Joe Napsha stories, Page 85
Budding North Huntingdon artist takes talent to tattooing
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...
She’s lovin’ it: 100-year-old McDonald’s worker has no plans to retireVideo
Ruth N. Shuster was crowned “Queen for a Day” at McDonald’s Big Mac Museum in North Huntingdon, a well-deserved honor for a loyal employee who has greeted customers at the eatery the past 27 years. What made this honor — a throwback to Jack Bailey’s 1950s-era television show of the...
Bataan Memorial March slated for April 17 at Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Trafford
An event next month will honor those 76,000 American and Filipino soldiers who endured a 65-mile forced march in the Philippines as prisoners of the Japanese during World War II. The Norwin Air Force Junior ROTC cadets are sponsoring a 14-mile walk or run along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail between...
Covid cases continue to decline in North Huntingdon-Irwin area from Feb. 22 to March 1, 2021
The spread of coronavirus in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area continued to lessen during the last week in February, with only 43 new confirmed cases from Feb. 22 to March 1, according to data the state Department of Health on Monday. The four ZIP codes covering North Huntingdon, Irwin, North...
Fundraising efforts aim to help fix leaky Greensburg YMCA poolVideo
A group of local triathletes who have been training at the Greensburg YMCA to prepare for upcoming competitions have taken on a new challenge: raising money to help repair the leaky pool that is so critical to their success. A Greensburg YMCA Pool GoFundMe page, created by 35-year-old Jeremy Eshleman...
Norwin-area events, Feb. 25, 2021 and beyond
Having debated for months on how to regulate people raising chickens in a residential neighborhood, North Huntingdon commissioners unanimously approved a zoning ordinance amendment that requires a permit. Under the revision, the owners of properties zoned R-2, R-3 and R-4, which range in size from 10 acres to 20 acres,...
Norwin-area charges filed, Feb. 25, 2021
Charges recently filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Christian Lowe, 29, of Pittsburgh, by North Huntingdon police with...
Part owner of Donora convenience store fatally shot
A Donora man was fatally shot Wednesday while working at the Donora convenience store where he was part owner, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said. The victim, Nicholas Tarpley, 28, was shot at Lee’s Convenience Store, at 501 Allen Ave., where he was pronounced dead, Deputy Coroner Matthew Yarosek stated...
Wendel Post Office closes; residents told to get mail 5 miles away in Manor
The U.S. Post Office in the Hempfield village of Wendel closed 10 days ago, forcing 100 customers who got their mail at that site to travel 5 miles to the post office in Manor. The Postal Service closed the office on Feb. 13 because it lost its lease on the...
Temps fall, but Western Pa. power plants, gas lines built to operate during big chills
As some Western Pennsylvanians awoke Sunday morning with temperatures close to zero, they got the heat and power they needed from their natural gas service and electric power plants to keep warm. Meanwhile, millions of Texans were freezing in flooded homes. That catastrophe did not happen in the Northeast and...
Penn Township woman’s novel weaves personal story into adult fictionVideo
A Harrison City woman has written a book that weaves elements of her life’s experiences into a novel about a woman dealing with trauma from an assault who eventually plots a way to exact revenge on the perpetrator. In “Other People’s Words,” Leslie Savisky has written a 300-page story that...
Cub Scouts ID vets’ markers at Scottdale cemeteries
Three Cub Scouts have identified 152 veterans’ grave markers that need to be replaced at two Scottdale cemeteries. It’s a community service project designed to honor those who served their country, as well as the Confederate States of America. Nathaniel King and Alex Schwenger, both of Scottdale, and Gavin Rummel...
Westmoreland suppliers scramble to get de-icers for home use
Dave Andrako of North Huntingdon was filling seven buckets with rock salt this week at Norwin Landscape Supply for the spreader he uses to keep his driveway and sidewalks clear after a snowstorm. “It’s easier to use the loose salt” rather than the bags, said Andrako, who was joined by...
Pagan Motorcycle Club members hit with more indictments
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has handed down more charges against two dozen suspected members and associates of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pagans Motorcycle Club who are accused of dealing cocaine and heroin, the U.S. Attorney General in Pittsburgh said Friday. The superceding indictments added the names of...
Norwin area charges filed, Feb. 18, 2021
Charges recently filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Isaiah Mohammed, 19, of Irwin, by borough police with possession...
North Huntingdon OKs new backyard chicken rules
Having debated for months on how to regulate people raising chickens in a residential neighborhood, North Huntingdon commissioners this week approved a zoning ordinance amendment that requires a permit. The seven commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved the zoning amendment. Under the revision, the owners of properties zoned R-2, R-3 and...
Westmoreland water authority to meet with contractors, gas well operators
Representatives from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County plan to talk with companies that work around two of its fresh water sources — the Beaver Run Reservoir in Westmoreland County and the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville and McKeesport — about maintaining the integrity of its drinking water. The authority plans...
Norwin chili cookoff goes virtual
Like so many activities the past 11 months, the popular Norwin Rotary Chili Cookoff & Wing Things that raises money to give nutritious food to needy students at Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace Elementary school, is going virtual this year, organizers said. “Wearing masks, social distancing and crowd limitation guidelines to keep...
North Huntingdon running low on road salt; back order never filled
As another snowstorm hits the region, North Huntingdon is starting to run low on road salt and has been unable to get the 3,400 tons of the ice-melting rocks it ordered last month, township officials said. There is sufficient road salt for the snowstorm forecast through Friday, public works director...
North Huntingdon-Irwin covid cases up slightly as of Feb. 16, 2021
The post-holiday spread of confirmed covid cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area rose by 57 from Feb. 8-16, according to state Department of Health data released Tuesday. That translates to an increase of 2.2%. The fact that the increase in cases from Feb. 8-16 was greater than the 43...
Pa. jobless benefit scams at $2.5M; Arnold woman pleads guilty to defrauding system
While many jobless Pennsylvanians have struggled to get unemployment benefits during the covid pandemic, the state has paid out at least $2.5 million in fraudulent claims, state officials said Tuesday. That might be just the tip of the iceberg, the officials said. The $2.5 million was siphoned off by just...
North Huntingdon set to vote on backyard chicken rules
The debate over what to do with backyard chickens could come to a head Wednesday when North Huntingdon officials are expected to vote on a proposal to allow hens, but not roosters, to be raised in certain neighborhoods. The seven commissioners, who have been split over how to regulate backyard...
Norwin seniors to return to school 4 days a week
Norwin’s seniors can go back to school four days a week, beginning Feb. 22, as long as the covid transmission rates remain in the moderate level, the district said. Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the school board that surveys were distributed to parents of seniors this week to determine how many...
North Huntingdon sewage authority says $30M upgrade won’t require rate hikes
North Huntingdon’s sewage authority is planning to spend $30 million to upgrade its plant near the Youghiogheny River. The project will allow the facility to treat more sewage, but it will not cause a rise in rates, the authority’s executive said. The authority is designing the upgrades to the Turner...
‘Couplehood’: North Huntingdon couple celebrates 70 years of marriage
Family had planned to gather in December to celebrate Henry and Patricia Heer, a North Huntingdon couple who have been married 70 years. The event never happened, another casualty of the covid-19 pandemic. “Not being able to celebrate this memorable anniversary due to covid was not what they would have...
