Westmoreland category, Page 224
1 injured in Salem rollover crash
One person was transported by ambulance following a rollover crash near the northern end of the Route 66 Bypass in Salem on Wednesday morning. Westmoreland County 911 officials said the crash, involving a car and tractor trailer in the southbound lanes, was reported around 8:45 a.m. The car was heavily...
Shinsky Bridge overhaul expected to begin next spring in Unity
The Shinsky Bridge over the North Branch of Sewickley Creek in Unity is set to be replaced beginning next spring. Unity officials sought a $1 million state grant to help pay to replace the bridge, said Mike O’Barto, chairman of the township supervisors. The local service grant through the gaming...
Westmoreland happenings: Poultry bingo, holiday craft show, more
Church News • St. James Parish, New Alexandria, will sponsor a seminar series “Living as Healthy Disciples” over the winter at the church, 306 St. James Lane. The first session will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 in the church social hall. Robert R. Baum Jr., director of counseling services...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in North 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 series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Pitt-Greensburg student struck by car near campus entrance
A University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg student was struck by a vehicle Tuesday evening near the entrance to the college in Hempfield, according to school officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Mt. Pleasant Road and University Drive just after 5 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911...
Westmoreland airport contemplates future as airline merger looms
Local leaders insist they don’t know what the future holds for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport amid fears the Unity facility’s lone carrier could pull up stakes pending the outcome of a proposed airline merger. “We don’t have a plan,” said Westmoreland County Airport Authority board member Richard Ridilla. “No one...
Postal Service reducing number of Greensburg collection boxes, cites limited use
Two of four blue outdoor mail collection boxes likely will be removed as early as this week along Greensburg’s South Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from the post office. Some residents have expressed concern about the removal of the boxes, which was indicated with 30-day notices posted on the boxes...
Mother of Sorrows principal will take administrative reins at Greensburg Central Catholic
Theresa Szmed is going to have to get used to seeing older students in the hallways of her workplace. Szmed, who has served as principal at Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville since 2016, will become the new principal at Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School starting in January, diocese...
Pathologist testifies Apollo woman was killed by shot to back of head at storage unit
Kelly Steele was shot execution style with one round fired from a semi-automatic pistol pressed against the back of her head, according to testimony Tuesday in the second day of her husband’s murder trial. Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers testified Steele, 41, was killed as a bullet traveled through her...
Antique props, colorful choreography shine in Geyer theater’s upcoming ‘Pirates of Penzance’
For director Martha Oliver, the Geyer Performing Arts Center’s upcoming performance of “Pirates of Penzance” was a long time coming. “I have wanted to do this since 1982. That’s 40 years,” Oliver said. As a young actress, Oliver performed in a Penn State Fayette rendition of the classic musical in...
2 arrested in theft of $3K worth of assorted merchandise from Hempfield Lowe’s
Two people were arrested by state police after tips from the public helped troopers identify the suspects in a theft of approximately $3,200 worth of merchandise from a Westmoreland County Lowe’s. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the suspects were identified as Matthew John Murphy, 38, of Greensburg, and Heather Lynn Kunkle,...
‘I beg you to ask for help’: Penn Middle School speaker talks bullying, mental health support
Standing on the Penn Middle School auditorium stage, John Halligan looked out at more than 500 students, many of whom reflected the same youthful innocence as his 13-year-old son, Ryan, who died by suicide in 2003. Just as Halligan has done for the past 18 years — for about 1...
Casey proposes anti-bullying bill
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, introduced a bill last month that could help protect K-12 students from bullying and harassment. The Safe Schools Improvement Act would require school districts to include a line in their code of conduct prohibiting bullying and harassment surrounding race, color, national origin, sex, disability and...
Hempfield Area mulls changes to program that allows some seniors flexible schedules
Future Hempfield Area High School seniors may see restrictions on an existing flexible schedule arrangement, which allows them to come in late or leave early if they have enough credits to meet graduation requirements. School board members are considering changes to the program, dubbed early release/late entry, that would be...
Outgoing Greensburg planning director worked to make office more ‘approachable and welcoming’
Greensburg is looking to beef up its planning and development office next year by adding a code enforcement supervisor. It also will be searching for a new planning director, as Jeff Raykes resigned from that role effective Friday. Raykes, who joined the city staff in 2019, is leaving to focus...
Award-winning Hunker artist explores ‘Woman and Variations’ in WCCC exhibit
The creative works of Hunker artist Stephanie Oplinger are featured in the exhibit “Woman and Variations,” running through Dec. 1 in the Science & Innovation Center Gallery on the main campus of Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. In her LinkedIn profile, Oplinger notes she works in a surrealistic style,...
Judge sentences former East Huntingdon man for ‘unfathomable’ crime against child
A former East Huntingdon man was ordered to serve up to seven years in prison on Monday for a crime that a Westmoreland County judge called “unfathomable.” Scott Rys, 49, pleaded guilty to felony counts of indecent assault, corruption of a minor and child endangerment in connection with allegations that...
Drug death charge dismissed against Southwest Greensburg woman
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday dismissed criminal charges against a Southwest Greensburg woman who prosecutors said was responsible for the fatal overdose of her live-in boyfriend in 2021. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger found there was insufficient evidence to establish that Jennifer Lynn Gartland delivered the fentanyl-laced drugs that...
Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver fined more than $62K for violations
The Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver will need to make changes and report progress to the public after being fined $62,475 by the state Department of Environmental Protection for breaking state rules. The DEP fined the landfill for violating the state Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law. Violations...
Murder trial begins for Apollo man charged with wife’s killing
Prosecutors told a Westmoreland County jury Monday there was no mystery as to who killed an Apollo woman last year at a Lower Burrell storage facility. Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker said Alfred Keith Steele shot his estranged wife in the head with a 9 mm pistol as she leaned...
St. Clair couple charged after police called to home for shots fired during domestic dispute
A Bolivar man narrowly escaped injury Sunday after his wife fired shots at him during a domestic dispute at their St. Clair home, according to state police. Troopers said there was a bullet hole in the man’s pickup truck. Both husband and wife, who are separated, were denied bail Monday....
Person found dead in New Stanton pond identified as Jeannette woman
A Jeannette woman was publicly identified Monday as the person found in a New Stanton pond last week. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said Kele Diane Townsend, 34, was found floating in the water off Broadview Road around 12:30 p.m. Nov. 6. The death is not believed to be suspicious,...
Derry Township couple accused of beating boy, causing disfigurement of his ear
A Derry Township woman is accused of beating a 14-year-old boy so badly that it caused permanent disfigurement in one of his ears, according to state police. Jamie Denise Harr, 51, and her husband, Charles Edward Harr, 53, were arrested last week in connection with the assaults and remain at...
School van involved in crash in East Huntingdon
A three-vehicle chain-reaction crash involving a school van shut down part of Route 819 in East Huntingdon on Monday. State police said all three vehicles were traveling north on Route 819 around 8:50 a.m.. Two were stopped in the road while one was waiting to make a turn when the...
Atlanta man to go to trial in Westmoreland County over accusation of car insurance fraud
A Georgia man has been ordered to stand trial in Westmoreland County Court on charges that he falsified the date of a collision by a month so he could add the crashed car to his policy and file a claim. An agent with the state Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section...
