Westmoreland category, Page 176
Greensburg council approves city workers as volunteer firefighters to respond to daytime calls
Greensburg council has made it easier for city workers who are volunteer firefighters to respond to emergency daytime calls. Council approved a resolution Monday to permit volunteer firefighters who work city jobs to answer fire calls during the regular workday. In Greensburg, 10 of the 15 public works employees are...
New Latrobe police captain is retired state trooper, liaison to school district police force
Latrobe has expanded its police force to include a new captain position and has turned to a nine-year veteran of the department to take on the role. Rob Daerr, who has served as the city’s liaison to the Greater Latrobe School District police force, will be promoted to captain effective...
Rock star: Lab-grown diamonds are skyrocketing in popularity, say local jewelers, industry experts
When Sandee Vargo lost one of her diamond earrings two years ago, she turned that sinking feeling into an opportunity to try something new. Her remaining one-third carat stud earring was a natural diamond, mined from the ground. But Vargo of North Huntingdon became interested in another option for her...
As architect for Hempfield Area High School project resigns, district looks for new firm
Hempfield Area School District is looking for a new architect to work on its high school improvement project after the Bellevue-based firm that worked with the district since 2022 resigned. The school board Monday approved the resignation of Core Architects and approved seeking other architecture firms to work on the...
Demolition underway at Mt. Pleasant’s fire-gutted McCali Manor; owner regrouping for arts program
A landmark building soon will be gone from Mt. Pleasant Borough’s diamond. Minniefield Demolition Services has begun to raze the historic McCali Manor building that last housed apartments and a former restaurant at Main and Diamond streets. Part of the building is said to date to before the American Revolution,...
Winning Match 6 Lotto ticket sold in Monessen
Someone is $1.4 million richer — minus taxes — after buying what turned out to be Saturday’s winning Pennsylvania Lottery Match 6 Lotto ticket at the Par Mar store in Monessen, the Pennsylvania Lottery said. The winner’s Match 6 Lotto ticket matched all six winning numbers — 8-12-22-25-28-29. The Par...
South Huntingdon family seeks donations after losing everything in fire
Friends, family and community members have been rallying around the Comer family since their South Huntingdon home was destroyed in a fire last week, according to their niece, Mandy Comer. The home held great memories for the family. “They hosted a lot of our family events … we’ve spent a...
‘I don’t love you,’ daughter tells Apollo father convicted of mother’s murder
Emily Steele told her father that she and her surviving family no longer want to have any relationship with him following his conviction for the first-degree murder of her mother. Steele, 20, sat in the witness chair Monday and directed her father, seated just feet away in a blue prison-issued...
Monessen woman, 2 men plead guilty to animal cruelty
A Monessen woman and two men will serve probation sentences for the mistreatment of more than 60 animals. Charolette Fiem, 49, pleaded guilty Monday to 20 charges including five felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Ryan Fiem, 44, and Christopher Conaway, 33, pleaded guilty to 16 misdemeanor and summary...
Trio charged in North Huntingdon thefts
Two men and a woman were arrested last week and jailed on North Huntingdon police accusations that they broke into a township home and stole $18,000 worth of items, according to court papers. Andrew Mark Bimbo, 34, who has Blairsville and Pittsburgh addresses; Anthony J. Sinatra Jr., 27; and Franki...
State police force South Huntingdon man off road after 15-mile chase
A South Huntingdon man was arrested Saturday night at the end of a 15-mile police chase through several communities, according to court papers. Troopers said they believe Ridge L. Teeters, 18, was impaired by drugs. State police encountered a Chevrolet Cobalt that was traveling 90 mph in a 55 mph...
Mt. Pleasant, Yough host fundraisers for family of late referee
Referee Mike Roebuck was the kind of person a coach wants their athletes to be around, said Mt. Pleasant Area High School basketball coach Annie Malkowiak. Roebuck, 45, of New Stanton was officiating a junior varsity basketball game between Mt. Pleasant and Yough when he collapsed and later died at...
Looking for a logistical nightmare? Try to get rid of a piano
Getting into the piano business is a heavy decision. While that’s a bit of a bad pun, it’s also the truth. Piano dealers mostly have their own infrastructure in place to deal with one of the world’s heaviest instruments. But for people who have a piano and don’t want it...
8 streets to be paved as part of Jeannette paving plan for 2024
Eight Jeannette streets are set to be upgraded in 2024. City council on Thursday accepted a $297,000 bid from W.D. Wright Contracting of Beaver for the annual street paving project. City engineer Ed Antonacci said nine contractors expressed interest in taking on the project, a first in his career. “They...
Starbucks moving into former Boulevard location in Salem
Commuters on Route 22 will have another spot to grab their morning coffee later this year, with a Starbucks moving into the former Boulevard Restaurant location at the Hollywood Square shopping Center in Salem. “It’s going to be a drive-thru plus café,” said Jeff Paul, who owns the building which...
Annual fish fry season returns
The following are fish fry fundraisers scheduled to begin in the region. Allegheny County • Christ the Divine Shepherd, 245 Azalea Drive, Monroeville; 4:30-7 p.m. Feb. 16 and 23; March 1, 8, 15 and 22. CDSfishfry.org. • Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy, 205 Brilliant Ave., Aspinwall; 11 a.m. to...
Western Pa. casinos ready for Super Bowl influx, wagers on Chiefs win
Dave Bilsky is a Steelers fan, but come Sunday evening, you can bet he’ll be pulling for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll have plenty of company locally. Bilsky, 51, of Belle Vernon is among myriad local gamblers putting money on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. “One thing that we’ve...
Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library hosts first vendor show, highlights local art, food
Jamie Keys likes to hang out in downtown Greensburg with friend and fellow art therapy student Olivia Andazola. The two second-year Seton Hill graduate students walked less than 10 minutes from their Greensburg apartment to participate in The Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library’s first vendor show. Keys brought original prints and trading...
‘I want them to express themselves’: Level Green parent launches Lego club
Keith Harmon estimates he has more than 200 pounds of Lego bricks in his Penn Township home. “There’s not a lot of room to move,” Harmon joked. “I have Lego stuff pretty much anywhere you can imagine.” Harmon, parent to a first grade student at Level Green Elementary, started a...
Mt. Pleasant, Franklin Regional, Butler seniors score scholarships in annual Saint Vincent competition
High school senior Eli Duvall’s post-secondary plans recently got a boost when he learned he’d earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Saint Vincent College in Unity. Duvall, who attends Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High, has been awarded a scholarship covering four years of tuition, room and board, as the top...
Logan Elementary benefits 100 students with gift drive, aims to continue support
The annual gift drive at Logan Elementary School in North Versailles helped bring a happy holiday to about 100 of the school’s students. The students received a backpack holding a wrapped gift, a hoodie and an essential item, such as clothing or hygiene products. The backpacks were left on students’...
Tuition hike contemplated after county cuts funding to WCCC
A tuition increase could be in store for Westmoreland County Community College students this fall after a $1 million cut in funding from the county, the school’s board of trustees chairman said Friday. “As of now we don’t want to raise tuition, but everything is on the table,” said board...
Penn Township board will visit proposed natural gas compressor site
Penn Township Zoning Hearing Board members will take a road trip to the site proposed for a natural gas compressor station. Before it makes a decision on the request for a permit, the five-member board unanimously agreed to visit the rural site along Wilderness Road near the Murrysville border. Protect...
Unity couple found not guilty in retrial concerning sexual assault allegations of teen accuser
A Unity couple said the words uttered in court at the conclusion of their weeklong trial was what they waited nine years to hear. Bruce Palmer collapsed into the arms of his wife and audibly sobbed as the jury foreman read they were not guilty to charges of sexual assault...
McKee Elementary counts Taylor Swift among its valentines, but it still needs one from Rhode Island
The mysterious package arrived at McKee Elementary School in Jeannette on Wednesday. The return address was Nashville. It contained a 7-foot-tall cardboard cutout of musician Taylor Swift. A Hallmark card inside was addressed to a student with the same first name. One more thing — a red scrawl in the...
