Westmoreland category, Page 243
Youngstown Whitney Volunteer Fire Department ready to celebrate 100 years
An area fire department is celebrating a milestone this weekend with a festival and a few tried-and-true traditions. Youngstown Whitney Volunteer Fire Department, 229 Main St., will mark its 100th anniversary on Friday and Saturday. The department, formed from the merger of Youngstown Volunteer Fire Department, Baggaley Volunteer Fire Department...
Contractor bids anticipated on 3 million gallon cleanup at former Jeannette brewery
About 3 million gallons of water in the basement of the former Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette is expected to be removed in the coming months. Bids are due Wednesday from contractors who believe they can rid the dilapidated building of water and sludge, said Brian Lawrence, director of...
Married Trafford couple pleads guilty to prostitution
A married Trafford couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating a sex business from their home this year. Police said Robert Wargo, 53, and his wife, Kayla Wargo, 35, solicited and hosted men for sexual encounters at their Fairmont Avenue residence during daytime hours. Investigators contended they opened the investigation in...
Experts debate teen’s potential transfer to juvenile court in New Kensington murder case
Two mental health experts gave conflicting testimony Monday as to whether a now 16-year-old boy charged in connection with a fatal shooting last summer in New Kensington should be prosecuted as an adult. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Wright said Avian Molter is not receptive to treatment in the juvenile justice...
Somerset man sentenced for 2019 crash that killed Hempfield bicyclist
Nearly four years after Jason Zollinger was killed as he pedaled up Route 30 toward Laurel Mountain summit in Ligonier Township, his family on Monday finally obtained a level of closure. “I am speaking for my son because he can’t. It’s been 1,392 days since my life changed forever. I...
Derry Township man loses $1,000 in gift card scam
A Derry Township man is out $1,000 after state police said he fell victim to a gift card scam this month. Troopers said the man believed he was buying an enclosed trailer from Montana for $1,000 with free shipping through an ad on Craigslist that was related to an eBay...
Paving to restrict southbound Route 119 traffic in Youngwood
Paving of a section of Fourth Street in Youngwood will result in a single-lane restriction beginning Tuesday for motorists headed south on Route 119 through the borough. Depending on weather conditions, the lane restriction is expected to be in place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 4....
Murrysville Eat’n Park proposes expanded dining room, addition of pickup window
Officials from Eat’n Park are proposing a 1,400-square-foot addition to their Murrysville location that will expand the dining room and add a drive-thru window. “We’re looking to do several things,” said Jesse Stock, Eat’n Park’s director of design and construction. “One is the addition of the pickup window. Right now...
5 injured in Ligonier crash involving 4 motorcycles
Five people were injured Sunday evening in a crash involving four motorcycles and an SUV in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers said. According to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE, the crash was a head-on collision. Dispatchers said the five patients were taken to local hospitals after the crash, which took...
Seton Hill names Keisha Jimmerson dean of students, diversity officer
Keisha Jimmerson left her home in Virginia in 1993 to pursue a communications degree at Seton Hill University. Now an employee of the university for 25 years, Jimmerson said she has stayed because of the people who have shown her grace — inside and outside of the classroom. “There’s something...
Hempfield bike run, memorial display will honor service members killed post-9/11
Tributes to those who have died as a result of military service since 9/11 will be featured Aug. 5 as part of a Fallen Heroes Run and Military Appreciation Day in Hempfield. The fifth annual motorcycle run organized by Monroeville-based nonprofit Operation Vet NOW is dedicated to the memory of...
Pa. working on new policy to govern reenactments at sites like Bushy Run
A draft of Pennsylvania’s new living history policy — which previously jeopardized future reenactments at state-owned historic sites — is a “step in the right direction” but could use clarification, according to Bushy Run Battlefield Historical Society President Bonnie Ramus. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission held its second of...
Traditional Mt. Pleasant church festival draws big crowd
What do you get when you have thousands of homemade pierogies, hundreds of stuffed cabbage, trays of halushki, hamburgers, hot dogs, hot sausage, games, gift baskets and a raffle to win a wheelbarrow full of top-shelf liquor? The answer is the St. Pius X Festival in Mt. Pleasant, a community...
Saint Vincent College receives 88 paintings in major art bequest
The art collection at Saint Vincent College has increased in size and scope with a bequest of 88 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from philanthropists Michael and Aimee Rusinko Kakos of Latrobe and Winter Park, Fla. The collection principally includes works from the 1880s through the 1930s. Many are by artists...
Summit set to seek strategies for reducing homelessness in Westmoreland County
Shelters in Westmoreland County were providing a roof and a bed for 74 homeless people in January, an increase from 56 people a year earlier. Those figures need to be expanded to represent all local people who are struggling with housing instability, according to Toni Antonucci, a committee member of...
‘It’s heartwarming’: Local running store hosts Labor Day race in support of autism nonprofit
Autism Connection of PA, a Pittsburgh nonprofit, has a “huge mission and a limited budget,” said Director of Operations Tammi Morton. So fundraising events like the Labor Day Run for Autism are vital. Gingerbread Man Running Co., a store for runners with locations in Indiana and Greensburg, has hosted the...
‘Not your grandmother’s center’: Seniors centers evolve with Pilates, pickleball and pub burgers
Strong coffee and bingo are enough to draw Betty Delaney to the Highlands Area Senior Center every day. But her “partner in crime,” Christine Drane, said there’s a spicier reason to check out the Tarentum facility. “The meatballs are exceptionally good,” said Drane of Natrona Heights. “The lunches can’t be...
Seton Hill hosts intensive program on creative, business sides of dance
About 20 dancers learned about both the creative and business sides of the art during the inaugural Commercial Dance Intensive, held July 15 in the Seton Hill University Arts Center in downtown Greensburg. Presented by the Seton Hill Department of Dance, the high-energy dance experience focused on exploring style and...
Out & About: Compass Inn midsummer revel harks back to 1812
They were partying like it was 1812 on July 15 on the grounds of the Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown. The event was the annual Midsummer’s Night Ball, a highlight of a living history weekend featuring reenactors from Ship’s Company, an organization dedicated to preserving America’s maritime heritage. The group...
Out & About: Latrobe Art Center supporters dine on famed Jamison lamb
For more than 40 years, John and Sukey Jamison of Unity have raised lambs destined for fine dining tables across the country. They’ve also hosted an annual dinner fundraiser for the Latrobe Art Center — a longstanding and eagerly anticipated tradition, according to executive director Michael Tusay. Guests gathered for...
Out & About: Sounds like summer at The Westmoreland
“Sounds of Summer” was the theme for the July 14 Art on Tap happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. It was a clever link to the weekly SummerSounds concert that would follow in nearby St. Clair Park. Following the museum’s happy hour, guests were encouraged...
Greensburg WWII veteran braved armed foes, harsh jungle conditions with Merrill’s Marauders
(Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes.) Walter Krautz Greensburg 1919-1986 Walter Krautz survived the jungle, but the sacrifices he made during a World War II mission behind enemy lines in Southeast Asia didn’t end once he was...
Nigerian activist’s work inspires Greensburg Art Center exhibit
“Hope” is the simple title of the current exhibit at Greensburg Art Center, but there are layers of meaning conveyed in that one word. Featured artists Nancy Rusbosin of Hempfield and Becky Mormack of Unity took their inspiration from the work of Nigerian activist/entrepreneur Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale. Adebowale not only...
Kecksburg UFO festival: ‘quintessentially American’
Little Everly Yencha of South Huntingdon was holding onto the carving of a green wooden cryptid — an alien’s head — that her mother, Holly Yencha, had just bought her Saturday at the Kecksburg UFO Festival. What attracted 5-year-old Everly to prompt her mother to buy her the odd item?...
Greensburg legal services office merges with regional organization
Laurel Legal Services in Greensburg is now known as Summit Legal Aid after merging operations with Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid in Washington. The organizations have the same mission, to provide individuals with limited resources free community legal services in family, housing, financial security and domestic violence matters. As Summit Legal...
