Joe Napsha stories, Page 95
North Huntingdon close to resolving backyard chicken battle
North Huntingdon officials appear to be on the cusp of resolving a months-long disagreement on rules for governing the raising of backyard chickens, a dispute that at times has been emotional and acrimonious. The township commissioners on Wednesday are scheduled to consider authorizing employees to draft an ordinance that would...
Suspect in custody in double shooting in Jeannette
A juvenile male suspect was in custody following a shooting Tuesday evening in Jeannette that sent two people to AHN Forbes Hospital, according to city police. A 19-year-old man was one of the two people wounded in the shooting outside a South Third Street home. His mother, who declined to...
North Huntingdon-Irwin covid-19 cases up almost 20% in 1 week
The number of coronavirus cases in the North Huntingdon and Irwin areas took another jump in the past week, rising about 20% at the same time cases have been increasing in Westmoreland County, according to data from the state Department of Health. The community of about 35,000 residents saw 443...
Norwin tracks 7 more cases of coronavirus; school board majority supports full reopening
On a day when the Norwin announced seven more cases of coronavirus cases among students and staff, a majority of the Norwin School Board supported plans for students to return to class five days a week next month, rather than the current hybrid plan. Three high school students, two Hillcrest...
Norwin reports 2 more covid-19 cases
Two more Norwin elementary school students have tested positive for the coronavirus, the school district announced Saturday morning. One student attends Sunset Valley Elementary School, which has had covid-19 cases, and the other student attends Sheridan Terrace. This is the first Sheridan Terrace student the school district reported who had...
Norwin holds to Nov. 4 school reopening; no students, staff got virus at school, district says
Norwin school officials said that the district still is planning to resume the five-day in-person instruction on Nov. 4, even though the number of covid-19 cases are rising in the North Huntingdon-Irwin area and Westmoreland County. School Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in an email statement this week that the district...
Norwin-area happenings Oct. 24-Nov.6
Unwanted medications being collected North Huntingdon police are taking unwanted and old medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at the lobby of the station, 12279 Center Highway, as part of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s Drug Take Back Program. Unwanted medications, old pills and capsules and liquids...
Irwin promotes acting chief to top spotVideo
In an expected move, Irwin Council named the borough’s acting police chief as the new leader of the police department. Sgt. Daniel Wensel, who was named acting chief on Aug. 20 when former chief Roger Pivirotto resigned, was hired Wednesday by a unanimous vote. Wensel will continue to serve as...
Trump to spell out economic plan to Pittsburgh, New York, Washington, Chicago economists
President Trump is expected to present his plan for the nation’s economy on Wednesday to economists from Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago. The Economic Club of Pittsburgh will join with fellow Economic Club members from those major cities, as well as Florida and Sheboygan, for a 45-minute...
Norwin reports 3 more covid-19 cases; schools reopen
Norwin School District on Tuesday reported three more students — two at the middle school and one at Sunset Valley Elementary School — tested positive for coronavirus. The students have not attended school for several days and will not return to school until they have completed isolation procedures for the...
Norwin reopening plan criticized
With five of Norwin’s schools already having been closed because of coronavirus cases, district plans to fully reopen classrooms to in-person instruction next month came under fire during Monday’s school board meeting. District officials plan to fully reopen schools beginning Nov. 4 — a move that is being implemented “mostly...
Derry Area closes schools until next week because of covid-19 cases
Derry Area schools will be closed through Friday because five district workers tested positive for covid-19, the district said Monday. Superintendent Eric P. Curry said all school activities, including sports, will be canceled through Sunday and schools will reopen for in-person classes Monday. Anyone who had close contact — those...
Norwin area coronavirus cases jump almost 22% in past week
The North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area saw a 21.9% jump in coronavirus cases in the past week, mirroring the increase in Norwin schools and Westmoreland County. The Norwin area, which has a population of about 35,000, has had 356 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the pandemic hit the region in March,...
Norwin police blotter
Charges filed • Bryan N. Hurley, 40, of Wendel, by North Huntingdon police with making a false statement for the purchase of a firearm and unsworn falsification to authorities. Hurley is accused of attempting to buy a gun at Pete’s Firearms of North Huntingdon and signing a federal Alcohol, Tobacco...
Burglarized Sutersville founder’s mausoleum undergoing faceliftVideo
Imagine the horror of West Newton Cemetery worker Herb Keck who found the coffins containing the remains of Sutersville’s founder and his wife broken open and laid out in front of their burglarized mausoleum, ransacked by robbers in search of valuables almost 100 years ago. Now, the stone mausoleum holding...
More covid-19 cases reported among Norwin students
Norwin continues to experience an outbreak of covid-19 cases among students and staff, as the district said Saturday morning that two elementary students and one high school student have tested positive for the coronavirus. The students have not attended school for the past several days, the district said in a...
Paycheck Protection Program offered critical funding when business ‘went off the cliff’Video
Business for General Carbide Corp. in Hempfield was going so good at the beginning of the year, owner Mona Pappafava said, gesturing with her hand slanted upward at a 90-degree angle upward. But in mid-March, the coronavirus pandemic hit. “Then it went straight down,” Pappafava said Friday, holding her hand...
North Huntingdon Kenny Ross dealership sold
An automotive dealership that has been a fixture along Route 30 in North Huntingdon since the early 1950s was purchased by the owner of two Chevrolet dealerships in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Kenny Ross Chevrolet Buick GMC was sold recently to Riverview Automotive Group and the name changed to Riverview Chevrolet,...
Norwin plans for full return to school on Nov. 4
After closing five of its seven schools Thursday because of an outbreak of covid-19 cases, Norwin officials on Friday said the district is “absolutely committed” to bringing back students for full in-class instruction beginning Nov. 4. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in a statement that “we have found some very creative...
North Huntingdon Citizens Police Academy gives residents glimpse of cop’s dutiesVideo
Decked out in an armored vest, utility belt, helmet with visor and an AR-15 rifle slung over her shoulder, Nicky O’Bryon felt the weight and strain experienced by police officers when they are outfitted to handle crises. The North Huntingdon mother of two boys and a girl was surrounded by...
Penn-Trafford coronavirus outbreak continues
Another Penn-Trafford elementary school will close, joining two others, after more cases of coronavirus were reported to the district Thursday. Two staff members at Sunrise, one staff member at Harrison Park and one Level Green student notified the district they tested positive, the district said. Harrison Park now has had...
Norwin area happenings
Irwin, North Huntingdon plan trick-or-treat Irwin and North Huntingdon will hold their Halloween trick-or-treat from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. A parade in downtown Irwin is planned for 3 p.m. Oct. 24. The in-store trick-or-treat for children will be held just prior to the parade, from 1 to 2:45...
Norwin closes 5 schools because of coronavirus outbreak
Norwin will close its high school, middle school, intermediate school and Hahntown and Sunset Valley elementary schools because of an outbreak of coronavirus among students, the district said Wednesday afternoon. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said the state Department of Health notified the district Wednesday about five new cases, in addition to...
Level Green, Sunrise elementaries closed as Penn-Trafford coronavirus cases grow
Level Green and Sunrise elementary schools in the Penn-Trafford School District are closed as the number of district students and staff who have tested positive for the coronavirus increased on Wednesday. Superintendent Matt Harris notified parents and staff on Wednesday that five additional coronavirus cases had been reported at Penn-Trafford....
Covid-19 numbers tallied for Norwin area
Less than 300 people in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area have had confirmed cases of covid-19 since the outbreak began in March, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The health department on Monday released data showing there were 281 confirmed cases of covid-19 in the 15642 ZIP code, which...

