Quincey Reese stories, Page 29
Westmoreland, Allegheny emergency units practice hazard response with Norfolk Southern’s ‘safety train’
More than 100 Westmoreland and Allegheny County first responders spread across the Norfolk Southern train yard in North Versailles for a safety training Wednesday night. Members of the counties’ emergency response and hazmat units, wearing neon vests and jackets, surrounded Norfolk Southern’s “safety train,” a nine-part train used to simulate...
Knights of Columbus groups serve local communities despite controversial namesake
The legacy of 15th-century Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus has sparked controversy in recent years, but there remain about 100 Knights of Columbus councils in Western Pennsylvania. “When you join the Knights of Columbus, you swear to do charitable works,” said Albert Borgony, grand knight for a Westmoreland council....
Hobgoblin Hikes returns to Westmoreland for 46th year
Cedar Creek and Twin Lakes parks will play host to witches, zombies, monsters and more Halloween scares in late October for Westmoreland County’s annual Hobgoblin Hikes. The free hikes, hosted by the county Parks and Recreation Department, have been held since 1977. The first hike will take place Oct. 21...
Penn-Trafford approves purchase of new administration building, security cameras
Penn-Trafford school administrators will get new offices in Bushy Run Corporate Park after the board agreed this week to spend $1.7 million on a new building there. The current administration building is located on Harrison City-Export Road less than a mile away from the high school. The building — which...
Greensburg Central Catholic principal and director of admissions resigned last month, search is ongoing
Three high-level administrators have left Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School since June. Principal Kevin Frye resigned without warning effective immediately Sept. 6, two weeks into the academic year. Director of Admissions Elyse Bogner resigned in the same fashion Sept. 8. The assistant principal, Nicole Marchese, left in June —...
State police locates Punxsutawney man wanted after Indiana County shooting
State police have apprehended a Punxsutawney man wanted in connection with a shooting last week in Indiana County. Storm Michael Armagost, 27, is charged with possession of a firearm without a license, reckless endangerment of another person, assault and harassment. Troopers responded to the shooting at an apartment on South...
2 midwives, 3 doulas and no pulse: Fast-acting Mutual Aid crew help save Hempfield baby
Samantha Kindelberger was confident that the two midwives and three doulas she selected for her home birth would bring her new son into the world successfully. She and her husband, Roy, would become parents to a second child to join their 2-year-old daughter, Ivah. She did not expect to be...
Penn Township, Greensburg natives will receive awards from Pitt-Greensburg
Scott Szypulski and Myron Jones II will receive awards from the Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association on Saturday. Their reaction? “It’s full-circle.” Szypulski, of Oakland, grew up in Penn Township and graduated from Pitt-Greensburg in 2014. Jones, of Washington, Pa., spent his high school years in Greensburg and attended Westminster College for...
Greensburg Civic Theatre opens 72nd season with ‘The Last Five Years’
A two-person performance will light up the stage and kick off the 72nd season at the Greensburg Civic Theatre this weekend. The show, “The Last Five Years,” will be performed at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This will be an early season opener for...
Hempfield approves comprehensive plan, will tear down old prison outbuildings
Hempfield supervisors approved a comprehensive plan this week which will guide the township’s actions for the next 10 to 15 years. The township supervisors began drafting the plan about a year and a half ago to fulfill a requirement under the state Municipalities Planning Code. The supervisors were slated to...
Westmoreland Food Bank offers open house tours Thursday
The Westmoreland Food Bank will host an open house at its Salem warehouse on Thursday. Attendees will be able to take a self-guided tour of the facility — located on Devonshire Drive — from 4 to 8 p.m. Food and music will be provided. The food bank first hosted an...
Live Casino seeks to connect with community through 3-day block party
Live Casino will host a three-day carnival at the end of the month as part of its Live in the Community campaign. The Live in the Community Block Party will take place from Friday through Sunday in the casino parking lot at Westmoreland Mall, 5256 Route 30 in Hempfield. It...
Bushy Run to host car cruise, Paranormal Night on same day
Bushy Run will be lined with classic cars during the day on Saturday, but as the sun begins to set, the park will play host to ghosts and spirits during Paranormal Night. The car cruise is the second- largest fundraising event for Bushy Run, said museum manager Matt Adams. It was...
‘He’s just one of those kids’: Pitt student balances heart research, academics, hockey
Ben Leslie works in a Pitt heart research lab while maintaining a full academic load. In his time off? He serves as a captain for the university’s varsity hockey team. Leslie, a 2019 Penn-Trafford graduate, used to doubt there was enough time in the day to pursue all of his...
Turnpike off-ramp in Cranberry to close next week
The ramp coming off the turnpike at the Cranberry interchange will be closed next week due to road paving repairs. The westbound off-ramp, which leads onto I-79, will be closed from 6 a.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Friday, according to turnpike spokesperson Rosanne Placey. Traffic will be directed onto Route...
Bushy Run hosts nature walk, final market Saturday
Bushy Run’s final market day of the season will coincide with its fall nature walk Saturday The Bushy Run Market, open from 8 a.m. to noon, is held outdoors near the museum on the fourth Saturday of each month from April to September. The market typically features eight to 15...
Greensburg Garden Center to host fall house tour, garden party
Those seeking inspiration for fall decorations and garden displays need look no further than the Greensburg Garden Center’s fall house tour and garden party. The event, scheduled for Saturday, includes a tour of a mid-century modern home and just under two acres of gardens. In addition to highlighting fall decor...
Penn-Trafford Homecoming game, parade slated for Friday
The streets of Harrison City will be lined with floats Friday for Penn-Trafford’s Homecoming parade and football game. The parade kicks off at Penn Township Municipal Park at 6 p.m. The procession will feature the high school marching band, cologuard, cheerleaders and floats designed by several of the school’s clubs...
Local nonprofit Feeding the Spirit hosts annual fundraiser, notes increase in community need
Feeding the Spirit was founded in 2011 to provide food to those in need of a hot meal. Today, it serves about 250 meals every Thursday night at Greensburg’s Otterbein United Methodist Church and offers a wide range of crisis intervention support — all with grant funding and donations from...
Blood donations fall short by two-thirds in region, nonprofit says
Blood collection organizations say donations are down at least 25% — a trend they’ve been unable to break since the pandemic. The American Red Cross announced a national blood shortage last week upon receiving 30,000 fewer donations than expected in August. That’s a 25% decrease from the 12,500 donations it...
‘I have to be that 2%’: Jeannette woman receives ‘overwhelming’ support from community, high school football player
Lisa Friscarella cannot remember the last time she cooked a meal. After receiving a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis with a 2% chance of survival in late July, Friscarella has received “overwhelming” support from her neighbors, friends and family. Her sister created a “meal train” to make sure Friscarella, 41, of...
Blackthorne golf course, clubhouse will not close, township states
The owners of the golf course and clubhouse in Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates housing community could be forced to sell their properties. The township commissioners voted at a meeting Wednesday to release a “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law” document regarding the Blackthorne Estates golf course community. The document...
Live Casino Pittsburgh to host job fair
Live Casino Pittsburgh is looking to hire 35 to 40 employees during a job fair. The job fair will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Hempfield casino’s event space, the Venue Live. The casino currently employs more than 500 people, said Sean Sullivan, executive vice president...
Westmoreland Food Bank unveils new wheels, hopes to expand Mobile Market
The Westmoreland Food Bank averages 13 trips a month with its Mobile Market, a program started last October to deliver free fresh produce to community members in need. With the help of a $100,000 state grant and additional federal funding, the food bank hopes to double the number of trips...
‘I’m trying to link those little stories’: Trafford Historical Society gathers stories, unlocks community memories through map project
In the last days of her life, Nancy Woodall was flooded with memories of her childhood — all because of a yearbook and the Trafford Historical Society’s quest to identify the 250 oldest buildings in the borough. Woodall’s daughter, Lia, began searching years ago for a copy of her mother’s...
