Joe Napsha stories, Page 21

Two years after Russia invaded their country, five Ukrainian refugee families are living in Westmoreland County through a Catholic Diocese of Greensburg mission, an initiative to help them get a fresh start while easing the region’s worker shortage. “It is my prayer that when we, the ecumenical, business and community...

In an era when some businesses offer a flexible post-covid schedule, some employers at a job fair in Hempfield on Wednesday said it is a challenge to find employees willing to work — and do it five days a week at a job site and be there when the company...

About four dozen businesses and organizations seeking workers at a job fair this week in Hempfield are facing a double whammy as they attempt to woo prospective employees: The jobless rate is at a record low, and there are fewer people in the workforce since the covid pandemic upended the...

Those seeking a job or looking for employees can make connections at the Westmoreland Assists Native Talent Job and Career Expo Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ferrante’s Lakeview banquet center along Route 30 in Hempfield. The WANT Job and Career Expo is expected to have a a diverse...

A United Parcel Service employee said she felt betrayed this week after receiving news the company plans to shed about 200 jobs from its New Stanton delivery hub. “In the end, we got screwed. It’s rough. Something’s not right to me,” said Lindsey Kramer, 37, of Mt. Pleasant. She was...

A multi-use field at North Huntingdon’s Oak Hollow Park is not in the near future for the township since North Huntingdon officials determined that an estimated $3 million price tag was too expensive. Commissioners decided not to apply for a $500,000 grant to the state Department of Conservation and Natural...

Global shipper UPS plans to eliminate the full daylight shift that sorts packages at its New Stanton facility April 15, the company said Tuesday. Teamsters Local 30 in Jeannette will meet with its members Wednesday to discuss the company’s plans to cut the local workforce, said Eugene “Geno” Bosetti, president...

Norwin will pay a Harrisburg-area consultant nearly $20,000 to oversee the school district’s search for a new superintendent. The school board Monday split 5-4 on hiring Templeton Advantage LLC of Newport, about 25 miles northwest of Harrisburg. Templeton will charge Norwin $17,000 for its services, plus a maximum of $2,500...

While Mark A. Smail had the responsibility of operating the family’s successful automotive dealerships east of Greensburg, he also made it a priority to spend quality time with his family and enjoy life. Smail enjoyed boating in the Florida Keys in the summer, going to the family’s lodge in Ontario’s...

Travis Bayne of New Kensington was focused on cutting a cylinder-shaped piece of aluminum on a manual lathe Friday as part of a competition for apprentice machinists determined to produce a precise, quality machined part as quickly as possible. “You’re trying to get the job done as fast as you...

An Irwin nonprofit that mounts programs and initiatives to help homeowners unable to maintain their properties and deal with hoarding will get money from the borough to help it land a larger grant for its joint projects. Fight the Blight Inc. won unanimous approval from Irwin Borough Council on Wednesday...

Irwin’s police chief is seeking money to purchase six body cameras for the department’s police officers. “We want to make sure that our officers and the borough are protected,” Irwin police Chief Dan Wensel told borough council at a recent meeting. Wensel told borough council that Axon Enterprise Inc. could...

A Penn Township author who has self-published two fictional books and is working on a third one says she loves what she is doing, even if she will not get rich from pursing her passion in writing. “I sell my books for $10. It’s not always about money. You have...

Norwin softball team to hold fundraiser The Norwin High School softball team will hold an “egg your yard” fundraiser for Easter morning for school district residents. Families will be able to wake up Easter morning on March 31 to candy-filled eggs in their yard. The team is charging $15 for...

A $22 million expansion of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport could begin by summer, the airport’s engineer said Tuesday. Bids were opened in January and contracts for the first phase of the work could be awarded by April, engineer Scott Kunselman told Westmoreland County Airport Authority board members. “The bids are...

The Norwin School District may end up paying about $20,000 to hire an executive search firm to help find a new superintendent to replace Jeff Taylor, who will leave the post at the end of the school year. School directors this week authorized its personnel committee to hire a search...

Pittsburgh-based Primanti Bros. Restaurant & Bar chain wants to use a liquor license from Mt. Pleasant at the restaurant it plans to open in North Huntingdon. The North Huntingdon Township commissioners have scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m,. Feb. 21 to take comments and receive testimony about Primanti’s request...

Someone is $1.4 million richer — minus taxes — after buying what turned out to be Saturday’s winning Pennsylvania Lottery Match 6 Lotto ticket at the Par Mar store in Monessen, the Pennsylvania Lottery said. The winner’s Match 6 Lotto ticket matched all six winning numbers — 8-12-22-25-28-29. The Par...

Penn Township Zoning Hearing Board members will take a road trip to the site proposed for a natural gas compressor station. Before it makes a decision on the request for a permit, the five-­member board unanimously agreed to visit the rural site along Wilderness Road near the Murrysville border. Protect...

As Joe Dastolfo was buying a box of chocolates for his wife’s Valentine’s Day gift, he didn’t consider the price. The Hempfield resident was shopping this week at McFeely’s Gourmet Chocolate in downtown Greensburg. “I don’t care about the price,” he said. For those who do care, the wholesale price...

Something needs to be done to stop muskrat from boring holes into the dikes at a mine drainage treatment site in Mt. Pleasant Township. The holes can cause polluted water to foul Sewickley Creek, according to a member of the group that works to protect the area’s watershed. If the...

A boy was jailed after allegedly attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon surrendered, Pittsburgh police said. The suspect barricaded himself in a residence after an attempted armed robbery of a woman at 1 p.m. in the 7000 block of Hermitage Street,...

An area environmental organization sees Pennsylvania’s new requirement that natural gas drillers reveal the chemicals in fracking fluids earlier in the drilling process as “long overdue.” A trade group says the industry has been transparent about what it pumps into the ground. ”This gives people a chance to know what...

A Brownsville couple was jailed Tuesday for allegedly keeping a 6-year-old girl in a locked dog crate, restraining the child with plastic zip ties and beating her with a broom on multiple occasions, according to a criminal complaint filed by state police. The alleged abuse at the hands of Jacob...