Westmoreland category, Page 257
South Greensburg woman to stand trial on aiding suicide charge in ex-boyfriend’s death
State Trooper Phil Dern testified Tuesday he believes it is clear that a man took his own life at a Hempfield apartment in 2021 because he repeatedly was told to do so by his former girlfriend, Mandie R. Reusch. Dern said the man posted messages he received from Reusch, 35,...
Hempfield board adopts budget with 2.3 mill tax hike
Property owners in the Hempfield Area School District will be paying more in real estate taxes after board members adopted a 2023-24 budget by a 6-2 vote. The budget includes about $106.9 million in expenditures, which amounts to a 2.3 mill property tax increase. The increase will help close a...
Westmoreland officials pledge to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland officials on Monday pledged to reopen the county’s juvenile detention center upon the conclusion of state investigations launched this month when two youths were injured at the Hempfield facility. “As soon as the investigations are done, we hope to be up and running. As soon as we can get...
Hempfield to purchase former state prison site, demolish buildings
Hempfield will buy the former SCI Greensburg state prison and plans to work with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation to demolish the complex. Supervisors on Monday approved spending $3.5 million to buy the 96-acre property on Route 119 between Youngwood and Greensburg. The medium-security prison was originally built to...
Derry Township man charged after incident at courthouse
Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies charged a man last week after they said he lunged at a conference officer during a domestic relations hearing, according to court papers. William A. Friedline, 44, of Derry Township, was at the Greensburg courthouse June 20 around 3 p.m. for the hearing when deputies were...
Greensburg Y youth sports camps emphasize fitness, fun
Kids ranging from preschoolers to middle school students can have fun and learn skills playing a variety of sports in a series of new camps offered in July by the Greensburg YMCA. The evening camps, each with four-day sessions, include: • Tots Variety Sports (ages 2-4) — 5:30 to 6...
Girlfriend of Greensburg-area dentist convicted of killing his wife on safari sentenced to 17 years
The girlfriend of a former Greensburg-area dentist convicted of murdering his wife on an African safari was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison for being an accessory to the crime. Ana Rudolph, daughter of 57-year-old victim Bianca Rudolph, said that Lori Milliron had “plotted to eliminate” her mother. “Lori,...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust parts ways with CEO April Kopas
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust has parted ways with CEO April Kopas, who has led the regional cultural and arts organization since June 2019. The Trust issued a statement this weekend that Kopas left the Greensburg-based organization on June 20, but offered no explanation for her abrupt departure. “On behalf of...
Hot day for hot rods at the Veterans Anything With Wheels car showVideo
Trisha Cavanaugh didn’t build a 1972 Chevy Vega with a 6-liter, all-aluminum LS engine and a power-glide transmission to haul it around in a trailer. “I built it to be a car I could drive on the street, and I take it to Keystone Raceway,” said Cavanaugh, a White Oak...
Concerns over proposed gas-powered plant in Elizabeth Township to be aired
Residents in communities along the Youghiogheny River in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are expected to air concerns Tuesday during a meeting in West Newton about the potential environmental impact of a proposed natural gas-fueled power plant to be built in Elizabeth Township. The meeting, planned for 7 p.m. at the...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival nears half-century mark
The slate that Deb and Fred Rost use as a canvas for their artwork comes from Vermont — but they don’t have to go nearly that far to sell it. The Latrobe residents have been bringing products from their Stenciled Slates business to the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival for...
North Huntingdon gives preliminary OK for lithium-ion battery farm
Bear Peak Power received preliminary approval from North Huntingdon commissioners this week to build a lithium-ion battery farm. The Denver renewable energy company plans to build a battery energy storage system off Route 993 on a four-acre parcel between the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority’s sewage plant and Ridinger Park Road....
Hanna’s Town founder was early Westmoreland justice, defied Virginia-backed rivals
(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series marking the 250th anniversary of Westmoreland County’s founding.) The first Westmoreland County seat, Historic Hanna’s Town, has been recreated at its original site through the efforts of historians and archaeologists. It’s a testament to Robert Hanna, who founded the town and...
Out & About: WSO plays ‘Classics on the Rocks’ at West Overton
Classical music lovers were presented with a casual concert experience at “Classics on the Rocks,” presented June 8 at West Overton Village in East Huntingdon. The “classics” part of the event was the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s cello ensemble playing a program of music by familiar composers such as Bach, Debussy...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s Pride Prom celebrates self-expression
A popular disco-era song said, “Express yourself/You don’t ever need help from nobody else/All you got to do now/Express yourself.” Sung by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, the tune could have been the anthem of Pride Prom, held June 17 at The Westmoreland Museum of American...
Behind the Art: ‘Civics’ painting emphasizes voter responsibility
(Editor’s note: Behind the Art is a recurring series highlighting artistic works throughout the county.) “You pay taxes/Obey the law/Serve in time of war/And vote.” These lines are from “Civics,” a poem by David Joseph Kutcher that inspired an oil painting by the same name that is included in the...
Out & About: Hempfield Park concert ‘amps up’ Vogues fans
There’s something about the music you like when you’re young that just sticks with you. So it was with the crowd who came to hear Chuck Blasko and The Vogues at the Amp Up Your Summer concert on June 18 in Hempfield Park. Many of them were fans of the...
Pooches parade through downtown Greensburg for ‘Summer in the City’Video
It was a little damp on the paws Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop plenty of dog owners and downtown shoppers from dropping by Greensburg’s Summer in the City celebration at the Pitt-Penn parking lot on South Pennsylvania Avenue. From a doggie photo booth to a dunk tank, the lot...
Turnpike, PennDOT officials expand pollinator habitats, will include Irwin interchange
Pennsylvania Turnpike and state transportation officials are hoping to brighten the roadside, boost the local pollinator population and spark the public’s interest in planting native species for critical pollinating wildlife like bees and butterflies. Officials have overseen more than 40 acres of pilot planting, with an additional 25 acres in...
Westmoreland closes juvenile detention center amid state investigation, staffing shortages
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is temporarily closed amid ongoing state child welfare investigations and staffing issues that resulted in an inability to properly staff and secure the 16-bed facility in Hempfield. Director Rich Gordon confirmed that state investigators are conducting a review of operations in the wake of two...
The Grandeur Estate boutique hotel opens in historic Greensburg mansion
Tony and Julia Taneja liked road trips that took them about four hours from their home in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. One of those trips took them through Greensburg, where they came upon a stately property for sale — a three-story brick edifice near downtown built in...
Private Industry Council hires former Norwin administrator
A former Norwin administrator has been hired as the chief operating officer for a non-profit that operates employment, education and training programs in Westmoreland and Fayette counties Thomas Wrobleski, a former human resources director for Norwin, was hired recently as the COO for the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette Inc.,...
Fayette man accused of sending sexually explicit videos
A Fayette County man is accused of recording himself having sex with a 17-year-old Westmoreland County girl and sending seven videos of the encounters to her 15-year-old friend, according to court papers. Trevor N. Mayfield, 28, of Luzerne, was arrested Friday and jailed on $50,000 bail. State police said they...
Wildlife Works caring for albino raccoon found at Somerset County lumberyard
A rare albino raccoon is in the care of a Westmoreland County wildlife rescue after it was found with its two siblings at a Somerset County lumberyard, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The three baby animals were captured Tuesday by state Game Warden Andy Harvey at Berlin Lumber, southeast...
Franklin Regional adopts 2023-24 budget with 2-mill tax hike
Franklin Regional school directors approved a $66.6 million budget for the 2023-24 school year that includes a 2-mill tax hike. The budget will bring in $66.27 million in projected revenue. In the past few years, district officials have offset budget gaps using money earmarked to fund annual state-mandated increases in...
