Westmoreland category, Page 319

A fire that left several Jeannette residents homeless Monday was deemed suspicious. Jeannette police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said that determination was made by a state police fire marshal. “We are conducting follow-up investigations with witnesses and neighbors,” Johnston said. The blaze swept through two Division Street homes Monday afternoon...

Two men are accused by state police of conspiring to set a pickup truck on fire in Fairfield in August so one of them could collect insurance money and purchase a new vehicle, according to court papers. Jerry A. Boring, 58, of Fairfield, got about $4,900 for his 1997 Dodge...

WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...

Westmoreland Land Trust will hold a series of three public meetings beginning Tuesday to discuss and take comments on a proposed nature and art park at the trust’s Schwarz Farm in Hempfield. Located at 504 Beech Hills Road, about 3 miles north of Greensburg, the 96-acre site was purchased from...

Hempfield Area School Board members are working closely with banking officials as they prepare to start a multimillion-dollar high school renovation project next year. School directors met with PNC bankers this week to discuss the current state of the market and the possibility of issuing a second bond near the...

A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...

A suicide awareness display in the form of student backpacks will be at two Greensburg-area college campuses. The Active Minds Send Silence Packing traveling display will be on view from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, the backpacks will be on Sullivan Lawn on Seton Hill’s...

Seven apartment tenants lost their homes Monday afternoon when a fire swept through two homes in Jeannette and damaged a third. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by a state police fire marshal and Jeannette police, a city fire official said. No one was reported injured in the...

Crews battled a house fire in Southwest Greensburg Monday afternoon, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The Southwest Greensburg Fire Department and South Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to the 700 block of Green Street around 1:30 p.m. According to a Facebook post from the South Greensburg VFD, firefighters prevented...

There has never been more need for cybersecurity , given growing concerns about cyberattacks on businesses and institutions and the threat of meddling on behalf of other countries. Brad Messner of New Stanton is teaching potential cybersecurity professionals at Greensburg’s Seton Hill University while continuing his own education in the...

A former North Huntingdon man was arrested last week after township police said he called 911 seeking medical attention for a neighbor but then refused to provide details about where the neighbor was, according to court papers. The neighbor, Adam R. Pascale, died of an accidental drug overdose. Police charged...

In order for nonprofit groups such as the Westmoreland Community Action Agency to respond to the needs of county residents, they need a firm handle on what those needs are. “If someone says they live in New Kensington and they’re having to travel 20 minutes for child care, we know...

Santa Claus is coming to town. For four days this week, New Jersey resident Michael Collins — the man many have deemed to be the real Kris Kringle — will return to the Christmas Town store at Westmoreland Mall, where he is expected to meet with thousands of children to...

The idea for Greensburg Garden Center’s upcoming “Punch Up Your Holidays” program came from someone wanting to donate a punch bowl to the group. That got members thinking of different ways to put some new pizzazz into holiday drinks, decor and dress, co-president Carla Rusnica said. They’ll share some ideas...

Visitors often don’t recognize the portrait of George Washington in the art gallery at Fort Ligonier. They expect to find an image of the elder statesman, like the many created by early American portraitist Gilbert Stuart. What they find instead is a depiction of the young Col. Washington, who spent...

The race for the 12th Congressional District is seemingly lost in the barrage of ads for Pennsylvania’s higher-profile Senate and gubernatorial races. It pits state Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Swissvale, against a Plum councilman who shares a name with the person who currently represents the area — Rep....

Inflation has been pushing grocery bills higher, and that means Operation Santa Claus will have to raise more money this year to be able to help Western Pennsylvania families in need. A holiday meal for a family of four that typically costs around $17.25 now is $20 or more, said...

A two-mile stretch of the Youghiogheny River along the Allegheny-Westmoreland border is cleaner after close to 700 tires were removed this summer by a group of volunteers. ”It’s an effort that not only beautifies the river, but also creates a healthier environment for people, fish and wildlife in our area,”...

Like stores that put out Halloween decorations just after Labor Day, the Ruggieri family of Southwest Greensburg starts the elaborate and extensive decorating of their house at the corner of Mace and Guthrie streets in time for that September holiday weekend. “Our family has a passion for this, for Halloween...

The sound of excited barks floated across Indian Lake Park on Sunday afternoon, where 50 dogs and their owners prepared to show off their costumes while raising money for a local animal shelter. The Howloween Pet Parade and Costume Contest benefiting Cross Your Paws Rescue attracted animals from across the...

Hempfield residents soon could have a new park more centrally located in the township as officials look to revamp land recently purchased from Excela Health. Of the 43 acres comprising the property along Route 30 near Mt. Pleasant Road, 14 acres could be designated for a park featuring a splash...

In a small town with quaint shops, a choice of restaurants and multiple widely popular community events throughout the year, you could argue that life is good already. And yet, for Ligonier, things might just have gotten yet another notch better with the addition of a Life Is Good branded-merchandise...

Nicholas Borrelli might have donned a Halloween-themed T-shirt Saturday afternoon as he strolled through Historic Hanna’s Town Fall Family Day, but he wasn’t there for just candy. Instead, the 11-year-old Greensburg resident was bursting with excitement at the chance to discover more about Western Pennsylvania’s history. “I really enjoy learning...

Irwin area residents will get a chance to see — and have their picture taken with — the latest installment of Wings Across Westmoreland set to be unveiled at noon Thursday at The Lamp Theatre in the 200 block of Main Street. This Wings Across Westmoreland — two coated black...

The candidates running to represent voters in the state House 58th District offer clear differences that fall in line with the partisan divide in Harrisburg. Incumbent Republican Eric Davanzo, an anti-abortion candidate who favors elimination of mail-in voting and opposes strict gun control, is seeking his second full two-year term...