Westmoreland category, Page 316
Derry Township teacher arraigned on child porn charges
A Derry Township man who works as a teacher in Indiana County has been charged with four felony charges related to child pornography. Charles Allen Kirkland, 31, is charged by state police with two counts of child pornography and one count each of disseminating photos or film of child sex...
Murrysville cooking instructor publishes cookbook
Patty Irrgang of Murrysville has worked as an independent fashion designer and as a space manager in the University of Pittsburgh’s academic provost office. She also has spent nearly a half-century providing the food while tailgating at Pitt football games. During that time, she built up quite a recipe repertoire....
$1M Mega Millions ticket sold in Rostraver
Someone who purchased a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Rostraver is $1 million richer. A ticket sold at the Shop ‘n Save supermarket at Willowbrook Plaza matched all five white balls, but not the yellow Mega Ball, in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, according to Pennsylvania Lottery officials. The officials noted...
MAWC lifts boil water advisory for Hempfield, Unity
A boil water advisory issued over the weekend to about 4,500 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in Hempfield and Unity was lifted Monday afternoon. The authority said no contamination was found during tests of water lines affected by a leak that drained a water storage tank serving the area,...
Allegheny jail officer suspended after crash, DUI charges in North Huntingdon
A Penn Township man arrested last week in connection with a North Huntingdon drunken-driving crash that left another motorist seriously injured is suspended without pay from his job at the Allegheny County Jail. A county spokeswoman said Dwight D. Edwards has worked as a corrections officer at the jail for...
Woman accused in robbery slips handcuffs, found driving stolen truck, officers say
An Allegheny County woman arrested in a robbery at a Hempfield store Saturday is accused of slipping out of a handcuff at the state police station and stealing a pickup before being stopped on Route 22 in Murrysville, according to court papers. Kristy R. Zalac, 33, of Liberty is being...
Holiday sale brings out shoppers at Bushy Run Battlefield
Bill and Karen Gourdie were ready for the rush. The owners of Bushy Run Winery brought 30 cases to sell Sunday afternoon for the fourth annual Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society Christmas sale. “They’ll probably be all gone by the end of the day,” Karen Gourdie said. Husband Bill serves...
Victory Brinker joins Latshaw Pops for holiday show at The Palace
“America’s Got Talent” veteran Victory Brinker will reunite with the Latshaw Pops Orchestra for “The Sounds of Christmas,” set for 3 p.m. Sunday at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The precocious opera singer, now 10, made her first appearance in the orchestra’s annual holiday concert in 2021. “Our orchestra was...
‘It wasn’t easy,’ but Jeannette holds line on taxes
Jeannette Council passed a 2023 spending plan Thursday that does not include a property tax increase. The $5.9 million budget includes plenty of spending cuts as the city saw revenues decrease. Chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy attributed the decrease to a lower amount of earned-income tax funds that could be...
Hempfield Area’s proposed college lit class sparks debate over appropriate material
After months of debate over the availability of library books, some curriculum books are on the hot seat at Hempfield Area High School. During last week’s school board meeting, several parents voiced concerns over books intended to be included in a proposed college literature course for seniors. The directors approved...
Pan Am Flight 103 parents say bomber’s arrest ‘bittersweet’
Shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, Glenn and Carole Johnson of Hempfield received the call they had been awaiting for more than three decades. The U.S. Justice Department told them Sunday the man who built the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, finally...
Volunteers sought for new Jeannette recreation board
Jeannette is creating a recreation board that, council members hope, will be made up of volunteers interested in providing activities for all city residents. Council gave an initial approval Thursday to an ordinance establishing the board. The ordinance must pass a second vote before it is official. People already are...
Out & About: Pitt-Greensburg alumni make merry at holiday gathering
Ugly sweaters were the garment of choice at the Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association’s Merry Mingle, held Dec. 2 in Millstein Library at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Alumna Kim McLeod poked fun at cross-state rival Penn State by wearing the tinsel-embellished likeness of former football coach Joe Paterno. Lee Garsteck...
Out & About: Westmoreland Society chooses new work for museum collection
The permanent collection of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is richer, following the 35th Annual Westmoreland Society Dinner on Dec. 2 in the Greensburg institution. As is their custom, members were presented with a choice of artworks to acquire. This year’s choice was between two pieces by Pakistani-American artist...
Arts, crafts featured at Greensburg library’s Family Maker Day
Maggie McCaffrey set out to paint sheep. Using a bamboo brush dipped in water, 13-year-old McCaffrey’s zen-like artwork started to drip and morph. So she pivoted and recast her picture as rain clouds. The 10th grader from Hempfield was among those who participated Saturday in the Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library’s latest...
Penn-Trafford students will prep for graduation with personal finance class
Penn-Trafford School District students who are prepping for graduation have more than a few requirements to check off their lists before they can earn a diploma. Students must complete 4 credits of English, 3.5 credits of social studies, 3 or 4 courses of math, 3 or 4 courses of science,...
Out & About: Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary hosts annual Christmas auction
Linda Assard welcomed a steady stream of guests to her elegantly decorated Hempfield home on Dec. 1, for the Westmoreland Hospital Christmas Auction. Inside the door, they added to a basket overflowing with books destined for siblings of babies born in the Greensburg hospital’s Family Additions Maternity Center. Books for...
Trafford approves budget, reexamines comprehensive plan
Trafford borough council members last week approved a 2023 spending plan of just over $2 million that does not include a tax increase. The budget was balanced with an infusion of $ 559,731.88 from the general fund balance. Compared with this year, the borough will cut expenditures by $313,436 in...
Ligonier artist tells history through artwork
Steve Patricia had a dream when he was young: to someday work for National Geographic. Patricia looked at the nonprofit as an organization that created “art for science’s sake.” As someone who grew up interested in science, history and art, he was drawn to that type of work. “I’ve always...
Behind the art: Paperweights have pride of place at SAMA-Ligonier Valley
Glass paperweights are often found among the kitschy collections in flea markets and thrift stores, but they’re also having a moment in the contemporary art world. “They’ve actually become quite the thing again,” said Kristin Miller, site coordinator at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. “In the...
Boil water advisory issued for MAWC customers in Hempfield and Unity
A boil water advisory was issued Saturday morning to about 4,500 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in portions of Hempfield and Unity. The advisory is expected to be in place until at least Monday morning, authority spokesman Matthew Junker said. Officials said customers will be notified when repairs are...
Behind the scenes at ‘The Nutcracker’ rehearsal at Palace Theatre is a winter whirlwind
In the two days leading up to the first performance of “The Nutcracker” at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, every square inch of the space is a flurry of activity and excitement. Onstage, dancers of all ages — some 4 years old — practice pirouettes, leaps and twirls in fluttering...
Toy drive, craft show planned at South Greensburg event center
Patrons can browse among craft vendors while participating in a Stuff A Truck toy drive Sunday in South Greensburg. The drive is set for noon to 4 p.m. at the recently opened Greensburg Event Center, 1700 Washington St. It is hosted by employees of the local office of Certasite, a...
Fort Necessity battle discussion planned for Braddock battlefield site
A discussion of George Washington and his ill-fated battle July 1754 defeat at the hands of the French at Fort Necessity in present-day Fayette County, will be held Sunday. Braddock’s Battlefield History Center at 609 Sixth St., Braddock, will be host to an 18th century roundtable discussion of the Battle...
Irwin church plans St. Lucia’s Day event
St. Lucia’s Day, the festival of lights celebrated in Sweden and Norway, will be observed in Irwin at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 612 Chestnut St., with a children’s activity. Children will be able to do an art project at the church and will be given materials...
