Westmoreland category, Page 302
Westmoreland Mall sports card show sees strong turnout as hobby’s popularity continues
When the pandemic hit, sports card collector and seller Joe Tucci expected sports cards to dip in popularity. Instead, the opposite happened. “We got stimulus checks and everyone jumped in,” said Tucci, from Robinson. “… The hobby exploded.” Tucci was one of dozens of sellers reaping the benefits of the...
Westmoreland food bank brings ‘Mobile Market’ to Slickville with free, fresh produce
Thanks to federal American Rescue Plan funding, the Westmoreland County Food Bank is awaiting the delivery of a new produce truck. But they’re not waiting to start Mobile Market events that the truck will help foster. “We decided we didn’t want to wait to get this going, so we’re putting...
Norwin children’s librarian makes learning lively
When Barbara McKee walked into the Norwin Library more than two decades ago, she didn’t expect it to be the start of a career. “My youngest son was in second grade, and I came to the library to take a crochet class because I finally had time to myself because...
Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines
A new state policy may scuttle reenactments of the Battle of Bushy Run. The battle was part of Pontiac’s War, a pan-Native campaign that opposed British settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The British routed members of the Seneca, Cayuga and Lenape nations on Aug. 5-6, 1763. It has been...
Westmoreland commissioners approve shelter plan
Westmoreland commissioners this week unanimously approved a $3.6 million plan for the construction of a new homeless shelter. Officials earlier this month outlined a plan, funded by American Rescue Plan through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to build 12-bed shelter that will include private accommodations for temporary...
A year after Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, are Western Pa.’s bridges in better shape?
It took less than 11 months to replace Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge after it collapsed in Frick Park. The speed of the bridge replacement project was an achievement — it normally takes three to five years to replace a span of that size, officials said. Emergency declarations from state and...
Police: Jeannette man killed in wrong-way, head-on crash near Homer City
A Jeannette man was killed late Thursday night when an Indiana, Pa. man is accused of driving the wrong way on Route 119 near Homer City and crashing into a car in which the victim was riding, state police from Indiana County said. The victim, Alex A. Booher, 30, was...
Irwin alters parking permit policy
Irwin Borough has changed its parking permit policy, eliminating the ability to buy several passes to share among multiple users. Police Chief Dan Wensel told the council recently that sharing of parking passes among businesses and employees was “getting out of hand.” The new passes require the registration information of...
North Huntingdon 250th birthday group seeking budget for celebration
Like Westmoreland County, North Huntingdon will be 250 years old this year, and while the birthday will be marked with celebrations, the size and scope of the events are up in the air until a budget is hammered out. The community’s parks and recreation advisory board have met twice to...
Westmoreland birthday celebration, park upgrades funded in $2.1 million tourism plan
Westmoreland County’s $2.1 million tourism plan this year will include funding for events to mark the county’s 250th anniversary. Commissioners approved the plan that also is focused on upgrades at county parks at their meeting Thursday. Funded through a portion of the revenue collected through the county’s 5% hotel tax,...
Westmoreland County to hold job fair in February
Westmoreland County will hold a job fair in February at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The fair will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at the mall’s Center Court, where on-site interviews will be conducted for dozens of vacant positions. The county said it is seeking to...
Westmoreland County Community College opens Center for Equity, Inclusion, Belonging
Campus culture took center stage this week at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood as the commuter school opened up real space for its new Center for Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in a repurposed classroom in the Student Achievement Center. The project began in the summer of 2022 and evolved...
Murrysville company FlexScreen begins licensing its technology with automated manufacturing line, wins ‘BIG’ awardVideo
Eight years ago, Joe Altieri was in his Plum garage trying to perfect a new, flexible, easy-to-install window screen. Today, he is the owner of FlexScreen, a multimillion-dollar Murrysville company that earned an investment from “Shark Tank” host Lori Greiner. It opened its seventh manufacturing facility last June in New...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Jan. 27-29
Cards and collectibles The annual Joe’s Sports Card & Collectible Show returns to Westmoreland Mall this weekend. For more than a decade, the show has offered attendees the opportunity to buy, sell and trade cards, memorabilia, action figures, gaming products and other items. Vendors will be set up in the...
Vendors at Greensburg antiques show share a passion for the past
Jeff Poole’s grandmother would never let him into her china closet. Today, however, Poole is in everyone else’s china closet, as owner of On the Diamond Antiques in Ligonier. An Irwin resident, Poole was watching the snow swirl outside the Greensburg Country Club on Thursday afternoon as he and other...
Ex-Greensburg police chief resigned upon arrest on federal drug charges
Shawn Denning is out of the Greensburg police station and off the city payroll. Mayor Robb Bell confirmed Thursday that Denning “resigned immediately” as Greensburg’s police chief when he was arrested Tuesday at City Hall on federal drug charges. Denning, 41, of Delmont is accused of acting as a go-between...
Westmoreland public defender staff shortage leads to canceled hearings
Ongoing staffing issues in the Westmoreland County Public Defender’s Office resulted in criminal cases being postponed Thursday at a Jeannette district judge’s office. Judge Joe DeMarchis said all five cases scheduled before him had to be canceled after his office was notified there were not enough attorneys on duty to...
Dunkin’ in Lower Burrell to open in March; Youngwood location eyed for summer
The former First National Bank in Burrell Plaza in Lower Burrell is getting a much-needed facelift with a colorful Dunkin’ façade previewing the opening of the popular coffee, doughnut and snack shop. The Lower Burrell Dunkin’ likely will open in March, said Chelsea Halker, marketing manager of Heartland Restaurant Group,...
Hempfield Area plans to add 2 school police officers
Two additional school police officers are headed to Hempfield after the district received over $360,000 in state grant funding. Seven full-time officers will patrol the halls thanks to the School Mental Health & Safety and Security grant. The new officers will be stationed at Stanwood and Maxwell elementary schools. “We...
S.C. man pleads guilty to sexual contact with 8-year-old Hempfield girl
A convicted sex offender from South Carolina was ordered to serve up to seven years in prison for having improper sexual contact via online messages with an 8-year-old Hempfield girl nearly eight years ago. David B. Poplin, 36, was originally charged by the Pennsylvania State Police in August 2015, a...
West Penn Power maintenance workers vote for union
Eleven building maintenance workers at West Penn Power Co. of Greensburg and Potomac Edison of Williamsport, Md., have voted to join a union, the National Labor Relations Board said. The NLRB in Pittsburgh said that the workers voted 11-0, with one vote being challenged, to join the Utility Workers Union...
Latrobe couple to serve probation for helping juvenile group home runaway
A Latrobe couple has been ordered to serve probation for assisting a 17-year-old runaway from a juvenile group home in 2021. Eric L. Mallin, 52, and his wife, Michele, were charged with corruption of a minor based on accusations they gave the teen a place to stay before they drove...
Winter storm rips into mobile home, topples trees, wires in Derry Township
Wednesday’s winter storm ripped through Derry Township during the afternoon hours, toppling trees and utility lines and damaging buildings. Areas of the township were pummeled by high winds roaring down from Derry Ridge to the east, said Bradenville Fire Chief Mark Piantine. “We had a lot of trees and wires...
Greensburg police chief’s arrest shocks community
Federal drug charges filed against Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning caught community members by surprise Wednesday. Westmoreland County Park police Chief Henry Fontana, who worked 22 years as a Greensburg police officer and detective, had no indication Denning was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. “I’m as shocked as...
Hempfield Area School District sets timeline for 2023-24 budget process
The Hempfield Area School District has established a timeline for its 2023-24 budget process that may or may not introduce a tax increase for district residents. According to the timeline shared during the Hempfield school board’s Monday night meeting, the district must adopt a proposed general fund budget by May...
