Westmoreland category, Page 308
Police seek suspect in attempted kidnapping in Ligonier Township
Ligonier Valley police are searching for a motorist who is a suspect in an attempted kidnapping Sunday morning in Ligonier Township. According to police, the male driver attempted to abduct a female jogger at gunpoint shortly before 10 a.m. on Route 381 in Rector. The suspect ordered the jogger to...
Rip Van Winkle painting brings folktale to life
With his tattered clothing, long fingernails and bewildered look, Rip Van Winkle awakes from his 20-year slumber in an imaginative painting that hangs at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. For children who might not know the tale, it can be entertaining to let them interpret the artwork,...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s Late-Night Thursday toasts to 2023
The New Year’s weekend got an early start at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, with the Dec. 29 edition of Winter Lights Late-Night Thursdays. “New Year’s Cheer” was the theme as the doors stayed open late for guests to enjoy the annual holiday-season illumination of the museum’s...
Rob Ritson, Sen. Ward’s chief of staff, on his local impact
To Rob Ritson, public service is an “intimate responsibility.” When people seek a public official’s help, it’s typically with concerns about their homes, neighborhoods and communities, he said. It’s personal. “In that moment, they don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat,” said Ritson, who has been a key player...
Jeannette’s Skeptik Innovations gains notice in car customization worldVideo
There’s no denying the influence of the “Fast & Furious” movie franchise on American car culture. The action films sparked interest in both street racing and vehicle customizations. Steve Molans was one of those who took notice, as a high school kid in Jeannette back in the early 2000s. Now...
Stanovich family members from Export served during Korean War
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. When Robert Stanovich graduated from high school in 1954 in Export, there weren’t a ton of jobs to be had, so he opted for military service. “He signed up along with...
No one injured in Madison house fire
Fire crews were called to a home in Madison early Saturday evening to extinguish a fire on Main Street. The fire broke out around 5:30 p.m. according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher. Everyone inside the home go out safely, and crews were still working to put out the fire about...
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert announces bid for 2nd term
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert is running for a second term. Albert launched his campaign with an announcement Saturday afternoon to a gathering of about 200 supporters and local officials at Greensburg’s Pizza Siena restaurant. Albert, 73, of New Alexandria, said he’s overcome hurdles that remained from the previous two-term...
Latrobe Police Department plans to use $152K grant
Latrobe police department’s computer system will be getting $152,000 upgrade this year. The department is planning to buy 17 Dell desktop computers including a computer for the evidence room to use for organizing and inventory, and a computer for the department’s Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network. The network runs criminal...
Resident, firefighter hospitalized in Greensburg house fire
The sole resident of a Greensburg home and a responding firefighter were hospitalized following a Friday night blaze that severely damaged the dwelling. Crews were called to the home in the 600 block of Jack Street at about 11:30 p.m. and found that the resident was trapped inside, according to...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail extension completed in Export
Those wishing for a brisk winter walk in Export can now make it go a bit farther, as borough officials announced the completion of a short extension of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail this week. The roughly 750-foot extension brings the trail through downtown Export. The final phase, which will connect...
Feedback form for Route 30 Bridge Preservation Project now accessible online
PennDOT is seeking the public’s input on the Route 30 Bridge Preservation Project that will replace worn and damaged expansion dams on two Hempfield bridges along Route 30. The project, which is slated to begin in September, aims to extend the life of the structures. One bridge, near Hempfield’s Target...
Death penalty sought against father of slain New Kensington child
Westmoreland County prosecutors have filed court documents that indicate they will seek the death penalty against the father of a young boy who was killed last spring in New Kensington. Jean J. Charles, 40, of Brackenridge was charged in September, about four months after the body of his 9-year-old son,...
Westmoreland DA: Crash involving county vehicle was ‘minor’
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli on Friday said a crash involving her government take-home vehicle was “minor” and caused by weather conditions. Ziccarelli, the first-term Republican from Lower Burrell, was driving the SUV on a snow- and sleet-covered road in Murrysville shortly after 3:30 a.m. Dec. 18 on Cherry...
Price reduced for village of Reduction
The cost of buying Reduction — a little-known 76-acre South Huntingdon village where trainloads of Pittsburgh’s garbage was incinerated a century ago — has been reduced. For a bargain price of $999,900, about $500,000 less than the initial asking price six years ago, you can own the cluster of 19...
State police program for teens: Training the troopers of tomorrow
Fifteen teenagers from Westmoreland and Fayette counties spent 15 weeks in a state police training program last year getting a taste of what life would be like if they opt for a career in law enforcement. They were cautioned that they would work long hours for low pay, likely face...
Sutersville woman pleads guilty to sex offense
A Sutersville woman pleaded guilty to sexual assault and corruption offenses after she was charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy she was helping with schoolwork. Ashley Sherry, 23, was accused of sexually assaulting the teen and using marijuana with the juvenile while working with him on remote school assignments when...
Aubrey Burchell gets slot in ‘America’s Got Talent’ Las Vegas showVideo
It turns out that Aubrey Burchell’s association with “America’s Got Talent” didn’t end in the September semifinals of the NBC show’s Season 17. The 23-year-old singer from North Huntingdon has been invited to perform in “America’s Got Talent Presents Super Stars Live” at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 6-8
Friday family fun The monthly Family Fun Night is planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Smithton Public Library, 615 Center St. The free event will feature stories, games, crafts and more all-ages activities with a moon theme. Visitors will have a chance to steer a BeeBot moon rover...
Work begins to raze shuttered Greensburg video store, clears way for downtown GetGo
Development of a GetGo gas station and convenience store in downtown Greensburg is moving forward as work has begun to demolish a vacant building at 531 S. Main St. A subcontractor was on hand this week working to remove floor tiles and abate asbestos at the shuttered Family Video store....
On track: Rail line plans improvements at Greensburg, Latrobe stations
Greensburg Amtrak station caretaker Mark Kuhns follows a strict daily routine. Every day at 7:30 a.m., Kuhns unlocks the doors of the station and waits for the passengers catching the 8:08 a.m. eastbound Pennsylvanian. He sits in his familiar “cage,” waiting to assist anyone who needs it. He helps travelers...
Ligonier-based Bethlen Communities to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Ligonier-based senior care organization Bethlen Communities signed a letter of intent to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a senior health care network with in-home care and inpatient locations in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country. Both organizations “will work … toward an expected affiliation date in the spring,” officials said....
Jeannette man pleads guilty to sexual assault of unconscious woman
A Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to eight years in prison for a sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Asa Duane Busato, 23, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of aggravated indecent assault in connection with an incident police said took place at the woman’s Hempfield home...
Stolen Youngwood catering company van crashed in New Stanton
A Southwest Greensburg man who state police said stole a van of a Youngwood business, crashed it in New Stanton and then led troopers on a foot chase Wednesday appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine, according to court papers. Police said when they first looked in the van...
Derry Area Middle School briefly evacuated after heating unit overheats
Students at Derry Area Middle School were briefly evacuated from their classrooms Thursday after an overheated part of the school’s heating system started smoking, spurring fears the building was on fire. Firefighters were called shortly before 11 a.m. “We ventilated (the classroom) and checked the ceiling to make sure no...
