Westmoreland category, Page 213
Hempfield Area preps for homecoming festivities
Hempfield Area School District is getting ready for its upcoming homecoming game Friday by focusing on the district’s past and present. This year’s homecoming parade has a theme of “Community.” Floats representing each of the schools in the district will participate in the parade. Before the game, representatives from each...
Hempfield man gets at least 9 months in jail for scrap metal thefts at Central Westmoreland CTC
A Hempfield man was sentenced Thursday to nine to 23 months at the Westmoreland County Prison for stealing thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal and damaging three vehicles while trespassing on Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center property. Jason Allan Edwards, 34, was ordered to serve 10 years on...
Pittsburgh Doo-Wop Big Band to headline benefit concert for Franklin Regional Panther FoundationVideo
It’s easy to see why Bill Reicher of Butler wants to keep the tradition of doo-wop music alive. Reicher has certainly done his part over the years to popularize it, having performed at Madison Square Garden back in the day with doo-wop group The Mystics. Their song, “Hushabye,” was a...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Oct. 14-16
One of the biggest of the annual community festivals in the region returns this weekend in Ligonier and the Westmoreland Symphony comes back to life as it opens its 2023-24 season. All that and more is coming up this weekend. Fort Ligonier Days For the 64th year, the historic Fort...
City councilman wonders if shuttered Jeannette EMS building could become city’s fire station
Jeannette might look to an existing building as the new home for its firefighters — the former Jeannette EMS station. Councilman Chuck Highlands shared the idea during a council meeting Tuesday after expressing concerns about a potential funding shortfall in building a new station. Other members appeared interested in looking...
Jeannette man with ‘crippling’ addiction gets 5 years in federal gun case
A Jeannette man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in a federal prison for having a gun and ammunition when he was prohibited to do so because of a past felony conviction. Kenyetta Jones, 27, was also ordered to spend three years on supervised release after the prison term. Jones...
Murrysville looks to balance growth, rural character that attracts new residents
Murrysville officials are casting an eye toward the municipality’s long-term growth as they begin working with a consultant who will help them take a deep dive into their zoning laws. That’s great news to Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns, who has been advocating a long look at Murrysville’s zoning ordinances for...
Fall is in the air at the annual Fort Ligonier Days festival
It’s not hard to tell that Tom Stablein enjoys helping organize the annual Fort Ligonier Days celebration — he has been its parade chairman since the mid-1990s. “Seeing it all come together in a little town this size, and to be able to put on a festival like this is...
Pitt-Greensburg invites public to join in campus walk, reading program in support of diversity
Organizers at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg are inviting the public to join the campus community in a roughly mile-long walk Saturday as an expression of unity. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Garden of Hope walk will allow participants to proceed at their own pace, with opportunities along the...
Westmoreland, Allegheny emergency units practice hazard response with Norfolk Southern’s ‘safety train’
More than 100 Westmoreland and Allegheny County first responders spread across the Norfolk Southern train yard in North Versailles for a safety training Wednesday night. Members of the counties’ emergency response and hazmat units, wearing neon vests and jackets, surrounded Norfolk Southern’s “safety train,” a nine-part train used to simulate...
11-year-old student accused in shooting threat at Wendover Middle School
An 11-year-old Wendover Middle School student is accused of posting threats on social media to bring in a bomb and “shoot up” the Hempfield Area school Wednesday, state police said. The boy, who was not identified, is accused of making terroristic threats. Police say he texted fellow students on the...
North Huntingdon man among a dwindling number of World War II vets
Robert “Bob” Zaval of North Huntingdon, saw the horrors of war as an Army tank commander fighting in Europe during World War II. “Boy, it was tough. Your biggest thing was to stay alive,” said Zaval, who recently reflected on his long life before marking his 102nd birthday on Tuesday....
Voting begins ahead of November election
Early voting has started in Westmoreland County ahead of the Nov. 7 general election. Elections Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said more than 25,000 mail-in ballots have been sent out to voters with another 1,000 being processed and expected to be distributed within days. “We’re on pace with everything,” McCloskey said....
Late North Huntingdon truck racer ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
On Fridays or Saturdays, Ronnie Ruggiero would tow his 1977 Ford F-150 with him to work, at Bob Tyke’s Auto Service in Monroeville, and as soon as the day was done, he’d head off to race it. The F-150 wasn’t just any truck — it belonged to Ruggiero’s father, who...
Norwin School Board: 4 candidates seek short-term judicial appointment
Four North Huntingdon residents — including a former Norwin School District employee and a Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 administrator — are seeking a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy on the Norwin School Board that will be open for about six weeks. The four candidates seeking an appointment from the...
Westmoreland happenings: 5K walk and run fundraisers, Rosary rallies, meetings, more
Church News • A public square Rosary crusade will be at noon Oct. 14 at Epiphany of Our Lord Church, 44 Pennsylvania Blvd., Monessen. Bring a lawn chair and dress for the weather. Details: Shirley Beneccio, 724-684-7099 or 724-875-7460. • First Presbyterian Church of Belle Vernon, 501 Fayette St., will...
Westmoreland inmate accused of attacking guards during prison cell search
A Unity man is accused by police of attacking guards at the Westmoreland County Prison during a search of his cell for communication with a nurse at the Hempfield facility. Jerome W. Thornton, 33, was awaiting arraignment on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated harassment by prisoner and simple assault. Westmoreland...
Hempfield chooses owner’s rep to navigate stalled high school project
Hempfield Area School District hired McKinley Architecture and Engineering this week to work as an owner’s representative in the preconstruction phase of the district’s high school renovation project, which has been on pause since bids came back millions of dollars over budget. The firm, which has locations in Pittsburgh and...
Westmoreland County to distribute opioid settlement funds
Westmoreland County Commissioners are expected to award grants to three municipalities this week with money from the national opioid abuse settlements. North Huntingdon is slated to receive nearly $105,000, while Rostraver and Lower Burrell each will receive $62,832 to operate drug prevention and education programs through municipal police departments. The...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Mt. Pleasant area
(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. If you have a...
Derry council disbands police dog program as residents vent anger over K-9 incident
Derry Borough residents had a lot of questions but didn’t get any answers from council members Tuesday night after they met for the first time since the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office announced evidence does not support a criminal charge in the death of the borough’s police dog, Smoke. Several...
Court hearing set for Hempfield students in school gun case
Three Hempfield Area High School students charged last week with possessing guns on school property are scheduled to appear in court this month. They are being prosecuted in the juvenile court system and are scheduled to appear for adjudication hearings Oct. 26 before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi....
Manor invites residents to free Halloween dance party
The Manor recreation department is planning a Halloween dance party that is free for borough residents. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Manor Community Room at 44 Main St. The registration deadline is Oct. 20. Costumes are welcome, and there will be...
Hempfield Area parents question school’s response to gun incident
Several Hempfield Area residents and student leaders shared their concerns at Monday’s school board meeting about the district’s response to an incident last week involving guns at the high school. Resident Lindsay Stevens expressed frustration that much of the discussion about school security has been behind the scenes in executive...
Nursing interest spurs Greensburg Salem senior to organize wellness workshop for school staff
Greensburg Salem senior Kaitlyn Mankins’ senior project has done more than just fulfill a high school graduation requirement. It’s also provided a boost to the well-being of the entire district staff. District teachers and staff took a break from their in-service workday Monday to attend a workshop organized by Mankins,...
