Renatta Signorini stories, Page 15
Lead 400 times beyond safe drinking level found in Laurel Ridge creek
A high amount of lead contamination has been found in a Laurel Ridge stream known for its pristine conditions. The finding in Blue Hole Creek, at the border of Fayette and Somerset counties, poses a danger to wildlife and humans, as it is a popular spot for fishing and to...
Humane society revives foster home program for cats and dogs
The Humane Society of Westmoreland County is looking for foster homes to help care for cats and dogs that would thrive outside of a shelter environment. Some of the animals in need of a foster home may have special medical or behavioral needs that require extra attention, said Carly Miller,...
Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies sue Pa. troopers, claim they were subject to frivolous investigations
Ten Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday claimed in a federal lawsuit a Pennsylvania State Police trooper used his position to initiate frivolous criminal investigations against them. The deputies, who are members of the agency’s fugitive apprehension unit, said the situation started in 2022 when they twice requested help from...
Safety first: 4 Postal Service carriers lauded for 30 years of safe driving
Four U. S. Postal Service carriers at the Monroeville Post Office entered elite company Wednesday. They each have served more than 30 years without getting into a preventable crash on their routes. It’s a rare feat, accomplished by only 2.5% of all letter carriers, said Ted Lee, representative for the...
Southwest Greensburg residents report armed robbery, e-bike theft
Two men were arraigned Monday in connection with an armed robbery in Southwest Greensburg and an incident during a related search for the suspect in Greensburg, according to police. Southwest Greensburg police were called around 10:20 p.m. Sunday to an Oakland Street apartment where two residents reported a man wearing...
Man jailed after stolen car burned in Trafford
A Delmont man was arrested Sunday on police accusations that he stole a car in Trafford and set it on fire near railroad tracks, according to court papers. Steven Ray Flenner, 35, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail on charges of reckless burning, risking catastrophe,...
Special Olympics honors schools for engaging students across activities, curriculum
The inclusive atmosphere at Hempfield Area High school has been beneficial for students in Amanda Montell’s autistic support classroom. They love to work with their peers and build their social skills, she said. “They are just so excited to be included,” Montell said. The collaboration, often in the form of...
Conservancy leads project to repair sinkhole near Route 30 in Unity
Motorists on Route 30 probably don’t notice the massive sinkhole about 24 feet from the highway when they speed through Unity heading east. A $720,000 project to stabilize and repair the sinkhole will ensure it stays that way. “We felt that we wanted to be a responsible landowner and make...
Duels in St. Clair Park? Fencing group practices centuries-old sport in Greensburg
It’s not just the agile and quick movements of fencing that draw Tom Huwalt to the centuries-old sport, but also the historical preservation aspect of the motions. “I’ve been obsessed with history and swords since I was a kid,” said the South Greensburg man. William Moore of Hunker also expressed...
Pittsburgh Marathon complete; Feyissa and Bareikis take first-place wins
Thousands of runners from around the region, country and world descended on Pittsburgh before dawn Sunday to pound the pavement in search of accomplishment. Mulegeta Birhanu Feyissa of Ethiopia was the first to cross the finish line in the Men’s Elite race with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 14...
Pittsburgh Marathon attracts 23k runners giving their personal best
Sydney Willig trained more than just her legs to run 13.1 miles around Pittsburgh on Sunday. The 21-year-old Norwin graduate, who has cystic fibrosis, also trained her lungs. To prepare for her first half marathon, Willig woke up at 4 a.m. Sunday to use a nebulizer and vibrating vest that...
Pittsburgh man sentenced for 2013 slaying of man who tried to stop a robbery
The man police say was responsible for killing a grocery store customer during a 2013 bank robbery in Washington County has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in a state prison, according to Trib news partner WTAE. Keith D. Wilk, 41, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and...
Ex-Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning sentenced to 15 months in federal prison
Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in federal prison in a drug distribution conspiracy case that derailed the military veteran’s career and left the community in shock. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon called Denning’s actions egregious. “You betrayed the duties of a police officer...
Hempfield OKs home purchase for $290K, with plans for demolition imminent
Hempfield supervisors this week signed off on the purchase of a home for $290,000 that will be demolished as part of a project to align the township’s new municipal complex with the Five Star Trail. The township will lease the Summit Drive property to its current owner for $1 until...
2 Murrysville homes damaged by fire
Two Murrysville residents escaped their homes Tuesday morning in a senior living community after a fire broke out at one and spread to the second. Laura Thomson raced to The Village of Clover Ridge after her mother texted her that there was a fire next door and she heard explosions,...
Derry Township man arrested after shotgun blast inside home, standoff with police
A Derry Township man is behind bars after state police said he fired a shotgun through a wall at his home Sunday night, missing a woman on the other side by a few feet. Police said the woman reported debris and drywall fell onto her, according to court papers. She...
Police: Feds raid upscale home in Hempfield, find steroid lab making millions of dollars of the drug
A steroid manufacturing and selling operation in Hempfield that state police said was raking in millions of dollars was disrupted Friday as troopers worked with federal law enforcement to raid a home in an upscale neighborhood. Authorities spent much of the day on Muirfield Drive, not far from Youngwood. “We...
Ex-Greensburg police chief hopes to avoid jail time in drug conspiracy case
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning is hoping to stay out of jail when he is sentenced in federal court next week in his drug distribution conspiracy case. Prosecutors are asking Denning be required to serve “a reasonable sentence of incarceration,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed Thursday. Denning’s attorney...
Troopers find 13 pounds of cocaine hidden in SUV after traffic stop on Pa. Turnpike
State police reported finding on Wednesday 13 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in an SUV while it was traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County. Troopers estimated the street value of the drugs at $150,000. A trooper who was monitoring westbound traffic in Mt. Pleasant Township around 1 p.m....
Demolition of former SCI Greensburg prison begins
Now that demolition at the former SCI Greensburg prison is getting underway, Hempfield officials are ready to look at the property’s future. Township supervisors could begin discussions this summer on how to reuse the 96-acre site off Route 119 between Greensburg and Youngwood. “We need to start that,” said Supervisor...
Police blame Hempfield Route 30 crash on wrong-way driver
A crash that injured two people Wednesday on Route 30 in Hempfield was the result of a wrong-way driver, said state police Trooper Steve Limani. Troopers are still investigating how the driver got onto the eastbound lanes of the divided highway going west, but think they may have entered at...
Eastbound Route 30 reopens near Cedar Street exit in Hempfield after 4-vehicle crash
Two people were taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville on Wednesday after a four-vehicle crash on Route 30 in Hempfield, according to Mutual Aid spokesperson Shawn Penzera. Their conditions were unclear. Traffic was affected for four hours. The eastbound side of the highway was shut down in the area...
Street paving contracts approved in Greensburg and Jeannette
Streets in two Westmoreland County communities are set to be improved after project approvals by their respective city councils last week. In Greensburg, three contracts were awarded. Donegal Construction Corp. will handle $46,000 worth of paving through a partnership with Peoples Gas, city administrator Kelsye Milliron said. Mele & Mele...
Greensburg Fire Department sells dual-driver ladder truck
The Greensburg Fire Department’s tractor-drawn ladder truck will be heading south. City council last week unanimously approved selling the 2012 truck to Charleston, S.C., for $750,000, said administrator Kelsye Milliron. The department has had that type of ladder truck for about 70 years, but with fewer volunteers, there isn’t enough...
Hempfield driver dies in head-on collision with tree
A Hempfield man died Saturday after the Ford pickup truck he was driving crashed, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Kenneth R. Altman, 68, was traveling on North Greengate Road in Hempfield around 4:15 p.m. when the pickup left the road and collided head-on with a tree. He was...
