Renatta Signorini stories
Fayette man electrocuted while attempting to cut wire
A man was electrocuted Friday in Fayette County while apparently attempting to cut wire from active electric lines, according to state Trooper Kalee Barnhart. Christopher Cottrell, 32, of New Salem, was pronounced dead on Laurel Hill Road in Dunbar. Barnhart said Cottrell was found with a pole saw and backpack...
Township OKs purchase of flood-prone Hempfield home near Slate Creek
Soon, Rob and Lori Upholster won’t have to worry anymore when there’s rain in the forecast. The Hempfield couple is getting out of their flood-prone Redgrave Drive home and buying a new house thanks to federal funding. Township supervisors this week approved buying 15 Redgrave Drive from the Upholsters for...
Police: Ligonier Township man pointed gun at another driver on Route 30
A Ligonier Township man is behind bars after police said he pointed a gun at another driver during a road rage incident on Route 30. Ligonier Valley Police charged Michael A. Payne, 62, this week with attempted aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and simple assault. The driver of a...
Police: Derry Township woman under influence of drugs in December crash
A Derry Township woman was under the influence of drugs at the time of a Dec. 28 crash state police said left another motorist seriously injured, according to court papers. Troopers said Breah P. Gonzalez, 27, didn’t have a valid driver’s license and had been convicted 10 times previously for...
Hempfield elementary school PTO treasurer’s attorney says accusation of stealing funds is ‘completely wrong’Video
The defense attorney representing a woman accused of stealing $46,000 from a Hempfield Area parent-teacher organization denied the allegations Tuesday. Attorney Tim Andrews said Darshanna Truss, 35, of Hempfield waived her right to a preliminary hearing on two felony theft counts and will examine the prosecution’s evidence against her. “She...
Jeannette school preliminary budget OK’d
The proposed 2026-27 budget for Jeannette City School District does not carry a property tax hike. “I am pleased to share we are not looking at a millage increase so there will be no impact on local taxpayers as far as an increase this year,” said Superintendent Matt Jones. School...
License plate tracking system OK’d for Jeannette police patrol cars
Jeannette police are getting a new tool in patrol units that can track the license plates of vehicles on the road around them. Council on Thursday unanimously approved a $2,100 annual contract that will enable the license plate reader capabilities on the existing dashboard cameras in the seven police cars....
Township considers new features at Ligonier Beach site to draw visitors
Ligonier Township supervisors want to see small improvements at the former Ligonier Beach site so the community can enjoy the space while officials decide its long-term future. Supervisor Wade Stoner last week proposed a list of amenities — electrical service, temporary bathrooms, trees, a post-and-rail fence and picnic tables —...
Public invited to participate in Greensburg redevelopment meetings
Three community feedback sessions are scheduled next week as the Greensburg Community Development Corp. continues its quest for a Main Street Matters designation. The sessions are scheduled for: • Monday, 3:30-5 p.m. at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St. A virtual option will be available. •...
Jeannette will install cameras in parks to help curb vandalismVideo
Twelve cameras are coming to five of Jeannette’s parks as city council on Thursday approved a $97,000 bid for their installation. The bid from DirecTec LLC will add a dozen cameras to provide police with a direct link to the goings on at the parks. Officials have said the cameras...
Hempfield welcomes new park with weekend Founders FestivalVideo
The first big event this weekend at Hempfield’s newest park is just the start of a slate of activities planned for the summer, said Marissa Haynes, township parks and recreation director. Founders Park already has been a busy place with visitors using the workout equipment, play areas, walking path and...
Greensburg man sentenced in connection with armed robbery
A Greensburg man was sentenced to state prison Thursday in connection with an armed robbery last year. William Owen Altman, 20, was ordered to spend two to four years behind bars followed by two years on probation, according to a sentencing order. He was arrested last year by Southwest Greensburg...
Greensburg park status in limbo as city, property owner settle on ‘acceptable solution’
Greensburg is still trying to iron out an agreement with Seton Hill Child Services regarding use of a public playground, Mayor Robb Bell said. “We had agreed to maintain the property and maintain the equipment if our kids could play on it,” he said, adding negotiations will continue. Bell this...
Residency requirement among changes proposed to Greensburg home rule charter
Four referendum questions could be on the ballot for Greensburg voters this fall. City council this week introduced a bill that would seek to amend Greensburg’s home rule charter which was written in 1988. Councilman Randy Finfrock proposed the amendments: • eliminating the residency requirement for the city administrator and...
Ligonier Valley Farmers Market to start in June on Loyalhanna Watershed Association property
The Ligonier Valley Farmers Market is set for an opening day June 13 after Ligonier Township supervisors on Tuesday approved a special event permit. The decision was met with cheers and applause from those in attendance at the supervisors’ meeting. Supervisor Stephanie Verna praised the group behind the proposal and...
25 workers laid off at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport after Spirit Airlines exit
Last week, 25 workers at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport were laid off amid fallout from Spirit Airlines’ abrupt closure, said Moe Haas, director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. Two other employees have seen their hours cut, he said, and the Transportation Security Administration has given the Unity airport a...
New farmers market proposed for former Ligonier Country Market siteVideo
A special event permit application with Ligonier Township indicates the site previously used by Ligonier Country Market could be filled on Saturdays this summer after all. The Loyalhanna Watershed Association is seeking a permit to use the 9-acre field it owns for a twice-monthly farmers market that would focus on...
Sheetz on Route 30 in Hempfield set to open
A new Sheetz gas station and convenience store is set to open at 8 a.m. Thursday along Route 30 in Hempfield. A grand opening event will start at 9 a.m. outside the store followed by a ribbon-cutting at 10:45. Customers can have free self-serve coffee and soda all day, according...
Hand-painted baseballs on display at Westmoreland Museum of American Art
A new exhibit at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art focuses on the intricate artwork of a native Pittsburgher who used America’s pastime as his canvas. Sixty hand-painted baseballs are on display at the Greensburg museum, honoring George Sosnak, a self-taught artist whose work turned an ordinary object into detailed...
Greensburg officials deny Ligonier Country Market’s proposed move to Lynch Field
Greensburg’s Lynch Field will not become the new home for the Ligonier Country Market. Mayor Robb Bell said Friday that city officials turned down the request after Ligonier Country Market had sought to relocate to Greensburg. “It was just too much in such a short period of time,” he said....
DCNR to spray thousands of acres in Forbes State Forest to combat fall cankerworms
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is set to begin treating 5,345 acres in Forbes State Forest for fall cankerworms. The six aerial treatment blocks are in parts of Somerset and Fayette counties. Those areas have seen pest damage in recent years, as well as drought, which DCNR...
Sight of upside-down flag triggered response from Army veteran at Westmoreland courthouse, attorney says
A man accused of robbing an activist outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse was undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his time in the Army, his attorney said Thursday. When Justin Corey Bowser, 47, saw the upside-down American flag the activist was holding March 17, it triggered...
Westmoreland man arrested in alleged check fraud scheme to purchase $400K in vehicles and equipment
A Westmoreland County man who was sentenced to probation in 2023 for posing as a wealthy homebuyer is behind bars after state police said he used a check fraud scheme in an effort to get $401,000 worth of vehicles and equipment from local dealerships. Timothy Paul Bierly, 30, was arrested...
Troop A state police memorial honors 11 who died in line of dutyVideo
Former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert compared the mental and physical toughness that Pennsylvania State Police troopers possess to that of the football players he knows so well. But that’s where the commonalities end, he said after a memorial Tuesday outside the Greensburg state police station. “In our game,...
Texas woman dies after Pa. Turnpike crash in New Stanton
A Texas woman died after a crash in New Stanton in April, according to state police. Troopers issued a news release Tuesday about the April 8 crash off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Investigators said Sai Krishna Sandu, 27, of Michigan was driving a Kia car east at 7:30 a.m. near the...
