Joe Napsha stories, Page 88
Man killed in Homewood shooting
A man was killed in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood early Saturday morning, Pittsburgh police said. The victim, who was not identified, was found at about 2:55 a.m. with multiple gunshots in his torso and legs in the 6600 block of Frankstown Avenue, police said. Medics transported him in...
Norwin police blotter, Jan. 14
Charges filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All persons charged 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. • Vincent Bracco, 40, of Glassport with possession of drug paraphernalia....
Shop with a Cop program succeeds despite pandemicVideo
The pandemic that struck the region canceled many activities, but not the holiday tradition of the Westmoreland County Shop with a Cop program. “We were able to help 804 children this year,” said Trooper Steve Limani, who coordinates the program which is in its 13th year. “There was a spike...
Penn-Trafford police blotter, Jan. 14
Charges filed with Penn Township District Judge Helen Kistler. All persons charged have the right to a preliminary hearing before Kistler and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Madeline J. Semenko, 22, of Bovard, by Penn...
State grants $1.8 million for Western Pa. rail projects
The state earmarked about $1.8 million to improve U.S. Steel Corp.’s Union Railroad infrastructure in the Braddock area and for a rail yard project along the Monongahela River in Westmoreland County. PennDOT granted U.S. Steel Corp. $1.7 million for two projects on its Union Railroad, which serves three of the...
Democratic Women to collect for food bank, family shelter
Like so many other activitities and events over the past 10 months, the covid pandemic has affected volunteer opportunities at the National Day of Service on Monday, the national holiday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Colleges and universities in the region that might have volunteer opportunities for students and...
Downward trends continue for North Huntingdon-Irwin covid case count
The increase in covid cases in four ZIP codes covering most of the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin areas remained below 10% for the third consecutive week, based on state Department of Health data released Monday. There was a 7.8% increase in the number of confirmed covid cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin,...
Greensburg-Salem to return to hybrid instruction; P-T middle school sports halted
Greensburg Salem’s 2,700 students will return to hybrid instruction on Jan. 19 instead of Jan. 26th, as previously announced, provided the number of positive covid cases among students and staff in each building meet state guidelines. The school district said all covid prevention and mitigation measures such as cleaning procedures,...
Sports card appraiser looking at Greensburg collection says sell valuable cards now
Collectors holding onto cards of star football, basketball or baseball players as a financial investment should consider selling them now, according to a vintage sports card and memorabilia appraiser who plans to evaluate a Greensburg-area collection this week. “Now is a good time to sell. Prices have exploded higher than...
Norwin adds 16 covid cases this week; 32 since holiday break
Norwin School District officials said they were notified of 12 more coronavirus cases among students and staff on Friday, raising the total number of cases to 32 since the holiday break began Dec. 22. Two students each from the high school, middle school, Hillcrest Intermediate, Stewartsville Elementary and Sunset Valley...
Readying for renovation in GreensburgVideo
An excavator for Vince Construction Co. of Greensburg removes the debris gutted from a five-story building at South Pennsylvania Avenue and West Second Street in Greensburg, that Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires purchased last year. Squires has said the renovated building will have a dance studio on the first floor,...
Penn-Trafford opens kindergarten registration, collects charity donations
Penn-Trafford opens kindergarten registration Penn-Trafford will open its kindergarten registration on Jan. 18. Residents with children entering kindergarten in the 2021-2022 school year are asked to complete the online form between Jan. 18 and Feb. 26. The form is available at the school district website, www.penntrafford.org. P-T students raise money...
Norwin to return to hybrid learning
Norwin’s 5,300 students will return a hybrid form of learning — two days in-school and three days of remote instruction — on Monday for the first time in close to a month. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said Wednesday the district will offer the three days of remote instruction in a synchronous...
Irwin reverts to in-person meeting on Jan. 13; councilman calls state orders ‘crap’
After debating the merits of the state’s controversial orders on restricting indoor gatherings, Irwin Borough council members decided to meet in-person when they gather on Jan. 13, a reversal of the public advertisement last month that the meeting would be held in a virtual manner. Council on Tuesday decided in...
Irwin fire department proposes $1 million building
The Irwin fire department want to build a $1 million hall to house trucks, ambulances, a meeting room and possibly borough offices and police department at the site of the former Sixth Street School. Leaders of the volunteer group told borough officials this week that they hope to build a...
Irwin hires 4 police officers
Irwin Borough’s police department has added new four new officers to its ranks this week. Borough council on Tuesday approved hiring both full-time and part-time officers, in part to replace three officers who have left in the past month. Two part-time Irwin officers, Cody Stanoszek of North Huntingdon and Justin...
Harrison City centenarian to get covid vaccine when available
Joseph Cocco of Harrison City plans to get the coronavirus vaccine when it is his time. While Westmoreland County is replete with senior citizens — the U.S. Census says 23% of the population is older than 65 — Cocco is among a select group. He will be 100 when he...
Covid case trend continues to drop in Norwin area
For the second consecutive week, the spread of new covid cases in four ZIP codes in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area has slowed, falling to 5.1% for the week ending Jan. 4, according to data from the state Department of Health. The state said there were 2,121 confirmed covid cases...
Covid claims life of Yough School Board member
A Yough School Board member and longtime Herminie business owner who had contracted covid, died last week. Sandy Mireles-Dull, 68, who was elected to the school board in November 2019, died Dec. 30, at Excela Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg. She had been struggling with covid for a month, according to her...
New CEO takes over at Greensburg YMCA; covid creates uncertainty over reopening
The Greensburg YMCA, closed since Sept. 30 because of the covid pandemic, might not reopen until May, June or later, the new chief executive said. YMCA officials at this time can’t predict when the facility on South Maple Avenue will reopen because of the uncertainty surrounding the covid pandemic, said...
White Oak restaurant donating Tuesday eat-in proceeds to servers
Thousands of restaurant servers like Kelly Matey lost a third of their wages and months worth of tips last year because of the state’s ban on indoor dining for almost three months in the spring and then again three more weeks over the busy Christmas and New Year’s holidays. “It...
Nemacolin resort closes for holidays, plans to reopen next week when covid restrictions lift
If you’d hoped to usher out 2020 at the posh Nemacolin resort in Fayette County, you are out of luck. Nemacolin closed Dec. 22 in an effort to do its part to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The luxury retreat does not plan to reopen until Monday. The closure...
Hempfield photographer found innovative way to stay in business during pandemicVideo
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Back before the covid pandemic slammed the economy and limited what people could do outside their homes, Dennis Pushkar expected that his Impressions Photography would build on what had been...
Nemacolin resort closes for holidays, plans to reopen next week when covid restrictions lift
If you hoped to usher out 2020 at the posh Nemacolin resort in Fayette County, you are out of luck. Nemacolin closed Dec. 22 in an effort to do its part to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The luxury retreat does not plan to reopen until Monday. The...
Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area covid cases rise slightly
The Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area saw a 5% jump in confirmed covid cases over the past week, with the addition of 68 cases, based on data from the state Department of Health. The health department counted 1,310 confirmed covid cases in the three communities as of Dec. 29, up from 1,242 as...
