Norwin Star category, Page 113
1992 Norwin grad brings nostalgia to former classmates during quarantine
Kevin Tomich was an avid photographer and videographer while he was a student at Norwin High School in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, a time when cell phones weren’t available to snap quick flicks. Tomich, now 46, owned a large VHS camcorder — a coveted and rare possession at...
Norwin Junior Air Force ROTC honored vets
When Irwin’s annual Memorial Day parade was canceled because of the covid-19 restrictions against large gathering, the The Norwin Junior Air Force ROTC cadets, a group of about 120 students, and the Norwin Student Council, decided to honor the Norwin community’s veterans in a different way. The student cadets thanked...
Norwin seniors to graduate in groups June 26
Norwin is planning commencement ceremonies for about 400 students at Knights Stadium on June 26 by dividing them into groups with different time slots. That is because of the prohibition against having more than 250 people at a single gathering while Westmoreland County is in the green phase of covid-19...
Hempfield set to hire Norwin’s Brandon Rapp as athletic director
It looks like the Hempfield Area School Board will be hiring Brandon Rapp as its new athletic director. The current Norwin athletic director’s name appears on the school board agenda for approval at Monday’s meeting. Rapp was one of 66 applicants for the position that opened when Greg Meisner resigned...
North Huntingdon singer hits No. 1 on country radio chart
When Ashley Puckett of North Huntingdon released her debut album, “Never Say Never,” this past Valentine’s Day, she didn’t expect recognition to come so quickly. The 28-year-old’s single, “Bulletproof,” secured the No. 1 spot on the country radio chart in the June 12 issue of New Music Weekly magazine. The...
Many Westmoreland taxpayers not noticing extended discount period
Many Westmoreland County residents aren’t taking advantage of this year’s extended discount period for property taxes, and it’s causing headaches for local tax collectors. Earlier this spring, the county commissioners extended the deadline for the 2% property tax discount — which usually ends in April 30 — through Aug. 31...
Irwin to let emergency declaration expire
Irwin Borough will no longer be under a covid-19 emergency declaration as of July. Council on Wednesday rejected a motion to extend the March 21 disaster declaration another 90 days. The current declaration runs through June 30. Mayor Bill Hawley had issued the declaration of a state of emergency for...
Norwin cafeteria workers OK 1-year deal
Norwin School District cafeteria workers agreed to a one-year extension of their current contract, which will provide members with a 40-cent-an-hour wage hike, while maintaining benefits. The school board this week approved the extension with the Service Employees International Union, which represents 54 cafeteria workers — 20 full-time employees as...
Irwin OKs medical marijuana dispensary
Medical marijuana users may be able to get state-approved products from a dispensary along Route 30 in Irwin in late fall. The three-member zoning board on Thursday unanimously approved an application from Franklin BioScience-SW LLC of Philadelphia for a special exception to locate the dispensary at the site of the...
Norwin OKs tax hike by 5-4 vote
Norwin School District property owners will see a 2.9% increase in real estates taxes after the board board Monday narrowly approved the spending plan for the district. By a 5-4 vote, the board OK’d a $76.93 million budget that will increase property taxes in North Huntingdon, North Irwin and Irwin...
Overdoses continue to drop in Westmoreland, but traffic deaths jump 50%
Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha’s 2019 annual report released Monday showed an expected decline in drug overdose deaths for the second consecutive year, but it also disclosed a dramatic 50% increase in traffic fatalities. The local traffic deaths, which jumped from from 18 in 2018 to to 27 in 2019,...
Norwin student linking mask users, makers
A Norwin High School student’s community service project connects mask users with area crafters willing to make them. Lydia Berger, who will be a senior, said she came up with the idea for the covid-19 mask initiative days after the governor’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March. ”I was...
Irwin plans ‘inside’ ethnic food festival
Irwin will have an Ethnic Food Day featuring haluski, brats, tacos, Italian meatballs, Japanese cheesecake and other delicacies at downtown restaurants on June 13, while maintaining social distancing now that Westmoreland County has moved into the green phase of covid-19 restrictions The event, set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,...
2 more coronavirus cases, no new deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths were reported Thursday in Westmoreland County. The countywide case total is now 455 with 38 deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. County Coroner Kenneth Bacha reported 32 coronavirus deaths, less than the state’s number, but Bacha’s office has not updated...
Racial injustice protest planned in Irwin ParkVideo
A protest against racial injustice is planned this weekend in Irwin — which would be at least the third such event in Westmoreland County in response to the death of George Floyd. “We had seen the other protests and we thought the community needed this event to raise awareness” about...
Penn Township man charged in fatal Route 30 crash in North Huntingdon
A Penn Township man is charged with homicide by vehicle and related criminal offenses for his role in a rear-end collision Jan. 21 on Route 30 that claimed the life of a North Huntingdon man. Chad Gregorini, 44, is accused of driving 53 mph in a 40 mph zone in...
Westmoreland green phase: No temp checks at courthouse, offices opening
Westmoreland County is moving to green status on Friday, meaning courthouse visitors won’t need a temperature check to enter, and some restrictions on access to row offices will be lifted. Gov. Wolf announced last week that Westmoreland would be joining other counties in southwestern Pennsylvania in moving from the yellow...
Pennsylvania Turnpike to lay off 500 employees, make cashless tolling permanent
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission this month will lay off about 500 employees — mostly toll collectors — as it switches permanently to a cashless system statewide. That’s roughly a quarter of the commission’s total workforce. The commission originally planned to make the switch to cashless late next year, promising no...
Irwin man sentenced to jail after being found with almost 30 pounds of marijuana
Saying he was a danger to the community, a Westmoreland County judge on Monday ordered an Irwin drug dealer to serve at least six months in jail for possession of nearly 30 pounds of marijuana. Zachary Morton, 33, was sentenced to serve up 23 months behind bars and an additional...
Paint a rainbow to benefit Irwin Rotary food program
Artists of all ages and experience levels are invited to create rainbow paintings to be displayed at Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin. Pieces submitted for “Project Rainbow” then will be auctioned to benefit Irwin Rotary’s Care & Share Pantry, which provides food to community members in need. Paintings...
North Huntingdon historian seeks volunteers to help digitize WWI burial records
Andrew Capets’ initial interest in World War I was finding out more about his grandfather’s unit, the 313th Machine Gun Battalion. That research led the North Huntingdon resident and amateur historian to write “Good War, Great Men,” which focused on his grandfather’s battalion and its exploits, including fighting in the...
Norwin grad Steve Petrick to play final year of college football at Maine
Steve Petrick thinks he still has something to give college football, and he plans to make his final season count. “One hundred percent,” he said. But Petrick will have to put that punctuation mark on his meandering career at another new school — his fourth in as many years. A...
Norwin delays graduation until June
Norwin made it official Friday for the class of 2020 — no graduation ceremonies as initially scheduled on May 22 because of the restrictions against gatherings of more than 25 people. Even though Westmoreland County has moved from the yellow phase of the state’s reopening plan, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said...
North Huntingdon police won’t cite businesses for violating Gov. Wolf’s orders
North Huntingdon joined other municipalities in directing its police force not to cite or take any legal action local businesses that open in violation of the state’s coronavirus-related shutdown orders — as long as they follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for wearing personal protective equipment, keep social distancing...
Lamp Theatre selling popcorn as fundraiser
What does a non-profit do when it has to postpone its primary fundraiser because of government-ordered restrictions against large gathering during a covid-19 pandemic? In the case of The Lamp Theatre in Irwin, it sells popcorn, just like it does during concerts, shows and other events that would be held...
