Joe Napsha stories, Page 68
Norwin High School Band goes through final tune-up before national competition
Like athletic teams preparing to play for a championship, the Norwin High School Band went through a dress rehearsal Wednesday night of the show it will perform at a national band competition in Indianapolis over the next three days. Playing before several hundred people under the lights at the high...
Norwin reaches tentative pact with teachers, cafeteria workers
Norwin has reached tentative contracts with its teachers union and its cafeteria workers. The school board is expected to vote Monday on the contract with the Norwin Education Association and the agreement with Service Employees International Union 32 BJ. Details of the agreements were not listed on the agenda for...
North Huntingdon group wants to honor 6,750 deceased veterans with wreaths on their graves
The Wreaths Across America North Huntingdon chapter wants to raise about $101,000 to purchase 6,750 wreaths to be placed next month on the graves of veterans buried at four cemeteries in the Irwin-North Huntingdon area. A Wreath Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at Union Cemetery on Bridge Street in...
Penn Township drug take back program gets 84 pounds of unused meds
Penn Township police and Penn Township Citizens for Drug Awareness collected 84-½ pounds of unused and expired prescription drugs during last month’s National Drug Take Back event held locally in the Giant Eagle parking lot at Penn Crossing, Harrison City. Sixty-one residents took advantage of the opportunity to drop off...
Flags at Arnold Palmer airport in Unity honor 13 military members killed in Kabul
Thirteen flags were flying in the wind Friday in front of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, in honor of the 13 U.S. service personnel killed by a suicide bomber outside the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans fled the beleaguered Afghanistan capital Aug. 26. “It’s a beautiful tribute,” said...
Historic Hanna’s Town: A gem by candlelight
Amber and Kevin Larson of Greensburg were making their first visit Thursday night to Historic Hanna’s Town, the recreated colonial village about six miles north of Greensburg. “It’s really cute. I want to come back and see more of it,” said Amber Larson, who recently moved to Westmoreland County from...
Norwin area: Veterans Day dinner, wreath fundraiser, more
Norwin Elks to hold Veterans Day dinner All veterans, Norwin Elks members and guest veterans will be treated to a complimentary spaghetti dinner with a salad and non-alcoholic drink from 4 to 8 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the Norwin Elks, 135 Elks Lane, Manor. All other guests...
Penn-Trafford area: Veterans event, book sale, pancake breakfast, more
Norwin Elks to hold Veterans Day dinner All veterans, Norwin Elks members and guest veterans will be treated to a complimentary spaghetti dinner with a salad and non-alcoholic drink from 4 to 8 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the Norwin Elks, 135 Elks Lane, Manor. All other guests...
Penn-Trafford area happenings, Nov. 4 and beyond
Trafford Borough recognized by state group The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs presented Trafford Borough with the 2021 First Place Recognition for the special recognition category for communications for the borough’s website. Kris Kardiff, borough council president, represented the borough at the conference in Erie....
Norwin schools recognized in statewide rankings
Norwin’s elementary and middle school have been ranked in the top 100 statewide by the 2022 U.S. News & World Report of Best Schools. Hillcrest Intermediate School, which is categorized as a middle level school, earned a ranking in the top 2% in the state. It was ranked 17th out...
Norwin area happenings, Nov. 4 and beyond
Norwin library to hold Trivia Night Teams of four to five people will be able to compete in Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Norwin Public Library on Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Contestants can create their own team or be placed in a team. Light refreshments will be...
Irwin artist inspired to draw ’13 Fallen Heroes,’ portraits of those killed by Kabul bomberVideo
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Here’s how PennDOT trains snowplow drivers for the upcoming winterVideo
Unlike a lot of people, Ann Rogers does not mind driving in the snow. For the PennDOT driver, it’s something that comes with her job. “I really love plowing snow,” said Rogers, who has been keeping state roads in the Uniontown area clear for the past three years. Rogers was...
Anti-mask Republicans win Norwin School Board seats
Three Republican newcomers who vocally opposed the mask mandate in schools and a GOP incumbent beat four other candidates in Tuesday’s election for four-year terms on the Norwin School Board, according to unofficial results. Newcomers Christine Baverso, 44, Alex Detschelt, 45, and Shawna Ilagan, 39, joined incumbent Raymond Kocak, 58,...
Republican sweep in Irwin mayor, council races
Irwin voters opted for experience in Tuesday’s election when they voted for members of council, but not for mayor, according to unofficial results. In the mayoral race, retired state prison guard Jeff Clem, 62, running on the Republican ballot, topped four-term council member Gail Macioce, 68, a Republican who won...
Pittsburgh area adds jobs in September, loss of workers reflects slow recovery
The Pittsburgh region had 10,000 fewer workers in September than a year ago, despite the availability of the covid vaccine, employers offering higher wages and the federal government eliminating extra jobless benefits. The seven-county region saw the labor force decrease to 1.16 million workers in September, a drop of 13,600...
Norwin guidance counselor accused of having drugs on school grounds
A Norwin Middle School guidance counselor told police the suspected crystal meth and a glass pipe authorities found in his car wasn’t his, and he “didn’t even know what it was,” according to North Huntingdon police. Richard Wesley Kean, 54, of Verona is accused of having a plastic bag with...
Busy Beaver robot saving time checking inventoryVideo
A 6-foot-tall slender robot with LED lights and three cameras moves slowly down the aisles of a North Huntingdon store, scanning thousands of items hanging on hooks and laying on shelves, checking the entire inventory and recording what is missing in matter of a few hours. As the robot scans...
Kennametal revenues rise, net income up
Kennametal Corp.’s sales jumped by 26% in the July-through-September quarter compared with a year ago and earnings per share rose 69 cents from the same quarter a year ago, the company said Monday. The Pittsburgh-based maker of metalworking tools said it earned 43 cents a share on sales of $483.5...
Norwin employee arrested, details scant from school district, police
A Norwin Middle School employee was arrested outside the building Friday, according to North Huntingdon police and the school district. Superintendent Jeff Taylor did not identify the employee or their position at the school located at 10870 Mockingbird Drive in the township. In a statement issued Monday, Taylor the district...
Norwin: Mask issue prominent in divisive school board campaign
The battle among eight candidates seeking four seats on the Norwin School Board features a slate of four Republican candidates who have opposed the district following the state mandate requiring masks in schools. Newcomers Christine Baverso, 44, Alex Detschelt, 45, and Shawna Ilagan, 39, join incumbent Raymond Kocak, 58, on...
Women’s business ownership growing; still face different challenges
Tracy Alaia of Trafford had always dreamed of owning a boutique, but she wanted it to be more than just a shop. “I wanted it to be helpful to other artists,” said Alaia, who initially was going to have a paint studio, but that grew into a gift shop in...
Seton Hill to launch coed esports program
Seton Hill University is joining the growing field of colleges and universities with esports programs, as it plans to field a team next fall for video gaming competitions. “The popularity of esports on high school and college campuses — as well as on the professional level — cannot be understated,”...
Police accuse Pittsburgh man of robbing 2 businesses several days apart
A Pittsburgh man was jailed Wednesday on accusations that he robbed two businesses on Pittsburgh’s South Side in the past two weeks, city police said. The suspect, Dakota Face, 23, was placed in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday, awaiting arraignment on charges filed in connection with the two robberies,...
Excela unveils $10 million robotic surgical center with focus on cancer
Excela Health unveiled a new $10 million surgical institute Wednesday with a focus on cancer treatment at the health system’s Latrobe Hospital. Officials said it will allow residents in the region to receive state-of-the-art robot-assisted surgery and care at the local facility. The robot-assisted surgery that has been performed the...
