Joe Napsha stories, Page 69
Exotic dancer sues 2 Westmoreland adult clubs, claiming employment law violations
A North Huntingdon exotic dancer wants a local adult night club to pay her more than $58,000 in back wages and damages she says she is owed because the club misclassified her employment status. Deanna Betras, 41, alleges the owners of the former The Filly Corral in South Huntingdon —...
Man shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South area
A man was reported in stable condition after being shot in the leg in the Homewood South neighborhood, Pittsburgh police said. Police said they responded to an alert of a shooting around 8:20 p.m. in the 7300 block of Hamilton Avenue. Medics transported the victim to a local hospital and...
Norwin recognized for Special Olympics
Norwin High School has been recognized as a 2020 National Unified Champion School by the Special Olympics, one of only 10 schools in the state to be honored. The celebration was part of Norwin’s Oct. 15 pep rally during the homecoming festivities. Sophomore Eli Passarelli of the Unified Bocce and...
Clairton man pleads guilty to assault in McDonald’s in Bethel Park
A Clairton man was sentenced to four-to-10 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting a young girl at a McDonald’s restaurant in Bethel Park, according to authorities. Allegheny County Judge Jill E. Rangos sentenced Walter A. Garner, 41, to prison on his plea of guilty to charges of statutory sexual...
6 battle for 4 seats on Irwin council; 2 vie for mayor’s seat
Irwin voters will decide Nov. 2 whether to give a younger generation a say in borough government. Republican council members Ronald Romeo, 62; Frank Rossi Jr., 64; and Leslie Savage, 52, are running for reelection on the GOP ticket, along with Tyler Baum, 23, who won a spot on the...
North Huntingdon names acting manager, effective Nov. 1
North Huntingdon commissioners have promoted assistant manager Mike Turley to interim manager when Jeff Silka leaves the job Nov. 1. Turley will also serve as secretary, treasurer and right-to-know officer. Silka’s resignation was approved Wednesday. He submitted his resignation in late September to take a similar position in Cumberland, Md....
Penn-Trafford inducts 1st group into Alumni Hall of Fame
The Penn-Trafford High School Alumni Hall of Fame inducted 12 members into its first class, 18 months after its inaugural ceremony was delayed because of covid restrictions. The inductees gathered with family and friends and Penn-Trafford administrators at the Manor Valley Golf Club for a luncheon, followed by the awards...
Norwin area: Pirohi sale, craft show, bus trip, more
Craft, vendor show at New Hope Church The New Hope Church Craft & Vendor Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department social room, 129 Robbins Station Rd., North Huntingdon. Lunch can be purchased, and the sale of baked goods...
North Huntingdon votes to condemn former Rivertowne Pub building
North Huntingdon officials voted this week to condemn the former Rivertowne Pub & Grille building on Route 30 so it can be demolished, though the saga might not be over. Commissioners voted 6-1 on Wednesday to condemn the closed tavern, following a hearing Oct. 14. The property is owned by...
Ballot in North Irwin remains empty
Serving on North Irwin’s government is a job that apparently none of the small borough’s voters want. Just like in the primary, no one is on the ballot for one of four two-year terms on borough council. Mayor John McIntyre is running for reelection on both the Democratic and Republican...
New Stanton gives conditional OK for large warehouse project
Ground could be broken next spring on a 1-million-square-foot warehouse project in New Stanton. Borough council this week gave the conditional approval to the land development plan that SunCap Property Group of Charlotte, N.C., had reached with the borough. Among the conditions that SunCap must meet is to obtain all...
Norwin church volunteers box meals for thousands in Honduras
Thousands of children in Honduras will be able to get a hot meal at school thanks to volunteers at a North Huntingdon church who recently boxed about 80,000 meals. About 200 volunteers gathered at the Norwin Christian Church this month to box prepackaged meals of rice, soybeans and vitamins purchased...
Norwin resident seeks racial sensitivity, diversity training for school staff after students wore Confederate flag clothing
A Norwin resident upset over two high school students wearing Confederate flag clothing last week wants the district to consider instituting training programs for racial sensitivity and diversity inclusion. LaSchalle Armstrong of North Huntingdon asked school officials Monday to consider having the racial sensitivity training for the staff, who are...
North Huntingdon seeks condemnation of old Rivertowne Pub
The former Rivertowne Pub & Grille along Route 30 in North Huntingdon is either a building that is unfit for human use, with broken windows and a collapsed section of floor, or it is a structure that can be simply repaired and resurrected as a restaurant. Township commissioners recently heard...
North Huntingdon proposes 2022 budget that doesn’t raise taxes
North Huntingdon officials adopted a preliminary budget Thursday that does not raise taxes. Property owners will not have to pay more real estate taxes under a tentative budget that takes $1.14 million from the fund balance to cover a projected deficit. Commissioners voted to adopt a proposed $14.17 million general...
Shuttered North Huntingdon haunted house had to clear local, state hurdles
The North Huntingdon couple who had hoped to give people a Halloween treat by visiting their “home haunt” in a neighborhood would have had to satisfy both state and local regulations. Jeff Silka, township manager, told commissioners Thursday that a desist order was issued Oct. 7 based on the fact...
Duquesne Light seeks 4.2% rate hike in January
Duquesne Light Co.’s proposal to raise the electric bills of its 600,000 residential and commercial customers this winter should be approved by state regulators, an administrative law judge recommended this week. Under terms of the proposed settlement, Duquesne Light would raise rates by $4.23 a month, or 4.23%, on the...
Norwin area: Halloween events, comedy show, more
Trick or treat set in Irwin, North Huntingdon Irwin Borough will hold its Halloween parade from 3 to 4 p.m. Oct. 23 along Main Street. The trick-or-treat for residents in Irwin, North Irwin and North Huntingdon will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. Halloween party slated in...
Penn-Trafford area: Drug take-back program, Halloween party, more
Drug take-back program planned for Oct. 23 Outdated or unused drugs will be accepted during a prescription drug take-back program from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 23 near the Giant Eagle supermarket at Penn Crossing Shopping Center, 2000 Penny Lane Drive, Harrison City. Antibiotics, over-the-counter drugs or liquids, and...
Irwin fire department to get land for new base
The Irwin Volunteer Fire Department is a step closer to getting a larger firehall at the site of the former Sixth Street School, with hopes of moving into the building next year. Irwin Council on Wednesday approved the transfer of the property to the fire department at no cost. The...
North Huntingdon manager leaving post
North Huntingdon will be looking for a new township manager with the pending departure of Jeffrey M. Silka for a similar job in Western Maryland. Silka, who has served as township manager since November 2017, will be leaving his post on Oct. 22 for the city administrator’s job in Cumberland,...
Norwin grad Daniel Priatko to speak during homecoming celebrationVideo
Norwin High School seniors will get a special gift for homecoming this year — a speech from a Norwin and U.S. Military Academy graduate severely injured in a crash in 1985 and a recently published book outlining his long recovery and how he is inspiring others. Daniel Priatko, a 1980...
Norwin superintendent reaches out to parents following Confederate clothing incident
Norwin’s top administrator reached out to parents in the school district via email Wednesday, days after two students wore racially insensitive clothing to class. “These images are offensive to many within the Norwin community,” Superintendent Jeff Taylor wrote in the emailed statement. “This situation … (is a) learning opportunity to...
Survey: Half of firms in Pittsburgh region don’t require covid vaccines; some using incentives
As the debate rages nationally over whether employers should require covid-19 vaccines for workers, a recent survey of businesses in Southwestern Pennsylvania found that close to half of all firms have decided not to mandate the shot to protect against the coronavirus. On the other hand, less than 30% of...
Employers see workers returning to labor force, but still face challenges finding themVideo
Whether more people started seeking jobs when extra federal unemployment benefits ended Sept. 4, or they exhausted their state jobless benefits or they feel safer getting back to work because more people are getting the covid vaccine, staffing agencies and employers in the region say they are seeing more people...

