Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 70
Westmoreland County schools could face difficult closure decisions as coronavirus risk remains high
Westmoreland County school districts face difficult choices as the county’s coronavirus transmission risk is expected to remain “substantial” for at least another week when the state updates its three-tiered Early Warning Monitoring System. Leaders will need to weigh student safety and legal liability as they decide whether to close schools...
Dollar General opens new location in Penn Township
Dollar General opened a new store in Penn Township, along Harrison City-Export Road. The 9,000-square-foot store is located near the Penn Crossing shopping plaza. “Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” spokeswoman Mary...
Westmoreland County: Almost 70,000 mail-in ballots approved
The Ohio company processing mail-in ballots for Westmoreland County has sent more than 64,000 to the post office and is up-to-date with its processing, a county election official said Thursday. Midwest Direct of Cleveland, which prints and mails the ballots, handled 64,604 ballots as of Tuesday, with an additional 3,800...
Westmoreland County says mail-in ballot backlog cleared
Westmoreland County officials reported all but about 4,100 requested mail-in ballots have been sent to voters. The county elections bureau said as of Wednesday morning, more than 64,600 ballots were mailed, clearing a backlog of requests caused by delays at the Cleveland company hired to print and mail them. “The...
State rejects Westmoreland plan to eliminate Penn Township district court
The state Supreme Court has rejected a Westmoreland County plan to shutter a district magistrate office in Penn Township, officials said. County court leaders this summer pitched a redistricting plan to the state’s high court that called for elimination of two magistrates, one that temporarily closed this spring in Mt....
Westmoreland sheriff wants deputies to patrol polling places on Election Day, in case needed
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert on Tuesday said he will assign deputies to patrol near the county’s 307 polling locations on Election Day. The first-term sheriff said he has received no specific information about threats but he wants deputies at the ready should disturbances or calls of voter intimidation arise...
Penn-Trafford High School to remain open despite new coronavirus cases
Penn-Trafford High School will remain open despite three recent coronavirus cases among students and one involving a staff member, according to Superintendent Matthew Harris. Two of the student cases were reported on Monday, while the other cases were reported on Tuesday. That bring the school’s total in October to nine...
Westmoreland prison, manor register additional coronavirus cases
An additional seven guards and nine inmates have tested positive for coronavirus at the Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield, bringing the total to 11 guards and 45 inmates. The courts have halted transfer of inmates to the courthouse in Greensburg, according to county Solicitor Melissa Guiddy. “All inmates will appear...
More ballot delays in Westmoreland County
More delays in the mailing of ballots to Westmoreland voters ahead of the Nov. 3 general election could prompt county commissioners to take back control over the process that was shipped out-of-state last month. Commissioner Sean Kertes said Monday internal discussions are underway to have elections bureau staff at the...
Westmoreland gets $3.4 million to remove lead paint, other hazards from low-income houses
Lead-based paint will be removed from more than 140 low-income homes in Westmoreland County using federal money. County officials said $3.4 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will pay for two new programs that will start by early summer to remediate the toxic substance...
Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Week 6
With a possible playoff berth in the balance, twice Upper St. Clair fell behind Moon by two touchdowns. However, Panthers fans had no fear because Ethan Dahlem was there. USC’s senior quarterback had a huge night and engineered multiple comebacks in Week 6, the last coming when he scored on...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors golfers come up short in semifinals
Penn-Trafford senior Alex Turowski shot a 1-under par 71 at the WPIAL Class AAA team semifinals, but it wasn’t enough help the team advance to the WPIAL team championship Oct. 15. The Warriors finished fourth, and the top three teams advanced. They had a score of 414 behind Central Catholic...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 18
Churchill Wayne Chung Wei Chang sold property at 61 Holland Road to Tadd and Jonna Morris for $225,000. Estate of Doris Fabrizi sold property at 762 Margaretta St. to Edward Werner for $8,000. Edgewood Girish Chavan sold property at 322 Dewey Ave. to Jessica Becker and Jacqueline Bialostozky for $355,000....
Penn-Trafford pulls away in second half, dusts Connellsville
No. 4 Penn-Trafford, idled by coronavirus-related issues for a week, found itself in a battle Friday with winless Connellsville through one half of a WPIAL Class 5A Big East football game before shaking off the rust and pulling away for a 64-28 thumping of the visiting Falcons. Ethan Carr passed...
Westmoreland County Halloween happenings
• Collinsburg: Collinsburg Volunteer Fire Company will host a free party for children 12 and younger from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the firehall, 514 Hickory Drive. Children must be accompanied by an adult. There will be a costume contest, food, drinks and prizes. • Export: The borough...
Penn-Trafford field hockey aiming for perfection
The Penn-Trafford field hockey team has won four consecutive WPIAL Class AA titles. Is a fifth in store in 2020? Coach Cindy Dutt thinks it could be. Penn-Trafford is unbeaten and has a shot at its first perfect regular season. After a five-day layoff because students at the high school...
5 things to watch in Week 6: Some WPIAL conferences may crown no champion
Some WPIAL football conferences may have no champion this season. The WPIAL announced this week that no conference champion would be recognized if canceled games could have changed the outcome. In the Class 2A Allegheny for example, Apollo-Ridge and Serra Catholic are both undefeated but their head-to-head matchup was canceled...
Westmoreland County approves drop box sites for mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County will have drop boxes at five regional sites before the Nov. 3 general election to help collect tens of thousands of expected mail-in ballots. Voters started to receive ballots this week, and as of Thursday, more than 51,600 were sent. Another 9,600 are in the queue to be...
Don’t kill that large mosquito: It’s just a crane fly looking for sex
They won’t bite you, but crane flies — which look like large mosquitos — are out in full force, reportedly covering a putting green at a Pittsburgh area golf course and maybe cavorting in your backyard. Yes, cavorting. With only two weeks to live as adults on the wing, some...
Live wires impede crash rescue efforts on Route 130 in Penn Township
First responders shut down part of Route 130 in Penn Township Wednesday night as they worked to free a person from a vehicle surrounded by live wires, according to Westmoreland County 911. The crash near the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road happened around 8:25 when the vehicle struck a power...
Sunrise Elementary School reports 5th coronavirus case
An additional staff member at Sunrise Elementary School in the Penn-Trafford School District has tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total count to five, the district announced Wednesday. No positive student cases have been reported. Sunrise closed Oct. 8. It will stick with its plan of reopening Oct. 22 despite...
Westmoreland 911 center has 2 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County’s 911 dispatching operations were split into two operational locations Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning after officials discovered two employees tested positive for coronavirus. Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said 911 operations were uninterrupted even as the county instituted mitigation efforts and implemented its emergency response plan to...
Westmoreland Cleanways adds 2nd household hazardous waste collection date
Due to overwhelming response, Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling Center announced this week it would hold two household hazardous waste collections this fall. In addition to the Oct. 24 collection, a second collection was added for Nov. 21. Ellen Keefe, executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization, said it took just...
Penn-Trafford High School to reopen despite increase in coronavirus cases
Penn-Trafford High School is set to reopen as planned on Wednesday despite an increase in coronavirus cases at the school from two to five. District Superintendent Matthew Harris reported Tuesday that three students at the high school had tested positive for the coronavirus, in addition to two other positive cases...
Westmoreland County to use $7.7 million to cope with coronavirus
Westmoreland commissioners on Tuesday earmarked more than $7.7 million in federal stimulus money to pay for staff salaries at the county jail and to purchase equipment needed to keep government operating amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The federal money is part of the $31.5 million allocated earlier this year from...
