Joe Napsha stories, Page 99

Lightning struck at a house in North Hempfield on Friday afternoon and caught the roof on fire. The homeowners, Mary and David Simpson of Downes Road, were home in the kitchen, preparing for supper, when the lightning hit the roof around 5 p.m. “It was real loud. I jumped,” Mary...

A Norwin Middle School teacher and her boyfriend waived their rights to a preliminary hearing this week on accusations they failed to disclose information that the man had pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor when he volunteered to work on a school musical earlier this year. Tobitha Sasso, 40,...

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s 436,000 customers counties could be hit with a nearly 18% rate hike next year if the state agency overseeing utilities approves the requested increase. Columbia Gas said it is seeking to generate $100.4 million annually to pay for replacing and upgrading aging underground pipelines. The gas...

With government-ordered restrictions prohibiting gatherings of more than 250 people, the Norwin Chamber of Commerce will hold its 88th Annual Norwin Community Picnic online instead of at Idlewild Park & SoakZone in Ligonier Township. The virtual picnic, while not giving children the opportunity to enjoy the roller coaster or the...

The following is a list of the Norwin High School Class of 2020, as provided by the school district. Brady Alexander Joseph Andelmo Annalise Andzelik Isaac Anticole Nia Armstrong Kylie Arnold Alexandra Astley William Ayres Mariana Bajich Angelina Baker Harrison Barnett Devin Barrett Abigail Bartos Julia Beck Eric Belak Jordan...

It did not take long for Norwin to name an interim director of athletics and activities to replace the athletic director who has taken a similar job with neighboring Hempfield Area. Tim McCabe, Norwin High School’s assistant principal, has been named interim athletic director, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said. McCabe was...

McDonald’s restaurants across Western Pennsylvania are looking for workers to fill at least 1,700 new full- and part-time jobs, the fast-food giant said in a statement. Franchisees who operate 112 restaurants in Western Pennsylvania began what McDonald’s called a quick-hire initiative to provide immediate crew and manager positions. “We are...

Derry Township is sitting on a gold mine of natural gas trapped in the Marcellus shale, which drillers have tapped to the great benefit of the municipality — to the tune of $2.4 million in gas well impact fees since 2012. The township will get almost $232,000 from the 2019...

Dairy farmers can get at least $1,500 from the state to recover some of their losses if they dumped milk or could not sell products after markets dried up when covid-19 shutdowns closed schools and limited restaurants. Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced a $40 million aid package for Pennsylvania...

When Irwin’s annual Memorial Day parade was canceled because of the covid-19 restrictions against large gathering, the The Norwin Junior Air Force ROTC cadets, a group of about 120 students, and the Norwin Student Council, decided to honor the Norwin community’s veterans in a different way. The student cadets thanked...

911 calls from T-Mobile cell phone customers may not be able to get through to Allegheny County’s emergency dispatching center due to an outage, the county said Monday afternoon. The outage affecting T-Mobile customers was reported shortly before 5:30 p.m., the county said in an alert. The carrier does not...

Norwin is planning commencement ceremonies for about 400 students at Knights Stadium on June 26 by dividing them into groups with different time slots. That is because of the prohibition against having more than 250 people at a single gathering while Westmoreland County is in the green phase of covid-19...

A 51-year-old Sewickley Township man died after being pulled from a backyard swimming pool in South Huntingdon on Thursday afternoon, state police said. The victim, Jason Kukonik, died Thursday at Monongahela Valley Hospital, Washington County, said Trooper Robert Schmid of the Belle Vernon station. Schmid said an autopsy would be...

Irwin Borough will no longer be under a covid-19 emergency declaration as of July. Council on Wednesday rejected a motion to extend the March 21 disaster declaration another 90 days. The current declaration runs through June 30. Mayor Bill Hawley had issued the declaration of a state of emergency for...

The Greensburg YMCA is opening its doors to members this week for the first time since March 15 when it was forced to close because the governor had placed restrictions on non-life-sustaining businesses. The YMCA, on South Maple Street, had a “soft reopening” with limited hours on Wednesday and will...

Norwin School District cafeteria workers agreed to a one-year extension of their current contract, which will provide members with a 40-cent-an-hour wage hike, while maintaining benefits. The school board this week approved the extension with the Service Employees International Union, which represents 54 cafeteria workers — 20 full-time employees as...

Medical marijuana users may be able to get state-approved products from a dispensary along Route 30 in Irwin in late fall. The three-member zoning board on Thursday unanimously approved an application from Franklin BioScience-SW LLC of Philadelphia for a special exception to locate the dispensary at the site of the...

Allegheny County Police homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 3-year-old girl in Oakmont. Police said they were notified at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday that the girl, who was not identified, was found unresponsive in 500 block of 10th Street. Emergency responders started life-saving measures, and the girl was transported...

Facing a weakness in its industrial markets caused by the covid-19 pandemic, Kennametal Inc. said Tuesday it is accelerating its plans to permanently cut about 10% of its salaried workforce, a reduction on a global scale it expects to substantially complete by the end of the year. Kennametal, an industrial...

Norwin School District property owners will see a 2.9% increase in real estates taxes after the board board Monday narrowly approved the spending plan for the district. By a 5-4 vote, the board OK’d a $76.93 million budget that will increase property taxes in North Huntingdon, North Irwin and Irwin...

Pennsylvania will distribute jobless benefits through a debit card sent in the mail over the next few weeks rather than a direct deposit into recipients’ bank accounts in an effort to counter identity theft attempts, state officials said Monday. The state Department of Labor & Industry has been issuing paper...

The state plans to provide $225 million in grants to small businesses that lost money during the government-ordered shutdowns from March through May and had to spend money to adapt their operations to prevent the spread of covid-19. “The shutdown has had a terrible negative effect. We hope we can...

Trib Total Media was named the overall best daily newspaper in Pennsylvania in the Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Chapter’s Excellence in Journalism contest for 2019. It was the second consecutive year the Trib won the organization’s top award. “We are humbled by this recognition from such a prestigious, time-honored...