Westmoreland category, Page 152
PennDOT set to start roundabout-related work in Mt. Pleasant, Allegheny townships
PennDOT officials announced the following road work and related closures: • A portion of Hecla Road between Aster Road and Mt. Pleasant Road will closed beginning May 13, as work crews complete the new Route 981 and Hecla Road approach to the roundabout. The work is part of the $55.2...
Tornadoes confirmed overnight in Ligonier area, Findlay Township
The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado passed through Derry and Ligonier townships early Wednesday, damaging trees, while another touched down briefly in Allegheny County, tearing off a roof. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist at the NWS Pittsburgh office, said the EF1 tornado in the Ligonier area generated gusts...
Hempfield Area student’s art exhibit focuses on family, culture
When Hempfield Area senior Emily Flores’ grandmother died in 2022, she wanted to find a way to honor her memory. “(Her death) really dug deep into my heart,” said Flores, 18. “I really thought about my childhood with her, and about my culture, and I wanted to take her with...
Morning Roundup: Lightning may have started Unity fire; Carnegie deals with flooding
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 8: Lightning may have started Unity fire Firefighters were on the scene at a house fire early Wednesday morning in Unity for about two and a half hours, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. According to TribLive news...
Defense claims vehicle condition, not drug use, caused fatal Hempfield crash
An hour before a deadly head-on car crash along Arona Road in Hempfield, school secretary Nannette Riles knew something was wrong. Riles confronted Ahna L. Malik as she dropped off her young daughter at H.W. Good Elementary School in Herminie on March 7, 2022. Moments after Malik drove off, Riles...
Judges find Westmoreland register of wills in contempt of court
Westmoreland County’s embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton faces a potential jail sentence for failing to comply with multiple court orders from two judges. Common Pleas Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Jim Silvis on Tuesday found Hamilton in direct criminal contempt on three counts: disobedience or neglect by an...
Volunteers needed to raise flags in memory of West Newton veterans
Volunteers are needed Saturday morning in West Newton to help raise nearly 400 flags in honor of local deceased veterans. Now in its 30th year, the West Newton Avenue of Flags display will be on view until June 1 at the West Newton Cemetery, 210 Vernon Drive. The nonprofit program...
Ambulance stationed in Jeannette again, at least temporarily
An ambulance is once again stationed in Jeannette, at least temporarily. A Mutual Aid EMS ambulance has been based out of city hall and the fire station for about nine days. Its previous home in that part of the county — the old Rescue 14 ambulance station on Edna Road...
Greensburg council to vote on body-worn camera grant, event approval process
Greensburg is expected to outfit its police force with its first set of body-worn cameras. City council will vote next week to accept a $140,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to purchase 27 body-worn cameras — one for each of its police officers, said Chief...
Hempfield: Demolition plans advancing for former state prison
Nearly a year after purchasing the SCI Greensburg property, Hempfield is securing funding and establishing a timeline on demolition of the former state prison. “We are basically wrapping up demolition plans currently,” township manager Aaron Siko said. The 350,000-square-foot prison was built to hold 900 inmates and employed about 360...
Greensburg woman stopped with loaded firearm at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint
A Greensburg woman is accused of attempting to make it through a security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport with a loaded gun, Transportation Security Administration officers said. The 9mm handgun was loaded six bullets and had one bullet in the chamber when it was discovered Friday. Officials said it was...
New Kensington cook wins Democratic primary to run for state House seat
Nearly 9,200 write-in votes were cast by Westmoreland County voters in last month’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the county elections board is expected to issue a preliminary certification of results on Tuesday. Those results will include a victory for one candidate who did not...
Demolition of former Jeannette brewery topic of meeting at city hall
A public meeting regarding the demolition of the former Fort Pitt Brewery is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Jeannette City Hall. County officials will review what residents can expect during the demolition, which could start this summer, and answer their questions, as well as hear ideas about the potential...
SUV crash closes Westmoreland City post office; operations shift to Manor facility
The Westmoreland City Post Office was closed until further notice Monday after an SUV crashed into it. North Huntingdon Township building inspector Tom McGuire said the SUV damaged a load-bearing wall that faces the parking lot. “The building’s going to be condemned until it’s repaired,” he said. That is a...
Greensburg YMCA extends management deal with Pittsburgh branch
The search for new leadership of the Greensburg YMCA will be suspended until at least next year as officials continue efforts to strengthen the financial health and operational structure at the downtown facility. Board president Sydney Beeler confirmed this week that an agreement with the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA to serve...
Museums in Ligonier Valley draw hundreds on day of free admission
Free admission was a good incentive Sunday for some to learn more about the history of where they live. “We decided to check out our backyard,” said Kathy Vargo while standing in the shade outside Fort Ligonier. She lives in Hempfield but was spending a couple days with her husband,...
Wet spring greets seasonal hunt for disease-bearing mosquitoes, ticks
Beginning Monday, Chrissy Edwards-McCune will be out and about in Westmoreland County — setting traps to collect mosquitoes that might be infected with diseases and could bite humans and make them sick. “I’ll set traps at about 30 sites each week,” said Edwards-McCune, who is a West Nile virus technician...
Westmoreland happenings: Diaper drive, bus trip, 80’s party, more
Art • Greensburg Art Center will sponsor a bus trip June 11 to the Cleveland Museum of Art. The current exhibit is, “Africa and Byzantium.” Cost: $65, includes transportation and museum admission. The bus will leave at 8:30 a.m. from the center in Hempfield. It will leave the Cleveland museum...
A look at 18th century living: Historic Hanna’s Town opens for the season
Historic Hanna’s Town opened for the season Saturday with living history displays about what life was like in the 18th century. The Revolutionary War-era site in Hempfield was established in 1773 as the first seat of government in Westmoreland County. There are several log structures, a fortress and an education...
Derry Area School Board holds tax line for 2024-2025, eyes $1.2 M in capital projects
Derry Area residents will see their school property taxes hold steady for the fourth year in a row under the district’s tentative $43.4 million 2024-25 budget. Approved at this past week’s school board meeting, the proposed budget calls for tapping the district’s fund balance to cover a $2.1 million gap...
Unity teen leads way as Greater Latrobe Senior High grows aviation course offerings, partnerships
Brayden Johnson soon will be taking off into the world of post-secondary studies, as he hopes to land a job as a commercial airline pilot. The senior at Greater Latrobe Senior High has a head start because he did initial flight training at the nearby Laurel Highlands Aeronautical Academy at...
Pressure cooking: Teams vie for top chef honors in inaugural competition at WCCC
The three members of the Sizzle Squad combined all the right ingredients to pull off a win in Westmoreland County Community College’s inaugural culinary competition. Brittany Martin of Belle Vernon drew upon her previous experience working in a restaurant and her love of food-based TV reality shows as she led...
A growing concern: Greensburg Garden Center’s May Mart
Carol Martinek is focusing on sprucing up her Cheswick backyard this year. She picked up a few flowering plants at the Greensburg Garden Center & Civic Center’s May Mart on Saturday to put toward the project. Among her purchases were candytuft, cranesbill geranium and the tiny blue flowers of forget-me-nots,...
PennDOT paving to begin Monday on 2 routes on outskirts of Greensburg
PennDOT paving work is scheduled to be underway beginning on Monday, May 6 on the outskirts of Greensburg, simultaneously restricting traffic for several days on two routes providing access to the city from the east. Depending on weather, crews from Tresco Paving Corp. are set to begin milling and resurfacing...
Greensburg officials mum on ex-police officer’s pension after guilty plea in drug case
Retired city police Officer Regina McAtee collected at least $46,280 in pension payments before admitting her role in a methamphetamine distribution operation with the disgraced former Greensburg police chief. Now that McAtee, 51, of New Kensington pleaded guilty in federal court this week to engaging in a drug conspiracy, it’s...
