Renatta Signorini stories, Page 112
Free carbon monoxide detectors available for Jeannette residentsVideo
Jeannette’s career firefighters are using weekly fundraisers to get carbon monoxide detectors into city homes. The Jeannette Firefighter’s Association Local 78 has purchased 50 detectors with $1,000 in donations and a new program connecting them with homes in need is underway. Such detectors are required in rental properties subsidized by...
New charges filed against Latrobe woman jailed on sex assault allegations
A Latrobe woman accused of sexually assaulting two teen boys was arraigned Monday on new charges that she repeatedly groped a fellow inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Shanda Rae Hitchcock, 34, is charged with five counts of indecent assault in the new case. County detectives...
Fort Allen Elementary School closes after 2 positive coronavirus cases
Fort Allen Elementary School is closed until Oct. 13 after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Hempfield Area School District Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The district learned Monday about the positive cases. State department of education guidelines say that if between two and four staff members in...
New assault charges filed against East Huntingdon woman accused of killing boyfriend
An East Huntingdon woman charged with killing her former boyfriend last month now is accused of attacking a different man at her home earlier in the day of the fatal shooting. Megan J. West, 24, was arraigned Monday on charges of theft, simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment, according to...
Volunteers sought for Yough River tire cleanup
It was clear to Tom Yoder last week that the work of 65 volunteers on canoes in 2019 to remove 300 tires from the Youghiogheny River had a positive impact. A recent trip on the river showed him the waterway was back to its natural state in some spots. “It...
Firefighters bring youth prevention message to the streets of GreensburgVideo
Greensburg children got a special visit from firefighters Sunday and a lesson in fire prevention brought right to their doorstep. Volunteers with the city’s fire department delivered plastic fire hats, coloring books and other items to help children learn how to stop fires before they even start. It’s a lesson...
Derry Township man accused of attempted homicide after trip wire found at top of basement steps
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of installing a trip wire at the top of his basement steps this weekend in hopes that a woman there would fall down the wooden staircase, according to court papers. William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 60, was jailed Sunday morning on charges...
1 resident, 1 staff coronavirus case added at Westmoreland Manor
One more resident and a staff member at Westmoreland Manor tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, according to county Commissioner Doug Chew. That brings the total number of affected residents to 83, about a quarter of the population. The Pennsylvania National Guard was brought in last month to take...
4 displaced, 1 firefighter hurt in back-to-back Pittsburgh blazes
A Pittsburgh firefighter was hurt Saturday and four people displaced as city firefighters spent the afternoon battling two residential fires in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Police. The first fire was reported just before 1:15 p.m. on Lincoln Avenue, according to spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Four people were treated at...
Level Green Elementary closes for 14 days after 2 more coronavirus cases
Two more staff members at Level Green Elementary School have tested positive for the coronavirus and the building will be closed for 14 days, according to Penn-Trafford School District Superintendent Matt Harris. In a message sent to parents Saturday, Harris said the new cases bring the total count at the...
Greensburg man accused of child endangerment, animal cruelty
A Greensburg man was charged Friday after city police said they found a boy alone in his apartment with deplorable conditions, and one of two dogs rescued from there defecated part of a toothbrush, according to court papers. John Harry Patak III, 29, is set for a preliminary hearing next...
Pittsburgh man arrested in alleged road rage shooting on Banksville Road
A Pittsburgh man accused of shooting at two people during an alleged road rage incident on Banksville Road was arrested Saturday morning after a two-hour standoff on Saw Mill Run Boulevard, according to police. Kevin McClintock, 52, of the city’s Allentown neighborhood, was to be arraigned on charges of attempted...
State police investigating large lumber theft in Mt. Pleasant Township
State police are investigating the theft last month of a large amount of lumber from a Mt. Pleasant Township location. More than $6,600 worth of lumber was reported missing, according to troopers. The theft may have occurred between Sept. 18 and 25, police said. Reported missing were 76 pieces of...
Level Green Elementary closes for 5 days after 3 staffers test positive for the coronavirus
Level Green Elementary School is closing for five days after three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in 14 days, according to Penn-Trafford School District Superintendent Matt Harris. The school will be closed from Thursday through Monday. District employees were notified Wednesday of the additional positive tests after one...
Jeannette teen charged as adult in convenience store robbery
A Jeannette teenager was charged as an adult Tuesday in connection with a convenience store robbery, according to court papers. Demetri Kaleb Sensenich, 17, told investigators that he robbed the Harrison Avenue Cogo’s Monday and then went to school in the city. Sensenich is charged with robbery, gun violations, aggravated...
Video hearings at Westmoreland County Prison to expand
Video conferencing capabilities will be added at the Westmoreland County Prison as hearings conducted by video from the jail are increasing in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Warden John Walton said two corrections officer positions have been added to handle those duties. “We continue to do a tremendous amount of...
Mt. Pleasant library reopens to the public with time, occupancy limits
The Mt. Pleasant Public Library reopened Monday with a building occupancy limit of 20 people, according to director Brian Dawson. The amount of time patrons can be inside the library is limited as a result — 30 minutes for browsing the shelves and one hour for computer use. A curbside...
Trooper hurt in Armstrong pursuit, 1 arrested
A state trooper was hurt and a Michigan man arrested Monday after a police chase in Armstrong County. State police said a trooper on patrol on Route 422 in Kittanning Township conducted a traffic stop on a Jeep Liberty after witnessing multiple traffic violations just after 6:15 p.m. The driver...
Westmoreland Manor employees to get hazard pay as coronavirus testing continues
Workers at Westmoreland Manor are getting extra pay while the coronavirus pandemic surges through the county-owned nursing home and state officials struggle with contact tracing. Commissioner Sean Kertes said union and nonunion employees at the Hempfield facility will get hazard pay as six Pennsylvania National Guard members continue to help...
Westmoreland jail warden resigns, cites ‘harassment’ by Commissioner Cerilli
Westmoreland County Prison Warden John Walton submitted his resignation and retirement Monday to the prison board as a result of what he described as a “public character assassination and campaign of harassment” by Commissioner Gina Cerilli. Walton, 61, of Mt. Pleasant Township will work until Nov. 6. The board approved...
Trial set for former cop accused of rape, sex assaults
A last-minute bid Monday to stop jury selection from beginning next week in a rape case involving a suspended Mt. Pleasant Borough police officer was rejected by a Westmoreland County judge. Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said the attorney for John Andrew Brown, 47, of Mt. Lebanon, is prepared for trial after...
Staffer at Level Green Elementary tests positive for coronavirus
A staff member at Level Green Elementary School has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a message sent to parents Sunday by Matt Harris, superintendent of Penn-Trafford School District. The school will be open as normal Monday. The district was notified Sunday about the positive test. The staff member...
2 companies, nearly 200 jobs join Westmoreland Technology Park II
Two companies are joining Westmoreland Technology Park II, one that is expanding its presence in the county and a second new manufacturing firm. The Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. board recently announced two sales agreements at the park that spans Hempfield and East Huntingdon: $439,600 for 11 acres with Red...
Foam being accepted for recycling at Westmoreland CleanwaysVideo
A long-awaited piece of material can finally be recycled at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling — foam. The Unity-based nonprofit organization is purchasing a foam densifier with a $46,500 grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition, director Ellen Keefe said. “People ask for it all the time,” she said. “There is a...
Water main break in middle of Greensburg intersection being repaired
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County crews were working Friday to repair a water main break in the middle of a Greensburg intersection. The outage was reported at 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of East Otterman Street and Arch Avenue, according to authority spokesman Matt Junker. A 6-inch cast iron line...
