Quincey Reese stories, Page 18
Greensburg approves plan to improve infrastructure for walking, cycling
Greensburg City Council last week approved a blueprint to help the city improve infrastructure and safety for walking and cycling. The city’s Active Transportation Plan, drafted by Gibson-Thomas Engineering, is supported by a $20,000 WalkWorks grant Greensburg received from the state Department of Health at the end of last year....
‘Fun, heartwarming’: Greensburg Salem to start bocce team for general, special education students
Bocce will be added to Greensburg Salem High School’s winter sports lineup this year. The school board voted unanimously this week to start a bocce team pairing students who have intellectual disabilities with ones who don’t. The team is part of the Special Olympics’ 13-year-old Unified Champion Schools program, which...
1st class of female students in 136 years set to make their mark on private Kiski School
Lilian Turpen doesn’t feel like she is part of a historic moment. But, as Turpen walked the 350-acre grounds of Kiski School in Saltsburg this month, she became one of the first girls to enroll as a student in the private boarding school’s 136-year history. Turpen, 14, of Clarksburg is...
Pittsburgh man charged with felony aggravated assault, his 4-month-old child in ‘grave condition’
A Pittsburgh man was arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated assault a day after his 4-month-old child was hospitalized in grave condition, according to court papers. Seth F. Williams, 28, of Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, was arrested Wednesday and charged with five felony counts of aggravated assault...
18-year-old dies after car collides with box truck in North Versailles
An 18-year-old man died after his car collided with a box truck in North Versailles early Wednesday evening, according to Allegheny County Police. Emergency officials were dispatched to the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Isaac Street just after 5:30 p.m. for a two-vehicle collision, police said. According to county detectives,...
Drug case will proceed against Murrysville vape shop owners
Owners of a Murrysville vape shop whom authorities said were selling illegal substances out of the business will have criminal charges proceed in Westmoreland County court, a district judge found Tuesday. Jeffrey R. Higgins, 41, of Murrysville and Eric J. Parco, 46, of Plum — owners of PA Vapor &...
As drug overdose rates rise, Saint Vincent organization talks prevention and awareness with Westmoreland families
Good kids can sometimes make stupid choices. That’s what Laurie Moorhead tells the families she meets while giving drug prevention presentations in schools across Westmoreland County. Moorhead has spent a decade working for Saint Vincent Prevention Projects. Since 1978, the organization — affiliated with Saint Vincent College in Unity —...
Western Pa. districts split on students’ cellphones as schools across the country add device policies
When backpack-clad students returned to Allegheny Valley School District classrooms, many had cellphones in hand. That did not last for long. The district that once allowed teachers to determine how to handle cellphones in class cracked down at a board meeting earlier this month, requiring students to put their devices...
Bushy Run set to reopen for the 1st time since June tornado
History buffs and dog walkers can return to the 213-acre grounds of Bushy Run Battlefield for the first time in more than two months this weekend. The state historical site closed after a tornado whipped through Penn Township on June 26, uprooting trees and downing power lines. The resulting damage...
Sustainability, unique finds: Vendors at Greensburg Vintage Market see variety of values, motivations for buying secondhand
If Harry Miller has learned anything from more than 40 years selling antiques, it’s that people will collect anything. “There’s probably somebody that collects ping pong balls in different sizes and colors and whatnot,” said Miller, 62, of Pulaski. Owner of Catman Collectibles, Miller joined more than 50 other vendors...
Police: 1 man dead, 2 injured in Clairton shooting
One man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting in Clairton early Sunday morning, according to Allegheny County police. Officers from local and county police departments found a group of people fighting in the road upon arrival at the 400 block of State Street just before 4...
Medical examiner identifies Pittsburgh man killed in East Hills shooting
A man died in a shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood early Sunday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. Police were notified of the shooting, which occurred in the 8000 block of Bennett Street, by three ShotSpotter alerts totaling 28 rounds, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man...
Several thousand flock to Uniontown for annual Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage, break ground for new monastery
For some, Labor Day weekend is a chance to squeeze the last out of the summer with grilling, picnics, family reunions and fireworks. But for MaryAnn Kostrubanic, Labor Day weekend means traveling 50 miles from her North Huntingdon home to Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown for a Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage....
Spirit Airlines to add flight out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport through the end of October
Spirit Airlines will run another flight per day out of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport starting next week. Two Spirit flights will travel from the Unity airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C., five days per week from Thursday, Sept. 5, until the end of October. This is the first time the...
Nonprofit gives adaptive strollers to 3 Westmoreland families
Tears filled Melanie Skibicki’s eyes as she sat in the Fred Rogers Room of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in Hempfield on Friday morning, waiting to receive an adaptive stroller for her son. Aiden Ward, 6, was born nonverbal and diagnosed with autism. For years, Skibicki has stayed home from her...
Westmoreland County Community College eyes search firm to fill vice president position vacant since 2022
Amid the search for a new president, Westmoreland County Community College soon could hire a search firm to help fill a vice president position that has been vacant for two years. The board of trustees voted Wednesday to pay $39,000 for Massachusetts-based search firm Spelman Johnson to identify a vice...
Westmoreland County recognizes paraeducator as she pursues teaching certificate in pilot program
After more than three decades working as a paraeducator in Westmoreland County, Terri Pajak’s favorite part of the job is watching her students grow. Approaching her fourth year working at Greensburg’s partial mental health hospitalization program, Pajak fills in any needs her middle and high school students may have —...
Workplace diversity conference rescheduled for September at Hempfield casino
A workplace diversity conference originally slated for May at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield has been rescheduled for next month. The “Make It Matter Regional Conference” — now scheduled for Sept. 19 and 20 at the casino’s Venue Live event space — will feature a variety of speakers and workshops...
‘I feel energized at 80 years old’: Hempfield condo community bonds over bocce
Before this summer, smack talk was not common among residents of Hempfield’s Alta Vita Drive. That changed when an eight-story condo community came together to build a boccie court. John Marsh often plays boccie when he and his wife travel to Florida to escape the cold Pennsylvania winters. He wanted...
Manor mayor resigns, encourages borough to make changes
Ed Malinoski resigned as mayor of Manor Borough this week, citing a lack of support for his agenda. Malinoski, a Republican, was appointed to the post during a tumultuous council meeting in June 2022. He then ran for the office in 2023, securing a two-year term with nearly 700 votes....
Greensburg diocese’s Catholic schools start year with building upgrades, new programs
With air conditioning units installed, security upgrades completed and a plan in place to deepen students’ faith education, Greensburg Central Catholic High School is ready to welcome students back to its halls Wednesday. For Superintendent Nancy Rottler, there is no time like the present to be a student at Greensburg...
‘It was breaking my heart’: Jeannette mayor orders city police to reinstate police dog Diesel
Jeannette Mayor Curtis Antoniak could not stand to see the city’s former police dog Diesel moved to another kennel. That’s why Antoniak ordered the city’s police department to bring the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois back to service less than a month after its police dog program was shut down. The city...
‘Promote art in our communities’: Greensburg, Latrobe art centers collaborate for 130-piece exhibit
Latrobe and Greensburg art centers are more than just geographical neighbors. They share the same goals and many of the same members, said Pat Majcher, treasurer of the Greensburg Art Center. “We’re both trying to promote art in our communities,” Majcher said, “and so the communities tend to be neighbors.”...
Penn-Trafford hires new assistant principal after shuffling of administrators
Luke Healey is excited to go back to high school. Healey, 39, of Murrysville will start as an assistant principal at Penn-Trafford High School in the fall. It means he’ll have less of a commute than the 60 miles he’s traveled daily to an administrative position at Washington County’s McGuffey...
Greensburg Salem hires energy savings company to tackle overhaul of district facilities
Decades since the last major remodeling of its facilities, Greensburg Salem this week voted to draft a contract with an energy savings company to help the district identify and prioritize a series of building projects. The school board unanimously approved a partnership with TEN, The Efficiency Network. The company will...
