Joe Napsha stories, Page 60
Hempfield recycler salvages old electronics; firm donates laptops to shelter
In a 44,000-square-foot warehouse behind a small Hempfield office are several large rooms filled with boxes and boxes containing thousands of pieces of used electronics — once the lifeblood of the modern computerized office. CyberCrunch LLC has literally tons of old laptops, desktop computers, keyboards, mice, televisions, hard drives, desk...
St. Vincent policy reins in speakers, approval process needed
Responding to the controversy over a conservative speaker’s comments about race and privilege, Saint Vincent College has unveiled a new policy requiring all speakers sponsored by its academic centers to be approved by the college president and top leadership. “The hurtful, divisive statements were a stark contrast to our mission,”...
Environmental group to hold meeting on proposed expansion of Yukon waste facility
An industrial waste treatment and storage company’s plans to add a million tons of capacity at its Yukon landfill will be explored during a public meeting Thursday in the South Huntingdon community. The Mountain Watershed Association wants to inform residents about Max Environmental Technologies Inc.’s plans for a new storage...
TSA lifts mask mandate for airports; no masks for buses, Port Authority says
The mandate for passengers to wear masks on airplanes, in airports and on public transportion was lifted Monday as a result of a ruling by a federal judge in Florida that the Centers for Disease Control overstepped its authority in instituting a mask mandate. The Transportation Security Administration said in...
Norwin School Board approves policy that guides teaching of controversial issues
Norwin School Board on Monday approved guidelines for instructing students on controversial issues, including race relations, by employing what the district termed a balanced approach to presenting those issues, without inserting opinions or indoctrinating students to a particular viewpoint. The initiative to develop a policy on teaching controversial issues such...
Greensburg forum to discuss mental health, substance abuse issues
The crisis in mental health and substance abuse during the pandemic will be discussed by several speakers at a program planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main St. Representatives from the Blackburn Center in Greensburg, MedMark Treatment Centers, Sage’s Army of Hempfield, Westmoreland...
Wildlife observation blind to open at Murrysville nature reserve on Earth Day
The Westmoreland Conservancy will celebrate Earth Day on April 22 by officially opening a newly constructed wildlife observation blind along an accessible trail in the Moroisini Reserve off Ringertown Road in Murrysville. “We don’t want to leave anybody out. Accessibility — that’s a goal we really embrace,” said Shelly Tichy,...
North Huntingdon officials oppose senior project county housing authority wants to build in Irwin
With apologies to English novelist Charles Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities,” it was both the best and worst of times last week for Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s plans to build a 50-unit senior apartment in Irwin, with an access road through North Huntingdon. The good time for the four-story Grand...
Hempfield man accused of stealing $200,000 from motor sports business
A Hempfield man is accused of taking about $200,000 from a Rostraver motor sports business in which he owned a stake, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Edward Zdobinski, 49, of Arona Road is accused by Rostraver police of taking about $200,000 from Triple A Motor Sports, 857 Route 51,...
Delivery vehicle overturns on Hempfield road after colliding with car
A Chick-fil-A delivery vehicle ended up on its side Saturday afternoon on Roseytown Road in Hempfield after colliding with another vehicle, emergency responders said. The driver, a woman who was not identified, had to be freed from the vehicle, which overturned at the western entrance of the railroad tunnel near...
New North Huntingdon manager brings varied experience
An experienced city manager from West Virginia with Pittsburgh area roots will serve as North Huntingdon’s next township manager. Harry Faulk, city manager for Clarksburg, W.Va., will start his new role May 2. He will earn $106,000 a year, with a six-month severance agreement. Township commissiners voted unanimously to hire...
Pittsburgh shooting victim in critical condition
A man found shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District late Friday night was reported hospitalized in critical but stable condition, Pittsburgh police said. The victim, who was not identified, was found in the middle of the street at the intersection of Centre Avenue and Addisson Street shot in the leg shortly...
Man dies in Woods Run shooting, 3 men taken in for questioning
A man has died as a result of a shooting early Saturday morning in Pittsburgh’s Woods Run neighborhood, Pittsburgh police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Donald Hammond, 31, of Pittsburgh. He died at Allegheny General Hospital. Three men were taken to police headquarters for questioning,...
Irwin OKs plans for Grand View Senior Residences
Irwin officials last week gave the go-ahead for the construction of a 50-unit four-story apartment building for senior citizens in a wooded area behind the Norwin Public Library. Irwin Council unanimously approved the plans that the Westmoreland County Housing Authority presented for Grand View Senior Residences, pending the housing authority...
Norwin area: Pirates game, car cruise planned
‘Norwin Knights at PNC Park’ event planned Tickets are on sale for the “Norwin Knights at PNC Park” outing at 1 p.m. May 1. The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the San Diego Padres at the game. Noah Czajkowski and Ty Stecko will throw out the honorary first pitch. The Norwin...
Penn-Trafford area: Bushy Run Market, barbecue chicken sale, more
Bushy Run Market resumes at battlefield site The Bushy Run Market featuring a collection of crafters and vendors who sell their wares the fourth Sunday of the month from April through September will return to the Bushy Run Battlefield site along Route 993 in Penn Township on April 23. The...
Cranberry nonprofit Variety helps Westmoreland youth with adaptive stroller donation
Jenna Bushnell beamed at her 5-year-old daughter, Kelsey, as she was being secured into her new adaptive stroller Wednesday at the Clairview School in Hempfield. “This is so much more usable for us. She has a wheelchair that is very big. We live on a farm, and it will be...
Norwin considers anti-bullying policy with prevention, intervention
Norwin school officials want to implement a new comprehensive initiative in the next year to tackle the issue of bullying — both in-person and online — in an effort to prevent it and to intervene when it happens. The district administration wants to develop a Norwin-focused policy that will have...
Voice of Westmoreland organizer: Spend ARP funds on housing, mental health resources
The new organizer for the Voice of Westmoreland, a progressive citizens activist group, wants to increase its efforts “to hold our local officials accountable.” Voice of Westmoreland, or VOW, wants Westmoreland County commissioners to spend some of the $105 million the county has received through the American Rescue Plan on...
Derry Township kitchen fire causes $30,000 in damage
A kitchen fire at a Derry Township patio home Monday evening caused between $30,000 and $40,000 in damage, a fire official said. Bradenville Fire Chief Mark Piantine said the fire was caused by burned food in the oven of a four-unit home on Spring Crest Circle. He said the blaze...
Woman hit by vehicle in Scottdale, dispatcher says
A woman was hit by a vehicle in Scottdale early Monday night, according to a Westmoreland Public Safety supervisor. It happened on Pittsburgh Street at 6 p.m. and Mutual Aid Ambulance responded to the scene, the supervisor said. Scottdale police could not be reached for comment. Additional details were not...
Norwin proposes policies to handle tricky topics like critical race theory
Norwin School Board unveiled a proposed “controversial issues” policy Monday to act as a guide for teachers on matters of race and other topics. The proposed policy comes after several months of debate among board members, students and residents about whether critical race theory is being taught in some lessons....
Sewickley watershed group seeks leader
The Sewickley Creek Watershed Association is seeking a new leader: an environmentalist who would work for about 20 hours a month for the nonprofit that seeks to conserve and improve the 168-square-mile watershed that stretches from Greensburg south to Lowber. “It really must be someone who cares about the environment,”...
Former Westmoreland County commissioner Richard Vidmer dead at 77
Richard “Dick” Vidmer was a fighter, whether it was on the football field as a star quarterback for Hempfield Area High School and the University of Michigan, as a Westmoreland County commissioner from 1985 to 1999, or as one who engaged in an almost 40-year battle — both public and...
Pittsburgh teen reported missing found safe
Pittsburgh police reported Thursday morning that a juvenile who had been missing since Saturday has been located unharmed. Police did not say where Jordan Boyd, 13, was found. He had been last seen in Observatory Hill around 6 p.m. Saturday. Police said Jordan may have been in the North Side...
