Joe Napsha stories, Page 3
Westmoreland Food Bank aids TSA airport workers
Demand for food assistance is surging in Westmoreland County following the cutoff of federal benefits caused by the six-week U.S. government shutdown, a food bank official said Wednesday. It is uncertain when the aid will resume. Jennifer Miller, executive director of the Westmoreland Food Bank in Salem, said need has...
Flag burning retirement ceremony slated in Greensburg
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 33 of Greensburg will hold a free community-wide American flag retirement burning ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lynch Field along New Alexandria Road in Greensburg. During the ceremony, participants will present torn and tattered flags to the VFW Post’s fire crew, which will...
State says it plans to issue air quality permit to Tenaska power plant
State regulators say they will issue an air quality permit to the natural gas-fired power plant in South Huntingdon, despite objections from environmental organizations that say issues should be fixed before the permit is approved. The Department of Environmental Protection has stated it will issue a Title V air quality...
Irwin police expected to get new guns
Irwin Borough Council is expected to approve a request for six duty weapons for the police department, ensuring officers will have new, standardized equipment. The anticipated approval is for six duty weapons and two holsters from Witmer Public Safety Group Inc. of Coatsville for $6,074. The cost is discounted for...
Fire damages New Stanton motel
Fire destroyed or extensively damaged three rooms at Budget Inn on East Byers Avenue in New Stanton on Friday afternoon. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, which was reported at noon, according to the Westmoreland County Public Safety department. Several people were moving out of the motel Friday afternoon...
Norwin wins Bands of America regional championship
The Norwin High School marching band won first place overall at the 2025 Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Oct. 25 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. The competition featured 30 high school bands from four states, including New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and eight from Pennsylvania....
Norwin area: Irwin holds line on taxes, toy drive, journalism scholarships, more
Irwin expects to maintain tax rate Irwin Borough Council has introduced a $4.4 million general fund budget for 2026 that will maintain the current tax rate for property owners. The rate will remain 23 mills for the general fund, 3 mills for the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department, and 2 mills...
Art league recognizes winners in annual art exhibit contest
Seventeen artists received ribbons and a monetary award as winners for their entries in the Norwin Art League’s 49th Annual Art Exhibit last month. Several of the artists were winners in multiple categories in the contest judged by Jeffrey Jarzynka, owner of Jarzynka Gallery in Pittsburgh. The contests attracted 120...
Irwin voters opt for 2 incumbents, 2 newcomers
Irwin borough council will see two new members join two reelected incumbents, based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. One newly appointed incumbent failed to win a full term. Councilman Tyler Baum, a Republican, led all candidates with 23.6 of the vote in his bid for a second four-year term...
Yough voters return all 4 incumbents to school board
Yough voters gave all four incumbent school board directors another term in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results. Jared Filapose of Sewickley, current board president, led the ticket with 23.3% of the vote, followed by Linda Knor of Herminie at 20.3%. Matt Gardner of South Huntingdon, board vice president, received...
Retired Army officer wins Mt. Pleasant Area School Board seat
A retired Army officer has won a two-year seat on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. Republican William Johnson of Mt. Pleasant Township received 51.6% of the vote, while Democrat Kathleen Ceroni received 44.8% of the vote. Ceroni, a retired Southmoreland High School...
Charleroi food processor could be sold, court overseer says
A Charleroi-area food processing plant scheduled to close by the end of the month could remain open if a deal is reached with a prospective buyer, a federally appointed business receiver said Wednesday. “We are negotiating with the buyer… and expect an agreement with an investment group” within a week,...
Ex-detective from Murrysville accused of giving athlete son Adderall, testosterone held for trial
A former Allegheny County detective accused of injecting his teenage son with a steroid in 2019 to boost his football performance intimidated the youth into lying to prosecutors about the case, the son testified Tuesday. Raymond W. Bonacci, 59, of Murrysville, was held for trial in Westmoreland County Court on...
Irwin officials balk at paying more for office project
As Irwin Borough faces almost $170,000 in additional costs from contractors and a designer to convert its century-old building into a modern first-floor government office, council members Monday balked at some of those estimated bills. The project started this year at $1.1 million. The proposed bills for new change orders...
Surge in computer data centers sparks concern over water demands
A proposed 4.4-gigawatt natural gas-fired power plant south of Homer City, intended to power a nearby data processing center, is drawing scrutiny over its possible massive water demands on a local stream. The Homer City Redevelopment Co. plant would siphon water from Two Lick Creek to feed the data centers...
Yough school board: 5 candidates seek 4 seats
Four Yough School Board incumbents and one challenger are running for four seats on the board in the Nov. 4 election. Three of the incumbents — Matthew Gardner of South Huntingdon, Linda Knor and Monica Ustazewski, both of Herminie – won on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in the...
Irwin: 5 seeking 4 seats on council
Irwin voters will be able to choose from five candidates, including three incumbents, running for four council seats in the Nov. 4 election. Councilmen Tyler Baum and Frank Rossi, both Republicans, are seeking reelection to another four-year term, while Fonda Dalbow, appointed to council in July to replace Ron Romeo,...
Candidates square off for 2-year seat on Mt. Pleasant Area board
Two candidates with teaching backgrounds are running for a two-year term on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board. Democrat Kathleen Ceroni, 74, of Mt. Pleasant Borough, and Republican William K. Johnson, 82, of Mt. Pleasant Township, will square off in the Nov. 4 election. Ceroni, a retired Southmoreland High School...
Fire damages Irwin home undergoing renovations
An Irwin house was extensively damaged by fire Thursday afternoon. Multiple firefighters departments responded to the fire at the two-story house at the corner of Sixth and Warden streets. The fire was reported at 1:15 p.m. The owner was not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries...
IU to borrow $2 million; layoffs coming if there’s no state budget by the new year
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit employees and the special needs students they serve got a bit of good news Tuesday, along with potentially bad news. The good news for them is that the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 board approved a $2 million revenue anticipation note that will hold off any layoffs or...
Haunted Path in Irwin: Fascination with Halloween helps feed the needy
An Irwin man, whose lifelong fascination with Halloween started when he was a youngster, spent two months and thousands of dollars to create a haunted audiovisual experience in his backyard. The creator of the unique experience, called the Haunted Path, is Jesse Vargo, 38, who worked with his husband, Nick...
Run, then eat: Greensburg Turkey Trot returns
The tradition of running in a race in Greensburg on Thanksgiving morning to burn off calories before gobbling down a big meal returns this year with the 34th Greensburg Turkey Trot on Nov. 27. The race begins and ends at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street. It attracts thousands...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit looks to borrow millions, warns of possible layoffs during budget impasses
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit wants to borrow $2 million to keep services and programs operating during the ongoing state budget crisis, the organization’s leader said. If the Intermediate Unit board of directors approves borrowing the money through a revenue anticipation loan, it can avoid disruptions through the remainder of the...
Change of fortune: Charleroi sees drop in Haitians; deportation fears, job loss
As Jim Alexandre looks out the window of his Haitian Resource Center office in downtown Charleroi, he wonders how his community will handle its latest challenge — the closure of a food processing plant that will eliminate 250 jobs by the end of October. “In general, it’s the newest problem,”...
Irwin to hold Halloween parade Saturday
Youngsters in Irwin Borough will have a chance to don their Halloween costumes and go to businesses in downtown Irwin for a trick-or-treat from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, followed by a parade along Main Street. Registration for the parade will be held 1 to 3 p.m. at the S&T...
