Westmoreland category, Page 193
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Dec. 15-17
From family fun nights to liquor sales, there’s something to do for everyone this weekend. ‘Home for the Holidays’ At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will be performing its annual sing-along show,” Home for the Holidays,” at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The show will feature guest conductor...
Morning Roundup: Small fire at Norwin football stadium; state police car damages vehicles in traffic stop
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 14: Small fire extinguished at Norwin football stadium A small fire was extinguished Thursday morning in the visitor side concession stand at Norwin School District’s football stadium in North Huntingdon, according to Lauren Steiner, district director of...
Holiday displays appear at Westmoreland courthouse despite resolution passed in 1997
A holiday display outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg is something passersby may not have seen in years. A 23-foot Christmas tree and a menorah in a frame were donated and placed last week. Commissioner Sean Kertes said he asked Public Works Director Greg McCloskey to...
Retired doctor goes from restoring patients’ health to restoring 240-year-old farmhouse
A North Huntingdon family doctor who recently retired from a career of helping to restore the health of his patients is now working to restore a farmhouse that has been in his family for almost a century. Dr. Daniel Medic hung up his stethoscope at the end of November at...
JetBlue mum on post-merger service at Arnold Palmer airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport enters the holiday travel season shrouded in turbulence. The airport is forging ahead with expansion plans despite passenger traffic plummeting this year — all while the lone airline serving the Unity facility is poised to merge with another airline that has failed to commit to retaining...
Judge tosses out dozens of charges in North Huntingdon gun theft case
Dozens of weapons charges were dismissed Wednesday against an Allegheny County man accused of stealing guns from a North Huntingdon home. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik ruled prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to support theft allegations regarding 10 weapons. She dismissed 51 counts, including felony charges...
Latrobe approves budget with no tax increase
Latrobe residents will soon be able to pay city garbage bills and other fees online. Council on Monday approved a five-year agreement with Invoice Cloud to process online credit card payments. City manager Terry Carcella said the company will enable residents to pay their trash bills online for the first...
Sharky’s Cafe seeks donations for Christmas meal drive
Sharky’s Cafe in Unity is seeking donations for its Christmas meal program— which helps to feed those in need during the holiday season. Donations are being accepted until Dec. 21, the date of the meal drive. Organizer of the drive Sharky’s co-owner Jamie Huemme said the drive will provide 600...
Deadline nears for Greensburg holiday contest, letters; music classes planned for spring
Greensburg Parks and Recreation is celebrating the season with the return of its holiday decorating contest. Friday is the deadline for contest entries and for kids to correspond with Mr. Claus in the Letters From Santa program. City residents can take part in the contest by submitting a photo of...
Westmoreland happenings: Choral concert, church services, blood drive, more
Arts • The Irwin Male Chorus will present a concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Community United Presbyterian Church, 1640 Keystone Park Road, New Alexandria. Refreshments will be served. Details: 724-668-7752. • The Westmoreland Performing Art Professional Theatre Company will present “A Christmas Story – The Musical” Dec. 22...
Greater Latrobe halts multimillion-dollar revitalization plan
Greater Latrobe School Board did an about-face Tuesday and halted its multimillion-dollar revitalization plan that was set to raise taxes significantly through 2039 — thanks to a majority vote by directors who won successful write-in campaigns last month. The motion at Tuesday’s board meeting rescinded two resolutions passed during previous...
Housing juveniles charged with crimes a growing issue in Pa.
When a 16-year-old charged with second-degree murder fled from house arrest in November, Westmoreland County authorities scrambled to find a place to house him. The county’s juvenile detention center had closed temporarily in June amid staffing shortages. Calls to numerous private and publicly owned facilities throughout Pennsylvania that house children...
Butler Health System credit rating continues to slip downward
Butler Health System’s credit rating was further downgraded this week by rating agency Fitch. The system, which combined with Greensburg-based Excela Health at the beginning of the year to form Independence Health System, Monday, Dec. 12, had its rating lowered one notch from BBB to BBB- with a Negative Outlook....
Man faces more charges after becoming unruly during hearing in Monessen district court
A defendant became unruly this month during a preliminary hearing on drug charges at district court in Monessen, threatening police, an attorney and the judge, according to court papers. City police were called to the courtroom when Judge Wayne Vlasic reported Michael A. Whitfield-Bronson, 36, was causing a disturbance Dec....
Greensburg keeps property taxes steady, OKs cost increase for new fire truck
Greensburg property owners won’t see higher taxes next year, but the city is going to pay more for a new fire truck it originally ordered about 18 months ago. City council Monday approved a balanced 2024 budget of about $12.9 million while holding the total property tax rate at 27.05...
Display of vintage Irwin buildings was labor of love for borough native
Melvyn Rasel dedicated countless hours and money over four decades to create an homage to his hometown, building small plastic replicas of Irwin landmarks from his childhood in the 1950s as part of an extensive model train layout in his Plum home. His family is now sharing this labor of...
Charged teens simply walked away from Westmoreland shelter; county reopens shuttered juvenile center in response
There was nothing to prevent two teens facing criminal charges from just walking out of the Westmoreland County- administered shelter where they were staying, the county’s juvenile detention director said Monday. The teens, Braedon M. Dickinson, 16, who was charged last year with second-degree murder, and Robert Cogdell, 14, who...
Veteran GOP lawmaker from Penn Township says he won’t run again for state House
George Dunbar’s upcoming 14th year representing residents of Westmoreland County’s 56th District in the state House will be his last. A Penn Township resident who has served as the Republican caucus chair since 2021, Dunbar announced Monday he doesn’t intend to seek an eighth two-year term in the House. “It’s...
Western Pa. lawmaker’s bill would expand use of forensic genetic genealogy
A Western Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to expand law enforcement’s ability to use a more-detailed form of DNA analysis when identifying victims in cold cases. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, introduced the Cold Case Modernization Act which would expand the criteria for federal Department of Justice grants funding the use of forensic...
4-year-old’s shooting leads to charges for Rostraver couple
The parents of a 4-year-old Rostraver boy who accidentally shot himself in the head this summer are charged with endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangering, according to court documents. Laura C. Steele, 32, and Michael Lynn, 37, kept the loaded gun unsecured under the bed in their...
Teen accused in New Ken murder case 1 of 2 back in custody after fleeing Westmoreland detention center
Police detained two teenagers, including one charged with second-degree murder related to a shooting in New Kensington last year, who escaped from the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center in Hempfield on Saturday night. The teenagers were taken into custody in Fayette County, state police announced early Monday morning. Robert A....
‘Hospice is more about living better,’ transitional care director says of misunderstood program
A few days remain before Robert Patterson will mark his 97th birthday, on the day after Christmas. No one can be sure how many more candles he’ll add to his cake. He and his wife, Joyce, who is 90, have experienced declining physical health, including taxing respiratory conditions. It got...
‘We needed something like this around here’: Hempfield entertainment venue opens doors
For Davin Ruzina, the 814 Lanes & Games in Hempfield opened its doors for business just in time. Ruzina, of Hunker, celebrated his 13th birthday Saturday and went to the new entertainment venue with his family and friends Sunday. Bowling and laser tag were the highlights of their day. “We...
Crews battle blaze at Loyalhanna Township home
Six fire departments worked to put out a blaze that caused significant damage to a Loyalhanna Township home Sunday morning. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the single-story home on Louise Street around 7:35 a.m., said Bill McClelland, assistant fire chief for Saltsburg Volunteer Fire Department. Slickville fire officials arrived first...
Westmoreland County, state police search for teens who fled juvenile detention center
Two teenagers escaped from the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center in Hempfield Saturday night. Robert A. Cogdell, 14, and Braedon M. Dickinson, 16, both of Connellsville, fled on foot from the detention center about 8:30 p.m., according to state police. Westmoreland County Park police are leading the investigation with assistance...
