Ligonier Valley ex-police chief John Berger headed to trial on bribery, drug charges
The man Westmoreland County prosecutors said bribed former Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger with pain pills and an award is now cooperating with authorities. Michael Hootman, 43, of Ligonier Township served as a key witness for prosecutors during a preliminary hearing for Berger on Friday. Prosecutors accuse Berger of...
Westmoreland municipal authority extends contract with private manager
The Johnstown company that has served as the private manager for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County since the early 1990s will remain on the job for the next 10 years. Authority board members on Thursday approved a five-year contract extension with Resource Development and Management Inc. (RDM) that will...
Man charged in Salem road rage crash pleads guilty
A man state police said rammed a vehicle during a road rage incident last year in Salem was ordered to serve up to five years in prison. Cody Salensky, 27, formerly of Latrobe, pleaded guilty this week to aggravated assault by vehicle, aggravated assault and making terroristic threats in connection...
Does your Westmoreland County home have lead paint? This free program provides repairsVideo
When the Porters moved into their new three-story Mulberry Street home in Scottdale in January, they knew they would have to do some repairs. The century-old home needed new windows, and its third floor required significant work to make it habitable. What they did not count on was that the...
Westmoreland judge rules trial error didn’t impact verdict in Loyalhanna murders
Death row inmate Kevin Murphy will not receive a new trial for the 2009 murders of three family members, despite a judge’s ruling Wednesday that it was improper for him to be absent from a crime scene visit during his original 2013 trial. Westmoreland County Common
Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-
DeFazio...
New mental health diagnosis could impact guilty plea in St. Clair murder-for-hire case
A new mental health diagnosis could impact the planned guilty plea of a 20-year-old man who admitted to killing a St. Clair woman in her home at the request of her daughter. Robert Jack, 20, was the key witness during a weeklong trial in Westmoreland County court in February. His...
Lower Burrell man to seek insanity defense in fatal shooting of Mogie’s Irish Pub tavern owner
A Lower Burrell man accused of killing a popular tavern owner plans to use an insanity defense at his murder trial. Nathan Salem, 47, is scheduled for trial in Westmoreland County court in June for the Dec. 21, 2023, fatal shooting of David “Mogie” Magill. Prosecutors say Magill, 64, was...
2 former Westmoreland coroners back on the county payroll
Westmoreland County’s last two elected coroners are back on the payroll. Former Coroner Tim Carson started this month in a newly created human services position to serve as coordinator of the county’s opioid prevention program. Meanwhile, current Coroner John Ackerman — who ousted Carson in last year’s Republican primary and...
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport construction hits homestretch, new terminal set for June openingVideo
A shiny new $22 million expansion of the terminal at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be ready for passengers in late spring, officials said this week. The first phase of the project to double the terminal’s size is nearing completion as crews put finishing touches on the expanded two-story building....
Jeannette man claims excessive force in police probe following fatal e-bike crashVideo
A Jeannette man claims police used excessive force to subdue him during an investigation into the death of an e-bike rider last year in Hempfield. James S. Grady II, 62, faces charges filed weeks after police entered his home to serve a warrant. The search was part of a probe...
East Huntingdon, developer reach deal to end lawsuit challenging solar farm ordinance
The challenge of an ordinance enacted last year by East Huntingdon regarding solar farm development has been settled. Court records made public Wednesday revealed lawyers for the township and GreenKey Development Inc. reached a deal this month that kept the township’s ordinance in place but also allowed the company to...
Palmer airport authority tables solar project, will review scaled back $4 million proposal
A plan to retrofit Arnold Palmer Regional Airport with solar power hit a roadblock Tuesday when preliminary cost estimates revealed the project could lose money. Westmoreland County Airport Authority board members tabled a scaled-back proposal after an effort to hold private debate about the project was challenged as a potential...
Official says deal for new airline within reach at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Negotiations have progressed significantly with one or more commercial airlines to fly from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe, the executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority said Tuesday. Gabe Monzo said talks with national carriers interested in operating routes from the Palmer airport intensified after Spirit Airlines pulled...
Westmoreland County’s invoice to the state for lost revenue goes unpaid
The state has declined Westmoreland County’s request for nearly $500,000 in reimbursements related to last year’s monthslong budget impasse — at least for now. Zachary Reber, the state budget secretary, responded last week to an invoice sent last fall by county Controller Jeff Balzer. The county sought to recoup revenue...
Former Royer’s department store building in Greensburg set for demolitionVideo
Preparations are underway to demolish the former Royer’s department store building on Main Street in Greensburg. The three-story building has been vacant for decades. Over the past 10 years, its condition has significantly worsened, making it impossible to rehabilitate, according to officials. The Westmoreland County Land Bank purchased the building...
Lawsuit filed in fatal 2020 turnpike bus crash moved to Westmoreland County
A consolidated lawsuit filed in the aftermath of a 2020 bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Mt. Pleasant that killed five people and injured about 60 will be litigated in Westmoreland County. The state Supreme Court, in an opinion issued last fall, sided with lawyers for two dozen plaintiffs...
Westmoreland County overtime costs top $7.2 million in 2025
Overtime has paid off in a big way for some Westmoreland County workers. A TribLive analysis of overtime paid to county employees in 2025 found that for some, working additional hours has more than doubled their annual pay. One senior staffer, who has worked as a corrections officer at the...
‘Deep negotiations’ ongoing for 2nd carrier at Palmer airport amid Spirit cuts, official saysVideo
Talks have intensified with a potential second commercial airline to fly out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, Westmoreland County officials said Thursday. But those negotiations for expanded service face stiffening headwinds as the airport’s longtime carrier scales back its local footprint. The cuts come amid growing industry consolidation...
Jury deadlocks in trial of Hempfield man accused of rape of mentally disabled woman
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated more than seven hours Thursday and was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a Hempfield man charged with the rape of a mentally disabled woman. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio declared a mistrial in the case against Dennis Hertzog, 58, who prosecutors...
Spirit drops Orlando service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Spirit Airlines is pulling the plug on its long-running Orlando service from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport next month, a move that leaves the Unity airfield without its most popular year-round destination. The discount carrier confirmed Wednesday it has removed the Florida destination from its schedule effective April 15. The following...
Hempfield man on trial in rape of mentally disabled woman
A Westmoreland County jury is expected to begin deliberations Thursday morning in the case of a Hempfield man accused of raping a woman with an intellectual disability in late 2022. Dennis Hertzog, 58, is on trial on charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault. The charges...
Westmoreland commissioners to revamp airport authority board
The board that oversees operations at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity is poised to be significantly revamped through a series of new appointments Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to vote on this week. Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew said they will appoint four new members to the nine-person...
Judge rejects Westmoreland sheriff’s request to halt inmate transports
A lawsuit that sought to reverse a court order issued two decades ago requiring the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department to transport jailed inmates to preliminary hearings was dismissed Tuesday. Common Pleas President Judge Christopher Feliciani issued a one-paragraph order that terminated the legal action filed in January by Sheriff James...
Westmoreland deputy sheriffs appeal court ruling to dismiss lawsuit
Ten Westmoreland County deputy sheriffs have appealed a federal judge’s decision to toss out a lawsuit claiming they were harassed and improperly investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police. The lawsuit, filed last year, alleged members of the sheriff’s office fugitive apprehension unit were targeted by frivolous accusations of impropriety by...
7 men plead guilty in interstate robbery scheme at Pa. rest stops
A group of seven men who used a phony lottery win to lure and rob motorists at Pennsylvania service plazas and truck stops pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County. The men — six from Ohio and one from Tennessee — admitted to stealing cash and jewelry from drivers in Dauphin,...
