Renatta Signorini stories, Page 108
Penn-Trafford elementary closed after 2 new virus cases
Sunrise Elementary School in the Penn-Trafford School District is closed after two more people in the building tested positive for the coronavirus. That brings the total active case count to three within 14 days, according Superintendent Matt Harris. The school was notified Friday morning of the new cases, Harris said...
Excela Health receives covid vaccine, set to start administering to workers on Friday
A record-breaking storm that left parts of the region under 9 inches of snow did not stop Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine from making it into Excela Health’s hands. Officials received it Thursday, as expected. They anticipate administering it to the first employees on Friday. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox said...
Former McKeesport man sentenced to 18 years for soliciting sexual images from boys
A former McKeesport man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years in a federal penitentiary for soliciting sexual photos of three boys online while he was on probation for a child pornography charge, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Scott Payne, 33, was ordered to serve 20 years of supervised...
East Huntingdon couple crafts Christmas village, spreads cheerVideo
An East Huntingdon couple put this spring’s stay-at-home orders to good use — greatly expanding their wooden Christmas yard display. Robert and Marilyn Greenawalt used the extra time to design, cut and paint a gingerbread house village that now sits in their yard and an adjacent property on Route 31...
Westmoreland covid hospitalizations up but Excela officials say they can handle it
The number of patients hospitalized in Westmoreland County because of the coronavirus jumped 27% in the last few days — from 131 patients on Saturday to 166 on Wednesday, according to state data. That’s a 55% increase from Nov. 30, when the county reported its first triple-digit patient count. Excela...
Pittsburgh restaurant raided after police reported illegal alcohol sales
After two undercover visits, state and Pittsburgh police on Friday raided a Strip District restaurant they said was serving alcohol without a liquor license. Troopers from the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement seized 116 gallons of malt or brewed alcohol and about 1,035 liters of liquor and wine from...
Gov. Wolf, health officials want Pennsylvanians to stay home for the holidays
Dr. Carol Fox is worried about the holidays. She watches the rising coronavirus caseload in Westmoreland County and keeps daily tabs on the numbers that are impacting Excela Health, where she is chief medical officer. As the toll from family visits over Thanksgiving becomes more clear, she said she is...
Working through a pandemic: Ambulance services getting flooded with covid calls
The onslaught came all at once. One day, the coronavirus patient load was just as low it had been all summer. Then in mid-October, as the leaves began to change, days at work abruptly shifted. “It was all of a sudden,” said Dave Whipkey, paramedic and logistics director at Mutual...
As virus cases, deaths mount, Westmoreland hospital officials plead for public’s help
The start of the coronavirus pandemic in March was nothing like the current surge. There was uncertainty back then as the virus quietly crept into the community, said Dr. Heather Walker, assistant director of the emergency department at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. But now, the alarms are sounding...
New Stanton man accused of beating dog
A New Stanton man is accused of beating a dog so badly in October that it remains in medical care, according to court papers. Chris Impink, 19, was charged this week with aggravated cruelty to animals and related offenses. Humane officers from All But Furgotten were given audio recordings on...
Community joins to craft holiday wishes for North Huntingdon care home residentsVideo
A spur-of-the-moment idea has turned into a heartwarming project for a North Huntingdon woman who wanted to show some holiday love to residents at a township nursing home. It has come together quickly for Debbie Polczynski who enlisted help in the last few days of friends, family, the Norwin girls...
Man arrested in connection with 3 dogs found dead in East Huntingdon home after eviction
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly left five dogs and two cats at an East Huntingdon home after he was evicted last month, according to court papers. A dog and two puppies were found dead and partially decomposed inside the Reservoir...
Pandemic restrictions enacted at Fayette County courthouse
The Fayette County courthouse is closed to the public to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according an announcement from county officials. The courts will remain open on an emergency basis and for some previously scheduled matters. Anyone with a hearing is asked to contact their attorney or the...
Excela to add more covid-19 beds at its hospitals as cases continue to rise
Officials at Excela Health plan to add beds for coronavirus patients, possibly as early as Tuesday, at one of its Westmoreland County facilities as hospitalizations continue to increase. Dr. Carol Fox, Excela’s chief medical officer, said Monday the move to convert a procedure room into one for inpatients will add...
Penn Township man arrested in apparent robbery attempt that failed
A Penn Township man was stabbed and arrested after an apparent robbery plot in Jeannette on Sunday failed, according to court papers. Kelby K. Saddler, 32, is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, theft, driving on a suspended license and related offenses. Jeannette police investigating a suspicious person report at...
Interstate 70 modernization project slated to start in 2028
Preliminary work for a modernization project on 8 miles of Interstate 70 in Washington County, just over the Westmoreland border, is underway. But it’ll be awhile before motorists see any construction zones. The work is anticipated to start in 2028, said project manager Sean Sepe. “This is a pretty big...
Ramada auction draws crowd as longtime Hempfield hotel is set for demolition
Jeff Pollick got to the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center just in time Saturday. The owner of Wooden Door Winery walked into the Hempfield hotel moments before the draft system he was hoping to get went up for auction. After a short bidding war, he won it...
3 escape after blaze spreads to 3 Hazelwood homes
Three Hazelwood residents escaped uninjured early Saturday after a neighboring home caught fire, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. Firefighters were called to Cust Street about 2:15 a.m., according to authorities. The flames spread to two adjacent homes, forcing the residents out. The house where the flames originated...
Derry church is target of repeated vandalismVideo
Two break-ins and vandalism this week at a Derry Borough church have left the Rev. Sam Lamendola and his parishioners questioning why the house of worship seems to be a target. “It’s been traumatic particularly to the parish staff who love and take care of the church day by day,”...
Mt. Pleasant Area children get free books through Imagination Library
Children who live in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District can get free books mailed to them monthly through a new partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Mt. Pleasant Public Library is working with the singer’s book gifting organization to provide books for children through age five who live...
Intoxicated man accused of leading police on 100 mph chase in Westmoreland, Fayette counties
An Allegheny County man is accused of leading state police on a 100 mph chase in Westmoreland and Fayette counties Sunday night before crashing, according to court papers. Troopers said Nicholas Haluschak, 40, of Dravosburg, was under the influence of drugs at the time and had $1,500 and a loaded...
1 arrested in robbery, 1 injured, at Derry Borough home
A Derry Borough man was hospitalized after police said he was hit in the head with a tire iron during a robbery at his home Friday. The man told borough police that five people broke into his Hays Street home around 7 p.m. but the only one he could identify...
Man held without bail after disturbance at South Greensburg dollar store
An Allegheny County man is being held without bail after police said he had 15 grams of crystal methamphetamine and threw items around a Dollar General store in South Greensburg last week. Jason W. Smith, 34, of Forward Township, is charged with drug offenses and disorderly conduct. South Greensburg police...
Westmoreland elections board certifies more Nov. 3 ballots — but not 344 in undated envelopes
Westmoreland County on Monday certified the remainder of votes from the Nov. 3 election that are not subject to legal challenges. That does not include 344 mail-in ballots that didn’t have a date written on them. Attorney Marco Attisano argued the board of elections should count those undated ballots in...
Unity man accused of nearly hitting ambulance and spitting on, kicking state troopers
A Unity man remained in jail Monday after state police accused him of being high over the weekend when he nearly hit an ambulance in Derry Township and spit on and kicked two troopers, according to court papers. Marshal Corb Wherry, 24, is charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, driving...
