Renatta Signorini stories, Page 91
Hempfield senator set to speak at Pennsylvania March for Life
State Sen. Kim Ward, a Hempfield Republican, is set to speak during the 2021 Pennsylvania March for Life Monday in Harrisburg. The event will be the state’s first official March for Life during which participants plan to rally at the state Capitol building to bring attention to protections for unborn...
Unity man accused in rape of girl, 12
A Unity man is accused by police of raping a 12-year-old girl in Derry Borough two years ago, according to court papers. Christopher A. Simoncini, 35, is charged with rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault and related offenses. Borough police said in a criminal complaint that they...
Firefighters extinguish mobile home blaze in Derry Township
Firefighters extinguished a blaze Friday morning in Derry Township, according to Bradenville Assistant Fire Chief Nick Piantine. The abandoned mobile home at Longview Trailer Park off of Pittsburgh Street was engulfed in flames, he said. No one was hurt and the structure was completely destroyed. The blaze at the park...
Monessen man pleads guilty to receiving package with cocaine hidden in designer boots
A Monessen man pleaded guilty Thursday to a conspiracy charge in connection with a package delivered to his home that federal authorities said contained cocaine hidden in designer boots, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman. Devon White, 48, is free on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Federal authorities said...
Westmoreland Food Bank partners with DoorDash for deliveries to senior citizensVideo
The boxes of food can be heavy or maybe transportation is an issue. Whatever the roadblock standing in the way of a senior citizen being able to pick up items from the Westmoreland County Food Bank, there’s now an answer — delivery. A partnership with online food ordering and delivery...
Resident escapes burning home in Murrysville
A resident was able to escape a burning Murrysville home Thursday morning, according to White Valley Fire Chief John Bohinc. The blaze on Sinan Drive, a rural road near Murrysville Community Park, was reported around 9 a.m. Bohinc said there were flames through the roof in the rear corner of...
Nevada man sentenced to federal prison for traveling to West Mifflin to have sex with teen
A Nevada man was sentenced Tuesday to 6 1/2 years in a federal prison for traveling to Southwestern Pennsylvania in 2019 in an attempt to have sex with a 15-year-old West Mifflin girl. Renad Bautista, 32, of North Las Vegas, was ordered to spend 10 years on supervised release after...
Algae bloom dissipates in Twin Lakes Park
Signs warning visitors about a harmful algae bloom at the lower lake in Twin Lakes Park are expected to be taken down this week as the conditions dissipate, according to Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation director Brandon Simpson. He said the signs were put up a couple weeks...
Ligonier Township man accused of assaulting officer investigating domestic dispute
A Ligonier Township man is accused by police of assaulting an officer who was investigating a domestic violence report, according to court papers. Jonathan O. Hillen, 33, is charged with assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. Ligonier Valley police were called to his Route 30 home Tuesday...
Va. authorities believe missing 3-year-old girl died in care of couple arrested in South Greensburg
Virginia authorities investigating the disappearance of a 3-year-old girl believe she died while in the care of a couple police arrested in South Greensburg this month. Augusta County Sheriff Donald L. Smith said the determination came after a Monday search of a Virginia home where the couple lived. Investigators were...
Attorneys hoping for bond in case of homeless man charged with Murrysville arson
The merits of Pennsylvania’s cash bond system — along with apparent work restrictions for some Westmoreland County Prison inmates — came under scrutiny in court Tuesday during a hearing for a man accused of torching a landmark Murrysville restaurant. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro and public defender Tamara Mahady agreed...
‘Yough n’ Roll’ trail ride, community day planned along Great Allegheny Passage
The all-volunteer Mon/Yough Trail Council plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary with events Saturday along the Great Allegheny Passage. Volunteer event coordinator Ken Medved said a family-friendly bicycle ride “Yough n’ Roll” and Community Appreciation Day will kick off at the Boston access of the trail. The ride, a fundraiser...
Man dies in motorcycle crash in Ligonier Township
A Forest Hills man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday night in Ligonier Township, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. Adam R. Kocher, 45, was driving a Ducati motorcycle west on Route 30 at 9:15 p.m. when investigators said he lost control around a bend in the highway and...
Excela Health Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant sets up tent outdoors for minor cases as patient volume increases
A tent has been erected near the emergency department at Excela Health Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant to help treat patients with minor issues as the overall number of patients increases, according to Chief Medical Officer Carol Fox. Hospital officials also have enacted several less visible protocols in an effort...
2 flown from Hempfield crash
Two people were flown by medical helicopter Thursday morning to a hospital after a one-vehicle crash in Hempfield, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported just before 11 a.m. on Route 130 in the area of Slate Run Road and West Point Drive. The vehicle went over...
Plum woman gets prison for $195K embezzlement from Murrysville family business
A Plum woman was sentenced to two years in a federal prison for embezzling $195,000 from a Murrysville family business. Victoria Mazur, 54, was ordered to spend three years on probation after the prison term on a wire fraud charge. She pleaded guilty in November 2019. Mazur worked as the...
Mt. Pleasant man sentenced to state prison in Jeannette shooting
A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced to three to six years in a state prison in connection with a 2019 Jeannette shooting that injured a woman. Elijah T. Miles, 25, was ordered to serve three years on probation after the prison term. He was credited with time served in jail...
Subject of Laughlintown police search located
A man who was the subject of a police search Wednesday near Laughlintown has been located. The suspect was apprehended in Derry Township, according to a post on the Ligonier Valley Police Department’s Facebook page. Investigators on Wednesday advised residents in the Ligonier Township community to lock their doors and...
Franklin Regional parents protest mask mandateVideo
A group of about 45 parents protested the state’s mask mandate outside Franklin Regional high and middle schools Wednesday morning. Many said they were looking to regain control of the decision from state officials, who announced last week that all schools and daycare centers must require masks for everyone while...
‘Chemo Comfort’ totes are a labor of family, community love
The challenges of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop Holly Hallman from upping the ante on her project that benefits cancer patients going through chemotherapy. She staggered the assembly of 400 tote bags so local cancer centers wouldn’t be inundated with them during a time of limited space. The final 100...
Former home health aide pleads guilty to stealing from Murrysville client
A North Versailles woman pleaded guilty to a theft charge Tuesday in connection with items missing from a Murrysville home where she worked as a health aide. The amount of restitution Breianna Knox, 31, brings to her sentencing hearing in a few months could sway Werstmoreland County prosecutors to recommend...
Blairsville man killed in motorcycle crash
A Blairsville man was killed Monday in a motorcycle crash in Indiana County. Mark A. Sprague, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene on Tunnelton Road in Conemaugh Township, east of Saltsburg, according to county Coroner Jerry Overman. Investigators said Sprague was driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle at 6 p.m. when...
Greater Latrobe, Derry Area students plan walkouts to protest mask mandate
Some students at Greater Latrobe and Derry Area high schools are planning walkouts Tuesday morning to protest the statewide mandate requiring students, staff and teachers in K-12 schools to wear masks. Greater Latrobe organizer Spencer Bowman, a 17-year-old senior, said he hopes the school board will vote to buck the...
‘Where the plane went down’: Shanksville remains small, quiet, but forever connected to 9/11
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‘Where the plane went down’: Shanksville remains small, quiet, but forever connected to 9/11 and United Flight 93Video
When someone from Shanksville travels and is asked where they’re from, the question typically gets answered with a generality: “Pittsburgh” — even if they hail from about 80 miles east, in Somerset County. If pressed, they get more specific. Shanksville. Where is that? “Where the plane went down,” said Robin...
