Westmoreland category, Page 194
Somerset Trust’s Westmoreland construction bucks industry trend
The new Somerset Trust Co. bank branch in Hempfield that opened in late September is definitely not your father’s or grandfather’s financial institution. It has the traditional tellers, loan officers, conference rooms and vault. But the two-story building fronting East Pittsburgh Street also has a coffee bar where customers can...
Penn Township artist decorates yard with concrete sculptures
Drivers on Sleepy Hollow Road in Penn Township often slow to a stop when they see the concrete sculptures in Mark Milliron’s front yard. Milliron, who has lived on the road for nearly 40 years, has come to expect questions and curiosity about the human-like figures, especially when he is...
Holiday train display holds decades of history for Hempfield family
Bill Bigelow can tell you the origin of every single item in his holiday train display. The table, tucked into the back room of the single-story home Bigelow and his wife Susan share in Hempfield, is set up each year at the beginning of October. Strings of holiday lights and...
‘A beautiful gem for North Huntingdon’: Friends of Norwin Trails hosts 1st trail maintenance day
When Shannon Reiter learned that a group of volunteers was clearing the trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon, she could not pass up the opportunity to pitch in. Reiter, of North Huntingdon, runs at the park and, in the spring, she used to bring her children along for...
Christmas presents for Ukrainian orphans made possible by Arnold church and area high school students
Ten-year-old Nastya Shytnikova has a short Christmas list. She didn’t ask for an iPhone or a doll. “I’d really like Legos, candies and cookies, and a warm shirt,” Nastya wrote in a note to St. Nicholas. “My biggest dream is for the war to end.” The Ukrainian girl — orphaned...
Indoor pickleball facility proposed for Murrysville
Even for a die-hard pickleball fan, the weather is making it difficult to get on a local court and enjoy playing. Jillian Bateman-McIntosh of Murrysville has taken notice and hopes to build a six-court indoor pickleball facility just off Route 22 in Murrysville. “I moved here from Boston where the...
Unity man convicted in bad check scheme to pay for stepdaughter’s wedding
A Unity man was convicted of forging checks written out on bogus bank accounts to pay for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. Joseph A. Malago, 51, was found guilty Friday on 18 of 19 counts in four separate cases including a series of felony weapons offenses for illegal possession of firearms....
Authorities respond to Route 30 crash in Ligonier Township
Route 30 reopened Friday evening following a single-vehicle crash, authorities said. It had been restricted to one westbound lane after the wreck was reported at 4:22 p.m. about a quarter mile past Quarry Lane in Ligonier Township. At least one individual was being transported for medical care, according to 911...
Yukon landfill could pay $275,000 to settle pollution claims
Residents living near a hazardous waste landfill in Yukon could share in a tentative $275,000 class-action lawsuit settlement that claims their homes have been impacted by polluted dust and odors from the site since 2014. Payments from the proposed settlement with MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. — to those living in...
Bradenville Fire Department seeks donated toys, to offer tours of station
The Bradenville Fire Department is asking the public to help fill one of its trucks with gifts that Toys For Tots will distribute to help brighten the holiday season for some area children. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 at...
Hempfield man charged with aggravated assault by vehicle
A Hempfield man was denied bail Thursday after state police said he drove recklessly around his neighborhood, nearly hitting a pedestrian. Troopers said Tyler Cecconello, 20, had a 2-year-old girl in his SUV at the time. They were called to Menock Manor near Swede Hill Park at 4:40 p.m. after...
Trafford man charged in fight, stabbing in front of his home
A man was hospitalized for treatment of a stab wound Thursday night after a fight on South Seventh Street in Trafford, according to police. Anthony Michael Salvadore, 48, of Trafford, was denied bond on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses in connection with the stabbing. Borough police...
Delmont decorating fundraiser will be featured on NBC’s ‘Today’ showVideo
Since 2020, residents in Delmont’s Monticello neighborhood have decorated their homes to the hilt for the holiday season, part of a fundraising competition that allows them to present an annual gift to two local charities. On Christmas Day, they will get their own gift — a nationally televised segment on...
North Huntingdon man’s overdose death leads to charges against Hempfield man
A Hempfield man is accused of providing a fatal dose of drugs to a North Huntingdon man who had been clean for about two years until being contacted by the suspect, his former drug dealer, according to township police. Authorities said powerful opioid fentanyl and animal tranquilizer xylazine were present...
2 more charged in Unity stabbing incident
Two more people have been charged in connection with a stabbing and robbery in Unity this week. Troopers filed charges Thursday against Michael J. Hafner, 22, of North Versailles, and Antonio James McMahon, 20, of McKeesport. Hafner was arraigned Thursday night and denied bail. An arrest warrant was issued for...
Luminary Night gathers holiday cheer in downtown Greensburg
The streets of downtown Greensburg were transformed into a holiday wonderland Thursday evening, complete with elves, cookies, hot chocolate, horse-drawn carriages, a live Nativity , and a visit from Santa for the 54th annual Luminary Night. Hosted by the nonprofit Greensburg Business and Professional Association, the event gathers local organizations...
Teen claims he feared for his life when he fatally shot New Kensington man
A New Kensington teenager told a Westmoreland County jury he feared for his life when he shot and killed an armed man as the victim fled from the lobby of an apartment building last year. Amir Kennedy, 16, testified he fired off 11 rounds from a semiautomatic rifle to protect...
Derry man charged with rape, bail denied
A Derry Borough man is accused of raping a woman over four hours in November. Richard C. McElheny, 55, was arraigned Wednesday and was being held without bail. The woman reported the situation to borough police on Nov. 8. She told an officer that she was sexually assaulted in the...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee opens Jeannette satellite office
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee opened a satellite office at Jeannette city hall in November and plans to have regular office hours there to provide support to constituents. Staff members will be available in council chambers on the first and third Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m....
Ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez expelled from U.S., returned to Venezuela
Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez has been returned to his native Venezuela, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Vazquez, 32, was taken to Venezuela on Dec. 1 by members of Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Philadelphia Field Office. He was convicted in Westmoreland County court in 2021...
Watch the Franklin Regional marching band perform at today’s Pearl Harbor parade in Hawaii
Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band members will take part in the annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade today in Hawaii, and school officials have provided a link to watch the parade live. Livestreaming at 9:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. in Honolulu), the parade will be the culmination of the band’s weeklong trip...
Hempfield Area makes it easier to search students with security policy update
Hempfield Area School District students and their belongings can be searched at the discretion of the superintendent under a revised policy the school board approved this week. The changes allow the district to search students and their belongings with metal or weapons detectors regardless of whether there has been a...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Dec. 8-10
Chestnuts are roasting on the open fire, and Jack Frost is already starting to nip at noses. If that isn’t enough to get you in the holiday spirit, there are plenty of activities that will this weekend in Westmoreland County. Free improv workshop Leaders of StoryZ, a nonprofit theater and...
Murrysville council approves budget, beer distributor, short-term rental regulations
About $2.7 million in capital projects including road work and park improvements is funded in Murrysville’s 2024 budget. The spending plan, approved Wednesday does not include a tax increase. Property taxes will remain at 12.15 mills in the $15.6 million budget. Just under 3.5 mills dedicated for Murrysville’s capital improvement...
Any Hempfield Area tax hike capped at 6.5% next year
The Hempfield Area School District board approved a resolution that limits any tax increase to support the 2024-2025 budget to the 6.5% ceiling set by the state. Any increase above that index would have required approval from voters in the district or the state in a process governed by a...
