Westmoreland category, Page 165
Latrobe, Irwin churches plan Last Supper reenactments
Churches in Latrobe and Irwin will be performing reenactments of The Last Supper during Holy Week. A living tableau depicting the final supper and evening of Jesus Christ’s life on earth will be performed by 12 men of the Latrobe Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. March 28 in the church...
Hotter, quicker, more toxic: Varied construction methods, modern materials change the rules of firefighting
Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Bell can remember watching an informational film early in his training that emphasized the importance of escaping a fire in the first five minutes. Now, he says, people have closer to three minutes to get out of a burning home safely. “It’s a new...
4 Westmoreland athletes will represent U.S. at junior world kickboxing championship in Hungary
Xander Eddy’s friends at Norwin High School don’tbelieve him when he talks about the eight national and world kickboxing titles he holds. Eddy, 15, a sophomore at Norwin, started kickboxing when he was 4 years old. He dedicates 15 to 20 hours per week to training with his teammates, conditioning...
Pitt-Greensburg math professor wins national award for algebra textbook
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg math professor Kayla Heffernan won a national award for creating a college algebra textbook that uses a teaching method called guided inquiry. But Heffernan, 33, of Hunker, finds more value in the impact her work has had on students. The POGIL Project is a nonprofit...
Former Greensburg Salem high school principal honored by Pa. House of Representatives
Recently retired former Greensburg Salem Principal David Zilli was surprised with an honor from the state House of Representatives. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, presented Zilli with a citation commemorating his 35 years in education and 15 years as principal of Greensburg Salem High School at this month’s school board...
Pysanky crafters’ colorful eggs help preserve Eastern European tradition
They’re not your ordinary dyed Easter eggs. About a dozen crafters, many of them novices, came to Greensburg on Saturday to try their hands at turning white eggshells into intricately designed, multi-colored orbs of art by practicing the Eastern European tradition of pysanky. “For me, it’s a way of connecting...
Primary ballots to be mailed out starting next week
Voters can start using mail-in ballots next week, Westmoreland County election officials said. Pennsylvania primary is April 23, but mail-in ballots will be available at the courthouse starting Monday, March 25. Voters who already requested mail-in ballots could see them arrive in their mail boxes starting the following Monday, April...
‘Complex and intensive investigation’ underway into deadly Jeannette fire, investigator says
An investigation into the cause of the deadly fire this week in Jeannette could take weeks, the fire investigator said. Four children and their father were killed in the blaze early Wednesday that destroyed their two-story Guy Street home and badly damaged a neighbor’s house. “It’s a complex and intensive...
Owner appeals city condemnation of bug-infested Latrobe apartment building
The owner of a downtown Latrobe apartment building has appealed the city’s March 8 condemnation of the six-story apartment building officials say is infested with bugs. Meanwhile, city officials said most of the tenants at 333 Main St. had made arrangements to live elsewhere by Friday, March 22, the deadline...
Ray Shetler, acquitted of murder in 2015 police officer’s killing, sentenced for parole violations
A former New Florence man acquitted of murder in the 2015 shooting of a St. Clair police officer will be eligible for parole in just over two months under a new sentence imposed Friday. Ray A. Shetler Jr., 39, of Saltsburg, was given a 5-year sentence for violating probation, but...
State police investigate theft from Smithton worship leader’s wallet
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the theft of credit cards from a wallet at a Smithton church. The theft was reported March 10, when a man discovered his credit cards were missing after he returned from taking part in the Sunday service at Hope Memorial Lutheran Church in Smithton, police...
Youngstown-Whitney firefighters set to debut new pumper engine with improved features
Youngstown-Whitney Volunteer Fire Department is looking for a buyer for its 1993 pumper engine. That’s because the firefighters this month took delivery of an updated replacement for that primary vehicle they roll out of the Main Street station in Youngstown when they respond to a fire. Department officials hope to...
Westmoreland happenings: Lenten luncheon, gardening seminar, bingo, more
Arts • Westmoreland Performing Arts Professional Theatre Company will present the classic rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” at 7:30 p.m. March 29 and 30 at the Palace Theatre, Greensburg. Tickets: 724-836-8000 or palacetheatre.org. Church News • Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 140 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg, will host a Lenten luncheon...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: March 22-24
With the temperature slowly creeping into the 50s, there are plenty of options for outdoor and indoor activities this weekend in Westmoreland County. Art installation On Saturday, the Westmoreland Cultural Trust is collaborating with Olde Towne Overhaul and New Ken Downtown Partnership to unveil its 13th pair of wings at...
Fort Ligonier bestows awards on miniature model makers
The young creators of three miniature forts came home from Fort Ligonier with prizes this month. Through the Model Fort Contest at Fort Ligonier, area students worked to build miniature models of forts to be graded and judged by museum officials and guests. The models were limited to 2 feet...
Family, neighbors, community come together for Jeannette fire victims, survivors
On Thursday morning, Richard John got what he said was the best phone call of his life. “I talked to my grandson,” John said. “He couldn’t talk, but just to see him. I haven’t seen any of them since the fire.” It was the first time John had been able...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to sex assault of teen
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to 12 years in prison for the sexual assault of a teenage girl. Michael Flowers, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse related a sexual encounter with a then 13-year-old girl in 2017. According to court...
Terrelle Pryor sells Penn Township home for more than $400K
Former Jeannette High School football and basketball star Terrelle Pryor has sold his home in Penn Township for $412,500, according to filing with the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds. Pryor, 34 sold his home at 6001 Augusta Lane in the Blackthorne Estates plan to Kowshik Morishetty and his wife, Sai...
Sheetz seeks to dismiss lawsuit filed by Perryopolis victim’s family for fatal head-on crash
Lawyers for Altoona-based Sheetz Inc. have asked a Westmoreland County judge to dismiss the company from a wrongful death lawsuit related to a 2022 fatal crash on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon. The family of 25-year-old David Ott of Perryopolis filed a lawsuit months after he was killed in a...
Western Pennsylvania students learn about manufacturing through video contest
Bella Paulone and her eighth-grade classmate Alishba Raja didn’t have much of a frame of reference for what modern manufacturing looks like. “Before this, we’d have thought it was just a bunch of factory workers picking things up, assembling them and putting them down,” said Raja, 13, of Murrysville. Thanks...
Murrysville council works to refine voluntary conditions for proposed auto-body shop
Murrysville council members continued to work through a list of voluntary conditions for a national auto-body chain looking to build a shop just east of the Manordale Farms neighborhood. Over the past few months, council members have had to strike a balance between the private property rights of Caliber Collision,...
Sheetz seeking 800 employees for Pennsylvania stores
Convenience store chain Sheetz Inc. is competing with other stores, restaurants and businesses that are looking to add to their workforce, only it is hoping to attract about 800 employees for its more than 300 stores across the state, the company said Thursday. Sheetz said it will have a hiring...
Irwin reviews plans for event center expansion
Developers plan to expand the restaurant at the former Antonelli Event Center in Irwin with an enclosure of what had been an open air seating area and the addition of a new outdoor patio. The proposed changes were presented to the Irwin Planning Commission. The project will encompass 1,620 square...
Hydrants, waterlines questioned in wake of fatal Jeannette blaze
Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye said the city’s aging waterlines impacted firefighters’ ability to extinguish an overnight blaze that killed a father and his four young children in a Guy Street home. Both Frye and Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials confirmed Wednesday a 6-inch water line feeds into the...
Prayer vigil offers comfort to family of Jeannette fire victims
Delena Lewis ached as she listened to prayers swirl around in the wind outside Jeannette City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. The devastation was fresh — her son Tyler J. King, 27, and four grandchildren, Kyson, 7, Kinzleigh, 6, Keagan, 3, and Korbyn, 1 month, were killed hours earlier in a...
