Westmoreland category, Page 270
West Overton annual Makers Market to be biggest sale ever
About 95 vendors will be present for the annual Makers Market, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at West Overton Village in East Huntingdon. Serving as a kickoff to the historic site’s visitor season, the market will be the biggest ever, said Pamela Curtin, West Overton director of...
Senior housing project in Irwin draws large response from prospective tenants
Joyce Edwards Palmer emerged from a packed meeting this week where Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials explained to more than 150 people what life might be like for those who will live in a 50-unit apartment building planned in Irwin. What Palmer heard was music to her ears. She could...
Westmoreland happenings: Plant sales, bingos, rummage sale, blood drive, 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. Church news • Ligonier Church of Christ will host a...
Laurel Hill State Park to host Wildflower Weekend hikes
Get out and go in search of spring wildflowers with the staff at Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset as they host Wildflower Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, visitors can choose between a 3-mile hike departing at 9 a.m. from the Laurel Hill Visitor Center, and a 5-mile...
Veterans will have opportunity to share stories at Pitt-Greensburg breakfast
Veterans who want to share their military experiences and others who want to hear those stories of service are invited to a meeting of the Veterans Breakfast Club from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Set for the Hempfield Room of Chambers Hall, it’s...
Proposed Donegal area mine expansion is focus of Thursday meeting
State environmental regulators are continuing to review a coal company’s application to expand its mining operation in the Donegal area, an issue that will be discussed in a public meeting held by an environmental group Thursday. The organization, Mountain Watershed Association of Melcroft, said it wants to inform residents who...
Norwin: School board race to continue with 10 candidates in fall
All 10 candidates seeking five open seats on the Norwin School Board won party nominations Tuesday and will continue their campaigns in the fall. With all 32 precincts reporting, Lynda Funk, 60, of North Huntingdon; Tammy Moreno, 46 of Irwin; Thomas Ryan 47, of North Huntingdon; Robert Weisensee, 59, of...
Hempfield Area: Incumbents take top spots in races for school board
With 100% of precincts reporting Tuesday, Hempfield Area school director candidates Jeanne Smith and Jennifer Bretz topped the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Smith had received 11.6% of more than 16,000 votes, followed by Colleen Gallagher (10.4%), Kathy Charlton (9.8%), Vince DeAugustine (9.8%) and Erin Johns Speese (7.3%) on the...
Mt. Pleasant mayor: Incumbent Bailey takes Democratic nomination
Incumbent Diane Bailey captured the Democratic nomination for mayor of Mt. Pleasant Tuesday, according to unofficial results from all three precincts. Bailey garnered 48.5% of the vote, followed by Paul Wagner, with 35.5%, and Richard Cholock, with nearly 13%. Write-ins accounted for about 3% of the Democratic vote. Nicholas Lucia,...
North Huntingdon: Hempel, Atwood take top spots in commissioner race
With 100% of precincts reporting Tuesday, Tom Hempel won the Republican primary for North Huntingdon First Ward commissioner against challenger Brian West. Hempel received 59% of the vote. With 100% of precincts reporting, Jason Atwood won his primary for Third Ward commissioner against Republican challenger Amy Ghetian. Atwood received 54.3%...
Mt. Pleasant: Davis, Czekanski, Rega win contested council primary races
In one of two contested council races in the Mt. Pleasant primary, Andy Davis captured the Republican nomination for a First Ward seat. He posted nearly 68% of the unofficial tally, compared to about 30% for Tim Bauer. In the GOP battle for two Second Ward seats, incumbent Linda L....
Greensburg mayor: Bell leads Democrats, Spino tops GOP ballot
Incumbent Robert L. “Robb” Bell won a two-way race Tuesday for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Greensburg, receiving about 60% of the vote with all 15 precincts reporting. Challenger Jerry Vernail captured 38% of the vote. About 1% of the Democratic votes cast were write-ins, according to the unofficial...
Greensburg council: Incumbents lead primary field for 2 seats
Sitting members of Greensburg city council, Randal Finfrock and Sheila Brumley, led Tuesday’s Democratic party primary race for the two seats they occupy. With all 15 precincts reporting, Brumley garnered about 36% of the votes in the unofficial tally, followed by Finfrock, with nearly 33%, and challenger Gabrielle Stewart, with...
Sewickley Township: Petros wins Republican supervisor race
With 100% of precincts reporting Tuesday, Sewickley Township board of supervisors Chairman Mark Petros received 56% of the vote in a race against challenger Jon Turik, who received 43%. During his tenure, Petros said the supervisors have worked to reduce blight in the township, getting 10 dilapidated, vacant buildings demolished....
Unity: Incumbent Poponick captures GOP nomination for supervisor
Incumbent Ed Poponick led the field in the Republican primary race for supervisor, with all 13 precincts reporting Tuesday. According to unofficial tallies, Poponick received nearly 58% of the vote, followed by Doug Murphy, with about 28%, and Frank Zupanc, with more than 12%. Write-ins accounted for less than 1%...
Kertes, Chew top GOP ballot for Westmoreland commissioner
Incumbent Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew finished in the top two spots on the Republican ballot Tuesday to secure nominations to seek second terms in office this fall. With all 307 precincts reporting, Kertes and Chew defeated three challengers seeking to end their tenures as the Republican...
Hempfield: Reese, Anderson win Republican primary for supervisor
In the race for two, six-year seats on the Hempfield board of supervisors, Republicans George Reese (35.9%) and Jay Anderson (24.1%) prevailed over Jerry Fagert and Becky Durbin, with 100% of precincts tallied. A little over 680 write-in votes were cast on the Democratic ballot. Anderson, 55, said he has...
Franklin Regional: Sheridan, Bucciero top school board races
With 100% of precincts reporting Tuesday, Amy Sheridan cruised with a comfortable lead over all other candidates on the Democratic ballot for Franklin Regional school board with 34% of the vote. She was followed by George App (15%), Deb Bucciero (14.2%), Scott Weinman (13.5%) and Vince Azzolina (11.45%) On the...
Aubrey Burchell appears in ‘America’s Got Talent’ Las Vegas show
The call finally came for Aubrey Burchell. Following her run to the semifinals of “America’s Got Talent” in September, the North Huntingdon singer was contracted to perform in “America’s Got Talent Presents Super Stars Live” at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas as an on-call, as-needed performer for...
Trafford mock council meeting gives students the reins on local government
Though she’s no stranger to attending municipal meetings, the view of the Trafford borough council looked a lot different to Penn-Trafford junior Ally Moraca from up in the council seats. Moraca, 17, is the first member of the borough’s Junior Councilperson Program. She has spent the year attending Trafford council...
‘I never wanted to be a career politician’: Gina Cerilli Thrasher reflects on 2 terms as Westmoreland commissioner
Gina Cerilli Thrasher is looking forward to a break from politics. That means trading the public spotlight and sometimes odd hours as Westmoreland County commissioner for dinners at home with her family and more downtime. Her February announcement that she would not be hitting the campaign trail for a third...
Police: Woman used heroin before killing pedestrian in New Florence
An Indiana County woman is accused of being impaired when she hit and killed a pedestrian in New Florence late Monday and fled the scene, according to court papers. State police said Melissa Ann Anderson, 52, of East Wheatfield told them she used heroin just before the collision. Barry Lynn...
Madison tax collector fined for late payments says life events got in the way
Madison Borough’s tax collector is accused of ignoring requests from county auditors to access his records and as a result owes more than $2,800 for making late tax payments. Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer said an audit released Monday of collections made by Madison tax collector John Fassett last year...
Inmate pleads guilty to assault of prosecution witness in New Kensington murder trial
A Wilkinsburg man was ordered to serve up to a year in prison for assaulting a jail inmate who testified last year in the trial of New Kensington man convicted of first-degree murder. Shawnti Eugene Shifflett, 27, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault after Westmoreland County...
Police say scammers stole $1K in merchandise from Hempfield store
State police are trying to identify two people who made off with $1,000 worth of merchandise after investigators said they did a quick-change scam at a children’s clothing store in Hempfield. Troopers released surveillance images of the suspects on Monday in connection with the April 25 incident at Carter’s in...
