Westmoreland category, Page 322
Coroner’s office to keep searching for family of elderly couple killed in East Huntingdon fire
Smoke still rose Sunday from the burned remains of a home that sits on about 13 acres of farmland in East Huntingdon, two days after an elderly couple was killed in a fire there. Members of the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office have been working with state troopers and sheriff’s deputies...
Out & About: Southwestern Pennsylvania arts council hosts 27th annual show
For the 27th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, juror Paula Burleigh said she chose “artworks that asked me to find unexpected delight in the ordinary.” Her choices included works in various media by 53 regional artists, revealed during a Nov. 12 opening reception...
MAWC, union reach new labor deal
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County and a union representing more than 260 workers have agreed to a new five-year labor contract. Authority board members last week approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Utility Workers of America Local 164 that includes pay raises totaling 14% over the life of...
MAWC seeks state grants for water, sewer upgrades
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has requested nearly $11 million in grants from the state’s covid-relief funds to pay for water and sewer system upgrades. Authority officials said last week identified five projects from different state programs funded with American Rescue Plan funds. “They would have gotten done but these...
Hempfield Area to resume book battles next week
After months of discussions, it’s back to the drawing board for the book policy committee in the Hempfield Area School District. The battle over what titles should be on the shelves of school libraries and what process could be used to deal with materials that are challenged because of graphic...
Greensburg’s Holiday Parade warmly kicks off the season on a cold, but sunny, day
Gloved hands waved and blankets wrapped shoulders Saturday along Greensburg’s Main Street Saturday as holiday cheer was spread throughout the community. Onlookers exclaimed as groups of dogs and alpacas passed along the Holiday Parade route and tapped their toes while several marching bands and dance troupes played and shimmied their...
Coroner seeks information on couple killed in East Huntingdon house fireVideo
Two people were killed in an East Huntingdon house fire Friday night, the Westmoreland County coroner said. The fire was reported at 8:20 p.m. in a home on Espey Run Road. Coroner Tim Carson confirmed authorities are trying to find family members of Ernest Elmer Wright Sr., 87, and Nancy...
Lawsuits request hand recounts of votes for governor, senator
Lawsuits alleging fraud and requesting hand recounts of results in the races for Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Senator have been filed in Westmoreland County and across the state. As of Friday, four cases were filed in Westmoreland County from voters in Lower Burrell, Delmont, Hempfield and Loyalhanna. One case was...
Thomas G. Stanko ordered to stand trial in death of Cassandra Gross
Homicide charges against a Unity man suspected of killing Cassandra Gross were held for court Friday, despite unsuccessful searches for her body or remains in the last four and a half years since the Unity woman went missing. “Can you tell us how she died?” asked Marc Daffner, defense attorney...
Westmoreland judge announces bid for opening on Commonwealth Court
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. on Friday announced he will run for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. Smail, 56, of Hempfield has served as a county judge since 2014. “My 8 1/2 years of experience in hearing a wide variety of cases is a...
Greater Latrobe students with disabilities to benefit from career lab
Greater Latrobe students with disabilities will soon have the opportunity to gain a plethora of hands-on, career-relevant experiences within school walls. Next year, the district plans to introduce a Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab at the high school. The $30,000 lab will offer curriculum materials and onsite training for students...
Police: Greensburg woman tried to kill 8-year-old girl with fentanyl
A Greensburg woman is being held without bail after police said she gave an 8-year-old girl the powerful opioid fentanyl in an effort to cause her death, according to court papers. Authorities said they found Skye C. Naggy, 29, and the girl Oct. 25 in a wooded area near Loyalhanna...
Merger of Excela, Butler health systems to be finalized by year’s end, officials say
Excela Health and Butler Health System completed another step toward becoming one by entering into a definitive merger agreement, moving forward with a plan expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue. The two networks signed a letter of intent to merge on June 1. The agreement announced Friday...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to drug sale in 2017 fatal overdose
A Westmoreland County judge made no guarantees but promised he would consider imposing a sentence with no time behind bars for a Mt. Pleasant man implicated in the fatal overdose of a friend nearly five years ago. The comments from Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears came during a hearing in...
Pittsburgh man accused in North Huntingdon bank robbery
A Pittsburgh man declined to take $182 from a North Huntingdon bank police said he tried to rob and instead fled in a stolen BMW, according to court papers. The owner of the car, along with fingerprints found at the PNC Bank on Norwin Avenue, helped investigators identify Bruce M....
South Huntingdon woman accused of DUI, crashing into state police patrol car
A South Huntingdon woman is accused of being intoxicated when she crashed into a marked state police patrol car last month on Route 31, according to court papers. Troopers said they found text messages on a cellphone belonging to Kennedy M. Horvat, 27, in which she admitted she fled the...
Greensburg kicks off holiday season with parade, window display, raffle
When units head south on Greensburg’s Main Street Saturday for the city’s annual holiday parade, they’ll pass by a scene not witnessed in about four decades. Windows at the former Troutman’s department store at Main and Second streets will be decorated for the holiday season — for the first time...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Nov. 18-20
Here comes Santa Claus Special holiday entertainment will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Westmoreland Mall, leading up to Santa’s arrival. The Hempfield High School Marching Band will escort the jolly old elf around the mall in a parade starting at 6 p.m. at the entrance on the lower level...
‘Like it was a video game’: Students try their hands at medical robots during Westmoreland Mall event
Textbooks and tests can help students understand the medical field only to a certain extent. On Thursday, Excela Health put surgical equipment into students’ hands. Dozens of high school and middle school students piled into the Westmoreland Mallin Hempfield to test out medical robots and learn about the dangers of...
Jury unable to reach verdict in Irwin man’s trial
A Westmoreland County jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges that an Irwin man had improper sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Jurors deliberated about six hours into Wednesday night before Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio declared a mistrial in the case against Justin M. Hartung. Prosecutors claimed...
Jeannette man not guilty of attempted homicide of neighbor
A Jeannette man was found not guilty Thursday of attempted murder and aggravated assault charges in connection with allegations he fired a rifle at his neighbor nearly three years ago. Dale A. Shaw, 66, was convicted of lesser misdemeanor offenses of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and terroristic threats in connection...
Victim in fatal Rostraver shooting identified
A Philadelphia area man has been identified by the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office as the man who was shot to death Nov. 5 at a Rostraver shopping complex. The victim, Boyke Budiarchman, 49, was shot to death outside the Lowe’s store at the Rostraver Square shopping center off the intersection...
Holiday festivities kick off the season in Irwin
Area residents braved temperatures in the 30s to ring in the holiday season during the Light Up Norwin event Thursday night in downtown Irwin. Sponsored by the Norwin Rotary Club, the festivities included food, music and a tree-lighting ceremony. A parade along Main Street featured about 70 units. Kids were...
Westmoreland commissioners proposed deficit budget with no tax increase
Westmoreland commissioners will use more than $8.6 million in covid relief funds next year to outside agencies as part of the county’s 2023 budget introduced on Thursday. The $418 million spending plan keeps the 21.49 mill property tax rate that has been in place since 2019, but carries a nearly...
Norwin approves borrowing $20M for improvement projects
Norwin School Board directors took steps this week to borrow close to $20 million over the next 16 months to pay for roofing and paving, among other projects. The board approved borrowing the money in two installments — a $9.95 million bond issue in March and another $9.95 million scheduled...
