Westmoreland category, Page 197
Prosecutors gain cooperation from 4 charged in New Kensington killing
Four of seven defendants charged in connection with the killing of a New Kensington man last year are cooperating with Westmoreland County prosecutors. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said during a court hearing Friday that two young men and a juvenile who were scheduled to go on trial next week...
Allegheny County DA’s Office detective charged with punching women at Export bar
A detective from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is charged with simple assault and harassment after he allegedly assaulted two women at a local bar. The women were playing darts Wednesday at Joey’s Edge Bar on Washington Avenue in Export when Raymond Bonacci punched one woman in the mouth...
Westmoreland Blue Knights chapter collects toys for foster children, families
On Dec. 17, tables along the walls of the Youngwood Fire Hall will be filled with toys that will be gifts for foster children. Law enforcement officers from Westmoreland and Fayette counties are gearing up for their fifth annual toy drive for foster families. The amount of support the initiative...
Rostraver woman gets prison term for embezzling nearly $400K from credit union
A Rostraver woman was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release for embezzling nearly $400,000 from a Monessen credit union in 2016. Patty L. Mavrakis, 65, was a branch manager for Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union. She was charged in 2021...
Community bands prepare to bring holiday cheer at annual concerts
“These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives.” Those are lyrics from the classic Christmas song “Sleigh Ride.” And they hold just as true for holiday memories as they do for musical ones, at least to the members of local community bands. “A lot of us...
Specialty whiskey, rum on sale at Fort Ligonier Museum Store
Looking for holiday gifts? Specialty whiskey and rum will be available for purchase at Fort Ligonier’s Museum Store during December. St. Clair’s Spirits, a white rye whiskey made exclusively for the fort, and Queen Charlotte’s Courage Rum, the second in a series of three new distilled beverages, will be sold...
Christmas tree vendors hit with inflation; some see price increases
It’s probably going to cost a bit more to deck the halls this year for those who prefer to set up a live Christmas tree. The seasonal staple has fallen victim to inflation. Christmas tree growers and vendors have noted price hikes of various levels for this season. At Habes...
Madison Council to reconvene after voters fill vacancies that left borough at standstill
Madison Borough once again will have a functioning government. Two write-in candidates were elected last month and are expected to be seated at the start of the year to allow Madison’s council to meet and conduct business. Three resignations in July left the borough’s five-member council at a standstill and...
New Florence man charged with aggravated assault of infant
A New Florence man was charged Thursday with aggravated assault of an infant earlier this month. Christopher M. McClellan Timko, 30, was charged by state police Wednesday with two counts of aggravated assault of a child and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to court documents....
Hempfield man, 76, to serve prison sentence for child sexual assaults
A Hempfield man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 10 years in prison for sexual assaults against two young girls. Dale Edward Kuhn, 76, pleaded guilty in September to counts of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors and other offenses in connection with allegations made in October...
Clairton man receives prison sentence for sale of fentanyl
A Clairton man convicted in September for possession and sale of fentanyl told a Westmoreland County judge on Thursday he was ready to turn his life around. Anthony Jamison, 34, has been free after he paid $100,000 bail in October 2021, more than five months after his arrest on drug...
Contractor accused of fraud by Allegheny Township police faces trial for 4 similar cases
A home remodeling contractor from Pitcairn accused five times in as many years of taking money for work he didn’t do has been ordered to stand trial for charges filed by four Westmoreland County police departments. Daniel Ronald Amodeo, 54, of the 600 block of Wall Avenue was charged Jan....
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 1-3
The holiday season is in full swing. Instead of bundling up by the fire, here are five things to get you out and about in Westmoreland this weekend. Holly Jolly Christmas From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the annual Holly Jolly Christmas returns to downtown Latrobe. The event will...
Latrobe city council members look toward future, goals for terms
Write-in votes have prevailed once again in Latrobe — this time on city council. Dawn Vavick, program and aquatics director at Greater Latrobe Parks & Recreation, started a write-in campaign when she realized there were two names on the ballot for three seats. “I was chatting with friends, and they...
Holiday celebration slated to ‘start the season’ in Scottdale with house tour, vendors, parade
Scottdale’s holiday celebration will take on a new meaning this weekend as the borough continues to mark its 150th anniversary. Start the Season day, slated for Saturday, will feature a vintage house tour, vendor markets and a parade, said Tom Zwierzelewski, president of the Scottdale Historical Society. “We’re working on...
Stores, police work to combat retail theft as holidays approach
Holiday shopping in some local stores will look a little different this year. With reports of retail theft on the rise, some retailers are placing some inventory under lock and key, requiring customers to contact a store employee to access certain merchandise. The measures are aimed at reining in what...
Norwin grad’s memoir shares struggles, hope after rare cancer diagnosis, remission
LeeAnn Tripp is a rare survivor of a normally fatal form of cancer. It was a rare occurrence when the North Huntingdon native was diagnosed as an adult with a deadly brain cancer normally found in no more than 300 U.S. children each year. She has beaten the odds again...
No students injured when Franklin Regional bus hits house
A Franklin Regional school bus driver was transported by ambulance after the bus struck a home in Murrysville on Thursday afternoon, according to county emergency officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Northlawn Circle and Longview Drive after the bus struck a house while making a turn onto...
Route 136 reopens in Hempfield following mobile home fire
Route 136 reopened around 9 p.m. Wednesday night in Hempfield, after crews knocked down a truck fire which had spread to a nearby mobile home, according to a Westmoreland 911 supervisor. First responders were called to a house trailer near the intersection of Route 136, Ladysmith and Beeno roads around...
Independence Health sees about $23 million in losses over 3-month period
Independence Health System operated at a deficit of almost $23 million between the beginning of July and the end of September this year, according to recently released reports. The shortfall is an extension of the downsliding pattern that the combined health system — made up of subsidiaries Excela Health and...
Greensburg police investigate weekend car theft, break-ins
Greensburg police are investigating the theft of a car and several other vehicle break-ins overnight on Saturday or Sunday. Police are working to determine whether there is a link between incidents reported at the Hawksworth apartment complex along North Main Street and another reported along Culbertson Avenue. A vehicle stolen...
Jeannette plans to add 63 more surveillance cameras, including 16 license plate readers
The number of surveillance cameras in Jeannette is more than tripling, according to Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. The department is adding 63 cameras, including 16 license plate readers, with grant funding received last year from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Johnston estimated the 25 cameras already affixed...
Westmoreland happenings: Concert, blood drive, Christmas parties, more
Fundraisers • Mt. Pleasant Church of God will host a Fair Trade Marketplace from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 2 at the church, 936 W. Main St. There will be more than 20 vendors, music and free coffee and doughnuts. Admission is...
Westmoreland County awards more than $600K in annual tourism grants
A museum dedicated to firefighting and an enterprise that promotes business-boosting events in Greensburg are among more than 50 groups that will get a share of more than $600,000 in Westmoreland County tourism funding next year. The county commissioners this week approved 58 tourism grants for 2024, drawing upon money...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Unity
(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 series will appear each week through December.) Visitors to Unity will...
