Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 69
Kim Ward leads Tay Waltenbaugh as first votes are counted
Incumbent Kim Ward was holding on tight to her 39th District State Senate seat Wednesday afternoon, leading opponent Tay Waltenbaugh by more than 50,600 votes. Ward, a 64-year-old Hempfield Republican who has served in the Senate for 12 years, had about 70% of the votes with 144 out of 206...
Covid-19 numbers tallied for Penn-Trafford area
Recent state data shows 358 people in the Penn-Trafford area have had confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the international pandemic in March, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The health department on Monday released data on confirmed cases of the virus in the five Penn-Trafford area...
Penn-Trafford beats Fox Chapel for WPIAL field hockey titleVideo
The Penn-Trafford field hockey team is champion again. The Warriors remained perfect on the season and claimed their fifth straight WPIAL Class 2A field hockey title with a 2-1 victory over Fox Chapel on Monday at a chilly Burk Stadium at Fox Chapel High School. “It’s really exciting,” Penn-Trafford coach...
Covid infection doesn’t halt Westmoreland County’s Election Day preparations
Westmoreland County’s Elections Bureau office remained opened Monday after officials determined there was no widespread exposure to the coronavirus a day after an employee tested positive. That diagnosis was just another obstacle ahead of Tuesday’s election as officials continue to work through challenges related to mail-in ballots and the pandemic...
VP Mike Pence cites jobs, energy policy in push for Trump votes at Unity airportVideo
Vice President Mike Pence cited job creation and support for law enforcement and the military among strengths of the current White House administration in a last-minute plea Monday for Westmoreland County voters to help elect him and President Trump to second terms. Pence stopped at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Nov. 1
Churchill Adam Noll sold property at 2310 Forest Drive to Roberta Miller for $175,000. Manor Marta Matta sold property at 61 Observatory St. to Jennifer Marie Spinola for $173,500. Frederick Hubbard sold property at 506 Saddleridge Drive to Edward Mihalko Jr. and Kristin Mihalko for $415,000. Monroeville Hector Castellon sold...
Penn-Trafford’s defense does talking against Upper St. Clair in rout
With two high-scoring offenses meeting Friday night at Warrior Stadium, some expected a shootout. Penn-Trafford shot down that notion. The fourth-seeded Warriors took the air out of No. 5 Upper St. Clair and produced a pair of 100-yard rushers in a relatively painless 35-7 victory in a WPIAL Class 5A...
Westmoreland County elections office extends hours, will remain open this weekend
With more than 22,000 mail-in ballots outstanding, Westmoreland County will keep its elections bureau office open until 8 p.m. each day through Nov. 3. The extended hours will start Fridayand continue through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, including Saturday and Sunday. “Our concern is making sure every person who needs...
Excela projects funded with $115M in bonds issued by Westmoreland County authority
Westmoreland County commissioners this week approved issuing up to $115 million in revenue bonds to be used by Excela Health to pay for capital improvement projects and to expand its service into new markets. Acting as the Westmoreland Industrial Development Authority, the commissioners unanimously signed off on the tax-exempt bonds,...
Westmoreland County hands out grants to Excela, nonprofitsVideo
Excela Health received a $5 million grant from Westmoreland County Thursday to help the hospital chain recover revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic. County commissioners also awarded 77 nonprofit agencies grants totalling nearly $1.2 million to help pay for expenses related to the pandemic. Commissioners conceded the surprise grant to...
Westmoreland commissioner claims county pay raises result of political threat
Westmoreland Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Thursday accused her Republican colleagues of buckling under a threat from the county controller when they granted a series of raises to his staff of auditors. “They should be ashamed,” Cerilli said about a reorganization of the auditing department that included $130,000 in raises handed...
UPS hiring 840 seasonal workers in New Stanton, Pittsburgh
United Parcel Service Inc. plans to hold a job fair Friday — in-person and virtual — as it looks to hire about 840 seasonal workers at its processing and shipping facilities in New Stanton and on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, the company said. The package shipping company is looking to hire...
Penn-Trafford teachers raise money for school supplies
Penn-Trafford kindergarten teachers Melissa Vovaris of Level Green Elementary, Emilie Shogan of Level Green and Sunrise elementaries and student learning assistant Nicole Adasczik of Level Green, raised $1,200 to buy a variety of school supplies for kindergarten classrooms. The funding, through an organization called DonorsChoose, enabled the team to purchase...
Chick’s Picks relies on superpowers for WPIAL playoff picks
Welcome to Week 8 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks looks forward to Halloween each year, mostly because she likes candy, but also because she enjoys coming up with creative costumes. This year, Chick’s Picks decided to dress up as Baby Yoda — one of the main characters...
Westmoreland elections officials: ‘Number of residents’ have not received mail-in, absentee ballots
While nearly 50,000 mail-in ballots from Westmoreland voters have been returned to the county’s Election Bureau, a number of residents have not received the mail-in or absentee ballot they requested. County officials said as of Wednesday, 71,852 of 74,648 ballots had been delivered to the U.S. Postal Service to be...
Penn-Trafford area happenings Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Non-perishable food items can be donated to the Trafford Food Bank from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7 at the Lion’s Community Building, 123 Murrysville Rd,, Penn Township. Food donations for the Drop & Go Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the Community Women’s Club of Level Green...
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide on in-person, fully remote learning
Under guidelines from the state departments of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes. The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels...
Covid-19 numbers tallied for Penn-Trafford area
The most recent state data shows 300 people in the Penn-Trafford Star’s coverage area have had confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the international pandemic in March, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The health department on Monday released data on confirmed cases of the virus in...
Westmoreland Prison Board moves ahead in search for new wardenVideo
The Westmoreland County Prison Board will accept applications through Friday for a new warden to succeed John Walton, who announced last month he was resigning and retiring. Walton, 61, of Mt. Pleasant Township, submitted his resignation Sept. 28, claiming it was the result of “a public character assassination and campaign...
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Oct. 26
Boys Class 2A First round 11-Burrell (7-4) at 6-Mt. Pleasant (11-1) 6:30 p.m., Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Winner plays: Winner of 14-Leechburg (7-6) at 3-North Catholic (12-1-1), 6 p.m., Monday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars Hat tricks: Mt. Pleasant has allowed two goals all season and has 11 shutouts. Charleroi...
Manor man has spent decades working on ‘collection of collections’
Some people have collections. Larry Bard of Manor might better described as someone with a collection of collections. From milk bottles and coffee tins to Bugs Bunny and ‘ALF’ memorabilia, Bard and his wife, Verdine, have filled their home — and a separate building, and basically just about any available...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 25
Churchill Mario Berges sold property at 3418 Ridgewood Drive to Lucas and Jessicah Lahitou for $368,000. Delmont Vincent Benaquista sold property at 578 Monticello Drive to Joen and Jennifer Vasquez for $210,000. Forest Hills Umberto Liberati sold property at 318 Ave. A to Winfred Gyambiby for $90,000. Estate of Oriente...
Breaking down the 2020 WPIAL football playoffs
Here’s a class-by-class breakdown of the WPIAL football playoff brackets: Class 6A Favorite: North Allegheny was the only undefeated team in WPIAL Class 6A this season, but the Tigers did miss three conference matchups because of covid-19 shutdowns by opponents. That included a Week 1 matchup with Seneca Valley that...
Penn-Trafford girls soccer team plays through challenging season
It has been a challenging and unusual season for the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team. The team was hit hard by graduation, they were placed in a different section, they have a new coach, and they had to deal with a pandemic. Penn-Trafford finished the regular season with a 5-5-2 record...
Penn-Trafford scores every which way, routs Franklin RegionalVideo
Penn-Trafford won’t be recognized as a conference champion but the Warriors sure played like one in their regular-season finale. And these Warriors showed what they can do with a full week of practice. Fourth-ranked Penn-Trafford did a little of everything, executing offensively, defensively and on special teams, on the way...
