Westmoreland category, Page 330
Hempfield parents voice concerns over middle school consolidation plans
Hempfield Area School District parents say they are concerned about possible disruptions students might face if the district’s middle school consolidation plans are approved. Around 50 parents and guardians attended a meeting this week at Hempfield Area High School detailing proposed plans to permanently close Harrold Middle School and consolidate...
Greensburg man sentenced for inappropriate sexual contact with girls
A Greensburg man was sentenced to five to 17 years in a state prison for inappropriate sexual contact with two girls. John Harry Patak III, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to several counts in two cases including attempted aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault, child endangerment and corruption of...
UPMC, Greensburg Salem agree to 5-year deal on Offutt Field scoreboard
It doesn’t compare with Acrisure’s 15-year, multi-million-dollar stadium naming-rights deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still, UPMC has agreed to pay Greensburg Salem School District $25,000 to display its name on the Offutt Field scoreboard for five years. That deal begins in the 2023-24 school year and is part of a...
First defendant sentenced for unlawful restraint of North Huntingdon teen
A Greene County man was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in a state prison Monday for his role in the kidnapping of a 17-year-old North Huntingdon resident last year. James K. Maskil, 28, of Graysville, pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint, criminal trespass and a weapons violation....
Allegheny Township man gets up to 73 years for multiple rapes
Three women who Eric A. Wright was convicted of sexually assaulting pleaded with Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday to hand down a harsh sentence, saying they feared he would continue racking up more victims if freed. “The man probably should never see the light of day again,” one said in...
Pumpkin chunkin,’ spooky screening set for Halloween event at Greensburg Salem High
The Greensburg Salem Mini-THON committee is hoping to scare up funds for the battle against pediatric cancer at a Halloween-themed event Wednesday on the high school grounds at 65 Mennel Drive, Greensburg. Admission is free for activities that begin at 5:30 p.m., but donations will be accepted. One of the...
Penn-Trafford junior wins scholarship for work in combating food insecurity
Ever since she was a young child, Kari Ann Leventopoulos has wanted to help feed the hungry. “She always enjoyed picking out and carrying the food to put in the box at church at St. Regis,” her mother Becky Leventopoulos said. “It was kind of her thing.” The interest grew...
Saint tour expands to 2 days in 2nd year at Hempfield monastery
A Lantern Saint Tour is returning for a second year at St. Emma Monastery in Hempfield, expanding from one to two days, with about a dozen lives of saints to explore. The event, which benefits the Benedictine nuns at the monastery, is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 28...
Murrysville officials want resident feedback on proceeding with amphitheater project
Murrysville officials will take a second survey of residents as they consider whether to proceed with an amphitheater project at Murrysville Community Park. “We’re at a very different place now than we were during the original survey,” Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns said at last week’s council meeting. A pre-pandemic plan...
North Huntingdon to join regional SWAT team
North Huntingdon police officers will join a Westmoreland Special Weapons and Tactics team the police chief said will afford his officers a higher level of training while spreading the cost of operating such a tactical unit, with its ammunition, special equipment and armored vehicles, among eight other municipalities. “It’s an...
Out & About: Derby-themed event benefits Redstone Highlands benevolent care
It almost looked like Kentucky Derby day as more than 300 guests in stylish headgear filed into Stratigos Banquet Center in North Huntingdon on Saturday evening. In a way, that’s what it was. Derby Dreams was the theme for the signature Highlands Fling fundraiser held annually for Redstone Highlands Seniorcare....
Murrysville duck race benefits boat racing team of breast-cancer survivorsVideo
Ducks swimming in Turtle Creek are not that uncommon. More than 700 of them all in one group, though? That doesn’t happen much. Members of the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel breast cancer support group and boat-racing team were hosting a duck-race fundraiser Sunday afternoon at Duff Park in Murrysville. “It’s...
Community festivals, events increase exposure for local merchants
Mary Wilmes usually closes up her Greensburg gift shop, Penelope’s, at 5 p.m. But when there’s a Greensburg Night Market event, she is open until 9. It makes for a long day, but she says it’s worth it. “It’s been very, very good. It brings a lot of people to town,”...
Witches ride bicycle broomsticks for Ligonier animal-charity eventVideo
There were witches dancing in the woods in Ligonier on Sunday afternoon. But there was no need to call the police. In fact, a couple of local officers were already there, taking photos with “witches” arriving at the sixth Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade. The event draws hundreds of participants dressed...
No nails in this 18th century Windsor-style chair
One thing is missing from a Windsor-style chair that is on display at the Westmoreland Historical Society’s education center. “This is really very primitive. There’s no nails,” said Joanna T. Moyar, collections manager. The wooden chair, made in the late 18th century, is connected to Fort Walthour in North Huntingdon...
After ‘America’s Got Talent’ run, singer Aubrey Burchell settles into life after the limelightVideo
After spending the summer performing under Hollywood’s bright lights, Aubrey Burchell quietly finds herself back in the fluorescent glow of the North Huntingdon Target store. The 2019 Norwin High School graduate who wowed national NBC audiences on “America’s Got Talent” and prompted Simon Cowell to crow, “We are just witnessing...
Political organizer, write-in candidate vie for 55th District seat
In the redrawn 55th District, voters in the Nov. 8 midterm election will choose between a longtime Republican political organizer and a Democratic candidate who earned a spot on the ballot through a write-in campaign. Scott Gauss, a retired human resources director for Boeing, will go up against former Westmoreland...
Greensburg Hempfield library celebrates renovation with Children’s Pumpkin Patch Walk, food trucks
The Greensburg Hempfield Area Library held its first official public celebration since the start of renovations with a Children’s Pumpkin Patch Walk and a food truck fundraiser on Saturday afternoon. Library officials hosted crafts and activities, raffled baskets, held a used book sale and offered self-guided tours of the renovations....
‘Lick or Treat’ for dogs in downtown Irwin
Downtown Irwin was filled with costumed canines Saturday afternoon during the “Lick or Treat” celebration sponsored by PETals Boutique. The day included treats for pets at local businesses and prizes for the best dog costumes....
‘Breast Saturday Ever’: A colorful name for a colorful morningVideo
When Val Tressler of Mt. Pleasant started decorating the borough’s Diamond Street gazebo for Breast Cancer Awareness Month more than a decade ago and collecting donations for a regional charity, it didn’t take long for fellow downtown business owner Denise DeSabato to join in. The decorations — and the events...
Ex-teacher brings retro classroom vibe to new School House Bakery in Unity
Shoppers have a new option for sweet treats in Unity, with the Oct. 7 opening of the School House Bakery in the Latrobe 30 Plaza. Display cases are filled with grab-and-go cookies, brownies, scones, cupcakes, small cakes, muffins, seasonally flavored cinnamon rolls and more, all baked on site. Young patrons...
Hempfield book challenge policy could mirror one used for websites
The process for reevaluating challenged books and materials in Hempfield Area School District libraries could soon become more stringent after board members indicated they would like to model the policy after one used for Chromebooks. Rather than going through a process of informal and formal challenges, board members are hoping...
Youngwood’s Hospaws merging with similar program for pet care during human medical emergencies
Hospaws is ending its operations, but the Youngwood-based organization’s mission of providing temporary foster homes or assistance to pets whose owners are in need of medical care will continue, president Valerie Hoegel said. Many of the nonprofit’s volunteers and foster homes are going to work with a similar program managed...
Norwin director objects to book on inclusion, diversity used in second grade classroom
A Norwin School Board member has criticized a children’s book read to some Norwin second graders because he claimed it celebrated sexuality while emphasizing diversity and inclusion, with drawings of same-sex couples with children, interracial couples and rainbow-colored items, which could symbolize gay and lesbian pride. “I feel it is...
Scarecrows vie for votes as decades-long fall tradition continues in Ligonier
“Halloweena the Ballerina“ strikes a demi-seconde pose in her purple-and-black tutu, with arms stretched out and downward as she greets people walking near Ligonier’s central Diamond intersection. Creating her as a figure to enter in the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual scarecrow contest was a natural for the staff...
