Local category, Page 2578
Former Uniontown funeral director sentenced to prison for scamming elderly clients
A former Uniontown funeral director who pleaded guilty to stealing from more than 80 elderly clients on Tuesday was sentenced to four to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $555,000 in restitution. Authorities said Stephen E. Kezmarsky III, 52, the former owner and operator of the Kezmarsky Funeral...
West Deer man charged with homicide by vehicle in fatal Hampton wreck
A West Deer man involved in a crash along Route 8 in Hampton in early December has been charged with causing the death of his passenger, Allegheny County Police said Tuesday. Investigators said Carl John Keating, 32, was traveling north at a high rate of speed on Dec. 11 when...
58th District candidate Prah gets backing of SEIU
Robert Prah, a Democrat seeking the vacant state House seat for the 58th District in next month’s special election, picked up an endorsement this week from the Service Employees International Union. Prah, 38, of Rostraver, is the director of Military and Veterans Affairs at California University of Pennsylvania. He’s a...
Comments sought for proposed Allegheny Tunnel Turnpike project in Somerset
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is accepting public comment through Thursday on six proposals, including one that would replace the existing Allegheny Tunnel in Somerset County with a $332 million-plus “cut” and bypass across the Allegheny Ridge. The commission and representatives from engineering consultant L.R. Kimball in Ebensburg recently held an open...
Carnegie Science Center looks to give mini railroad exhibit a makeover
The Carnegie Science Center’s beloved Miniature Railroad & Village has been around for more than a century. Now, after 100 years of wear and tear, the Science Center is looking to make sure the railroad keeps running for centuries to come. It is launching the Miniature Railroad & Village 100th...
New Kensington cop killer’s appeal contends his name, police presence at trial swayed jury
The man sentenced to death this month for murdering New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw on Tuesday contended Westmoreland County jurors reached a faulty verdict because of his “Muslim-sounding name” and because they were intimidated by a heavy law enforcement turnout during trial. Defense attorneys Tim Dawson and James Robinson...
Facade improvements contribute to revitalization of Latrobe’s Main StreetVideo
Rejuvenation of commercial buildings in the 300 block of Latrobe’s Main Street is set to continue as the nonprofit Latrobe Community Revitalization Program prepares to assist with a facade makeover of the two-story brick building that houses Hewitt Real Estate. According to LCRP Executive Director Jarod Trunzo, plans are to...
Unity couple accused of locking child in closet to attend birthday party
A 9-year-old Unity boy reported that he was locked inside a screwed-shut closet Sunday so two adults could attend a relative’s birthday party, state police reported. It wasn’t the first time, he told authorities. The Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau alerted state police after receiving a phone tip that the boy...
Program to explore Westmoreland coal history
Westmoreland County’s deep coal mining history will be explored during a March 14 program at the Westmoreland History Education Center at Historic Hanna’s Town on Forbes Trail Road in Hempfield. Marion Piccolomini, a native of Cardale, Fayette County and author of “Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Coal Region,” will speak about the area’s...
Delmont Historical Society looks to the future of the borough’s past
Forming a historical society involves a lot more than just finding a bunch of old photos and collecting them in one place. In fact, as members of the fledgling Delmont Historical Society looked to get their group off the ground, they found themselves initially researching the history of their predecessors,...
New recycling fees ruled out at Latrobe’s solid waste transfer station
Latrobe officials learned they cannot charge for accepting smaller recyclable items at the city’s solid waste transfer station and will have to look for another way to cover associated labor costs. City manager Michael Gray said this week that the state Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Latrobe must continue to...
Jeannette woman accused of stealing food, watch from neighbors
A Jeannette woman is accused of filling up her freezer and cupboard with food she took from other residents at Jeannette Manor, according to court papers. Mary Jane Burch, 49, was charged Tuesday with burglary, criminal trespass, retaliation, theft and related offenses. Police said they were called Monday to the...
Alabaster Performing Arts preps for an ‘Irish Celebration’ in Murrysville and GreensburgVideo
With two sets of Irish grandparents, Gaelic and Celtic music is practically part of Mary McCormack’s genetic make-up. McCormack, a Greensburg resident, is the director for the Alabaster Performing Arts troupe, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. And it’s easy to see why Alabaster’s “Irish Celebration” performances are among...
Jailed Westmoreland County man accused of raping Allegheny County child
A 41-year-old Sutersville man already accused of raping two Westmoreland County children was arrested last week on multiple charges of raping a 5-year-old in Allegheny County in 2011. Ronald E. Styche III was arraigned Wednesday before Coraopolis District Judge Michele Santicola on multiple charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, endangering...
North Side man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2017 killing
An East Allegheny man convicted of murder Tuesday maintains he didn’t commit the crime. Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning convicted Justin Parrotte of first-degree murder in the 2017 killing of John Miller on city steps in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill-City View neighborhood. “I didn’t kill that man. I had no reason...
Streets Run Road in Baldwin reopens after tractor-trailer overturns
Streets Run Road reopened to traffic about five hours after a tractor-trailer overturned Tuesday morning. The truck spilled its load across the road and nearby railroad tracks. Streets Run Road was closed between Delwar and Prospect roads for about five hours as police, fire and emergency medical services responded. Allegheny...
Hempfield Area cheerleading team wins back-to-back national championships
When the Hempfield Area Competitive Cheer team travels to Orlando, Fla., each year for the National High School Cheerleading Championships, they go to win. This year, the Hempfield Area Competition Cheer senior club team brought home its sixth national championship title and the satisfaction of becoming back-to-back champions, coach Suzannah...
Cash 5 lottery ticket worth $250K sold at Hempfield Giant Eagle
Someone who bought a Cash 5 lottery ticket in Hempfield is a quarter million dollars richer, state lottery officials announced. On Monday, one of two winning tickets for the $500,000 prize was sold at the Hempfield Square Giant Eagle, 6204 U.S. Route 30, the lottery reported. The second winning ticket...
Jeannette landlord accused of endangering firefighters, neighbor with flame-shooting furnace
A landlord who believes he is making Jeannette a better place, but who city officials claim has been a thorn in their side for years, is accused of ignoring the dangers of a faulty furnace and endangering the lives of five firefighters and a neighbor, police Chief Shannon Binda said....
New Stanton teen pleads guilty but mentally ill in 2016 killing of mother, brotherVideo
Jacob Remaley on Tuesday simply said he was sorry. Sorry for forever changing his family on the morning of Nov. 30, 2016, when, at age 14, he shot and killed his mother and younger brother in their New Stanton home. “I know I am guilty,” Remaley, now 18, said as...
Jeannette man accused of pointing gun at woman who pulled over near his home
A Jeannette man is being held without bond after police said he pointed a gun at a woman who pulled over in front of his house to tend to her sick son in the backseat. Christopher Jamal Jackson, 23, is charged with weapons violations, intimidation of a witness, aggravated assault...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit impact grants open to all teachers
In 2019, the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Foundation for the first time opened their impact grant program to any teacher, rather than just special-education teachers. “We literally threw the rubric out,” said foundation board member Roberta Cook of Murrysville. Cook and others in the foundation liked what they saw when choosing...
Whitehall family hopes positive message can come from online bullyingVideo
The family of an 11-year-old Whitehall inventor is using cyberbullying and hate lodged against them as a teaching moment. They hope the public will learn a lesson from it, too: That no matter how you feel about something, it’s never OK to bully and attack. Over the past several days,...
Harrison looks to replace trees at World War II memorial, plant others elsewhere
Harrison officials want to plant more than three dozen trees in the township, including a spruce that would serve as the community’s Christmas tree. Commissioners are applying for another round of trees through the TreeVitalize program, which has helped the township plant about 150 trees in recent years, according to...
Allegheny Intermediate Unit taps North Allegheny superintendent as executive director
The Allegheny Intermediate Unit on Monday night named North Allegheny School District Superintendent Robert Scherrer to lead the agency beginning July 20. Officials said Scherrer will bring a diverse background in the classroom and administration at local school districts to his new post as AIU executive director. Prior to his...
