Westmoreland category, Page 161
Derry Area hires alumna to fill vacant elementary principal role
A Derry Area graduate is set to return to the school district to take on leadership of its elementary school. The school board on Thursday hired Milissa McLain to fill the vacant position of elementary principal. A member of the Derry Area Class of 1998, she’ll head the administrative staff...
Case involving Westmoreland register of wills raises unusual legal issues, expert says
Westmoreland County’s register of wills could face a potential jail sentence if found in contempt of court for violating two judicial orders that mandate improvements in the operations of her office. It’s a finding rarely made in Pennsylvania, especially against elected officials, according to legal expert Bruce Antkowiak. “This is...
Paranormal enthusiasts attend annual UFO conference in Hempfield
Lisa Fyke of Monroeville can recall her mother’s stories about paranormal things she’d experienced growing up in Braddock. “When I was going downstairs once, I saw a man in a yellow raincoat,” Fyke said. “When I went and told my dad and we came back, of course, he was gone.”...
Norwin Lions to present murder mystery theater
Fans of murder mysteries can have dinner and be entertained at the Norwin Lions’ “Death and Taxes” show April 20 at the Circleville Fire Department’s social hall. The show is at 5:30 p.m. at 129 Robbins Station Road, North Huntingdon. Tickets are $50 per person, which covers the admission to...
Norwin students plan dinner for senior citizens, signup deadline is Wednesday
Norwin senior citizens can enjoy a free meal and entertainment April 21 at Norwin Senior High School, McMahon Avenue, North Huntingdon, courtesy of the Norwin Student Council. The meal for Norwin residents age 55 and older will be held from 1 to 3:30 pm. The theme of the event is...
Murrysville pizza restaurant on sale for $1.75 million
A Murrysville pizza restaurant that opened in 2020 along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail is up for sale. And where many restaurants go up for sale when times are tough, one of Ginny’s owners said their situation is the opposite. “It’s almost too busy,” said Chris Juricich. “We have four other...
Muons will take center stage for Saint Vincent students studying eclipse
While people gather at Saint Vincent College Monday to watch the solar eclipse, a group of students from the college will be watching for muons. A group of about 15 students from the Unity campus will drive north Monday morning to Erie’s St. Mark’s Seminary, where they’ll witness the eclipse’s...
Westmoreland flood damage may not be bad enough for disaster declaration
As bad as the flood was for some Westmoreland County residents whose appliances, furnaces and other items in their basements were ruined by flood waters Wednesday, the losses may not rise to the level needed to be declared a disaster, which releases government aid, a county official said Friday. “Westmoreland...
West Newton heart transplant recipient honored at Donate Life Month ceremony
Madison resident Darcy Franicola regularly volunteers to help the Madison Volunteer Fire Company. She keeps active with her church, tends her garden and was able to go on vacation to Myrtle Beach in 2021. She’s been able to stay busy, stay involved, give back to her community — and stay...
Judge: New Florence woman competent to stand trial in mother’s killing
A New Florence woman charged along with two men in connection with her mother’s homicide last year is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled. Police say Melissa Fox-Beacom, 50, enlisted two 18-year-old men, including her daughter’s boyfriend, to kill her mother on Dec. 11. According to police, 71-year-old Alice...
Former Westmoreland prison guard will serve time for role in inmate assault
A former Westmoreland County Prison guard was ordered to serve time in the facility where he once worked. Brian Joseph Prinkey, 27, of Connellsville was sentenced Friday to serve 10 days to 23 months behind bars at the county lockup for his role in the assault of an inmate there...
‘Meaningful, beautiful and significant’: Community honors victims of Jeannette fire at memorial service
Dozens of people shuffled past bright floral arrangements and poster boards adorned with family photos at Word of Life Church in Hempfield Friday. Couples squeezed each other’s hands, and parents held their children tightly next to them as they waited to share condolences and hugs with members of the Miranda...
Franklin Regional set to host public health, wellness fair
The Franklin Regional School District has a health services department. But when district officials began discussing ideas for a health and wellness fair, they decided to expand beyond the student body. The district’s April 29 community health fair will be open to the public, bringing more than 40 local health...
High waters cast doubt on trout season opener
It’s called “fishing” not “catching.” And that’s what anglers heading out for the state’s trout season opening day Saturday might be facing. Eager anglers likely will encounter muddy, fast-moving streams swollen from the massive rainfall that began late Monday and lingered into Thursday. The National Weather Service office in Moon...
Former East Huntingdon plant workers left with $40K in medical bills despite judge’s order
Former workers of a shuttered East Huntingdon metalworking company are waiting for the firm’s owner to pay about $40,000 in overdue medical bills incurred after they found out they were without insurance. U.S. Judge Robert Colville ordered Robert H. Kendi, president of the Ken-Co Fabricating Co. Inc., to “immediately pay”...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: April 5 – 7
There’s a healthy mix of indoor and outdoor family-friendly activities this weekend in Westmoreland County. Win For Kids’ Cash Bash Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region will host its annual cash bash fundraiser Saturday night at Uniontown Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall, 58 Dunbar St. With doors opening...
3rd generation Norvelt native will present town’s New Deal history
When word began circulating in the early 1930s that the government was creating a 250-lot New Deal community in Westmoreland County, some politicians and members of the region’s upper crust couldn’t understand it. “They didn’t see why the government was doing this for these coal miners, who they didn’t think...
Following heavy rain, Conemaugh River Lake crest gates opened for 1st time since 2010
The recent rainfall that has caused flooding across the Pittsburgh region filled the Conemaugh River Lake to 74% of its capacity. To bring the lake’s level down, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started opening the dam’s crest gates Thursday, said Megan Gottlieb, water management lead engineer. It’s the first...
Too familiar: Residents near creeks, streams begin flood cleanup
Pamela Courie reached her breaking point Thursday when it began raining again. She and her husband spent hours tearing apart and throwing away flood-damaged pieces of their Lowber home after Sewickley Creek overflowed its banks Wednesday and came rushing in. “I want to move. I’m too sick to do this....
1 sent to hospital after excavator falls on cars in Unity
At least one motorist was taken to a local hospital to be checked out after an excavator slipped off a trailer and onto two cars Wednesday afternoon in Unity. No major injuries were reported in the crash that happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. at Route 981 and Monastery Drive. The...
Westmoreland municipal authority says rains pump 2 billion gallons into Beaver Run Reservoir
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials prayed for rain as drought conditions caused water levels to significantly fall off at the start of 2024 and triggered a mandatory water conservation order for customers. Prayers answered. Rains over the last three days have caused water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir...
Lincoln Highway program focuses on Hill District’s pioneering ambulance service
Those who visit Unity’s Lincoln Highway Experience museum Saturday can learn about a groundbreaking ambulance service that started in 1967 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. North Huntingdon resident Andrew Blenko will offer the presentation “Freedom House Ambulance Service: A Lincoln Highway Pioneer” at 1 p.m. The cost is $5 per person,...
Former Arnold resident receives prison sentence for drug dealing
A man was sentenced to state prison in connection with an Arnold-based drug trafficking ring authorities said operated in the Pittsburgh region. Michael Terrance Scott, 48, of Parma, Ohio, entered a general plea March 26 to charges of corrupt organizations and possession with intent to deliver. Several other counts were...
Murrysville council approves auto-body shop that has drawn neighbors’ anger
Dayne Dice summed up the unenviable position where he and his fellow Murrysville council members found themselves Wednesday night as they approved a proposal for an auto-body shop that has drawn the ire of hundreds of neighbors. “To me, voting ‘no’ tonight would feel really good but would not be...
Murrysville sportsmen’s group brings back annual youth fishing derby
The Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville is bringing back its youth fishing tournament after a four-year hiatus. The 2024 SLAM Youth Fishing Derby will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18 along Haymaker’s Run in front of the Franklin Regional Intermediate School in Murrysville. “Right after the...
