Renatta Signorini stories, Page 90
Proposed 2022 Jeannette budget won’t increase taxes
No property tax increase is expected in 2022 for Jeannette residents, according to chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy. But city officials do have some work ahead to make spending cuts in an effort to balance the proposed 2022 budget. During a public session Tuesday, members of council and city government...
Mutual Aid expanding ambulance service in Derry Township
Mutual Aid is expanding its ambulance services in Derry Township. The Greensburg-based nonprofit ambulance provider will now serve the entire township after supervisors approved the move this week. Mutual Aid had been serving 60% of residents there. Director of operations Lorenzo Garino said the change will take effect in early...
New Florence man jailed without bail for pointing gun at 3 relatives
A New Florence man was jailed without bail Wednesday after state police said he pointed a gun at three family members, one of whom had just picked him up from police custody, according to court papers. Corey Kaufman, 49, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and...
Connellsville man pleads guilty to raping girl, 12, fathering child
A Connellsville man is facing at least 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in a few months for the 2013 rape of a then-12-year-old girl in Derry Borough. Prosecutors say the girl gave birth to the man’s child. Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, entered a general plea Monday to...
Pittsburgh man sentenced in drug charges, New Kensington woman’s OD death
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Tuesday to three to eight years in prison in connection with three drug cases, including a New Kensington woman’s overdose death. Tre-Ron Arnez Jackson, 28, pleaded guilty to five drug counts and a reckless endangerment charge, averting a trial set to begin this week in...
Greensburg trough recalls bygone era
Editor’s note: ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com or call 724-838-5146. For the motorists whizzing by this Greensburg intersection, it looks like a nice spot to take a break with...
Man jailed in Greensburg burglary, threats
A homeless man is being held without bail after Greensburg police said he tried to break into a woman’s home and repeatedly threatened to kill her. Michael Patrick O’Connell, 46, is charged with burglary, terroristic threats, simple assault and criminal mischief. The woman reported the situation involving O’Connell, who she...
Attorney for man accused in ‘Grandparent Scam’ wants bail set
The attorney for one of four men arrested last week in connection with a so-called “Grandparent Scam” wants bail set for his client. Attorney Samir Sarna said in court filings that Roderick E. Feurtado, 54, of Las Vegas has legitimate employment as a network marketing specialist and is the sole...
Indiana man sentenced in assault at Derry Township state hospital
An Indiana County man serving time in the 2015 beating death of his mother pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County court in connection with an attack on another patient at Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township. Todd Royce Walters, 43, was sentenced to time served to 12 months on a...
Arona man again arrested on witness intimidation charges
An Arona man has been arrested for the second time in less than three months on charges of intimidation of a witness. Shawn E. Grbach, 43, is free on bail after being arraigned Monday. He was first arrested July 12 after police said he yelled at a woman headed to...
Woman sentenced in connection with 8 pounds of heroin found in turnpike drug bust
A Connecticut woman arrested in 2018 after police found 8 pounds of heroin hidden in a vehicle she was driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike pleaded no contest Monday to a conspiracy charge. Any Crijleipy De Leon Jiminez, 30, was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in the Westmoreland County Prison....
Delmont man gets probation in sex assault case
A Delmont man was sentenced Monday to three years of probation in connection with a sexual assault after a New Year’s party in 2018. Robert Pantalone, 56, pleaded guilty to an indecent assault charge. Several other sex-related counts against him were dismissed as part of a plea bargain. Authorities said...
Hempfield family celebrates Apple Fest with friends
When Pete and Linda Hillis built an apple press at least 25 years ago, it became a drawing point for their family. Now it’s the main attraction at the Hempfield couple’s home every October. “Everybody’s so busy, but they take time to come to the Apple Fest,” said daughter Timi...
Boy, 2, missing from Braddock found safe, police say
A 2-year-old boy who was reported missing Sunday morning has been found safe, according to state police. Investigators were seeking the child who was last seen with a 36-year-old man. Braddock police said the pair were last seen on Saturday at 11 a.m. and state police issued a missing person...
Person hospitalized in Sheraden house fire
One person was hospitalized and two houses were damaged during a blaze in Sheraden Saturday night, according to Pittsburgh Police. Emergency crews were called to Universal Street just after 8 p.m. for the reported house fire. Two people were able to escape the flames with help from authorities, police said....
Fayette man accused in utility vehicle theft from Westmoreland event venue
A Fayette County man is behind bars after police said they found him in possession of two stolen utility vehicles that had been repainted in an effort to conceal them, according to court papers. Brandon Allen Earnesty, 30, of Saltlick, is charged with burglary, theft and receiving stolen property filed...
West Newton postal clerk gets special send-off at funeral
This postal route didn’t have a mailbox or package to deliver. Instead, the mail truck, with black bows fluttering from their perches on the side mirrors, turned into the West Newton Cemetery on Saturday, leading a funeral procession of those mourning Edmund Minkus, a longtime employee of the West Newton...
Excela Health limiting visitors at its 3 emergency departments
Excela Health is asking visitors to the emergency departments at its three hospitals to stay in their vehicles until their loved one is discharged. Visitors to the emergency departments will be limited effective immediately. Hospital systems around the country have made similar restrictions in recent weeks and months. Exceptions will...
2 arrested in turnpike drug bust in Mt. Pleasant Township
Two men are behind bars after state police said they were transporting 3 kilograms of cocaine on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Tuesday, according to court papers. Denny Reyes Rosario, 32, of New York City, and Aneudy Bladimir Cuello Santana, 28, of Norwalk, Conn., are charged with drug offenses. They are being...
Jeannette OKs purchase of new $48K police SUV
Jeannette Police will be getting a new vehicle for their fleet. City council last week authorized spending about $48,000 for a 2021 Dodge Durango and necessary equipment to outfit the SUV for police use. Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said the move is much needed because of increasing mileage on...
Jeannette hires property maintenance officer
A part-time property maintenance officer will be on the job starting next week in Jeannette. City council on Tuesday hired Vincent Pascarella of New Stanton at a rate of $17.50 per hour. City clerk Nathan Bish said Pascarella, who has 35 years of law enforcement experience, will work 20 to...
Westmoreland jail inmate accused of spitting in guard’s face
A man incarcerated at the Westmoreland County Prison was arraigned Tuesday on charges he spit in the face of a female corrections officer, according to court papers. William Thornhill, 31, formerly of Glassport, is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated harassment by prisoner and simple assault. Westmoreland County detectives said Thornhill...
Longtime Hempfield family business goes up in flamesVideo
A Hempfield family business started in 1949 by Greensburg’s longtime fire chief went up in flames early Tuesday. John Hutchinson, whose father and uncle now run Hutchinson & Gunter, said two sections of the building at the corner of Grove and Russell streets appear to be OK, but a third...
DEA warns of flood of fake, potentially lethal prescription pills
The Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday warned of an increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine in an effort to raise public awareness of the tablets’ lethality and availability. Westmoreland County Detective Tony Marcocci said law enforcement officials locally have been seeing a rise in fake pills created...
2 jailed in Loyalhanna drug bust
Two men are behind bars after a weekend drug bust at a Loyalhanna home. Donald Wayne Baker, 41, of Saltsburg, and Michael James Buchinsky, 28, of Loyalhanna, are facing drug charges. State police said they arrived at Buchinsky’s Noel Drive home at 10:15 p.m. Saturday to serve a bench warrant...
