Heath Shrum, Matt Thomas and Nina...
Disabled Greensburg woman on mission to educate medical personnel about service dogs
A disabled Army combat medic is on a mission to educate first responders, hospital workers and ambulance personnel to understand that when treating a disabled person with a service dog, it’s critical for the patient to maintain that connection with their four-legged companion. “It’s important to spread awareness. Do not...
Judge rejects request for lower bond in Greensburg hit-and-run case
A man accused of severely injuring an elderly woman on Main Street in downtown Greensburg in December, thought he hit a pothole instead of a person when he left the scene, his attorney said Thursday. “His mindset was not to leave the scene of an accident,” defense attorney Milton Raiford...
