Quincey Reese stories, Page 4
Penn-Trafford Hockey Club disbands junior varsity team, cites low participation
Three weeks into the season, Penn-Trafford’s junior varsity hockey team disbanded because of low participation. Following tryouts in April, about 10 players were placed on the junior varsity roster, according to parent Michael Broker of Penn Township. “Having that few of kids, it’s really not ideal, because there’s injury, people...
PT’s Pizza Palace marks more than 3 decades in Level Green
Jon Ledwich spent his high school years working at PT’s Pizza Palace along Murrysville Road in Penn Township — walking the quarter mile from his childhood home on Shady Drive to deliver pizzas and hand out fliers. The restaurant, one of a handful of small businesses in its Level Green...
Southmoreland School Board censures director, adjusts livestream policy amid controversial comments
Southmoreland School Board voted this week to censure a member and stop livestreaming its meetings. The board removed comments made by School Director Catherine Fike from its Sept. 16 meeting recording. Fike, a retired school psychologist and veteran member of the school board, “disclosed confidential student information about a district...
Olympian Jenny Simpson to host group run in North Shore this week
Pittsburgh area runners can cancel their training plans for Thursday. Olympic medalist and retired professional runner Jenny Simpson will host a group run and meet-and-greet that day in Pittsburgh’s North Shore neighborhood. It’s part of a yearlong challenge Simpson and her husband, Jason, set for themselves — to run in...
50-year-old woman struck, killed by PRT bus
A 50-year-old woman was struck and killed Monday afternoon by a Pittsburgh Regional Transit Bus in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood, The crash occurred around 12:15 p.m. near the intersection of Rhine and Buente streets, according to Pittsburgh Regional Transit spokesperson Adam Brandolph. The woman’s name was not provided Monday night....
Makeshift spike strips found on Route 981 in South Huntingdon
State police removed makeshift spikes strips to deflate tires found Sunday on roads in South Huntingdon. Made of pieces of wood with nails sticking out of them, the strips were found around 7:30 p.m. along Route 981 and Mendon Road, according to state police. They were painted black to blend...
Hempfield to pilot Lego-based therapy program at 2 elementaries
Two Hempfield Area elementary schools will pilot a Lego-based therapy program this school year. Carnegie Mellon University partnered with a Western Pennsylvania nonprofit called Matt’s Maker Space to bring the Brick Club program to the region’s schools. The concept comes from Play Included, a company based in Cambridge, England, that...
CNX pursues new permits for 2 Penn Township gas wells, Protect PT prepares for response
Environmental nonprofit Protect PT may have to start over in its decade-long effort to shut down a Marcellus shale gas well development along First Street in Penn Township. The state Environmental Hearing Board ruled in June against Protect PT, which two years ago appealed permit renewals for unconventional natural gas...
Penn-Trafford launches youth cross country, track and field program
Basketball, soccer, flag football, wrestling — Greg Shogan’s 6-year-old son, Connor, has tried out almost every youth sport available to him. Wrestling has become a favorite. But when it came to the other sports, the part Connor enjoyed the most was not the game itself, Greg Shogan said. “When he...
Hundreds of Pennsylvania educators call for cyber charter funding reform in state budget
Hundreds of Pennsylvania school district administrators are calling for cyber charter funding reform to be included in the state’s 2025-26 budget. A letter featuring signatures from administrators at 215 schools was sent to state legislators Thursday — calling for a cyber charter funding formula that reflects the true cost of...
Greensburg art exhibit features 101-year-old Penn Township artist
Nina Whitfield Stahlberg meandered among chairs, desks and bookcases at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library last week, directing her son, Kevin, on where to hang 35 paintings featured in her latest art exhibit. Those stopping in to check out books would hardly suspect that the Penn Township resident will celebrate...
Greensburg Salem creates girls wrestling club
The girls competing on Greensburg Salem’s boys wrestling team will be able to compete on a roster of their own this year following a vote by the school board Wednesday. The school board voted unanimously to create a girls wrestling club, with the hope that the program will grow into...
High school seniors’ math, reading scores declining, national report says
High school seniors’ math and reading comprehension are on the decline, according to a national report. The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress to a sample of students from 1,500 schools throughout the country from January to...
Westmoreland County tax auction estimated to fall just shy of record sales
Murrysville resident Nathan Boyd came to Westmoreland County’s annual auction of tax-delinquent properties Monday with the hope of snagging fixer-upper homes for him and his brother to renovate. Boyd, 26, is about a year into his career as a commercial real estate attorney. He made his debut in property ownership...
Westmoreland developments: The Venue, former Weyand Signs building search for new owners
After closing his 6½-year-old restaurant in late June, Michael Villi will reopen The Venue in downtown Greensburg this month while searching for a new owner to operate the business. Looking to retire from the restaurant business, Villi closed The Venue to search for a new owner. But after having his...
Central Westmoreland CTC eyes campus, program expansion as enrollment increases
Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center is outgrowing the buildings on its 44-acre campus in New Stanton — noting a more than 500-student increase in enrollment in the past five years. One of more than 80 career and technical education centers statewide, Central Westmoreland will educate 1,518 students this year...
School board to vote on renewing tax incentive program for Greensburg developers
Greensburg Salem school board will vote next week on renewing a tax incentive program intended to encourage commercial developments in Greensburg. The LERTA — Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance — program is a 10-year property tax abatement available to those building new developments or expanding the footprint of existing ones,...
Greensburg chefs get saucy: Semiannual Restaurant Week lets culinary creativity run wild
Blackened white tuna tacos, crab and lobster ravioli, funnel cake fries and fall-inspired margaritas are just some of the specialty items that will be available for restaurant-goers to test out during Greensburg Restaurant Week this month, Sept. 8-14. Hosted every fall and winter by the Greensburg Community Development Corporation, Greensburg...
Penn Township moves forward amended rezoning proposal
Commissioners moved forward a rezoning plan Penn Township has eyed in recent years to diversify the municipality’s tax base. The areas for the proposed changes were identified in a 2023 economic development study. The first phase of the rezoning, which the township has worked through in recent months, is in...
Hempfield Area student recognized for saving boy at drive-in theater
Hempfield Area junior Jacob Shepler didn’t have much time to react when he saw a vehicle poised to run over his sister’s friend at the Evergreen Drive-In. The 17-year-old went with his gut reaction. “I just jumped in front of it,” the Hempfield resident said, “and I started waving my...
Greensburg, Hempfield area welcome mental health nonprofit, Fla. restaurant franchise, coffee shop
Former mental health counselor Stephen Kuniak is no stranger to parents who are concerned that their child plays too many hours of video games. Much to the surprise of most parents, Kuniak, a professor and Greensburg resident, believes video games can actually foster positive mental health among children — if...
Hempfield resident’s donation to WCCC will support students in skilled trades, allied health
After a 43-year career in highway construction, Hempfield resident Bob Miner Jr. wants to give back to the skilled trades industry and his lifelong home, Westmoreland County. Miner, 70, started the Robert Miner Family Foundation in 2023 alongside his wife and daughter after selling his company, Donegal Construction. The foundation...
South Side woman to host Penn Township fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
As an engineering manager for QAI Aerospace, Ashley Sieber isn’t short on stories from flight paramedics whose aircraft receive services from the White Oak-based aviation company. Cystic fibrosis — a genetic disease that impacts the lungs, pancreas and other organs — is sometimes a part of those stories. That’s why...
WCCC sees enrollment increase after years of decline
After 14 years of declining enrollment, Westmoreland County Community College may be starting to reverse the trend. As of the first day of classes, enrollment is up nearly 1.9%, or 42 students, compared to the first day of the 2024-25 academic year. And that doesn’t account for students taking late-start...
Penn Township takes over local recreation as commission dissolves
After nearly a quarter-century in operation, the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission will close its doors. The nonprofit’s five governing bodies — Penn Township, Penn Borough, Penn-Trafford School District, Manor and Trafford — voted in recent weeks to dissolve the organization, with Penn Township commissioners casting the final approval last week....
