Megan Tomasic stories, Page 61
Unity auto repair shop destroyed by fireVideo
A quick-moving fire Tuesday gutted an auto repair shop in Unity. The owner of Rain’s Auto Body, Dean Rain, said workers had started welding a car when sparks flew, igniting the fire about 2:16 p.m. He said workers tried to put the fire out, but “it spread really fast.” Rain’s...
Hempfield names deputy fire chief
Two months after Hempfield supervisors appointed a new fire chief to oversee the 12 stations, the township now has a deputy fire chief. John Storey Jr., 38, of Hempfield will move from his current position as deputy director of public works to the deputy fire chief position Sunday. Storey’s position...
Hempfield Township honors Terry Ranieri with proclamationVideo
Terry Ranieri, a beloved Hempfield community member who passed away last week, was honored by Hempfield Township supervisors Monday night through a proclamation. Ranieri, who graduated from Hempfield Area School District in 1975, attended home football games regularly in the decades since and spent time hanging out with friends at...
New club aims to help Hempfield students connect to public service careers
A new club at Hempfield Area High School could help bridge the gap between a lack of volunteer firefighters and a younger workforce. The Public Services Club is headed by biology teacher, volunteer firefighter and paramedic Justin Heddinger. The organization will introduce students to careers such as volunteer firefighting, police...
Seton Hill awarded grant to help bolster math center
Seton Hill University has received a $100,000 grant that will bolster the Greensburg school’s math center. Presented by the Booth Ferris Foundation, a New York-based grant organization, the funds will be used at the Robert M. Brownlee Mathematics Enrichment Center to help strengthen the skills of undergraduate students with the...
Paintertown man volunteered 44 years at fire department
Eric List could be sitting at Christmas dinner, but if a fire call came in he was there. Volunteering at the Paintertown Volunteer Fire Company for 44 years, “his life revolved around the fire department,” his wife Rene List said, adding that he loved the act of firefighting and helping...
Students welcomed to Penn Trafford school with inspirational sayingsVideo
Students at Penn Trafford’s Sunrise Elementary School were greeted with inspirational sayings written in bright colors for their first day of school Thursday. Taking about three weeks to complete over the summer, parents and Principal Karin Coiner worked to paint the stalls of four hallway bathrooms in the Sunrise Drive...
Conceptual plans released for 2 new Hempfield parks
Walking trails, sports fields and playgrounds are in the works for two new Hempfield parks. Initial plans show ideas for one property off the Walden Court cul-de-sac not far from West Hempfield Elementary and another 17-acre parcel off Route 136 adjacent to Hempfield Area High School. The plans were presented...
Petition to change Hempfield stadium name in honor of Terry Ranieri gaining tractionVideo
It took only 15 hours for over 3,500 people to sign a petition to have the name of Hempfield’s Spartan Stadium changed to honor a longtime Spartan football and band fan, inching just shy of the 5,000-signature goal. Terry Ranieri, who would greet fans at games while watching the band...
Motivational quotes at Hempfield school to spur positive behavior
“Your attitude determines your direction.” “Be a buddy not a bully.” “Be kind.” These are just a few motivational words West Point Elementary students will see when school starts Thursday. Stuck to the walls of almost every bathroom stall in the Hempfield school, the quotes are a way to spread...
Former Penn Township business owner loved family, motorcycles
Renee Aiken loved to take weekend car rides with her dad, Richard Davis. That is, when he wasn’t on a motorcycle ride or on weekend excursions with his wife, Mary Ann. “He was very outgoing, very adventurous, he loved people, he was very social and very kind and caring and...
Hempfield Eagle Scout creates cancer memorial garden
When Ben Graham started his Eagle Scout project in Hempfield Park, he didn’t know how soon the cause would hit home. But about halfway through planning a cancer memorial garden that will become a healing spot for cancer survivors and their families, as well as an area to remember those...
Lehigh graduate running across country to raise awareness about plastic pollutionVideo
Almost every morning for about 160 days, Sam Bencheghib will wake up at 6 a.m., tie up his shoes made from recycled plastic, and start running. The 22-year-old Lehigh University graduate is running across 13 states to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the ocean — a project that started...
Police identify victim in Hill District apartment shooting
A 21-year-old man was killed in a shooting Thursday at a Hill District apartment complex. Terrance Jerome Jones Jr. died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, according to an Allegheny County coroner’s report. Pittsburgh police responded to the 2500 block of Chauncey Drive in Bedford Dwellings...
Police: Somerset couple faked pregnancy, birth and death of newborn baby
A Somerset couple is facing charges after they allegedly faked a pregnancy and then the death of a newborn baby and collected almost $600 in donations for funeral costs and gifts , state police said. Geoffrey and Kaycee Lang, of Somerset Township, also allegedly hosted a baby shower to receive...
Programs aimed at Hempfield athletes to focus on respect, female leadership
Empowering female leadership and teaching respect toward women and girls are just two themes at the head of new programs aimed at student athletes in Hempfield. Part of Blackburn Center’s Coaching Boys into Men and Coaching Female Athletes programs, students in grades seven through 12 will work through provided curriculum...
State gaming board grants final license for Westmoreland Mall mini casino
State gaming officials approved the license for a mini casino to operate out of Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The state Gaming Control Board voted unanimously Wednesday to grant Stadium Casino LLC — owned by the Maryland-based Cordish Companies — a Category 4 satellite casino license for which they paid more...
East Huntingdon grocery store to close by end of monthVideo
JK’s County Market grocery store in East Huntingdon is closing its doors after 35 years. According to owner John “JK” Krystyniak, the store will close at the end of the month — a decision he called “the end of an era.” He did not provide a specific date for when...
Hearing next week for final approval of Hempfield casino
The final hearing for the proposed mini casino in Westmoreland Mall is scheduled next week before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. On Wednesday, Stadium Casino officials will present to the board, who will then approve, deny or postpone the license that could put the casino in the former Bon-Ton department...
Retention and recruitment workshop to be hosted for Westmoreland fire departments
Leaders from 60 Westmoreland County fire departments have the opportunity to attend a two-day retention training program this September. Hosted by Adapt Management, a grant management and marketing firm, the workshop will focus on recruiting and retaining firefighters, said Greg Redden, president of the firm. The workshop will focus on...
Jeannette family honored after saving 5-year-old from drowning
Nicole Hall pumped the chest of her 5-year-old cousin after his body was pulled from the family’s Jeannette swimming pool this summer. After a minute and a half of compressions, the boy again started to breathe. “He was lifeless,” said family member Patty Hall, 55, who provided oxygen while Nicole...
Census officials prepare for low number of applications ahead of 2020 survey
The Census Bureau is hiring — and officials plan to employ more than 500,000 part-time and temporary workers across the country. Between Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, officials expect to field about 12,000 applications, census spokeswoman Susan Licate said. “The hiring needs within each county vary and are ongoing,” she said....
KDKA returns to local DirecTV customers ahead of Steelers season
DirecTV customers, break out the black and gold. The Pittsburgh Steelers — starting with Friday’s first preseason game — will be back on your television thanks to an agreement reached by CBS Corp. and AT&T. The multi-year agreement, reached Thursday, ended a three-week blackout for viewers, which started as a...
Level Green veteran Joseph Katkowski remembered for life history
Joseph Katkowski spent most of World War II taking care of soldiers in France. And it didn’t matter if they were American or German soldiers. He was always there to help, his daughter Nancy Katkowski said. Spending two years overseas as an Army medical technician, Joseph Katkowski saw plenty of...
Census takers identifying hard-to-reach populations across Western Pa., country
Disconnected doubters, wary skeptics, eager engagers and head nodders — these are all ways Census Bureau officials describe people living in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Released in late June, the 2020 Census Predictive Models and Audience Segmentation report is helping officials create a plan for the once-a-decade survey that determines the amount...
