Westmoreland category, Page 195
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...
Unity man stabbed, 2 suspects identified
A gathering among friends Monday evening in Unity turned violent when a group of people stabbed a man in the leg, took his guns and $5,000, according to state police. The wounded man was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville for treatment and charges were filed against two suspects....
Volunteers sought for North Huntingdon trail work
A North Huntingdon group is seeking volunteers to do light maintenance work from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 14 on at least two trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon. The Friends of Norwin Trails plans to clear existing trails and...
Murrysville Council OKs lease for gas, oil rights under 2 parks
Murrysville Council has approved oil and gas rights leases for several hundred acres of land beneath its two largest parks. Council voted 4-2 Wednesday to enter into separate leases with the sole bidder, Olympus Energy, for 74 acres below Duff Park and just under 306 acres of Murrysville Community Park,...
New Kensington slaying co-defendant testifies shooting victim was feared
One of the seven people charged with robbery and murder of a man last year in New Kensington told a Westmoreland County jury that the shooting victim was a known drug user and thief who was feared in the community. Raquan Carpenter, 20, of Pittsburgh, testified Wednesday for the prosecution...
Western Pa. lands $144M in federal funding for expanded passenger rail service
It’s all aboard for more passenger rail service in Western Pennsylvania. Federal lawmakers said Wednesday that the Federal Railroad Administration is putting $144 million toward a project that will add a daily round trip on Amtrak’s passenger rail line between Pittsburgh and New York City. The funding will be used...
Greensburg woman charged after police say she boarded school bus, berated driver
A woman is charged with disorderly conduct and unauthorized entry of a school bus after police said she boarded a Greensburg Salem School District bus and berated the driver a few days before Thanksgiving. City police were called to Allegheny Street near the Autumnbrook Apartments on Nov. 20 for a...
Youngwood bartending school featured on ‘World’s Greatest’ show
A Youngwood business that trains students in high-end bartending, service, sommelier skills and even the basics of owning and operating their own bar will be featured on national television. Wines, Steins & Cocktails was chosen by the “World’s Greatest” series as “World’s Greatest Professional Bartender School” and will be part...
Norwin OKs 6.8% state set cap on any possible tax hike
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see a tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year that is more than the state-permitted maximum of 6.8%. The Norwin School Board this week unanimously adopted a resolution that it would not seek to raise taxes higher than the amount determined...
Former Pa. state cop sentenced to federal prison for child porn offenses
Sean R. McKenzie said he joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2008 in hopes of doing good and helping others. Instead, he did the exact opposite, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Grogan. McKenzie, 39, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in a federal prison on child pornography possession charges....
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Sewickley, South Huntingdon
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This is the final installment of the 25-part series.) South Huntingdon and...
‘At the right place, at the right time’: Go Laurel Highlands recognizes 9 photo contest winners
For Connie Weyant, the photograph that placed her in the top nine of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest took years of patient waiting. Weyant, of Somerset, has been observing Somerset Lake for about eight years in search of a bald eagle. She’s received countless calls from friends, pointing her...
Toys for Tots requests up more than 40% over last year
Toys for Tots groups in some areas are seeing a more than 40% increase is requests over last year, a situation they say stems from a number of economic factors. “There’s a higher need for gifts for families in need,” said Jennifer Neilen, Allegheny Valley chapter Toys for Tots coordinator....
Holiday market returns to Westmoreland Museum for 2023 season
Anyone looking for unique, homemade gifts will find plenty at the Holiday Mart in the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg this weekend. The annual event brings local artisans together to show off and sell their creations. Booths spill out into the lobby and first level of the museum,...
Westmoreland happenings: Cookie walks, holiday concert, Christmas bingos, more
Church news • Greensburg Church of the Brethren will host a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will...
Power outage closes Rostraver Elementary
A power outage caused Rostraver Elementary School to close on Wednesday, Belle Vernon Area School District officials announced. According to an alert on the district website, the outage occurred at 6:30 a.m. and affected multiple systems in the building, including HVAC, security, phones and internet access. “This is not a...
Greensburg Luminary Night offers holiday festivities, music on streets, at library, museum
Seasonal music and festivities will highlight downtown Greensburg’s 54th Luminary Night, set for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Activities for all ages will await visitors along the luminary-lined streets of the city’s business district. “Everything is set for a fun-filled evening in the city, continuing the tradition of streets lined...
Greensburg pays nearly $87K to correct Medicare tax withholdings
Greensburg paid nearly $87,000 to the Internal Revenue Service as a result of an audit that determined the city and its police officers had not been paying Medicare taxes. City administrator Kelsye Hantz said the audit looked at 2021 and the payment, which covers the amount owed by the city...
Pittsburgh Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir bring Handel’s ‘Messiah’ to Saint Vincent in Unity
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Manfred Honeck, performed George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. First performed on April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland, “Messiah” didn’t have its premier in London until nearly a year later....
Prosecutors contend Unity man used bogus check scheme to pay for daughter’s wedding
Westmoreland prosecutors said a Unity man used a home computer to forge checks written on a bogus account to pay vendors hired for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. “Embrace the mess,” Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors as she outlined the four cases against Joseph Malago, 51, who faces multiple...
Jury views surveillance video that shows New Kensington slayingVideo
A group of armed men and teens gathered in the lobby of a New Kensington apartment building and tussled just minutes before 39-year-old Jason Raiford staggered outside and was gunned down, according to video shown to jurors Tuesday. During the first day of the murder trial of three men charged...
Greensburg Salem superintendent addresses incident involving elementary school child
Police are investigating an incident in a Greensburg Salem elementary classroom that was reported in October, Superintendent Ken Bissell told school board members Monday. Few details about what’s being investigated have been released. A letter Bissell sent to parents last week notified them of an incident that came to the...
