Renatta Signorini stories, Page 115
71 Fayette Co. inmates test positive for coronavirus; courthouse reopening for business
More than half of the inmates at the Fayette County Prison tested positive for covid-19 as county officials prepare to reopen its courthouse Thursday after a two-week closure. The county has seen big jumps in the number of confirmed cases in recent days, and 32 county employees have tested positive...
Neighbors pleased with youth group’s efforts at fighting blight in Jeannette
For years, Paul and Paula Hassinger were met with blight the moment they took a step outside their West Jeannette front door. Now, the abandoned houses across 12th Street looks much better after a Murrysville church group ripped out some overgrown weeds and brush last month, but the Hassingers still...
Township makes truck payment on behalf of East Huntingdon’s cash-strapped fire department
East Huntingdon Fire Chief Brian Kite knew $61,000 was a lot of money to request from the township. But the department’s $61,000 annual fire truck payment was looming. With several months worth of canceled fundraisers and a firemen’s club ordered closed by the state, the money was going to otherwise...
2 waive preliminary hearings in Greater Latrobe hazing case
Two former Greater Latrobe Junior High School wrestling coaches waived their rights to preliminary hearings Monday on allegations related to hazing incidents. One of them could enter a probationary program. Court records show David Francis Galando, 44, of Youngstown, is scheduled for an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition hearing Oct. 28. The...
Newly installed surveillance cameras help Jeannette police make arrest after shots fired
A Jeannette man is being held without bail after city police said he fired a gun Saturday behind Columbia Court. Rashaad Ricardo Shepard, 41, is charged with weapons violations, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police were called just before 6 p.m. to investigate a report of...
Fire quickly extinguished at Greensburg house that was recently sold
A small fire was quickly extinguished Monday at a Greensburg house that recently was sold. City Fire Chief Tom Bell said there was a small fire in the corner of the kitchen near some power tools that were not plugged in. “First crew got in and knocked it down really...
Report: State hotline fielding more calls about student suicide, self-harm concerns
Reports of suicidal or self-harming thoughts by Pennsylvania students reported to the state’s Safe2Say Something tip line increased after schools shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Between July 2019 and March 13, 17% of all tips received by...
Jeannette woman arrested in child abuse, stalking cases
A Jeannette woman is accused by city police of pushing a 4-year-old girl down a flight of stairs in a basket and sending nude photos of a former boyfriend to his family and friends, according to court papers. Brittany Renee Zimmerman, 26, was arrested Friday in two cases. She is...
Police: Washington man who ran through I-70 traffic was on methamphetamine
A Washington man was cited Friday after state police said he jumped over the center concrete barrier on Interstate 70 multiple times in Washington County, just over the Westmoreland border. Troopers identified the man as Jordan Simon, 31, and said he was under the influence of methamphetamine after having an...
Ultraviolet light air cleaner added at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
A safety measure added at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport this week will rid the air of any harmful bacteria or viruses to keep employees and travelers healthy, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. An ultraviolet light system was installed in the Unity airport’s HVAC unit...
Virginia man accused of transporting 100 pounds of marijuana on Pa. Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township
Drug charges were held for court Tuesday against a Virginia man state police accuse of transporting 100 pounds of marijuana on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County earlier this year. Navdeep Singh Chahal, 30, of Lorton, Va., will face formal arraignment in October, according to online court records. A state...
Police: Man who tried to run from North Huntingdon traffic stop had marijuana, warrants
A South Greensburg man was arrested Tuesday after, police say, he tried to run from a North Huntingdon traffic stop. Investigators said they found Tristin Michael Allen Huffine, 20, in possession of suspected marijuana and cannabis oil while he was in the back seat of a car pulled over at...
New slides at Mammoth Park temporarily shut down amid claims of injuriesVideo
Jamie Crise was happy to hear Tuesday that Westmoreland County officials temporarily shut down new slides at Mammoth Park after her 10-year-old daughter was hurt there last month. The girl ended up with a brush burn on her shoulder and bruises, leaving the Mt. Pleasant Township mother with concerns about...
West Newton woman charged with assault on police after apparent weeklong meth use
A West Newton woman waived her right to a preliminary hearing Monday on charges she used a racial slur and assaulted an officer after apparently using methamphetamine for seven days. Amanda Hornfeck is charged with aggravated assault, escape, resisting arrest and other offenses in connection with a July 18 incident...
Police: 2 arrested after Sewickley Township boy tests positive for cocaine
A Sewickley Township couple were jailed after a child tested positive for cocaine, according to court papers. Channing Fitzgerald Flanigan, 30, and Arrica Ann Howell, 32, of Hutchinson, are charged with aggravated assault, child endangerment and reckless endangerment. Troopers said they were called to the home in May after a...
Suspect in fatal Derry Township shooting to face trial as details emerge during closed hearing
Nathan Quidetto wasn’t gone long from a Unity home early July 20, said Triston M. Clawson. In the hours after Quidetto returned to Dorothy Patch, he was “hysterically crying” and Clawson learned he had a gun. “‘I know we have a hit list, but I think I killed an innocent...
Boil water advisory continues for residents in parts of Jeannette, Penn Township
Repairs to a water main break that affected service in parts of Jeannette and Penn Township have been completed, but residents should continue to boil their water before drinking as a precaution. The break was reported at 7:30 a.m. on Monday in a 6-inch concrete line on Green Street, Municipal...
Man to face homicide trial in shooting death of Derry Township woman in her home
The man charged with killing a Derry Township woman in her home on July 20 was ordered held for trial Friday in a hearing closed to the public. Even suspect Nathan Joseph Quidetto, 20, of Unity waited outside District Judge Mark Bilik’s tiny Derry Township courtroom during the hearing. Emily...
Special antlerless deer hunting permits available in 2 Westmoreland townships near where CWD found
Special hunting permits for an area of Westmoreland County are on sale in an effort to help the Pennsylvania Game Commission slow the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer. Hunters can use the Deer Management Assistance Program permit in Fairfield and St. Clair townships in the northeastern corner...
Pa. Game Commission adopts new plan in effort to curb chronic wasting disease
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are hoping a new plan to manage the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) will prevent it from infecting more deer in Westmoreland County and elsewhere in Southwestern Pennsylvania. About 300 square miles of the northeastern corner of the county is part of a management area...
South Main Street in Greensburg to close Thursday during Pence visit; Rally for Black Lives to be held, too
Drivers traveling through Greensburg on Thursday may have to find an alternate route. Part of South Main Street will be closed at some point Thursday morning to accommodate a Cops for Trump rally with Vice President Mike Pence, said Tom Bell, fire chief and public works director. But an exact...
State, Westmoreland see drop in OD deaths; Allegheny sees increase
Pennsylvania saw a slight decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2019 for what could be the second consecutive year the number has dropped. The state health department on Tuesday released preliminary data that shows 4,348 people died in Pennsylvania from a drug overdose last year, a 1.7% decrease from 2018...
2 arrested after crystal meth, THC oil found during North Huntingdon traffic stop
More than two ounces of crystal methamphetamine and THC oil were seized from two men during a traffic stop in North Huntingdon last week, according to court papers. Michael B. Keenan, 41, of Youngwood, and Victor A. Gullatta, 29, of Aurora, Ohio, are being held at the Westmoreland County Prison...
Cops: Sewickley Township man strips naked after domestic, standoff with officers
A Sewickley Township man is being held without bail after state police said he stripped naked on his porch Saturday after threatening and attacking family members, according to court papers. Joseph Patrick Gracan, 53, is facing numerous charges including strangulation, aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Police were called to Lowber...
Westmoreland Big Brothers Big Sisters group gets creative to raise cash during the coronavirus pandemic
Raising money isn’t easy in the era of a pandemic. But after canceling several fundraising events in the last few months, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region couldn’t forego its annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake bowlathon. It’s the biggest fundraiser of the year, said Director Stephanie Mihleder. “It’s...
