Westmoreland category, Page 180
Westmoreland happenings: Black History Month programs, bingos, omelet breakfast, more
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will host a window screen painting demonstration from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 4 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. Black History Month events • In honor of Black History Month, the Student PSEA group at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg...
Building empathy, understanding: Pitt Greensburg reading initiative sparks community discussion
When Sheila Confer finished reading “Rising Out of Hatred” by Eli Saslow, she wanted everyone to experience the book. Confer, an instructor for Pitt’s Greensburg campus, gathered about 400 students and 100 community members to read the book in 2022 through a program dubbed Westmoreland Reads. Saslow, a writer for...
East Huntingdon man wounded in encounter with police remains hospitalized, faces charges
State police filed charges Wednesday against an East Huntingdon man who was wounded in an encounter with troopers over the weekend. James R. Miller Jr., 61, was shot by state police Sunday. He is recovering in a hospital, according to his brother. Police charged Miller with discharging a firearm into...
Hempfield man accused of buying $38,200 worth of hunting gear with stolen checks
A Hempfield man is accused of using stolen checks to buy about $38,200 worth of hunting equipment, clothing, tires, antiques and other items over a three-year period. The purchases were made in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. William D. Barnhart, 55, of...
Westmoreland woman dead after crash in Somerset
A Westmoreland County woman was killed in a Somerset County crash Tuesday, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The Somerset County Coroner’s Office identified her as Kaitlynn Beatty, 20. She had addresses in Irwin and Mt. Pleasant, according to authorities. Troopers said Beatty was involved in a three-vehicle collision at 7:15...
Iconic Volkswagen ‘bug on a pole’ will remain at new Murrysville Auto Sales location
Michael Pampena of Murrysville still uses the Volkswagen “bug on a pole” on Route 66 in Salem to navigate and give directions. Now, it marks the new entrance to his business. Pampena and his wife, Tia, relocated Murrysville Auto Sales to the former Excel Auto Body on Route 66, and...
Raises rejected for retired Westmoreland County employees
For the first time in 13 years, Westmoreland County’s 1,400 retired government employees will not receive cost-of-living increases. “This is a very difficult budget, and one where we couldn’t afford to do a COLA this year. Difficult decisions had to be made,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said. Retirees received 8.1% cost-of-living...
Yukon-area residents rip lawsuit settlement with landfill operator
A group of Yukon-area residents ripped a proposed $275,000 settlement regarding allegations that polluted dust and odors wafting from a hazardous waste landfill near their homes has hurt their quality of life since July 2014. “It would not have covered anything I lost,” said Angela Babich of Yukon, following a...
Latrobe social worker pleads guilty to sex crimes against teen clients
Victims and their supporters stood and cheered Tuesday as a former Latrobe social worker was led out of a Westmoreland County courtroom in handcuffs. Gregory P. Miscik, 63, pleaded guilty to 13 charges stemming from seven separate cases involving 10 victims. The charges involved sex crimes against teenage clients dating...
High water in Westmoreland closes Loyalhanna Creek causeway, Conemaugh River bridge
The Sleepy Hollow Causeway across the Loyalhanna Creek east of Ligonier was closed Tuesday afternoon because of flooding. The causeway connects the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Unity with the westbound lanes in Derry Township. PennDOT officials also announced closure of a portion of Bairdstown Road/West Market Street in...
Police say Jeannette man pointed gun at coworker at Hempfield restaurant
A Jeannette man remains behind bars after state police said he pointed a gun at a coworker at a Hempfield restaurant, according to court papers. Isaiah W. Niehenke, 18, was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, terroristic threats and related offenses....
Plans for new Derry-Ligonier power line spark property owner concerns over potential impacts
An idyllic Ligonier Township homestead where a young couple are living the life bucolic by raising exotic fowl and keeping honeybees could be bisected by a high voltage power line proposed by FirstEnergy. The proposed power line “would slice directly through the center” of the eight-acre property on Orme Road...
Strike averted: Union approves new contract with Westmoreland County
More than 500 Westmoreland County courthouse and nursing home employees ratified a union contract Monday. Approval of the three-year deal averted a strike that would have started Friday if a deal wasn’t reached. Rank-and-file members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare PA overwhelmingly voted to accept...
Westmoreland register of wills faces more questions about office’s handling of filings
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton conceded Monday her office has been scrambling to keep up with its workload. “We understand it is an issue, and we are making progress slowly and we will do whatever we have to do to make it happen,” Hamilton said after another...
Scottdale contractor pleads guilty to home improvement fraud
Jacqueline Anke’s biggest regret isn’t the more the $3,300 she lost to a Scottdale contractor. It’s that she waited to report the swindle to authorities. “We thought it was just going to be a civil matter, then I read about all of these other folks in 2021 and 2022. It’s...
Westmoreland to ramp up search for new jail warden
Westmoreland commissioners said a new warden for the county jail could be hired in February. Efforts to fill the vacancy left by the September resignation of Warden Bryan Kline will ramp up in the coming weeks, officials said Monday following a meeting of the county’s prison board. “We’re going to...
Water authority lifts mandatory conservation for customers served by Beaver Run Reservoir
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County lifted its mandatory water conservation order Monday for more than 56,000 customers served by the Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell and Washington townships. Customers who live north of Route 30 in Westmoreland, Allegheny and Indiana counties have been under a mandatory order since mid-December...
Philips Respironics suspends U.S. sales of CPAP, other breathing machines
In the wake of a disastrous recall involving defective sound-dampening foam in several of its breathing machines, Philips Respironics announced Monday that it was suspending sales of its continuous positive airway pressure — or CPAP — machines in the United States. The decision comes as part of a consent decree...
East Huntingdon man taken to hospital after being shot in confrontation with state police
A man who state troopers shot Sunday night in East Huntingdon has been a nuisance in the neighborhood, according to an employee at a neighboring tow company. Jim Miller Jr., 61, started firing guns at his home just off Route 819 around 7 a.m. Sunday and was carrying on all...
Hempfield, North Huntingdon aim to reinforce township identity through branding, signage
Hempfield and North Huntingdon are revamping their signage to bolster each township’s identity. Both are divided by multiple ZIP codes and neighborhoods, and in Hempfield, the township’s officials outlined goals to reinforce municipal identity in their 2023 comprehensive plans. While preparing a comprehensive plan, approved by the supervisors in September,...
Derry Area to teach students use of advanced drones to analyze agricultural acreage
A Westmoreland County school district is doubling down on using drones for its agriculture and horticulture program. Derry Area already has a drone that students use to gather data during flyovers of farmland, and it plans to buy a second one. “You can look from above the Earth at areas...
Irwin natives open Trafford brewery as gathering place for community
Brothers Chris, Nick and Mike Juricich have shared an appreciation for craft beer for as long as they can remember. The Irwin natives will set their passion into motion today with the opening of their latest entrepreneurial venture, Wye Beer Co., located on Forbes Road in Trafford. “Craft beer is...
65th anniversary exhibit at Westmoreland Museum showcases organization’s history
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will celebrate its 65th anniversary with a trip through the museum’s years of history. With “65 Artists, 65 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition,” the museum plans to highlight artists from its collections, return to points in its past and include commentary from community members and...
What’s that?: Hempfield man’s ‘solar garden’ catches the eye of passers-by
Editor’s note ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com. Jeffry Meyer spent his career as an engineer, which didn’t leave a lot of time for gardening. So when he retired and...
Local service members help with Pacific Partnership
A Jeannette native shared her skills with the people of a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean through the U.S. Navy and Pacific Partnership. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Brittany Carl, 22, spent time in December painting a basketball court in Koror, Palau, but said working in the intensive care...
