Westmoreland category, Page 268
Vanderbilt man accused of selling drug to confidential informant
A Fayette County man was arraigned Tuesday in connection with three undercover drug buys in July in Westmoreland County. Brandon Eugene Carter, 38, of Vanderbilt, is accused of selling three bricks of drugs to a confidential informant on three occasions in July. He was being held at the Westmoreland County...
Police pursuit following stabbing incident in Hempfield home prompts brief school lockdown
A Hempfield man accused in a stabbing at his home early Wednesday fled from state police attempting to arrest him, prompting a brief lockdown at some Hempfield Area schools. Dashon Miller, 21, was apprehended later in the morning on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats. Troopers said...
37 cats abandoned in field off Athena Drive in Salem
Two local animal rescues are caring for 37 cats, some of which were pregnant, that were found Friday dumped in a field. The felines were frightened but in decent health, said Jen Johnson, founder of Ninth Life Rescue Center, who is partnering with Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue to get the...
Fallen Westmoreland County police officers to be recognized at ceremony in Greensburg park
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is planning her second Law Enforcement Memorial Service on May 18 at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. The public is invited to attend the noon event that will honor Westmoreland County police officers who have died in the line of duty since 1903. The...
Monessen woman charged with threatening Westmoreland children’s bureau employees
A Monessen woman was charged Tuesday with terroristic threats and harassment after Westmoreland County detectives said she threatened to kill children’s bureau employees. Precious L. Gantt, 39, is accused of making the threats since February. She has been under the bureau’s supervision since 2021 in connection with a case involving...
Westmoreland happenings: burger bash, plant sale, golf outing, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks prior to the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee. Fundraisers • Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County will have a...
$6M to help Western Pa. makerspaces bolster tech resources for smaller manufacturers
“Makerspaces” at four area colleges and universities are expanding their resources and/or programs to give regional small manufacturers increased access to equipment and the knowledge on how to use it. “The makerspaces will provide manufacturers and entrepreneurs throughout the Southwestern Pennsylvania region with easy access to equipment and services that...
Ligonier Valley Police Commission fires chief after last week’s raid at the police station
Members of the Ligonier Valley Police Commission on Tuesday fired Chief John Berger in response to a raid at the department last week that Solicitor Mark Sorice said focused solely on the force’s now former leader. The five-member commission, composed of elected officials from Ligonier and Ligonier Township and one...
Judge calls out Westmoreland DA office over speedy trial rights violation
A Westmoreland judge has ruled that the county’s District Attorney’s Office failed to properly manage its caseload and violated the speedy trial rights of a Ligonier man charged in 2021 with drunken driving. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger dismissed the case against 38-year-old Jesse Springer. In a 12-page ruling, Krieger...
1 transported to hospital after truck crashes into house near Kingston Dam
One person was transported by ambulance to a hospital after a truck crashed into a building Tuesday afternoon in Unity near Kingston Dam, authorities said. Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Route 30 and Route 217 around 4:30 p.m. for a report of a vehicle that had hit...
New Kensington man claims jury erred in Arnold slaying case
The lawyer for a New Kensington man serving a life sentence for a 2020 murder argued his client’s claims of self defense were not properly considered by a Westmoreland County jury. Assistant Public Defender John Sweeney said evidence presented last year during a weeklong trial did not support the jury...
Franklin Regional looks at proposed 2023-’24 budget with 2 mill tax hike
The Franklin Regional school board will take a final vote next month on a 2023-24 budget that calls for a 2-mill tax hike. The $66.4 million proposed budget, adopted at the board’s meeting this week, has a roughly $412,000 deficit. In the past few years, district officials have offset budget...
Murrysville council rejects Redstone rezoning request for senior apartments
Murrysville council unanimously turned down a rezoning request last week by Redstone Highlands to fit additional senior-living apartments on property behind their existing facility on Cline Hollow Road. Redstone CEO John Dickson said the company purchased about 36 acres adjacent to its Murrysville location with the intention of eventually expanding....
Norwin board members clash on approach to resolving budget deficit
Faced with a projected $4.4 million deficit for the next school year, the majority of the Norwin School Board members showed no inclination this week to raise real estate taxes. The alternative includes reducing teaching positions and cutting four all-day kindergarten classes to save about $2.1 million for the 2023-2024...
Norwin children’s librarian opening new chapter with job change
After 21 years as children’s librarian at Norwin Public Library, Barbara McKee is moving on. “It’s been a wonderful career here. This is the beginning of a new chapter,” said McKee, a Norwin High School graduate. She’s leaving May 15 to become the assistant librarian at the Penn State Fayette...
Revised Hempfield middle school redistricting plan approved
Hempfield Area School District now has a final answer to where students will attend middle school next year, after approving a revised plan for redistricting. The plan defines where students will go to school in the wake of a February vote to condense the district’s three middle schools into two...
Greensburg council backs proposal for amphitheater at vacant Pennsylvania Avenue lot
Greensburg officials have endorsed a proposal to transform a vacant lot on South Pennsylvania Avenue into a space for outdoor performances or presentations. City council on Monday agreed to send a letter of support for the development concept to the Westmoreland County Land Bank. The county organization has assumed ownership...
Kiski Township man sentenced for scuffle with police atop tractor-trailer in New Stanton
A Kiski Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to 23 months in jail in connection with an incident in New Stanton where he jumped atop a tractor-trailer and scuffled with police as they attempted to take him into custody. Blair Jones Czitterberg, 40, pleaded guilty in September to...
McKeesport woman pleads guilty to escape from police custody
A McKeesport woman was ordered on Monday to serve at least six months in jail for escaping from police custody following an arrest last year on charges of robbery and theft from a Hempfield business. Kristy Richele Zalac, 33, slipped out of handcuffs as she was waiting to be processed...
Ligonier Valley police chief on leave; phone, vehicle seized during raid at station
Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger is on administrative leave after state troopers and agents of the federal Department of Homeland Security raided the police station last week, seizing his personal phone and police vehicle. It wasn’t clear what triggered the raid at the station in Ligonier Township, but Mark...
Monessen man charged with drug offenses after traffic stop
A Monessen man is being held without bail after state police said they found him with 1 pound of marijuana and 87 stamp bags of drugs during a traffic stop in North Belle Vernon, according to court papers. Angel Y. Molina, 20, initially gave troopers a fake name when the...
Westmoreland, Allegheny teachers will study how to enhance STEM programs
Educators in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are seeking out teaching practices that best prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Faculty and staff members from five school districts in Westmoreland and six in Allegheny will participate in partnership with intermediate units, the Consortium for Public Education and...
Canine flu cases crop up in Westmoreland
The canine flu is a lot like the human flu, according to Hempfield veterinarian Roman Lamberski. “You get a bunch of kids together in a day care and one has the flu, they’re going to spread it,” Lamberski said. Canine influenza virus, however, affects dogs rather than people. And it’s...
Security measures upped at Hempfield after threat concerns
Students at Hempfield Area School District will continue to be screened with metal detectors before entering school buildings. The decision was made after a student last week reported seeing a threatening message in a bathroom that referenced guns. The screening and other security measures began Friday. According to an email...
Sequel set for GOP Westmoreland Commissioner primary
Westmoreland County’s Republican primary for commissioner is a sequel. Five of the same seven candidates who sought GOP nominations four years ago are again on the ballot this spring, with incumbents Doug Chew and Sean Kertes facing challenges from Patricia Fritz, Paul Kosko and John Ventre. The Republicans are vying...
