Westmoreland category, Page 347
Man enters guilty plea related to 2017 Youngwood house fire
An Irwin man pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a 2017 fire at his former home in Youngwood. Shaun Wallace, 41, was ordered to serve two years on probation and six months of house arrest for his involvement in the second of two fires police said were...
Westmoreland jury returns split verdict against man charged in incidents near school, police station
Jurors delivered a split verdict this week in two cases against a former Westmoreland County man who was charged in connection with November 2019 incidents outside a Derry Area School District elementary school and at the Kiski Valley state police station. Justin Juan De La Cruz Martinez, 42, of Illinois,...
‘Yankee work ethic’ key for Norwin grad involved in high-profile court cases
As the teenage editor of the Norwin High School yearbook back in the 1990s, A.J. Balbo was all about the details. Nearly three decades later, he continues that sharp focus as he works as a high-profile lawyer in Georgia. Balbo, a North Huntingdon native, has carved a legal practice that...
Police: Man injured in Hempfield road rage incident
A man was hurt Friday after a witness said he tried to stop a motorist from leaving what was described as a road rage incident in a Hempfield shopping plaza, according to court papers. State police made an arrest within 20 minutes after finding the suspect in Hempfield Plaza along...
East Huntingdon woman accused of $13,500 theft from Greensburg YWCA thrift shop
An East Huntingdon woman is accused of taking $13,500 from the YWCA Thrift Shop in Greensburg while she worked there, according to court papers. Amy S. Yemc-Gera, 53, was in charge of making nightly deposits, police said. She is charged with theft and receiving stolen property. An accountant for the...
Unity man helps police nab suspect in ‘grandparent scam’
A New Jersey man is being held without bail after state police said they thwarted a “grandparent scam” Friday that sought to get $9,500 from a Unity man, according to court papers. A suspicious phone call was reported to troopers Thursday morning after a caller who identified himself as “Aaron...
Projects at Morosini Reserve offer new chances to check out local wildlife in MurrysvilleVideo
Zach Posner can remember watching deer browse the big apple tree his family used to have in their Claridge backyard. “They’d always come up and eat apples,” said Posner, 15, of Penn Township. “We also live close to Bushy Run, and we can go over there and see a lot...
Point Park program allows those with other degrees to pursue teaching career
Over the course of Craig Johnston’s 20-year engineering career, the thought of becoming a teacher often crossed his mind. But it wasn’t until 2020 — months before the covid-19 pandemic would shut down most aspects of day-to-day life — that Johnston took the leap. In January of that year, Johnston...
Re-creation of medieval times delights fans of Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
Vendors peddled wares of the times as food on sticks and other delicacies wafted past dueling matches, singalongs and a jousting tournament Sunday at the annual Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival in South Huntingdon. Scott Walton of Blairsville was among the dozens of actors and performers draped in medieval garb for the...
Delmont Pilgrimage marks 50 years of bringing the Christmas story to the boroughVideo
Kerri Cole of Delmont will not forget her first trip to the Delmont Pilgrimage, partly because of the impact it had on her and partly because of her unknowing lack of preparation. “I had stiletto heels, a dress and a full-length London Fog coat,” Cole said with a laugh. “I...
Murrysville medic retires after 50 years in emergency service
Pat Anderson has seen quite a bit since he got his start in emergency medical services back in 1972. Some of it was deadly serious, making split-second medical decisions in the days before EMTs underwent numerous certification classes and were given basic first aid and CPR training. Some of it...
Commentary: 4-H kids are the stars of the Westmoreland Fair
Movies and TV shows do a pretty good job of conveying the county fair experience. The bright rides, cheap prizes, cute animals and fried foods are perhaps the most eye-catching features of these community events. When I attended my first county fair this week, however, I realized something: Our entertainment...
Scouts service project readies Unity playground for start of school year
When students at Mountain View Elementary School in Unity return to class Monday, they’ll find a playground area freshened by their own hands. More than two dozen members of Mountain View Cub Scouts Pack 476 spent Saturday cleaning up garbage and removing brush from the school’s outside recreation area. The...
Route 30 reopens near Idlewild after crash closed it for nearly 90 minutes
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital following a two-vehicle crash on Route 30 near Idlewild & SoakZone on Saturday afternoon in Ligonier Township. The eastbound lanes of Route 30 were closed for nearly 90 minutes and were reopened just after 3 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911. Officials...
Gun safety classes geared toward women filling up quickly in Westmoreland County
Protecting herself at home and on the road is important to Jan Owen of Greensburg. But so is being safe when she’s carrying her handgun, she said. “I’m here to learn when the situation is appropriate to take the gun from my purse and use it … when it’s important...
Jeannette Historical Society seeks submissions for time capsule to be opened in 2047
Members of the Jeannette Historical Society are looking for submissions to possibly be included in a time capsule that will be opened in 2047. The capsule, which is on display in the front window at the society’s Clay Avenue museum, will be buried outside City Hall on Sept. 24 during...
Twins crowned Westmoreland Fair royalty
Ties to the Westmoreland Fair run deep in Emma and Addison Heeter’s family. The twins’ dad has been involved with the fair for years, their grandfather attended the first fair in 1954, and their mom was crowned fair princess twice. Perhaps it is only natural that Emma and Addison were...
Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill cited for leachate leak into Speers Run
The state Department of Environmental Protection has cited the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill for leachate that leaked from the Rostraver facility on Wednesday and made its way into Speers Run. The DEP is investigating. It was unable to estimate the volume of contaminated liquid that escaped, resulting in discoloration of the...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Aug. 26-28Video
Tonight’s a wonderful thing It will be a countdown to ecstasy for Steely Dan fans when Reelin’ in the Years performs at 7 p.m. Friday in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park for the penultimate date of the SummerSounds concert series. The tribute band delves into the vast catalogue of the 1970s...
Lasagna Love delivers carbs and comfort
All you need is love. And lasagna. The classic Italian comfort food is the inspiration for Lasagna Love, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing free homemade lasagnas to individuals in need. The concept is simple — volunteers make homemade lasagna for people from online requests they receive and deliver them...
Rottweiler-coon hound is top dog in Greensburg’s pet ambassador contest
El Guaje Villa is Greensburg’s first official pet ambassador. The 3 1/2-year-old Rottweiler-coon hound mix — Guaje for short — topped a field of more than 50 contenders in a competition for the title that ended at Thursday’s Greensburg Night Market. With 350 points out of about 2,000 cast by...
Pulitzer winner Eli Saslow will visit Pitt Greensburg to cap Westmoreland Reads program
A book by Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow will be the focus of a new countywide reading program started by Pitt-Greensburg. Westmoreland Reads will focus on “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakenings of a Former White Nationalist,” Saslow’s 2019 book about Derek Black, who was raised as a...
Amphitheater project, vehicle replacement among Murrysville’s 2023 capital priorities
Murrysville officials recently laid out roughly $21.5 million in capital improvement plans for the next five years, including construction work on the Logan’s Ferry Road, Heather Highlands and Cal-Ken Court bridges. More than 70% of the capital improvement funding will go toward road overlay and infrastructure projects, according to finance...
Ligonier teen impresses judges in Westmoreland Fair horse shows
Horses have been a part of Laurel Daniels’ life forever. The 16-year-old began showing horses at age 6. Ten years later, she’s still showing them – and her hard work and dedication have paid off. During the Westmoreland Fair’s miniature horse halter class show on Thursday, Daniels and her mini...
Police seek information about Rostraver stabbing
Rostraver Police are investigating a stabbing that was reported Thursday morning. A 36-year-old man was taken by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, according to police. The incident was reported just after 7 a.m. in the parking lot of Tri-County Plaza. Police said the man...
