Megan Tomasic stories, Page 68
Hempfield area roads to be repaved in $1.8 million project
Several Hempfield area roads will soon have a new face thanks to a $1.8 million project, said township Manager Jason Winters. Expected to start mid-summer, the project will address roads around the Berger Plan, Lexington Acres and near Luxor, Midway and Tanglewood and the Union Cemetery. Crews will replace stormwater...
Almost 40 businesses raising money for woman injured in Hempfield crash
Local businesses have joined a growing effort to raise money for Cait Tracy, who was injured in a car crash Sunday night that killed two other passengers. What started as a fundraiser at the Hempfield location of Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has spread to almost 40 restaurants and...
Workers at Hempfield Rita’s donating tips to woman injured in deadly weekend crash
Employees at the Hempfield location of Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard are raising money for a woman who survived a Sunday car crash that claimed the lives of two people. According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Cait Tracy is fighting for her life after the crash...
Scottdale man remembered for time in fire service
John Leroy Chain knew he was carrying on a tradition when he joined the Scottdale Volunteer Fire Department. But what he didn’t know, was that it was a tradition that would carry on to his son and grandson. “His grandfather and people before him were firefighters, so it’s been generations,”...
Hempfield graduate receives engineering award at University of Akron
A former Hempfield student was one of 10 students to receive an award from the University of Akron, where she expects to graduate this year with a degree in electrical engineering. Kelly O’Neill, a Hempfield Area High School graduate, received the Trajectory Award, which gives students $10,000 to help with...
Employees of Greensburg’s Rialto restaurant mourned after fatal crash in Hempfield
Community members are mourning the loss of two employees of Rialto, a popular Greensburg bar and restaurant, after a fatal crash in Hempfield on Sunday night. Kirstin R. Kerrigan, 22, of Arona and Marc F. Delissio, 33, of Penn Township died after their car went off the road, struck multiple...
Greensburg bloodhound team celebrates 50 yearsVideo
The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department bloodhound team has been on the scent for 50 years. The late chief Ed Hutchinson founded the team in 1969, and it’s been part of search-and-rescue operations ever since. “I think the biggest thing here is saving lives,” said team commander Lou Battistella. Battistella has...
Hempfield students get taste of gardening with new project
Hempfield Area students are learning the benefits and responsibilities of tending to a garden, thanks to a new project at West Hempfield Middle School. Two raised vegetable beds growing radishes, beets and spinach are cared for by students in the school’s garden club, science teacher Tim Hines said. By planting...
Norwin grad becomes boutique owner, Miss Pennsylvania contestant
Victoria Piekut received a phone call from her father, Jeffrey, in August 2016 with unexpected news — she was a business owner. The 22-year-old Norwin High School graduate had toyed with the idea, knowing both her parents had retail backgrounds, but never thought it would come to fruition. Working a...
On the rise: Solar farms begin cropping up in Western Pennsylvania
Down a gravel road close to what constitutes downtown Slovan in rural Washington County, roughly 3,500 solar panels stand in a field of green grass, their blue-hued faces tilted toward the sun. The development, one of the largest solar farms in Western Pennsylvania, spans 4.5 acres and can power about...
Pa. senior centers get grants to improve buildings, programs
Several Westmoreland and Allegheny County senior centers are receiving grant money that will help modernize buildings and expand programs. As part of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, almost $2 million in grants was given to almost 50 senior centers across the state. In Westmoreland County, the New Kensington Center for...
Hempfield students to participate in Remake Learning Days
Some Hempfield students are taking a step back from the curriculum for a day as they prepare to present projects they have been working on as part of the Remake Learning Days Across America. The day, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, allows students to pick...
Hempfield’s former Toys R Us to sparkle again – as a fireworks store
A changing retail market and change to Pennsylvania law helped pave the way for a Hempfield building that until recently was filled with plush dolls, binkies and countless nursery must-haves to seeing its shelves stocked with bottle rockets, Roman candles and other popular pyrotechnics. The former Toys R Us on...
Firefighters responded to Unity Township silo fire Thursday
Officials responded to a working structure fire at Gutchess Hardwood in Unity Township Thursday night, according to a Westmoreland 911 operator. Firefighters responded to the Devereux Drive company shortly after 8:30 p.m. for a sawdust silo on fire. No injuries were reported. Further information was not immediately available....
Greensburg woman remembered for passion of cooking
The smell of Sylvia Fontanella’s beef risotto recipe often wafted through her Greensburg home, a signature meal of hers. Cooking and baking for her family was a favorite past time of hers, her great-niece Lisa Fox said, along with trying to spend as much time with the children in the...
Officials: Oil leak spreads to Youghiogheny in South Huntingdon
About 20 gallons of oil spilled into a tributary of the Youghiogheny River in South Huntingdon Township Monday evening, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A heating-oil tank officials thought to be empty was in the basement of a home being demolished along Fitz Henry Road, said Mike...
Western Pa. nursing home staff to be recognized at awards ceremony
Several nursing facility staff members will be honored at the annual Bravo! Awards hosted by Grane Healthcare. Staff from the Greensburg Care Center, the LaurelWood Care Center, the Highland Park Care Center, the Cambria Care Center and the Harmon House Care Center will be recognized May 16 at an awards...
Hempfield Project 18 students to host local election forum Thursday
Project 18 students at Hempfield Area High School are gearing up for a political forum that will host candidates for the upcoming township supervisor and school board elections — a forum students have been preparing for all school year. The class, which teaches high school seniors about state and local...
Donated clothes to help victims of domestic violence, rape
More than 20 boxes filled with newly purchased clothes sat in the basement of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greensburg, a handmade cross carefully placed underneath the clear plastic lid. Five Excela Health emergency room nurses sat to the side, waiting to take the clothes to the system’s three...
5 members appointed to Hempfield’s Public Safety Citizens force
Five Hempfield Township residents were appointed to the newly formed Public Safety Citizens Task Force as supervisors work to make changes to public safety. Greg Saunders, Bovard fire chief; Bill Bretz, a Hempfield Planning Commission member; Linda Ralph, who has experience with municipal contracts; Daniel Mertz, a paramedic; and Roger...
Police: Almost 30 animals rescued from Hempfield home
State police found almost 30 animals living in poor conditions at a Hempfield Township home, officials said. Seven cats, three dogs, 17 fish and a bearded dragon lizard were taken by Westmoreland County Humane Society officers after police said they observed the uncared for animals and piles of fecal matter...
Pittsburgh Jewish Federation honoring California synagogue victims
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is hosting a gathering tonight to remember the victims of the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California. One person died and three were injured Saturday after a 19-year-old gunman identified as John T. Earnest entered the synagogue around 11:20 a.m and opened fire on...
Latrobe woman remembered for love of people
Joan McGuire loved to be around people, especially her son, David Sichula. “My mother and I had a very close relationship,” Sichula said. “She was my best friend, and I was her best friend.” The duo spent a lot of time together, with Sichula taking her to visit London and...
Thousands attend annual Blessing of the Bikes in Murrysville
Don Adams pulled his motorcycle up to Joey’s The Edge in Export on Sunday morning, his 13-year-old dog Charlie in the sidecar, bundled up in a vest. Adams, 76, was meeting up with his friends to have coffee and donuts before the annual Blessing of the Bikes at Murrysville Alliance...
Police investigating Homestead shooting
One person is in critical condition and police are searching for a suspect after a shooting in Homestead Saturday night, officials said. Allegheny County Police responded to the area of East 14th Street and East 15th Street around 8 p.m. after receiving multiple calls reporting gunshots. Officers were unable to...
