Westmoreland category, Page 317
Real-world events, from Mars rover to covid-19 to Artemis rocket, are shaping future scientists
For Alison Bresnahan, there isn’t a better time to be a science teacher. From NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission to the James Webb Space Telescope to the Mars Perseverance rover to even the covid-19 pandemic, significant real-world events are inspiring the next generation of scientists — even if they don’t...
PennDOT to install signals on Route 30, shift southbound Route 119 lanes in Youngwood
PennDOT hopes to improve safety at key intersections along Route 30 in Westmoreland County by installing lighted signs to alert motorists about upcoming traffic signals. The work by contractor Bruce Merrilees Electric Co. is expected to trigger single-lane restrictions on the highway between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays, beginning...
Murrysville holds public hearing for 2nd fracking well on Plum border
Work on a second fracking site in Murrysville could begin next summer if officials OK the project. Olympus Energy already owns and operates the Titan well pad off Bollinger Road. The company is proposing an eight-well pad off Logans Ferry Road near the northern tip of Murrysville. Olympus is seeking...
Neighbors support Derry Township family after house fire
A Derry Township family that has supported the community in the past is grateful for the help they’ve received since a fire damaged their home this week. Cory Stile, his wife Anna and two children made it out of their Uschak Road home after it caught fire Monday night and...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 9-11
Cookies galore The annual Christmas Cookie Tour is set for 5 to 8 p.m. today in downtown Irwin. Local businesses, churches and restaurants will be open to offer cookie samples, while supplies last. The family-friendly festivities will include horse and carriage rides, Christmas karaoke, kids’ cookie decorating and a visit...
Short stack, short staff: Restaurant industry still hurting for workers
For Tracy Allison, a bartender who serves the dining room at Ligonier Tavern and Table while completing a host of other tasks, finding good employees has been an ongoing challenge. “I have no earthly idea why” it has been so hard to attract and retain workers, said Allison, a Ligonier...
Drug forfeitures, seizures fund police equipment purchases in Westmoreland County
The Allegheny Township Police Department is doing away with its “bring your own gun to work” routine with help from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. The department used $9,300 it received from District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli to buy 15 department-issued 9 mm handguns and holsters for all of its...
Greensburg Rotary gives town clock face-lift during courthouse garage reconstruction
Greensburg’s town clock is getting a face-lift and update while the site it occupied since 1991 outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse is under construction. The four-sided clock had to be removed from the corner of Courthouse Square to make way for ongoing reconstruction of a county parking garage underneath the...
East Huntingdon man arrested after setting fire to Reservoir Street home
An East Huntingdon man is behind bars after state police said he started a fire Wednesday morning in the house where he lives with a relative, according to court papers. Joseph C. Bosas, 59, was charged with aggravated arson, reckless burning, risking catastrophe and related offenses. Police and firefighters were...
Greensburg rec department accepts Santa letters, entries for holiday decorating contest
Greensburg’s recreation department is initiating a holiday decorating contest for residents, with entries due by 4 p.m. next Friday, Dec. 16. “If you live in the city, you can send in a picture of your house or apartment that you have decorated,” said Lydia Kinkaid, recreation program manager. Photos of...
2 Greensburg area churches prep for food outreach on Dec. 10, Christmas Day
Donations of money, time, transportation — and cakes — will come together Dec. 25 to provide holiday ham meals for hundreds of Greensburg residents. Continuing a tradition of about two decades, volunteers will be needed beginning Dec. 23 at First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg to prepare free dinners for pickup...
Speaker series highlights Westmoreland County’s ‘hidden treasures’
There are people who go about their work quietly, making positive differences in the community without getting much public recognition. The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition intends to shine a light on some of those people, and their diverse backgrounds, through its new Hidden Treasures Speaker Series. Maria LaVelle, CEO of Pheple...
Greensburg Salem School Board names meeting room for longtime solicitor
Greensburg Salem School District had some surprises in store Monday evening for longtime solicitor John Scales. Shortly before the school board meeting, the district threw a 90th birthday party for Scales. Afterward, the board further honored him by naming its meeting location the John N. Scales Legislative Meeting Room. “It’s...
‘Monticello Lights’ fundraiser will benefit Project Bundle-Up, Delmont police this yearVideo
Clark Griswold’s got nothing on the residents of Monticello Drive. Between a dozen of them, they will invest more than 200 hours and use more than 500 strands of lights as they decorate their Delmont homes and yards for the annual Monticello Lights fundraiser. “We’ve added lights, repurposed some things...
Over-the-counter medications tough to find this cold, flu season
Demand for over-the-counter medications to ease suffering related to a spike in colds, flu and covid has left shelves empty and shop owners frustrated in recent weeks. “It’s the trifecta,” said Ed Christofano, owner of Hayden’s Pharmacy stores in Youngwood, Mt. Pleasant and Donegal. The Centers for Disease Control and...
Police say Greensburg man starved dog to death
A Greensburg man is accused by police of letting a dog die in the basement of an apartment where he had been living, according to court papers. Timothy J. Steinman Jr., 43, was charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and a single charge of animal cruelty....
New president leads Hempfield Area School Board
The Hempfield Area School Board has a new president. Director Paul Ward took the helm on Wednesday after former President Tony Bompiani served in the leadership role for three years. Directors unanimously approved Ward, who was the sole nominee. Director Scott Learn will continue to serve as vice president. Ward...
Murrysville set to vote on 2023 budget with no tax hike
Murrysville Council last week delayed a vote on a $15.4 million 2023 budget, which does not includes a tax hike. The vote will take place at the final meeting of the year. Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said updates to some elements of the municipality’s salary ordinance require the municipality to...
Westmoreland Symphony invites concert-goers ‘Home for the Holidays’
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will continue its long-running tradition of going “Home for the Holidays,” with the annual concert set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. But there are new elements in the mix this year. As usual, the All-Star Choir of Westmoreland County will perform,...
Westmoreland happenings: Basket raffle, live Nativity, Christmas concert
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Pleas issued for blood donations as supply suffers holiday season shortage
Regular blood donor Kayani Hull had an extra incentive to roll up her sleeve for a donation drive last week at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. “I found out that B-type blood is pretty rare, and I have B blood,” said the Pitt-Greensburg sophomore from Verona. “It makes me...
Judge dismisses charges against Jeannette man who refused to supply ID to police
A criminal case was dismissed against a Jeannette man charged with obstruction of justice based on allegations that he refused to identify himself to police last year. Jonathan Durbiano, 42, was detained by Jeannette police in the early hours of June 6, 2021, on Maryland Street. He also was charged...
Recipients announced for 2023 Westmoreland tourism grants
Michael Hartung wants more exposure for the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Museum, and, by virtue of a grant funded by Westmoreland County’s hotel tax, he now has the money to make that happen. “We’re trying to bring in people from the outside. The only people who come are firefighters or...
‘Disney’s Frozen Jr.’ brings heart-warming winter tale to Scottdale stage
Since the movie “Frozen” was released in 2013, it’s become a favorite tale for people of all ages — and one that’s been on the “must-do” list for the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Circumstances have finally converged, and the winter wonderland of “Disney’s Frozen Jr.” will take over...
No injuries in Hempfield garage fire
No one was injured early Tuesday morning as crews from Youngwood Volunteer Fire Department extinguished a garage fire endangering a nearby home on Trouttown Road in Hempfield. Firefighers were called to the 100 block of Trouttown Road shortly before 12:30 a.m. for a report of a one-story garage on fire....
