Renatta Signorini stories, Page 147
Wild for flowers: Spring blooming season finally arrives in Pittsburgh region
Wildflower season is arriving in Southwestern Pennsylvania. With warmer temperatures comes nature’s wonders springing from the earth in a variety of colors and shapes. Some wildflowers have already started blooming in lower elevations, and this week would be a good time to check out the early types, said Rachael Mahony,...
Southmoreland contracts with agency for classroom aides working with special needs students
A decision to outsource classroom aides who work with students with special needs has stirred emotions in the Southmoreland School District. The school board last month voted 6-3 to hire an outside agency — Education Solutions Services — in a move that will save the district approximately $489,000 over two...
Police: 2 boys found Salem woman not breathing during apparent overdose
A Salem Township woman is accused of child endangerment after police said two boys found her not breathing after she apparently overdosed on drugs. Alicia Marie Gregg, 33, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6 incident. Troopers and paramedics were called to her Story Road home at 2...
Washington man killed in Scenery Hill crash
A Washington man died in a one-vehicle crash Tuesday, according to the Washington County coroner. Erik C. Provance, 54, was pronounced dead at the Washington Hospital emergency room at 2:47 p.m., the coroner said. He was driving westbound on Route 40 in Scenery Hill around 1:30 p.m. when his vehicle...
Fire at vacant Jeannette home under investigation
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a Tuesday afternoon fire at a vacant home in Jeannette. Firefighters were called to North Third Street just before 1 p.m. and found heavy fire in the back of the second floor that had moved into the attic, according to...
Man who fired at North Braddock officers sentenced to state prison
A Wilkinsburg man, who pleaded guilty to firing shots at two North Braddock police officers last year, was sentenced Monday to three to eight years in a state prison, according to court records Dejon Howard, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and a weapons violation,...
Police: $40K worth of equipment stolen from East Huntingdon job site
About $40,000 worth of tools and copper wiring was reported missing from an East Huntingdon job site, according to state police. Items belonging to two men were taken from Crossroads Plaza sometime between March 22 at 4 p.m. and March 25 at 7 a.m., troopers reported. Missing items include a...
Police seeking 4th suspect accused in Jeannette home invasion
Jeannette police are looking for a fourth suspect in connection with a home invasion Friday that left a man injured. Authorities have an arrest warrant for Isaiah Morton, 16, of Jeannette, who is charged as an adult with conspiracy, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and related offenses. Police arrested three suspects...
Police urging Penn Borough residents to lock doors after burglary
No one was hurt during a home invasion in Penn Borough Saturday, but police said the home was ransacked. Someone broke into a Victor Street home through the windows at about 8 p.m. after cutting wires to the home’s security cameras, according to Sgt. Eric Colamarino. Electronics, including an Xbox,...
Elected to serve: ‘Peacekeepers’ look for more work and to save the state constable system
There’s never a dull day for Adam Kujawa. Whether it’s talking to people in Pittsburgh neighborhoods or navigating the back roads of Fayette and Westmoreland counties, the Mt. Pleasant constable loves it all. “It’s basically a day-to-day adventure,” he said. He dons his vest with an embroidered patch identifying him...
Humane agents: 2 dogs left in 27-degree temperature in Derry Township
Two Avonmore people are accused of animal cruelty in connection with two dogs found in a “deplorable” recreational vehicle parked in Derry Township during below-freezing temperatures, according to court papers. David Gailbreath, 39, and Lori Gailbreath, no age available, are both charged with animal cruelty and neglect. Humane agents from...
Country musician Luke Combs announces Pittsburgh tour date
Country musician Luke Combs announced Thursday that he will bring “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour” to Pittsburgh this fall. Combs will visit PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 23 with with Morgan Wallen and Jameson Rodgers. Presale tickets will be available Tuesday at 10 a.m. Ticket details are available at...
Father of accused New Kensington cop killer charged with threatening a witness
The estranged father of a man accused of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw in 2017 was arrested Thursday and accused of sending messages to a witness in his son’s case, authorities said. Gregory Baucum, 48, is accused by police of contacting the witness Jan. 8 through Facebook. “So...
Police: Philadelphia man hid 20K stamp bags of heroin in SUV on Pa. Turnpike
State police found 20,000 stamp bags of suspected heroin Wednesday hidden in a sport utility vehicle heading east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to court papers. Troopers pulled over Cristobal Rosa-Robles, 48, of Philadelphia, for a traffic violation at 1:30 p.m. near mile marker 78 in Mt. Pleasant Township. Police...
Westbound Pa. Turnpike reopens in Westmoreland after crash cleared
A portion of the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County reopened Thursday morning after a tractor-trailer crash was cleared, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The truck reportedly overturned at 8:43 a.m. near mile marker 86 in Mt. Pleasant Township, shutting down the westbound lanes between the Donegal and New...
Banana Split Princess to be selected during pageant prior to Latrobe festival
A pageant will now be part of becoming the Banana Split Princess, who will reign over Latrobe’s annual Banana Split Celebration. The pageant on June 2 at Latrobe Elementary School is open to any Derry, Latrobe or Ligonier student between ages 9 and 11, according to the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley...
Chase the Wolf 5K set for June 1 at WCCC
Registration is open for the Chase the Wolf 5K race at Westmoreland County Community College on June 1. Proceeds benefit the Council on Undergraduate Research, which has helped students with travel expenses to a national conference where they represent the community college. The race is a run or walk with...
Annual TakeOff Race honors fallen Trooper Iwaniec at Saint Vincent College
The 10th annual TakeOff Race in memory of Trooper Kenton Iwaniec will be held April 13. The charity race raises money for a nonprofit foundation Debby and Ken Iwaniec, of Cook Township, created after their 24-year-old son died after an impaired driver hit his vehicle in Chester County. There are...
Jeannette microbrewery seeking volunteers for cleanup day
A lot of junk inside an old building in Jeannette needs to be cleared out before craft beer can be served there. Sobel’s Obscure Brewery is hoping for some volunteer help this weekend. The craft beer community “likes being involved in the start-up in breweries,” said owner Jackie Sobel. But...
Westmoreland, Pa. watch ‘historic’ $270M settlement in Oklahoma opioid lawsuit
The potential impact of a $270 million settlement announced Tuesday between a drug manufacturer and the state of Oklahoma remains to be seen when it comes to dozens of similar lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania, including one by Westmoreland County officials in 2017. But experts said it could be a model...
Free Smiley Cookie for fans wearing Pirates gear for home opener
Regardless of the outcome of Monday’s Pirates home opener, fans can get a sweet treat at Eat’n Park restaurants. Any fan who wears Buccos gear to a restaurant that day will get a free Smiley Cookie, the restaurant chain said. The promotion lasts all day at any of Eat’n Park’s...
$8 million loan awarded to replace roof of East Huntingdon business park
The roof of an East Huntingdon business park will be replaced through an $8 million low-interest loan. The roof is leaking in several places of the 2-million-square-foot site that previously housed the Sony plant, according to state Rep. Justin Walsh. The building is being repurposed by RIDC Westmoreland to house...
Laundry Love to open Westmoreland location in Irwin
Cleaning clothes can be a lonely chore at a coin laundry service. It can also be an expense area families have a tough time fitting into their budget. A Harrison City woman wants to lighten the load while sharing some love along the way. “People that have clean clothes, they...
Sen. Kim Ward posts online survey regarding Sunday hunting, legalizing pot
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, wants to know what Westmoreland County residents think about Sunday hunting and the legalization of recreational marijuana. She is starting a new feature on her website that poses survey questions about issues being considered by legislators. “I’m going to start doing this on a regular...
Police: Woman attacked child, driver of vehicle on Route 30 in Hempfield
A Mt. Oliver woman was arrested Saturday after state police said she slapped a 6-year-old boy repeatedly in a moving vehicle and attacked the driver. Troopers found an open can of malt beverage Four Loko in the backseat where Christina Dawn Hall, 38, was sitting, according to court papers. Hall...
