Kaitlyn Hughes stories

As cases of the bird flu increased over the past year, the Westmoreland Fair has adapted to protect animals attending the show. All poultry is required to go through bird flu testing. Contestants also have the option to bring pictures of their fowl instead of an in-person showing. “We try...

Once Chris Rasmussen of Monroeville learned as a young man how to play bridge, he was hooked. He began consuming books on the card game, spending every Friday and Saturday playing with friends. Today, Rasmussen, 67, teaches a class in bridge at the Monroeville Public Library. On Mondays for six...

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Kovacik Eicher always wanted to work close to her hometown. A clinical neurologist who joined Excela Health in 2019, Kovacik Eicher was named to a key leadership role last week by Independence Health, which was formed in the merger of Excela and Butler health systems in 2023....

Linda DeFloria and Daniel Ranieri carry out their late brother Terry Ranieri’s legacy every year with an annual memorial golf outing. “Terry was very special to our family,” DeFloria said. “He was special to everyone who ever met him.” Terry Ranieri, a 1975 Hempfield Area High School graduate, died from...

Stained glass artist Amy Primmer already is a big fan of the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, and she’s only been there once. “I don’t think I’ve seen (a vendor show) better run, and we do this full time,” she said. The festival, featuring 400 artists and vendors, returns Thursday...

Grace John of Jeannette concentrated intently as she scraped multiple layers of blue paint off a pavilion wall in Jeannette’s Altman Park. A group of about 10 students gathered alongside her Tuesday to volunteer for Give Back Week with the Mosaic Community Development Center’s Summer Blast program. The group was...

Thomas Bartley, president of the Volunteer Firemans Relief Association of Mutual, said that the department is working to remedy audit findings recently released by the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General. The auditor general’s review of the relief association’s finances for January 2020 through December 2023 — which was released...

Dave Bulebosh gets a front-row seat to the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland International Airshow just by stepping into his yard. With his home being within a mile of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, he has had people flock to his neighborhood in past years to get a closer look...

A restoration specialist by trade, Bill Cunningham is used to dealing with the aftermath of fires, floods and other disasters. But he also has found himself serving as an occasional unofficial traffic cop as he helps direct motorists when a tall truck gets stuck or has to turn around at...

Peter Germanowski experiences balance issues, slower reaction time, hearing loss and other side effects from being exposed to Agent Orange as a result of his service in the Army from 1969-71. He came to the Henry Parham Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Monroeville on Wednesday to find out what resources...

Two Westmoreland County teams returned with gold medals from the 2025 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games in State College after two days of intense basketball last weekend. One, Wolverines 3 played full-court basketball and the other, Wolverines 4, played half-court. “Once that final second ticked off, there was so much...

In years past, ties between Westmoreland County election candidates were broken by drawing marbles from an old Dr Pepper soda bottle covered in tape. On Friday, election officials upgraded their system somewhat and drew marbles from a reusable water bottle to determine the winners of three ties in the May...

On a typical day, shoppers can be seen walking in and out of the unique shops around the Diamond in Ligonier. But on Wednesday, most of the stores were closed and the mulch-covered streets were filled with horses, buggies, antique cars and actors dressed head-to-toe in early 1900s clothing. It...

Four ties that occurred in the May 20 municipal primary will be broken at noon Friday in the Westmoreland County Courthouse. There will be marbles drawn to break the ties, said Scott Ross, election bureau director. Deborah Vernon and Cynthia Adams tied for the Democratic nomination for Arnold council with...

David Cale, owner of Laurel Caverns, remembers living in a tent on the property in 1962 while he helped his grandfather develop the site for public tours. Just before the attraction in Farmington, Fayette County, opened in July 1964, Cale made a jagged wooden sign to mimic the signs he...

Licensed practical nurse Carol Marol has been working at Westmoreland Manor for about 28 years, and laments that the quality of care at the nursing home is not as good as it used to be because of decreased staffing. “When we are short-staffed, and when workers are not paid competitive...

Riley Beckett, a third grader at Stanwood Elementary School, has been relentlessly practicing her older brother Luke’s spelling list since she was in first grade. “She could spell any word since she was 6,” said her mother, Joanna Beckett. Combining her hours of practice with her love for reading, Riley...

Five years ago, Lindy House and her husband were looking for a permanent home and fell in love with the community of Scottdale. This year, she decided to give back to the borough in the biggest way she knew how: by running for mayor. “The big thing I want to...

When the Whitehall Committee for Environmental Action was brainstorming ideas to cope with environmental issues, committee member Jack McCrea thought the borough could benefit from installing its own solar panels. An owner of solar panels himself, he created an analysis outlining the use of renewable energy systems within the borough,...

Twenty years ago, Dom Bianco sat in a classroom at Bethel Park High School carefully drawing the blueprints of a miniature museum for dinosaurs — a long-time dream. “I have loved dinosaurs since I was a little kid,” Bianco said. Now, his idea of creating an exhibit for the extinct...

Down a winding road with a turn down a steep hill, a hard right, a climb up an elevation, over a crosswalk and up 70 lengthy steps — totaling to about three-quarters of a mile. What might seem to be a course for a road race was Geoff Davis’ 6-year-old...

The annual AGAPE fundraiser brought Sudanese culture to Bethel Park with a day full of music, food and community. The event took place Aug. 17 under a pavilion on Hamilton Road, in hopes of creating awareness of the nonprofit’s mission. AGAPE Heart International Organization is a nongovernmental, nonpartisan humanitarian organization...

It is predicted that there will be 17 million electric bike sales annually by 2030, according to sustainability and green-living site TheRoundup. With the number of e-bikes on the rise, the Montour Trail Council has seen some issues with their use on the Bethel Park spur. “For the most part,...

Patty Giegerich and her friends used to go see Kenny Chesney in concert every year. The year after her husband Kenny Giegerich died, Chesney was not making an appearance in Pittsburgh. The group instead decided to pretend they were at the concert by tailgating in someone’s driveway while listening to...

As back-to-school shopping picks up, families return from their getaways and college students travel back to their dorms, kids try to soak up the last of their summer during August. Hampton Community Pool’s annual Member Appreciation Day took place on Aug. 14. The night of swimming offered music from DJ...