Westmoreland category, Page 223
Greensburg YMCA CEO says she will resign in January
The CEO of the Greensburg YMCA, Suzanne Printz, announced Friday that she will resign at the end of January. Printz began as CEO in April 2020, leading the Y through the pandemic and stabilizing the organization amid staffing shortages and uncertainty for nonprofits. Before being appointed CEO, she served as...
Sewickley woman not guilty of assault in crash with bicyclist
A Sewickley woman was acquitted of the felony charges she was facing the stemmed from a crash that injured a bicyclist along a South Huntingdon roadway two years ago. Kimberly Kustra, 47, was found not guilty of two felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. Prosecutors claimed Kustra was under...
Murrysville council advances short-term rental ordinance
Murrysville council will vote next month on an update to its ordinances governing short-term rental properties, typically booked through companies like AirBnB or VRBO. Council voted unanimously to advertise the ordinance, which would remove references to specific zoning where short-term rentals could be located, remove language requiring that a short-term...
Police seek ID of man after robbery of First National Bank in Hempfield
State police are looking for a man who they said robbed a Hempfield bank Friday around 11:30 a.m. The man entered the First National Bank’s branch on Wendel Road, not far from Route 30, and presented a threatening note. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the man had a handgun in his...
Murrysville reserve namesake wants to help maintain trails: ‘It just needs some attention’
Skena Nature Reserve in Murrysville is a quiet, bucolic place. As leaves on the trees start counting their final days this month, the reserve is splashed with color across its 22 acres. But if you try to go for a walk along its trails, things hit a snag — a...
Experts weigh single-sex vs. coed models in light of The Kiski School’s switch
The all-boys campus The Kiski School near Saltsburg isn’t the first of its kind to make the switch to coed for economic reasons. Financial struggles related to declining enrollment continue to be the main issue for private schools, according to Gary Niels, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent...
Apollo man convicted of first-degree murder in wife’s killing
Emily and Ean Steele said a Westmoreland County jury found justice for their mother. The jury, after more than four hours of deliberations, convicted their father of first-degree murder Thursday for the May 14, 2022, execution-style slaying of 41-year-old Kelly Steele inside a U-Haul storage facility in Lower Burrell. “It’s...
Write-in candidates win 2 seats on Greater Latrobe school board
Two write-in candidates won seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board, according to unofficial results released Thursday by the Westmoreland County Election Bureau. Write-in John Petrarca finished third in the race for five, four-year terms on the board, and write-in Tom Gockel finished fifth. Out of the five winners, only...
MAWC opts out of ‘forever chemical’ settlement
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will not participate in a proposed $11 billion settlement of class-action lawsuits against major chemical companies who are alleged to have contaminated local water supplies. The authority last year filed its own legal action against six companies that claimed they were responsible for toxic...
Police trying to ID man accused of stealing wallet, making ATM withdrawalVideo
State police are seeking help to identify a man who they believe stole a wallet in Sewickley Township and then withdrew money at an ATM. Troopers said the wallet was stolen from a Highland Avenue driveway. A debit card in the wallet was used at a New Stanton ATM. It...
5 things to do this weekend in Westmoreland County: Nov. 17-19
The last of the season’s farmers markets, along with an unusual poultry bingo, are on tap for this weekend in Westmoreland County. Greensburg YMCA Family Fun Night The Greensburg YMCA is hosting its first in a series of monthly Family Fun Nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday in the...
DUI charges filed in crash involving 3 motorcycles on Route 30 in Ligonier Township
A man who was intoxicated and didn’t have a valid drivers license is accused of crashing into three motorcycles in Ligonier Township, according to court papers. The three motorcyclists all had serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, and have undergone surgeries and rehabilitation, Ligonier Valley police said. William C. Strogish,...
Derry Soldiers Breakfast free for former, active service members
The Derry Area Philanthropy Committee is inviting veterans and active service members to a free Soldiers Breakfast Saturday in Derry. The suggested donation of $5 for others attending the morning meal will benefit an area nonprofit that assists veterans. The breakfast is set for 8 to 11 a.m. at A.V....
Franklin Regional Thespians will present Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’
Abby Wingard has spent her time with the Franklin Regional Thespians club in the wings of the theater, as a longtime member of the stage crew. But for her senior year, Wingard, 18, wanted to step onstage for a change. The problem? “I am not an actor, at all,” she...
Norwin moves forward with Hahntown Playground project
The Norwin School Board voted to begin the next step of the Hahntown Elementary School playground project — the first in a multiyear initiative to renovate the district’s playgrounds. After three different conceptual designs for the playground at Hahntown were presented, the board approved a contract with the company Pashek...
In adopted daughters, Hempfield family finds ‘missing pieces to the puzzle’
Amber Pearce knows what it’s like to be in the foster system — that’s why she and husband John continue to keep their Hempfield home open to children in need. In 2014, they adopted daughter Nia, now 10. On Wednesday, they adopted two more daughters — Deziray, 7, and Reylynn,...
Apollo man claimed wife’s taunt led to fatal shooting
Alfred Keith Steele told Westmoreland County detectives he had enough of his wife’s badgering when he shot her one time in the back of the head as the estranged couple argued last year in a Lower Burrell storage locker. “We were arguing, yelling at each other between storage units,” Steele...
Pitt-Greensburg student struck by car in ‘serious condition’
A Pitt-Greensburg student who was struck near the entrance to the college in Hempfield is in serious condition, a state police spokesman said. Audrey Fruehauf, 18, of Rector, was crossing Mt. Pleasant Road near Finoli Drive and University Drive when she was struck by the car, according to a state...
Delmont Council proposes 2-mill tax hike, pursues $1M road work grant
Delmont officials are proposing a 2024 budget that will raise property taxes for the first time in more than a decade. Council voted 6-1 to advertise the $1.67 million budget, which calls for a 2-mill tax increase. Councilman Stan Cheyne voted no. A final vote on the 2024 budget will...
Greensburg seeks grant for solar roof at fire hall, plans to hold line on taxes in 2024
Greensburg Council has approved a tentative 2024 budget that will keep property taxes at 27.05 mills next year. But city spending on several potential capital projects won’t be determined until spring, including a proposed new fire hall roof that could tap the sun’s energy. Council is considering a balanced budget...
MAWC warns of mandatory water restrictions as dry autumn persists
Mandatory water conservation could begin as early as next week for customers in the northern half of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s service area as water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir continue to fall amid a dry autumn season. Authority manager Michael Kukura said more than 56,000 customers...
Excela pays $10M to settle suits by 2 cardiologists, doctors’ attorney says
Excela Health is paying $10 million to settle civil suits brought by two cardiologists who formerly held staff privileges at the health system’s Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, according to an attorney representing the doctors. In the suits that were dropped Tuesday in Allegheny County Court, Drs. George Bou Samra and...
Latrobe trash fees, zoning permit costs will increase in 2024
Latrobe will hike garbage collection fees and zoning permit costs in the new year. There will be a 2% rate hike for residential customers and a 5% hike for commercial customers in 2024 — based on a rate increase from Latrobe’s collector, Republic Services, for a one-year contract extension. Roll-off...
Southwest Greensburg man accused of sexual assaults from 2 decades ago
A Southwest Greensburg man is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he met while working at a Derry Township restaurant 20 years ago, according to court papers. Michael C. Bompiani, 43, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors....
Greensburg holiday parade to kick off with later start time
Greensburg’s annual holiday parade is set for Saturday, with a later start time than usual. City council member Sheila Brumley said the parade will begin at 4:30 p.m., to encourage participants to include holiday lights in their entries. She advised those who are arriving by vehicle to see the parade...
