Westmoreland category, Page 313
Former Southwest Greensburg cop convicted for illegal traffic stop
A former part-time Southwest Greensburg police officer was convicted Tuesday of official oppression for a traffic stop while off duty and in an other jurisdiction. Prosecutors contended James Shaw, 56, of Mt. Pleasant Township initiated a traffic stop in East Huntingdon in October 2020 then followed the same vehicle for...
2 area ski resorts set to begin seasons as winter weather approaches
A blast of winter weather is arriving this week just as two area ski resorts are opening for the season. Hidden Valley Resort in Somerset County will welcome skiers today, Dec. 21, while Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Ligonier Township is set to open two days later. Both attractions are...
Traffic signal upgrades will restrict traffic in North Huntingdon, Penn Township
Traffic signal improvements along Route 30 in North Huntingdon will cause single-lane restrictions, as needed, beginning on Wednesday and continuing over six months. Three intersections in Penn Township will see similar work as part of the PennDOT project. Upgrades to signals and to signal timing will occur between 9 a.m....
Police, kids talk toys during Hempfield Shop With a Cop event
Five-year-old Harmony Derry took a running start and headed straight for the toy aisle Monday at the Hempfield Walmart. Capt. Jen Shipley with the Westmoreland County Sheriff Department was close behind her, pushing a cart that quickly filled with dolls, toys and a small kitchen set. Shipley personally signed up...
Westmoreland prison: more guards needed
The Westmoreland County Prison still needs more corrections officers and will conduct interviews in January to fill 16 positions, the prison warden said. Warden Bryan Kline will conduct the interviews and agility tests at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the county prison, off Route 119 in Hempfield. The board approved...
Holiday help wanted as Unity restaurant preps free meals for charity drive
When the pandemic first forced the shutdown of restaurants and bars across the state, the community reached out to support Sharky’s Café in Unity. Months later, the restaurant’s management wanted to repay the favor. Owners Jamie and Johnathan Huemme started the first Sharky’s Holiday Dinner Drive meal giveaway in December...
Station wagon crashes in Penn Township after police chase, driver charged
An Allegheny County woman who did not have a valid drivers license was arrested Saturday after leading Jeannette police on a chase on Route 130 and colliding with other vehicles, according to court papers. Police said Anessa Lynn Short, 21, of Port Vue, was impaired at the time. She is...
McKeesport man charged with sexual contact with minor in Delmont
A McKeesport man turned himself into Delmont police on Monday, after a warrant was issued this month charging him with unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Police said Alfonso B. Washington Jr., 45, was arraigned on that charge and additional charges of indecent assault of a minor, corruption of minors...
Westmoreland district attorney announces online information platform
A new tool will provide citizens with updates about crime investigations and prosecutions from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office. The Crimewatch online platform, which is designed for law enforcement, will give residents access to information related to crime and public safety. Residents can choose to receive notifications about new...
Former Westmoreland youth services center director files discrimination lawsuit
The former director of Westmoreland County’s Regional Youth Services Center claims in a federal lawsuit that she was discriminated against when she was replaced by a man who made $25,000 more than her. Nicole Kamer of East Vandergrift filed the action against the county Friday. In February 2020, Kamer was...
Westmoreland County Airport Authority uses grant money for improvement projects
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport recently finished about $245,000 in projects to rebuild a taxiway, improve hangars and test its emergency firefighting foam. Officials at the airport in Unity worked with Golden Triangle Construction and McFarland Johnson Construction to reconstruct Taxiway C. The taxiway was curved and was required by the...
Penn-Trafford students, staff have helped fund 75 ‘wishes’ through annual telethonVideo
Students in Steve Vinton’s video production class at Penn-Trafford High School have the four hours of their annual holiday telethon planned down to minute. Part of that plan includes throwing out the whole plan at a moment’s notice. “Sometimes, with live production, things can go wrong,” said senior Phelan Newman,...
Delmont officials want firefighters to attend borough safety meetings
Delmont officials will withhold an annual contribution to the borough’s volunteer fire department until firefighters begin attending borough safety committee meetings. Council voted to hold a $2,000 donation to the department at its meeting Tuesday. “We still have an issue with them even coming to our safety committee meetings,” Councilman...
Work discovery students deliver over 150 pounds of food to Westmoreland Food Bank
Work Discovery Students from the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit delivered 158 pounds of food to the Westmoreland Food Bank on Thursday. Students from Mary Petrina’s class packaged and delivered the nonperishables on behalf of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit and Clairview’s Holiday Giving Collection. Along with the food, the month-long collection filled...
Greensburg woman: ‘I’m a quilter who doesn’t like to quilt’Video
Despite describing herself as “a quilter who doesn’t like to quilt,” Ginnie Leiner of Greensburg has more than 196 quilts to her credit, having taught herself the craft in her late teens in the 1970s. “It’s a passion,” said Leiner. “An obsession, my husband would say.” More than a dozen...
Overly’s engages all ages with holiday lights, food, family fun at Westmoreland Fairgrounds
Leechburg residents Tyler Leech and Alexis Price took their first trip to see Overly’s Country Christmas on Friday evening, and it was a memorable outing. After Leech arranged a wagon ride for the couple at the Mt. Pleasant Township attraction, he proposed to Price — and her answer was “yes.”...
Santa and the Grinch bring holiday cheer to North Huntingdon
It was smiles for Santa and a healthy mix of smiles and trepidation for the Grinch at a holiday pancake breakfast Sunday morning in North Huntingdon. Hartford Heights Volunteer Fire Department hosted the breakfast, which also included a face-painting station....
$150K donation to help Latrobe move forward with blight program
A countywide blight study completed earlier this year found that nearly 10% of Latrobe’s properties have problems like peeling paint, cracked bricks or rotting wood. A program to help Latrobe address the issue is receiving a $150,000 boost from Robindale Energy Services. The Latrobe-based company donated the money to the...
Greensburg OKs comprehensive plan, eyes blight demolition, playground upgrades
Preparations already are underway for some of the Greensburg projects recommended in an updated comprehensive plan approved this week by city council. Providing guidance for city officials through 2040, the Shape Greensburg plan includes goals for blight mitigation and improvement of recreational facilities. “As we start looking at 2023 and...
‘Union Station Riot’ depicts dark side of railroad strike
A painting at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art shows the dark side of a railroad strike in 1877. The oil painting, titled “Union Station Riot,” depicts the station in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on fire during the Great Railroad Strike. Its artist, Martin B. Leisser, was there reporting for Harper’s...
Nature calendar honors Delmont man’s memory, will benefit borough library
Tom Washburn of Delmont loved the beauty of the outdoors. He traveled to Wyoming, Alaska and other points west, not just to indulge in his passion for fly fishing but also to take in the sights and sounds of the natural world. He captured much of that on his camera...
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum hosts holiday happy hour
“Let It Snow” was the theme for the Dec. 9 Art on Tap 2.0 happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Well, the weatherman didn’t deliver on that one, but no matter — there was plenty of holiday and wintertime fun to be had anyway. On...
Jeannette turns down offer from county to pay for patrols at housing complex
Jeannette police will not be doing extra patrols beyond their regular duties at Jeannette Manor after a city council majority rejected a proposed agreement with the Westmoreland County Housing Authority. The housing authority had offered $20,000 that would be paid as overtime to city officers for their work doing the...
Irwin OKs budget; 2-mill tax hike for street lights
Irwin property owners will pay more in real estate taxes in 2023 to support government operations as a result of a two-mill tax hike earmarked to pay for street lights. The borough council on Wednesday approved a $5.29 million budget, including a $4.2 million general fund to pay for government...
Bovard veteran of 2 wars survived torpedo attack, shrapnel wound to serve his community
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. World War II and Korean War veteran Ross Saunders celebrated 87 Christmases before he answered the final call, dying on Dec. 26, 2011. The most memorable of those holidays was without...
