Westmoreland category, Page 226
New trees provide fresh setting for blooms at First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg
First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg has upped its curb appeal this year by replacing overgrown foliage on it grounds at 300 S. Main St. with new landscaping elements. It was time to refresh the plantings of rhododendrons and yew trees after more than two decades, according to the church’s pastor,...
Body art: Meeting of the Marked tattoo convention inks three decades of skin design
A tattoo needle punctures the skin around 100 times per second, depositing the ink 1.5 millimeters to 2 millimeters below the surface. It bypasses the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. Tool firmly in hand, the image that appears is more than ink injected into the skin — tattoos...
Baltzer Meyer Historical Society plans Oktoberfest event
You don’t have to travel all the way to Germany to celebrate the autumn season. Baltzer Meyer Historical Society in Hempfield will host an Oktoberfest festival on Sept. 17, featuring beer, snacks, refreshments, and historical activities. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Historical Society at 624...
Decision delayed on new North Huntingdon car wash
Plans for a car wash in North Huntingdon hit a snag this week when township zoning board members questioned the idea of constructing the building 25 feet from busy Route 30, one-half the setback required in the municipality’s ordinance. When it was clear that all four members present at the...
Ceramic creations take center stage in Greensburg Art Center show
Some have been hand-molded, others shaped on a spinning wheel. More than 80 pieces of ceramic art will be featured in “From The Earth,” the next exhibition at the Greensburg Art Center, opening Saturday at 230 Todd School Road, in Hempfield. “We have some amazing pottery here, it’s a really...
Region’s latest mural brings history of South Greensburg to life
The people, places and things that make up the South Greensburg community are being memorialized in bright colors. Artist Raphael Pantalone is tucking the recognizable landmarks from the past and present into his latest mural while adding some personal touches, like the house where he spent about 10 years of...
Saint Vincent professor seeks public participation in spotted lanternfly research
Saint Vincent professor and entomologist Michelle Duennes was walking the lots at a Steelers tailgate last year near Heinz Field. But she wasn’t looking for the perfectly grilled kielbasa. She was looking for spotted lanternflies. “We were also looking at the license plates of people who came from out-of-state,” Duennes...
Poker convictions flushed for Derry lawyer
Hunting wasn’t in the cards for Derry Township attorney Larry Burns. So Burns went to court to ask that he once again be allowed to participate in the hobby he enjoyed for decades before he was convicted in 2009 of gambling offenses. He was operating what authorities said were illegal...
New St. Xavier Nature Preserve to host visitors, Sisters of Mercy, Catholic academy alumni for open house
For the first time since 1972, the St. Xavier property off Route 30 in Unity will open its doors once again — this time, as a nature preserve. The 248 acres were home to the former St. Xavier Academy and Convent, which was the oldest institution of the Sisters of...
Survivors, advocates shine spotlight on suicide as cases rise in Westmoreland County
Sue Soltis of Derry Township can empathize with those who have been touched by the rising number of suicides in Westmoreland County, which accounted for a record number of 62 deaths last year. She found help with a Survivors of Suicide bereavement support group in Pittsburgh when her family was...
Aldi in Hempfield nears opening day
The Aldi grocery store announced for Hempfield in February will open in a week. The store, located at 6207 Route 30 in the Hempfield Plaza, will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily starting Sept. 14. Customers can arrive at 8:45 a.m. for the official grand opening of the...
Community Bands of Westmoreland County brings ‘familiar’ music for all ages to community college
The Community Bands of Westmoreland County has performed in Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Lancaster County and at the Flight 93 Memorial, but their at-home shows have been limited. This weekend, the group will bring its set of classic rock, marches, show tunes and patriotic selections back home for a performance at...
Hanna’s Town to host fifth Antiques & Collectibles market in 50th season
Historic Hanna’s Town will host its fifth Antiques & Collectibles market of the season this weekend, continuing its 50th year of the tradition. The market, which started in 1974, will feature more than 100 vendors offering a variety of vintage items, ranging from $1 to hundreds of dollars in cost....
Pittsburgh man charged after botched phone sale at turnpike plaza in Hempfield
A man was hospitalized after state police said a robber took $650 from him and ran over his foot before fleeing a service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield, according to court papers. Kierre D. Williams, 28, of Pittsburgh was arraigned this week and is free on $25,000 unsecured...
‘Jammin’ Into Fall’ benefits Hampton nonprofit
Musicians have a history of helping worthy causes, and members of the North Hills band Altered Egos want to keep up the tradition. They’re the featured attraction for the benefit Jammin’ Into Fall for Spenser’s Voice, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 17 at the PA Market, 108 19th...
Historical society readies for annual Murrysville Heritage Festival
Considering the disdain children seem to have for putting away their clothes, Carol Interieri isn’t sure what they love so much about colonial-era laundry demonstrations. “They just can’t enough for some reason,” she said with a laugh. Intrieri and other members of the Murrysville Historical Preservation Society will put local...
Man arrested in Latrobe shooting of friend previously served time in 2015 beating death
A Greensburg man accused of shooting a longtime friend in Latrobe on Sunday previously served jail time in connection with a 2015 fatal beating, according to court records. Malik Crosby, 24, was arraigned Friday on attempted homicide and related charges in the Chestnut Street shooting that police said happened after...
Change in state police academy requirements generates burst in applications
Eliminating the requirement that Pennsylvania State Police cadets have college credits under their belts in order to apply for trooper jobs was met with a burst of applications. State officials said 137 of 297 people who applied in the two days after the announcement last week do not have college...
Norwin library considers renovation project estimated at $400,000
The Norwin Public Library board is considering renovations to the library that could include an addition to its children’s room, converting a reading lounge into a meeting room and other improvements that could cost about $400,000, the library director said this week. The library’s director, Diana Falk, told Irwin Council...
Vicki Lawrence brings ‘Mama’ to Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Vicki Lawrence was never intended to play “Mama,” the sharp-tongued Southerner who became one of the most iconic characters to emerge from “The Carol Burnett Show” in the 1970s. The show’s writers created the part for Burnett in a one-time sketch, with the role of Mama’s long-suffering daughter, Eunice, to...
High-speed chase in Greensburg ends in arrest
A Pittsburgh man who led police on a morning chase in Greensburg and Hempfield is accused of trying to carjack two people at a gas station before a Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy tased him, according to court papers. Police said the chase started when Matthew Allen Armstrong, 36, fled in...
Hempfield man convicted of wife’s murder returns to court for 4th appeal
A former Hempfield man serving a life prison sentence for the 2012 murder of his wife appeared before a Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday in a fourth attempt to appeal his conviction. David Stahl, 53, was found guilty of first-degree murder following a 2014 trial in which prosecutors said he...
Ligonier man pleads guilty to possessing child porn
A Ligonier Township man pleaded guilty Wednesday to disseminating and possessing child pornography. Mathew Louis Hoffer, 57, was charged last spring after state investigators linked his home computer to file-sharing programs that contained sexually explicit images of children. According to court records, police found at least 25 files on Hoffer’s...
Latrobe Art Center to host 14th annual Mister Fred Rogers Fine Arts Juried Exhibition
Latrobe Art Center will host the opening reception for the 14th annual Mister Fred Rogers Fine Arts Juried Exhibition 5-7 p.m Friday. Nearly 50 of the participating artists who created the 75 pieces in the exhibition are expected at the reception. The exhibition will run through Sept. 30. Justin Gunther,...
Tri-axle truck overturns on Claypike Road
A section of Claypike Road in Mt. Pleasant Township was shut down for a couple hours Wednesday morning after a tri-axle truck overturned, spilling its load. The one-vehicle crash was reported at 9:20 a.m. in the area of Sheriff’s Lane, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. A section of...
