Westmoreland category, Page 263
North Huntingdon rejects buyers’ plans to build homes on industrial parcel
North Huntingdon commissioners deadlocked on a zoning decision that would have allowed two families to build homes near a former strip mine. Commissioner Virginia Stump, who could have been the tie-breaking vote, abstained from participating in the matter because she is a real estate agent and faced a potential conflict...
Westmoreland woman wins $1M in ‘Millionaire Maker’ scratch-off game
Pennsylvania Lottery officials will recognize another $1 million winner from Westmoreland County at the Shop’n Save in Latrobe on Wednesday. Diane Babbin will be presented with a commemorative check after winning $1 million the “Millionaire Maker” scratch-off game. Western Pennsylvania has seen a number of sizable lottery winners this spring....
Veterans benefits presentation, spaghetti dinner planned at Norwin Elks
Westmoreland County Department of Veterans Affairs will hold a free benefits presentation June 15 at the Norwin Elks lodge. The 3:30 p.m. event will be held at 135 Elks Lane, Irwin (in Manor), but space is limited in the lodge’s upper dining room. The presentation will consist of an overview...
Sobriety checkpoints planned in Belle Vernon, Uniontown over Memorial Day weekend
Troopers at two state police stations are planning sobriety checkpoints during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Police in the Belle Vernon and Uniontown stations said in news releases this week that they are going to be on the lookout for impaired drivers, but didn’t say where exactly. Troopers from the...
Volunteers sought for Five Star Trail mural update
A connection made at the Greensburg ArtsWalk and a stroll on the Five Star Trail gave Natalie Dobrick a great idea. Could an artist she met at the event update a mural painted more than 20 years ago in a tunnel on the trail near Lynch Field in Greensburg? She...
New national archivist’s love of history nurtured at home, Norwin
While growing up in North Huntingdon, Colleen Shogan remembers summer vacations as a mix of someplace the family could have fun — like an amusement park or beach — coupled with a visit to a historical site. “My father exposed us (her and brother, Greg) to history,” said Shogan, a...
Tax increase included in draft Hempfield Area budget
A 2.3 mill real estate tax increase that’s included in a proposed 2023-24 budget will be used to cover expenses associated with rising health insurance rates, updated curriculum, and hiring school police officers in Hempfield Area School District. The proposed spending plan was adopted Monday by Hempfield’s school board. The...
Controller questions Westmoreland County Prison medical costs
Westmoreland Controller Jeffrey Balzer on Monday criticized an additional $175,000 expense that must be paid for medical services at the county prison. The extra fee is required under a contract county commissioners approved with a new medical provider last summer. The agreement nearly doubles the costs to care for inmates,...
2 injured in Washington Township crash involving pickup, car, transit bus
Two drivers were injured in a three-vehicle crash involving a Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus Monday afternoon on Route 66 in Washington Township. The bus, which was not a full-size model, was empty of passengers when it was rear-ended in a chain-reaction collision shortly before 5 p.m., according to Clayton...
North Huntingdon man ordered to prison for assault against disabled victim
A North Huntingdon man was ordered to serve up to two years in prison for an assault he claimed he didn’t commit. Tracy Steele Painter, 60, was sentenced Monday to state prison after he was convicted in absentia following a nonjury trial last month in connection with what police said...
Hempfield Area site of job fair for school districts in the region
Hempfield Area High School’s field house was the site of a job fair on Monday. Students from the high school along with surround school districts attended the event, hosted by state Rep. Eric Nelson, in partnership with the school district and the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce. Students from Hempfield...
Mental wellness focus of informational event in South Greensburg
An informational Mental Wellness and Recovery event is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in South Greensburg. Presented by the Greensburg-based Unity in the Community organization, the free program will take place at the Greensburg Event Center, 1700 Washington St. Timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, it...
Latrobe Art Center spreads kindness one card at a time
Latrobe Art Center is asking Westmoreland residents to spread kindness with specially designed “You’ve Been Fred Roger-ed” note cards. The center is celebrating the third annual Week of Kindness through May 27. During the week, participating individuals and organizations are instructed to use the “You’ve Been Fred Roger-ed” cards while...
Rostraver man jailed, accused of rape
A Rostraver man is accused by police of raping a woman at a township apartment building. Jerry F. Griest, 62, was jailed Friday on charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses. Township police said a woman reported being raped by Griest in her apartment in late August...
Excela, Butler change name to Independence Health System
After merging to create Western Pennsylvania’s third-largest health system, Excela Health and the Butler Health System have a new name: Independence Health System. The system includes Butler, Clarion, Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland hospitals, with 7,300 employees and more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers. “Having the wider resources of...
Music, food, vendors, barrel event slated for Greensburg Fire Department Party in the Park
Live music, food and kids’ games will be featured on Saturday when the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department kicks off the Memorial Day holiday weekend by hosting a Party in the Park. Admission is free for the event at Greensburg’s St. Clair Park. It’s intended as an alternative to the usual...
Transit authority eyes Go Westmoreland fare hikes
Fares for travel on Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s shared-ride program are expected to increase this year to make up for potential revenue shortfalls. Authority board members last week approved a $16.3 million budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that is balanced through use of more than $3.9 million in federal...
Free pet health clinic fills community need in Jeannette
Dogs and cats, with their owners in tow, lined up outside the City of Jeannette Fire Department more than 30 minutes before the doors opened Sunday morning to receive free medical care. “I think this is a blessing for the community. We really need this, especially since our family can’t...
Show me the money: Teachers, education experts advocate for financial literacy
Ligonier Valley financial literacy teacher Martin Hickey often hears from students about how his classes have impacted their lives, but one response from a former pupil sticks with him. “One of the kids I had in my class, I happened to see him in the street … and he goes,...
Flying high: Mt. Pleasant man’s heart soars after winning model air pilot award
One of Josh Pluck’s earliest childhood memories is with a model airplane. He watched as his father pumped 192 pounds of air into an Air Hogs Sky Shark. The pressurized plane was a free flyer that required the user to throw it into the sky to launch it. “Well the...
Out & About: 2 artist groups join forces for ‘Art Neighbors’ show
Automotive pioneer Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” The notion is reflected in “Art Neighbors,” a joint exhibit presented by the Greensburg and Latrobe art centers. The fifth annual show opened May 4 at Latrobe Art Center, featuring 133...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s happy hour goes ‘off to the races’
And they were “Off to the Races” at a May 12 Kentucky Derby-themed Art on Tap happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Guests were invited to come in haute hippodrome couture, and they obliged with summer frocks, fascinators and chapeaus for the ladies and fedoras and sport...
Out & About: SAMA-Ligonier Valley exhibit is all in the family
It’s a family affair. “In Our Elements: Works in Wood, Glass and Painting,” the current exhibit at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, features work by noted local artists Paul and Mandy Sirofchuck and their daughter, Clair Maier. Paul is an award-winning woodworker for his contemporary furniture...
Out & About: Bushy Run Battlefield tea offers bonus history lessons
Finger sandwiches, scones, strawberry soup, salad and orange fluff were on the menu for the annual Spring Tea, held May 12 at Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township. A sell-out crowd of 69 gathered in the stone room at the visitor center around tables set with white linens, china and...
Behind the art: ‘Vision of St. Jerome’ depicts Judgement Day
(Editor’s note: Behind the Art is a recurring series highlighting artistic works throughout the county.) One of the most significant paintings in the collection at St. Vincent College’s art gallery was donated by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in the 1850s. “The Vision of St. Jerome” was shipped to the...
