Westmoreland category, Page 348
Offutt Field bash spotlights Greensburg Salem school spirit, marks return to classes Tuesday
It was time for the Golden Lions to roar Wednesday evening, as the Greensburg Salem School District welcomed the community for two hours of outdoor fun and school spirit activities at Offutt Field. Those attending were encouraged to show their support by wearing the school colors — brown, white and...
Greensburg bridge ceremony honors Richard Cullen, who was killed in Vietnam
Richard Cullen would have turned 75 on Thursday. But the Greensburg native never got to see his 21st birthday. Cullen was killed in action May 23, 1968, while serving as an Army infantryman in Vietnam. That sacrifice was recognized Thursday in a ceremony renaming the railroad bridge on Greensburg’s North...
Rabbit agility show at Westmoreland Fair hindered by loud music, youth handlers press on
Beating drums and songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” might put pep in a human’s step, but those loud noises have the opposite effect on skittish rabbits. Spectators found that out the hard way during the Westmoreland Fair’s rabbit agility show, which was hindered by a band practicing its...
Pitt-Greensburg welcomes first-year students for fall semester
Upperclassmen, alumni, faculty members and family pitched in Wednesday to help first-year students settle into campus residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Final enrollment figures weren’t available for the fall semester, but university President Robert Gregerson said, “Enrollment is up from last year. We had a really...
Federal student loan forgiveness is welcomed in Westmoreland, but overdue for some
Virginia native Grace Merrbach was all smiles Wednesday when she learned of the student loan forgiveness program announced the same day by President Joe Biden. “I’m very excited,” said the 21-year-old senior biology major at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. “That gets rid of all of my student debt...
Mt. Pleasant woman’s appeal of human trafficking conviction rejected
A Chinese national’s 2019 human trafficking conviction was upheld this week by a state appeals court. Hui Xu, 48, formerly of Mt. Pleasant, completed a sentence of nearly two years in jail in 2021. She pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking and single charges of promoting prostitution and...
Owners of Trump House in Youngstown not liable for 2016 crash, appeals court rules
The owners of a shrine to former President Donald Trump in Youngstown are not liable for a vehicle crash nearly six years ago that injured two people, a state appeals court has ruled. The Pennsylvania Superior Court this week affirmed a previous ruling by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Chris...
Penn-Trafford to explore school mergers, new construction
The Penn-Trafford School board has authorized two studies to explore the district’s future, which could include closing underused facilities and building larger schools to accommodate rising enrollment. Board members agreed to pay two companies about $18,000 each for a demographic analysis of the district and the feasibility study examining consolidation...
All charges dismissed against Westmoreland jail guard union leader
The president of the union that represents corrections officers at Westmoreland County Prison will remain off the job pending an internal investigation although charges related to a July domestic dispute were dismissed Wednesday. Scott Kennedy, 40, of North Irwin, was charged this month with strangulation, terroristic threats, simple assault and...
Developer floats idea of diverting taxes to pay for road improvements in Hempfield housing project
A developer planning to build more than 260 homes at the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club is gauging if Hempfield Township, Hempfield Area School District and Westmoreland County would approve using a tax diversion program to pay for road improvements. “This is not a tax break,” said Michael...
National sheep judge impressed by Westmoreland Fair lamb show contestants
Brian Barkley has judged sheep shows throughout the United States and Canada. He called the youth participants in the Westmoreland Fair’s market lamb show “exceptionally good.” “I was really pleased with how good they were,” said Barkley, from Bedford County. Dozens of spectators filled the fair’s Small Arena on Tuesday...
Submerged pickup at Bridgeport Dam was stolen, police say, but details murky
A Chevrolet pickup truck that was pulled out of a reservoir at Bridgeport Dam earlier this month was reported stolen in 2004, according to Westmoreland County Park Police Chief Henry Fontana. But any other details about the theft remain a mystery. Fontana said police were able to get a VIN...
Men caught with hidden cellphones at Westmoreland County Prison
Two men are accused of having cellphones at Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Leon D. Fair, 23, of Jeannette told authorities he sneaked his cellphone into the Hempfield jail Aug. 3 and used it to make calls to his family, to try to have bail posted and to...
PennDOT to unveil plans for rehab of historic Youghiogheny River bridge in West Newton
PennDOT will hold an in-person meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 31, to display plans for rehabilitating the Route 136 bridge that crosses the Youghiogheny River in West Newton. According to project planners, the proposed rehabilitation is intended to maintain the historic significance of the metal truss bridge, which was built in...
In-depth look at Route 30 corridor key to Hempfield comprehensive plan
Hempfield leaders are taking a closer look at the Route 30 corridor running through the center of the township as they move forward with updating a comprehensive plan. Supervisors this week approved creation of the Central Westmoreland Economic District Corridor Committee, or the HT30 Committee. The group will create a...
Westmoreland happenings: Tree and shrub sale, tea, yard sale
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
2 motorcyclists seriously hurt in Indiana County crash
Two motorcyclists were seriously hurt in a crash Saturday in Indiana County, not far from the Westmoreland County border. State police said Bruce P. Kunkle, 59, of Saltsburg and Joseph Ross, 60, of New Alexandria were traveling north on Route 286 in Conemaugh Township at 1 p.m. when Kunkle’s hat...
4 bridges on Route 711 targeted for replacement
Motorists on Route 711 may run into temporary detours during the 2023 construction season, when PennDOT expects to replace four bridges along the road in Westmoreland and Fayette counties. Plans for all four bridges may be viewed online through Aug. 31. Visit PennDOT.pa.gov/District12 and click on “Public Meetings/Studies” under the...
Police: Wilkinsburg man attempted to tamper with Monessen fire truck
A Wilkinsburg man is in jail after Monessen police said he attempted to turn a valve on a fire truck during a fire call in the city Monday before he was tased by officers, according to court papers. Aleksandr Doroshkevich, 37, is charged with resisting arrest, obstructing emergency services and...
Nursing homes in Lower Burrell, North Huntingdon among 24 statewide set to strike
Employees of nursing homes in Lower Burrell and North Huntingdon are among those at 24 long-term care facilities in the state who voted to strike, claiming unfair labor practices and a lack of accountability, according to union officials. Four of the nursing homes are owned by Comprehensive Healthcare, which operates...
Irwin police take steps to carry Narcan
Irwin will join a growing number of area police departments and first responders that have or will have personnel certified to use naloxone, the medicine that can be administered to a person to reverse an opioid overdose. “Sometimes we arrive first (to an opioid) overdose, and it’s necessary ( to...
Housing authority’s Irwin project delayed
Groundbreaking for Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s 50-unit apartment building in Irwin that would be designated for senior citizens will be delayed until late October as the agency finishes the financing for the estimated $12 million project, an authority official said. Irwin Borough has issued the housing authority a building permit...
Export will vote again, with full council, on $5 sewage rate hike
Export Mayor Joe Zaccagnini broke a contentious tie vote last month over whether to approve a $5 monthly increase in local sewage rates, passing along a roughly 8% rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority. Next month, the issue will come back before a full council for another...
Delmont-Salem Rotary to install fountain at borough’s Newhouse Park
When Delmont-Salem Rotary officials have held events at Newhouse Park in Delmont, one question has popped up frequently, according to incoming president Christian Tomley. “When we have our steak fry every year, we’ve gotten questions about why there’s no fountain,” Tomley told Delmont council at its Aug. 9 meeting. “It’s...
Dr. Oz denies report of Trump regret during campaign stop at Westmoreland Fair
Dr. Mehmet Oz rejected media reports that surfaced over the weekend that suggested former President Donald Trump had soured on his U.S. Senate candidacy. “It’s not true. It’s not true at all. He’s been very supportive, offering advice. His team has been helpful as well, and he’ll be coming to...
