Westmoreland category, Page 118
As drug overdose rates rise, Saint Vincent organization talks prevention and awareness with Westmoreland families
Good kids can sometimes make stupid choices. That’s what Laurie Moorhead tells the families she meets while giving drug prevention presentations in schools across Westmoreland County. Moorhead has spent a decade working for Saint Vincent Prevention Projects. Since 1978, the organization — affiliated with Saint Vincent College in Unity —...
Gilded Manos engraving revealed after 15 coats of paint stripped from Palace Theatre ticket booth
The intricate, decorative details of The Palace Theatre ticket booth were lost to 10 decades and 15 coats of paint. But now that the layers have been scraped away as part of a large restoration project in preparation for the Greensburg theater’s 100th anniversary, the old-time grandeur is visible once...
Youngwood centennial time capsule yields mystery VHS, sparks school memories
The first step will be finding a working VHS player. Then the question is: Will the 25-year-old videocassette still play? Most of the items pulled Friday from Youngwood’s 1999 centennial time capsule were souvenirs from that celebration or from earlier town milestones. Some paper items, including a centennial cookbook, were...
OSHA to probe fatal Hempfield tractor accident
Federal workplace safety regulators will investigate the fatal accident that killed a man driving a tractor that overturned into a creek at a Hempfield nursery on Thursday, an agency spokeswoman said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will conduct the investigation into the death of Clifford E. Schweinsburg Jr., 79,...
Crews work to clean up hydrochloric acid spill on Toll 66
A southbound lane restriction was in place Friday afternoon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Toll 66 Amos K. Hutchinson bypass as emergency crews worked to mop up a hazardous material leak. Minor slowdowns were reported in traffic getting by the closed right lane near mile marker 7, between Routes 130 and...
Latrobe Italian Festival returns with parade, food, music ranging from rock to opera
A new diverse mix of musical entertainment and food is slated for the third annual Latrobe Italian Festival, returning this weekend to the city’s First Ward neighborhood. Organized by Michael Ciotti, owner of 512 Coffee and Ice Cream, and his father, Paul, the festival will offer more than 50 food...
Duo sentenced to 4 to 10 years in 2023 Latrobe machete attack
Two men were sentenced to identical state prison terms Friday in connection with a Latrobe robbery during which one of them wielded a machete. Codi J. Barger, 30, and Marc A. Barger Jr., 34, both of Latrobe, were sentenced to four to 10 years in a state prison followed by...
Judge: 16-year-old Greensburg accused in violent armed robbery will be tried as an adult
A Westmoreland County judge ruled this week that a 16-year-old boy accused in what police described as a violent armed robbery will continue to be prosecuted in adult court. Judge Timothy Krieger wrote in a memorandum that Cayden Essway, 16, of Greensburg, seemed to be disingenuous and self-serving during brief...
Bids start at $100K for shuttered Jeannette Rite Aid
The former Rite Aid in Jeannette is up for auction later this month with a starting price of $100,000. City manager Ethan Keedy said he hopes that any bidder does their homework beforehand to know what kind of business the building could support and the condition it is in. He...
20 Westmoreland County employees among those attempting The Crucible hike from Seward to Ohiopyle
A group of 20 volunteers from Westmoreland County government will join family and friends on a 70-mile trek on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail to raise money for veterans. The hikers plan to participate Sept. 13 through 15 in The Crucible, a three-day event on the trail that starts near...
Chalfant woman accused of ramming vehicle twice on Route 30 in Greensburg
State police have an arrest warrant for an Allegheny County woman who is accused of ramming another motorist’s vehicle twice Thursday evening on Route 30 in Greensburg. The driver told investigators he believed the woman was trying to make him crash, according to court papers. Troopers charged Alyssa Catherine Cova,...
Fire that killed 5 members of Jeannette family remains under investigation, police chief says
A fire in Jeannette that killed five people earlier this year is still under investigation, Police Chief Derek Manley said Friday morning. State police fire marshal Trooper Chet Bell continues to work on his report to identify a cause in the March 20 blaze on Guy Street, Manley said. “We...
Veteran nonprofit hosts 7th annual Barbershop Throwdown in Greensburg
Jeric Fry has used the rigor and order of jiu-jitsu to find calm in his own life. He started the nonprofit Veteran Bushido Brotherhood to see if it could help fellow veterans to also work through trauma, difficulty or hard times. He showcased it for athletes across the region this...
‘Battle of Bushy Run’ screening aims to raise money for Battlefield Heritage Society
The story of the pivotal Bushy Run battle where British and colonial soldiers defeated native warriors, enabling them to end the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac’s War in August 1763, will hit the big screen locally Sunday, Sept. 15. “It’s a good tool to introduce new people to the...
Randy Bachman talks The Guess Who lawsuit resolution, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and ‘better days’
After years of legal wranglings over The Guess Who name, Randy Bachman is thrilled that it’s finally been resolved. The saga pitted Bachman and Burton Cummings, the band’s principal songwriters, against drummer Garry Peterson and bassist Jim Kale. It’s a complicated tale involving trademarks, accusations of tainting the group’s legacy,...
West Newton youth center to pilot workforce development program for 6 interns
Six interns will get experience introducing and operating a new food truck business as part of a yearlong workforce development program set to begin this fall. The program is being conducted through the Waypoint Youth and Community Center in West Newton. The Economic Discoveries and Growth through Experiential Education (EDGEE)...
Western Pa. districts split on students’ cellphones as schools across the country add device policies
When backpack-clad students returned to Allegheny Valley School District classrooms, many had cellphones in hand. That did not last for long. The district that once allowed teachers to determine how to handle cellphones in class cracked down at a board meeting earlier this month, requiring students to put their devices...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Sept. 6-8
How about some music? Or cats? Is it time for a good book? It’s the season for cozy interests to take over — and there are plenty of festivities to celebrate them this weekend around Westmoreland County. Summer concert series We didn’t see the total end of free summer concert...
Longtime Irwin art teacher enjoys camaraderie with students
Patricia Vaughn loves teaching others to paint. “I really enjoy the people. It’s the camaraderie. It’s fun watching them grow, year after year” said Vaughn of North Huntingdon, who has been a teacher at the Norwin Art League since 1977. Vaughn teaches classes three days a week in the cozy...
Former agent with the state AG’s Office accused of stealing $174K
A former agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office is accused of stealing $121,000 from the agency’s North Huntingdon office, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by Westmoreland County detectives. Brenda D. Sawyer, 61, of North Versailles also is accused of stealing $52,650 from the McKeesport branch of the...
79-year-old Hempfield man whose farm tractor overturned into a creek dies
A Hempfield Township man died late Thursday afternoon when a farm tractor he was using to mow grass overturned and fell into a creek, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Clifford E. Schweinsburg Jr., 79, was mowing grass in Hempfield along Township Line Run Creek — a tributary of...
Saint Vincent coverlet exhibit to spotlight bird patterns
Saint Vincent College’s Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery fall exhibit will open Thursday. An opening reception for “Flights of Fancy: A Menagerie of Handwoven Birds” will be held 4 to 6 p.m. on the ground floor of the Fred M. Rogers Center in Unity. The exhibit will run through...
Longtime Westmoreland croquet fundraiser will contend with sticky wickets one last time
When Ernie Vallozzi started Vallozzi’s Restaurant in 1980, his very first hire was Amy Dicesere. Neither knew at the time that they would not only spend their entire careers together, but also create one of the largest sanctioned croquet tournaments in the United States. That certification is relatively recent, but...
Greensburg settles on 5 projects to improve walking and cycling environment
Five priority projects to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Greensburg have been identified as part of an active transportation plan. But the improvements are likely years away. City council is expected to vote on the plan Monday, but some leg work, and funding, will be needed to put...
North Huntingdon vet, longtime ‘teacher’ recognized with lifetime achievement award
While other kids wanted to be a firefighter, a policeman or an astronaut when they were growing up, Dr. Harvey R. Bendix knew what he wanted to be when he was in grade school in the 1950s: a veterinarian. “I‘ve loved animals since I was in my late grade school...
