Westmoreland category, Page 332
Westmoreland happenings: Fruit sale, craft shows, stuffed pork chop dinner
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Westmoreland waives residency requirement for county jobs
The Westmoreland commissioners said a residency requirement for all county employees will be lifted in an effort to find candidates for more than 200 vacant government jobs. Officials said the county has struggled to replenish its workforce and suggested that the residency requirement, which has been in place for years,...
Salem man on trial for attempted rape of teen
The lawyer for a Salem man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday that alcohol consumed by his client’s accuser renders her an unreliable witness. Zachary Saflin, 23, is charged with attempted rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, false imprisonment, indecent assault...
Case against Jeannette man will proceed in fatal stabbing, despite claims of self defense
Done with work for the day, Jasmine Ross and Antwone D. Thurston II were enjoying the evening of Sept. 26 on the porch of their shared Jeannette home. They were accompanied by a neighbor, but things turned sour when William Osselburn, 62, of Jeannette joined in, Ross said. Osselburn began...
Penn Hills woman charged after Murrysville drug sting
A Penn Hills woman was arrested Monday after police said she sold five bricks of suspected heroin/fentanyl to a confidential informant in Murrysville, according to court papers. Summer L. Kerley-Webster, 38, is facing drug and criminal use of a communication facility charges. Police from North Huntingdon and Murrysville were assisted...
Derry Township man accused of child rape
A Derry Township man was jailed Monday on child rape charges. Brandon James John Bryan, 35, is accused of raping a girl when she was 10 and 11 years old, according to court papers filed by state police. The girl reported in June to troopers that Bryan raped her on...
Construction issues slow rebuild of Westmoreland courthouse garage
A series of setbacks is blamed for delays in completing a $7 million project to rebuild the two-story underground parking garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. Public Works Director Greg McCloskey said the work, which began in April, is now expected to be finished in February. “We’ve had...
Irwin to buy new police vehicle
Irwin’s police department will not have to wait months to get a new police vehicle because one is already on a local dealer’s lot. Borough council on Oct. 12 approved spending a maximum of $52,000 on a new police vehicle, a fully equipped Ford Explorer from Jim Shorkey Ford of...
Workforce training seen as a key to maximizing $63 million grant to boost region’s robotics, AI industries
While Southwestern Pennsylvania’s robotics industry has the potential to grow with a targeted federal grant of almost $63 million, officials Monday stressed the need for a skilled workforce to make that potential for growth a reality. “This is about our economic future,” said Craig Buerstatte, the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s...
Sewickley man missing since September found dead
The body of a Sewickley Township man who was reported missing in September was found Monday morning by a hunter, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Aaron D. Ross, 43, of Wendel Road in Sewickley, was last seen Sept. 7, and was reported missing by his mother. On Monday...
North Huntingdon man charged with sex assault of teen
A North Huntingdon man is being held without bail after township police arrested him in connection with a reported sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl, according to court papers. Mark M. Mycka, 33, was arrested Friday on charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses. Police...
Charges filed after Turner Dairy Farm tractor found parked in nearby driveway
A Salem man was arrested Sunday on theft charges after state police said they found a missing farm tractor worth $15,000 parked at his home, according to court papers. Gary A. Lauffer, 54, told troopers that he took the tractor from a nearby dairy farm to do work on his...
1 injured after tractor-trailer carrying mail crashes on Pa. Turnpike
An Allegheny County man escaped a burning tractor-trailer Sunday afternoon with the help of a passerby after crashing the rig on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to state police. The tractor-trailer, which firefighters said was hauling mail, was headed west on the highway around 1:30 p.m. when it crashed near milepost...
Greensburg beef jerky business aiding troops, veterans
A Salem man who started a beef jerky business in California six years ago is competing for a slice of the $1.2 billion annual domestic meat jerky market. Part of the mission of Air Force veteran Christopher Prascus’ Soldier Boy Beef Jerky is to give back to those who serve...
Protect PT will host radon information workshop, offer sensor rentalsVideo
Despite its prevalence in Western Pennsylvania, radon — the odorless, colorless gas that results from the breakdown of naturally occurring radioactive elements in soil and rocks — has been largely ignored even as it causes an estimated 21,000 deaths annually in the U.S, according to the American Lung Association. The...
19th century James Butler furniture part of Penn’s Woods exhibit
Two wooden pieces of furniture created by James Butler bear dates — 1875 and 1899. Butler, who at the time lived on Spring Street in Ludwick before it became part of Greensburg, may have used the items in his home and had no intuition they’d be considered works of art...
Proposal to revise Norwin’s nepotism policy fails to gain support
Norwin School Board won’t be changing its nepotism policy to include asking prospective employees if they are friends with a school official or school board member before they are hired. Director Bob Wayman proposed the revision to avoid questions of impropriety in who the district hires, especially in cases where...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s new exhibitions explore meaning of ‘American’
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has a historic first with the simultaneous opening of three exhibits exploring the meaning of the word “American” in the museum’s title. At a Saturday evening preview for members and special guests, Chief Curator Jeremiah William McCarthy said, “It’s really not just a word...
Claridge Boy Scout troop has a flock of Eagles
Eagle is the highest rank a Boy Scout can achieve, and the culmination is a community service project in which the Scout takes the lead in organizing, gathering materials and a work crew, and executing his vision. At Troop 239 in Penn Township’s Claridge neighborhood, this summer produced a whole...
Greensburg Salem plans surveys to address school attendance, parental engagement
Greensburg Salem will be asking students and parents to take a survey to determine how they feel about district schools, as officials look to curb student absenteeism. “There was a decline in overall attendance last year at our high school, so it’s a concern,” Superintendent Ken Bissell said. The district...
Pa. plan for electric vehicle supercharger stations becoming reality
Davie Huddleston wasn’t looking for an electric vehicle. He loves his gas-powered Nissan Murano convertible. But his two daughters kept insisting, and he finally bought one. “They should sell electric vehicles,” he said of his daughters. “It was constant. And they had a point for my every objection. But it...
Rugged cross-country bike race benefiting Westmoreland Heritage Trail rolls through Delmont
The first-ever Delmont CX race took place Saturday morning featuring a course that runs the wooded trails, grass runs, steep hills and obstacles at Shields Farm. Proceeds from the race will benefit the race hosts, the Delmont Visionary Committee, which is a citizens group working to bring a spur from...
Former Hempfield grocery store set to become entertainment venue
Brothers Bobby and Chris Hogue are in the middle of designing a new entertainment venue at a former Hempfield grocery store, but they already know there’s nothing quite like it in the region. 814 Lanes & Games is set to open next year at the former Shop ’n Save building...
Penn-Trafford couple complete length of Appalachian Trail
After three years of working straight out of college and navigating the worst of a pandemic, Alex McCafferty felt it was time to walk away. Well, to hike away, at least, and pursue a dream in the process. He took a break from work and after his girlfriend, Amy Bowser,...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials working to close ‘middle gap’
Officials for the Westmoreland Heritage Trail are working to find a way around — or underneath as it turns out — Route 66 as they work to close a 4-mile middle gap that will create an uninterrupted hiking and biking path from Trafford to Saltsburg. While acquiring land and easements...
