Norwin Star category, Page 109
Auto parts store proposed for former North Huntingdon motel site
The site of the former Penn-Irwin Motel that served motorists looking for a place to stay along Route 30 in North Huntingdon for 73 years could be a place for motorists to buy vehicle parts. Colony Holding Co. LLC of North Huntingdon plans to develop the now-vacant site for an...
Westmoreland transit authority looks to bump up local bus service
A portion of Westmoreland County’s local bus service, slowed because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be restored in September. Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said that an informal survey of riders determined an interest in added public transportation for routes around the county. Specifics about which routes...
Editorial: Journalism’s revolution against big tech
We need our news. Communicating information about what is happening in our world and in our government, around the globe and around the corner, has been critical from the start. The first newspaper in America was printed in Boston in 1690. The Hartford Courant is the oldest newspaper in the...
Restaurant gambles on Jeannette location, surviving the pandemic
Seeing signs of revival and renewal in downtown Jeannette, Matt and Christine Kuhns picked a Clay Avenue site for their new restaurant venture. The 520 Bar & Grill opened in November, taking its name from the street address. Things went well for the first few months. “We were building up...
New Queen of Angels principal coming home; faces unprecedented challengesVideo
For Jennifer Filak, taking her first principal’s job at Queen of Angels School in North Huntingdon was like returning home. “When I learned of the opportunity, I really felt like I was coming back home. My heart has always stayed here,” said Filak, a Penn-Trafford High School graduate and a...
Norwin track coach Harry ‘Bucky’ Hickle included family in passion
A championship family man and a championship coach, Harry Hickle was loyal to his loved ones and his student-athletes. If Norwin’s track and field teams were winning — and they won a lot — he was happy. Victories by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates and Notre Dame didn’t hurt, either. Watching...
Irwin’s Music in the Streets draws crowdVideo
Maybe it was the opportunity to get outside, listen to music, have a bite to eat and bit to drink that drew hundreds of people to downtown Irwin Thursday evening for the popular Music in the Streets. It was the type of gathering that would be the envy of many...
Letter to the editor: Shame on Norwin School Board
Bob Wayman said you should keep driving through a Black Lives Matter protest because they’re just “racist, communist thugs” (“Norwin director ripped over controversial posts; some call for resignation.” Bob Wayman said we should resort to armed combat to keep President Trump in office. Bob Wayman referred to Pennsylvania Health...
Technical schools grapple with hands-on learning as classes resume during pandemic
As traditional schools weed through reopening plans that largely include at least some online learning, career and technical centers across the region grapple with how to maintain predominately hands-on classes while keeping students and staff safe. Several of the 16 career and technical centers that cater to high school students...
Norwin area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 23
Irwin Timothy Meier sold property at 728 Fairview Ave. to Ryan Austin for $135,000. Thomas McManus Jr. sold property at 1945 Highland Ave. to Bradly Andre and Shelby Belko for $189,000. Dennis Irwin sold property at 600 Oak St. to DJI Enterprises LLC for $1 (state deed transfer stamps indicate...
McKeesport resident Keith Perry earns American Cornhole League professional contract
McKeesport resident Keith Perry has been playing cornhole for a majority of his life, but until recently it was never more than a game he played in his backyard during family barbecues or tailgating for a local sporting event. Then, in April 2019 Perry had a revelation. He and his...
Norwin grad Max McDowell earning his stripes with Yankees taxi squad
One day Max McDowell was out of a job, a pro baseball catcher with nowhere to play. The next he was wearing pinstripes and practicing on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. McDowell, a former Norwin standout who played with four teams in five years in the minor leagues but...
Passavant Memorial Homes extends extra pay when state rejects bid for aid
Despite not receiving state aid for hazard pay for frontline workers, a McCandless-based nonprofit will give its employees at 140 community group homes across the region an extra $3 an hour until late October — an initiative that will cost the company about $2 million. Passavant Memorial Homes Family of...
PIAA ignores Gov. Wolf’s recommendation, allows fall sports to start Monday
High school football season starts Monday, along with soccer, cross country, girls volleyball and all other PIAA fall sports. The PIAA board of directors ignored Gov. Tom Wolf’s strong recommendation and voted Friday to let fall sports start as scheduled, but the PIAA left the responsibility with individual school districts...
Irwin restaurant opens amid pandemic; state restrictions hurt eateriesVideo
Candy Zambo says it was just her luck that she tried to open a restaurant in downtown Irwin in midst of a pandemic. “I’ve wanted to do this. I’ve always loved the restaurant industry,” Zambo said, undeterred by the circumstances surrounding the opening of Candy’s Corner Cafe at 435 Main...
Black Lives Matter protest, march in Greensburg planned for Thursday evening
A protest planned for Thursday evening in Greensburg sent local police into short-notice preparation mode in the morning after learning about it through social media. The event is billed as a Black Lives Matter protest that will start at 6 p.m. at the Westmoreland County courthouse, followed by a three-block...
Stewartsville Lions Club to sell barbecue chicken
The Stewartsville Lions Club will hold a chicken barbecue sale beginning at 11 a.m. Aug. 30 at the Holiday Travel parking lot, Route 30, across from Norwin Town Square in North Huntingdon. Due to social distancing guidelines, meal orders will be taken from the customers, who will remain in their...
Race for Grace to hold golf outing at The Madison Club
The Race for Grace Foundation, which raises money to fight childhood cancer, is holding a golf outing on Sept. 12 at The Madison Club, Yukon Road, Madison. Based in North Huntingdon, the foundation is named in memory of Grace Ekis, the daughter of Brian and Tamara Ekis. She was 5...
En plein air: Crabtree sunflower field inspires outdoor painting session for local artists
Crabtree, part of Westmoreland County’s rural landscape, is a long way from Italy and its country vistas of vineyards and olive groves. But it didn’t seem that way for some area artists on Wednesday. “It’s beautiful; it looks like Tuscany out here,” said art instructor Doreen Currie of Unity while...
Annual fire prevention night at Westmoreland Mall canceled due to covid-19
The 25th annual Fire Prevention Night hosted by Hempfield has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event typically draws more than 500 people, and about 80 area fire departments are represented. The event is presented by the Hempfield Township Fire Department’s 12 stations and firefighters from Greensburg, South...
Norwin schools estimated repair tab: $15M – $17M
Norwin officials were told this week that — based on a master facilities study — between $15.4 million and $17 million is needed in the immediate future for repairs to the district’s buildings, stadium and pavement. All of Norwin’s four elementary schools, along with the intermediate, middle and high schools,...
School districts tweak reopening plans again to require full-time mask use
Districts across the region again are amending reopening plans after the state released additional guidance this week. Students attending in-person classes now are required to wear face coverings at all times while in school with few exceptions, according to the state education and health departments. The changes are based on...
Principals in alleged drug smuggling at Westmoreland County Prison ordered to trial
When investigators listened in on inmates’ telephone calls during an 18-month probe into alleged drug smuggling at the Westmoreland County Prison, they often heard inmates referring to “spicy chicken,” “deuce” or “papers.” But the conversations weren’t referring to food, card games or legal paperwork. It was code that a delivery...
Pa. Supreme Court delays considering appeal of former Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court put on hold the appeal of Westmoreland County’s former sheriff, who is seeking the dismissal of two criminal offenses related to allegations of public corruption. The court this week said it will delay a decision on whether it will consider the appeal in the pending case...
Community groups can now mail naloxone under new Pa. standing order
Naloxone can now be mailed by community groups to anyone who wants the opioid overdose antidote under an updated standing order. State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed the updated order Tuesday that makes the change to allow for easier access while restrictions are in place related to the...
