Local category, Page 2560
Greensburg Salem teams sweep pasta bridge competition at Saint VincentVideo
Greensburg Salem School District swept the top three spots in Monday’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition at Saint Vincent College. Juniors Adam Nichols, 16, and Kevin Burkhardt, 17, both of Salem Township, took first-place honors when their model bridge, crafted from various types of pasta and glue, stood up...
Greensburg says farewell to 3 longtime employees, including police chief
Greensburg is saying “so long” to three longtime employees. Police Chief Chad Zucco’s last day will be March 30. Zucco, who announced his retirement last month, is stepping down after 22 years in the department, four of them as chief. He accepted a job as chief operating officer of Gaskey...
South Center Avenue in New Stanton reopened after vehicle crash
Part of South Center Avenue in New Stanton was closed Monday night after a two vehicle crash, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The road was closed between Pine Drive and Bridge Street. It reopened around 9:45 p.m. At least two people were transported to the hospital by the Mutual...
Go ethnic for Easter with pysanky egg demo and pirohi at St. Vlad’s in Arnold
A demonstration of creating the mind-blowing ornate and detailed Ukrainian painted Easter eggs known as pysanky will be featured along with a pierogies and stuffed cabbage dinner at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold at 4 p.m. on April 4. The dinner includes St. Vlad’s pierogies, homemade stuffed cabbage,...
See eagle, osprey, red-tailed hawk nests on a 13-mile-plus bike ride in Pittsburgh
So many predatory bird nests, so little time. The fourth annual Raptor Row Ride will feature viewing stops for cyclists for bald eagle, osprey, hawk and American Kestrel nests on April 25 starting in West Homestead. The Raptor Row Ride traverses the Steel Valley Trail section of the Great Allegheny...
SouthSide Works new owners to close cinema, add office space, apartments in renovationVideo
After operating as a movie theater for nearly 20 years in the heart of the former of J&L Steel works, the SouthSide Works Cinema will soon be office space. SouthSide Works’ new owners, Somera Road Inc., a New York-based commercial real estate investment and development firm, announced plans Monday to...
Norwin students propose using app to combat roadway litter; win region award
A team of Norwin High School students devised a cost-effective, safe and innovative way of curbing litter along the state’s highways. It also proved to be award winning. The students — John Christian, Joshua Gubanich, Jordan Loy and Elias Mignogna — propose using a specially designed smartphone app called PALS...
$10K bond request denied for man accused of raping 12-year-old who later gave birth
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday rejected a bond request from a Connellsville man awaiting trial on charges of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2013. Prosecutors say the girl gave birth to the man’s child nine months later. Shawn Melville, 42, was charged last year with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,...
Pittsburgh police detective shot in gunfight that left Mt. Oliver parolee dead is ‘doing fine’
The Pittsburgh police detective who was shot last week in a gunfight that left a Mt. Oliver man dead is recovering at home, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said. “He is doing well,” Hissrich said. Allegheny County police are investigating what happened Thursday night when the detective, who was shot...
Ahead of coronavirus, Saint Vincent College bumps up safety measures in dining areas
Saint Vincent College is bumping up safety measures in dining areas as a precaution against coronavirus, officials said Monday. College spokesman Jim Berger said there are no suspected cases at the school located near Latrobe. “In the interest of precaution and in an effort to reduce the number of frequently...
Pittsburgh regatta promoter testifies his business was a ‘sinking ship’
The man who’s blamed for cancellation of last year’s Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta told a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee that his business was failing from the time he formed it three years ago. “I was on a sinking ship from the beginning,” Derek Weber, 44, of Ross, told Rosemary C. Crawford...
Sewickley man sent to prison for sexually assaulting 2 mentally disabled women
A Sewickley man will serve up to four years in prison for sexually assaulting two mentally disabled women at his home in 2018. Wayne E. Smith, 75, pleaded guilty Monday to forcing the women, ages 23 and 24, to have sex — acts they were unable to consent to because...
Cops: Murrysville man accused of nearly hitting policeman and dog in fleeing car
A 19-year-old Murrysville man, who police say almost hit a police officer and police dog Magnus while trying to flee a traffic stop, was arrested within an hour on multiple criminal charges. Zachary J. Jackson was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when several municipal police officers went to a residence...
Leechburg museum to unveil newly renovated Military Room on Memorial DayVideo
Improvements to the Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society’s Military Room are expected to be completed by the time the museum reopens in late May. “It’s still got a little bit of a ways to go, but it will be ready I think when we open on Memorial Day,” society...
Veterans stories to be featured weekly in March at Tarentum museum
The stories of veterans from the Alle-Kiski Valley area can be heard in their own words Thursdays in March at the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum in Tarentum. Each week, segments from Arnold native John Bailey’s documentary, “Duty, Courage, Honor — Southwestern Pennsylvania Goes to War,” will be shown beginning at...
First defendant in Youngwood murder cases pleads guilty, gets 15 to 30 years in prison
Matthew Genard was weeks away from a fresh start in Florida when he was brutally stabbed to death during a drug-related robbery more than two years ago in Youngwood. Genard’s eldest sister told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that the family’s youngest sibling was ready to turn his life...
Greensburg man a veteran of 18 naval battles during World War II
During one of the 18 naval battles Michael E. Pahnos fought aboard the USS Canberra during World War II, the young cannon operator was knocked unconscious. When he awoke, he was panicked to discover that he was in the ship’s morgue, under several dead shipmates. “He hardly ever talked about...
Murrysville’s Morosini Reserve will become an ‘Enchanted Forest’ in May
It might seem a little strange for officials from the Westmoreland Conservancy – which focuses on science-based programming – to host a hunt for fairy houses and troll dens. “Just like with any myth, there’s a little grain of truth,” said conservancy President Shelly Tichy. “The ‘fairies’ are the insects...
Ex-Pittsburgh priest accused of sexually abusing child has conviction tossed
A judge on Monday tossed out the conviction of a retired Catholic priest for sexually abusing a child training to be an altar boy nearly 20 years ago. The Rev. Hugh Lang, the former schools superintendent of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, was sentenced Feb. 6 to nearly two years in...
Pittsburgh airport officials concerned about Real ID numbers 6 months from deadline
PennDOT has officially been issuing Real ID cards for a year, but officials disagree on what to make of the progress. Since March 1, 2019, more than 826,000 people have obtained a Real ID. The department projected last year that 1.3 million customers would obtain a card before the federal...
Cops: Jeannette man accused of sexually assaulting woman he just met on Facebook
A Hempfield woman told state police that a man she had met on Facebook late Friday showed up at her home hours later and attempted to rape her. Derrick L. Hall Jr., 35, of Jeannette, was arrested early Saturday morning at the woman’s home after the 22-year-old was able to...
Gas prices continue to drop, bucking seasonal norm, analyst says
Gas prices “have no where to go but down and like a rock” at a time of year they’re usually going up, an industry analyst said. “It’s been an unprecedented week, one in which oil majors Russia and Saudi Arabia saw anything but eye-to-eye on lowering oil production, leading crude...
‘We’re really not bad parents,’ say Unity couple accused of locking son in closetVideo
A Unity couple accused of locking their 9-year-old son inside a closet and nailing it shut so they could attend a relative’s birthday party say they love him and hope their family is soon reunited. “We want people to know that we’re really not bad parents. We love our kids,”...
Expert will explain benefits of controlled burning for Westmoreland woodlands group
Flames can damage a wooded area when they run wild and unchecked. But one that is controlled can benefit an ecosystem. Jesse Kreye, an assistant research professor of fire and natural resources management at Penn State University, will explain the positive impact of prescribed fire Thursday March 19 at the...
Kennywood to drop Garfield, restore Old Mill rideVideo
At long last, Kennywood’s Nightmare is over. The park revealed Monday that after 16 seasons, the park will be ditching Garfield’s Nightmare and restoring the ride to the iconic Old Mill theme. In a video posted to the park’s Facebook page, Kennywood spokesman Nick Paradise broke the news. Paradise said...
