Westmoreland category, Page 230
Westmoreland commissioners say no rush to hire new jail warden
Leaders say morale has improved at the Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield in the weeks since Warden Bryan Kline resigned, and the county hasn’t set a timetable to find a permanent replacement. The jail’s deputy warden for security, Steve Pelesky, is the interim warden. “He’s done a good job in...
Political divide in Norwin separates factions vying for control of school board
Ten candidates — five each on the Republican and Democratic ballots — have formed competing factions in the race for five seats on the Norwin School Board. The board has been divided into two factions for 22 months and voters likely will determine Nov. 7 which slate of candidates will...
‘War of the Worlds’ tops Halloween double bill of Pitt-Greensburg science fiction plays
An attack by Martian invaders, dramatized for anxious listeners 85 years ago, will be staged beginning Tuesday as part of a Halloween double bill of science fiction radio plays at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company will perform Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” and...
Murrysville Eat’n Park proposes additional dining space, disability access, pick-up window
Eat’n Park officials would like to make Murrysville their next location to receive an update, which will include a pick-up window for takeout orders. “This isn’t an ‘order-at’ location,” said Jesse Stock, Eat’n Park’s design and construction director. “You order ahead online or by phone and just pick it up....
Laurel Highlands ‘Bonfires, Barrels & Brews’ event will feature variety of craft beverages
Go Laurel Highlands is offering a “Bonfires, Barrels & Brews” event for the first time this fall — featuring a fire, food and craft beverages. Part of the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour, the event will be held rain or shine from noon until 5 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Yinzer...
As election nears, Westmoreland commissioner candidates look to the future
Westmoreland County’s board of commissioners already has seen change. It came in August when Democrat Ted Kopas was appointed to the board to replace Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who resigned to take a job as a worker’s compensation judge. Kopas joined first-term Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew as the...
Pitt-Greensburg professor’s latest book shares musings during breast cancer battle
When Lori Jakiela saw a scanned image of the cancer growing in her breast, it looked like tiny grains of white rice. “They were lining up in a particular way that made the doctor very concerned,” she said. That was four years ago. But, the rice association stuck in her...
Norvelt opens new, spacious fire hall
It was moving day Sunday for the Norvelt Volunteer Fire Department, which transferred its firetrucks and equipment across Mt. Pleasant Road to the firefighters’ new $1 million home with room enough for all of its vehicles. “We outgrew (the old fire hall),” said Norvelt fire Chief Matt Zelenak at the...
Toe bones and porcupine quills: Library patrons create spooky-season ‘nature vials’
Toe bones, moss and quill of porcupine — it sounds like the ingredients in a witch’s cauldron. That means spooky season is the perfect time of year for Britney Jones to present a workshop featuring some of the items from her shop, Mz. Jones’ Curio, in Greensburg. The Bovard resident...
Latrobe trust will honor Southern Alleghenies Museum during annual gala
This year’s Art Gala hosted by the Greater Latrobe School District Art Conservation Trust will honor the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier Township. The annual event supports the trust’s work to oversee and care for Greater Latrobe’s art collections, which were generated by two teachers: James Beatty and...
Greensburg Salem to use $1.7 M in pandemic funding for HVAC upgrades at 3 schools
Greensburg Salem will tap pandemic recovery funding to restore and expand air conditioning at three of its schools, at a cost of close to $1.7 million. District officials are also considering other capital improvements that could be made with about $2 million in remaining money from the Elementary and Secondary...
Greensburg dentist teaches American history through reenacting, podcast
Bill Choby knew he wanted to be a dentist since he was 16 years old. But that would not be the only field to capture his attention. Choby, owner of Center for Dental Implants in Greensburg, is an avid historian on the side, boasting a book and an accompanying podcast....
‘We try to help out any way we can’: Manor Lions club celebrates 75 years in community
Joy Clontz always had a box of eyeglasses in her home during her childhood. Her father was a member of the St. Marys’ Lions Club in Elk County for 60 years. She remembers helping him with various Lions events, including Recycle for Sight — a program in which Lions members...
Greensburg YMCA gymnastic event: competing for a good cause
Fourteen-year-old Amelia Raible of North Huntingdon was competing against other young gymnasts in her skill level Saturday at the Greensburg YMCA gymnastics invitational. Raible, a ninth grader at Norwin High School, is part of the 24-member Greensburg YMCA’s Aerials. They are among about 160 gymnasts from eight YMCA teams competing...
Fire damages Latrobe house, residents must seek temporary lodging elsewhere
Two men in a Latrobe house were treated for smoke inhalation early Saturday morning at Independence Latrobe Hospital as a result of a fire that damaged the residence, Latrobe’s fire chief said. The men, whose identities were not immediately available, suffered from smoke inhalation from the fire, Fire Chief John...
Derry Township man killed in motorcycle crash
A Derry Township man was killed in a motorcycle crash early Saturday morning, along Route 217 in Derry Township, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said. The victim, James A. Trice III, 35, died as a result of injuries he suffered in the accident at 1:10 a.m. while traveling on Ligonier...
Financial reports reveal shoestring campaigns for Westmoreland commissioner
The candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner have spent about one-eighth of what was paid out during the months leading up to Election Day four years ago, according to campaign finance reports filed this week. Financial reports of Republican incumbents Sean Kertes and Doug Chew and Democrats Ted Kopas and Lisa...
Westmoreland Catholics pray for peace in Holy Land
About two weeks before war broke out between Hamas-led Palestine and Israel, Katie Zuzik was on a trip to Israel with a group from the Diocese of Greensburg. “To be able to have seen the Holy Land for myself and to walk the path and to see it for myself,...
Greensburg Salem School Board race features 3 incumbents, 3 newcomers, 5 open seats
Three incumbents and three newcomers are vying for five seats on the Greensburg Salem School Board in the Nov. 7 general election. Those seeking to join the board are Justin Aion, Kacey Byrne-Houser and Tyler Courtney. Incumbents on the ballot are: Brian Conway, who is seeking a second term; Robin...
Mt. Pleasant country rocker wins independent music award for 3rd straight year
Andy Davis has plenty to smile about these days. The Mt. Pleasant native and his band released an EP and a full-length record in the past few years, and a new album, “The River,” was released in May on streaming services. And in each of the past three years, has...
Woman dies in Greensburg apartment fire; 18 residents displaced
A woman died in an apartment fire early Friday in Greensburg, according to Fire Chief Tom Bell and Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. An automatic fire alarm went off around 1:30 a.m. at an apartment building on Dornin Street, not far from the intersection of Highland Avenue and Mt. Pleasant...
Visit Ligonier, the Town for All Seasons, for holiday shopping and charm
Visit Ligonier … Our hometown charm is contagious. Ligonier has been recognized by Country Living Magazine as one of “The Most Charming Small Towns in America” and The Washington Post as a “Small-Town Charmer.” Plan Your Stay: Ligonier has over 60 specialty shops, galleries, restaurants, and places to stay, and...
Supporters of Murrysville ‘tree sign’ updates estimate $100,000 in costs
Valerie Mittereder and her husband, Ed, own the “ysville” section of the Murrysville tree sign, a group of several hundred evergreens which spell out the name of the municipality, on a hillside overlooking Route 22. The “Murr” section of land is owned by Michael Hillebrand. But after nearly a century,...
Feliciani, Bilik-DeFazio seek return to bench for new 10-year terms
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judges Christopher Feliciani and Meagan Bilik-DeFazio have done more than sentence criminals to prison. Since 2015, the judges have presided over Westmoreland County’s fledgling drug court program that has seen dozens of participants charged with crimes find a path toward recovery. “Being a judge is more...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Oct. 27-29
The last hurrahs of the fall festival and Halloween seasons welcome visitors this weekend. Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township tries out a new programming approach to replace its traditional hayrides, and local vendors gather for the Irwin Farm Market. Bushy Run Duncan Campbell Haunting As a replacement for the...
