Westmoreland category, Page 364
Monster truck enthusiasts watch Bigfoot crush cars during Export Tire event
This weekend, about 1,000 people saw Bigfoot in Murrysville Saturday — no, not that Bigfoot. Export Tire hosted the monster truck Bigfoot during a day full of festivities. Families and truck enthusiasts gathered to watch the car-crushing truck fulfill its purpose. The monster truck crushed junk cars in a field...
Trafford residents raise Route 130 speeding concerns, traffic study planned
Truck traffic and speeding on Route 130 in Trafford is no longer just a nuisance. For resident Mark Horgas, the issues now pose a danger to the community. Horgas has lived on the Seventh Street Extension of Route 130 for 22 years. He said the number of heavy vehicles is...
Artist teaches how to turn invasive Japanese knotweed into crafting material
When Albert Pantone runs out of paper, he just heads to the nearest stand of invasive Japanese knotweed. “We always think of trees when it comes to paper, but anything with fibers can be used to make paper,” said Pantone, owner of Knot Just Weeds in Braddock. “You can even...
Ex-Monessen man sentenced to 5 years in prison on drug charges
A 27-year-old former Monessen man will spend five years in a federal prison for attempting to distribute cocaine in Monessen last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh. Shaiquane Harrison was sentenced Friday by federal Judge William S. Stickman in Pittsburgh after he pleaded guilty on March 2...
Hempfield man sentenced to house arrest, probation for DUI where party-goers were hurt
A Hempfield man was sentenced to six months house arrest and five years probation on drunken-driving charges stemming from a 2020 incident in which he ran over three people in Derry Township. Dominic G. Bellone, 22, was acquitted during a February nonjury trial of several felony offenses related to the...
Monessen man acquitted in alleged sexual assault
A Monessen man was acquitted Friday in connection with a 2019 reported sexual assault. Deandre Frezzell, 23, was found not guilty of rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and strangulation. A Pitcairn woman had accused Frezzell, who she met through a friend, of raping her at his home in May 2019...
Pa. drug, alcohol program secretary seeks insight at Sage’s Army in Hempfield
Groups whose mission is to help addicts recover from substance abuse still face many obstacles, a state drug and alcohol programs official said during a visit to Hempfield this week. Those obstacles may include establishing access to treatment, maintaining a workforce of recovery specialists and finding housing for those in...
Woman hurt after SUV strikes farm tractor in Derry Township, firefighters say
A woman was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment after her SUV struck a farm tractor and overturned Friday in Derry Township, according to first responders. The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. along Pandora Road, according to 911 dispatchers. Bradenville Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Justin Horrell said the...
Troopers: Mt. Pleasant Township man jailed after shooting woman with gun he thought was empty
A 21-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man told troopers he thought a gun wasn’t loaded when he pulled its trigger and shot a woman in the back. Daven Lee Donaldson was jailed on $100,000 bond on multiple assault and firearms charges Thursday. He was arrested after the 2:40 a.m. incident when...
Greensburg woman found incompetent for trial in 2021 mattress fire
A Greensburg woman accused of setting a mattress on fire outside a three-unit apartment house last year was found incompetent to stand trial. Gina M. Albertelli, 55, is charged with arson, reckless burning and related offenses in the May 22, 2021, incident. She is being treated at Torrance State Hospital...
Saint Vincent Summer Theatre stages ‘Lend Me a Tenor’
There’s a lot of door slamming in Saint Vincent Summer Theatre’s upcoming production of “Lend Me a Tenor.” The frenetic action is central to the plot of playwright Ken Ludwig’s popular farce, mixing subterfuge with mistaken identity, according to SVST producing artistic director Greggory Brandt. The show will be staged...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 8-10
Americana classics Session Americana will play classics of American roots music, along with original songs, at the weekly SummerSounds concert, beginning 7 p.m. today at St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg. The Boston-based folk/rock collective comprises a rotating line-up of singers and multi-instrumentalists who promise a raucous live show. Group...
Center for Hearing & Deaf Services celebrating 100 years
Last month, Mattel released a Barbie doll with hearing aids. She wears a floral dress, pink boots and has her hair in a ponytail. Two over-the-ear hearing aids are visible. The assistive devices might seem like small accessories to some people, but they speak volumes to the hard of hearing...
Bank helps Westmoreland park police purchase equipment for police dog Rico
Westmoreland County Park Police’s sole police dog, Rico, received a gift Thursday to help with his training, thanks to 1st Summit Bank. Rico, a German shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, is 1½ years old and trained to find explosives and guns, as well as in tracking and apprehension. The dog...
Export officials approve trail extension, will seal borough parking lot
After meeting with members of the Export Business Group, borough officials gave the go-ahead for Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials to extend the trail about 750 feet farther east. “The biggest thing we all agreed on was that they needed to put (trail) parking spots on the south side of the...
Parking tickets surprise SummerSounds staff, prompt Greensburg accommodation
The SummerSounds concert last Friday drew a huge crowd of about 8,900 to Greensburg’s St. Clair Park to hear an Elton John tribute band. But there was a sour note earlier that day, well before the free performance, when several people working behind the scenes to prepare for the event...
Covid recovery funding to help pay for $3M renovation of Greensburg ice arena
Kirk S. Nevin Arena is slated for an overdue $3.1 million overhaul so area ice hockey teams and other people can continue to enjoy smooth skating at the Greensburg facility. Greensburg City council is expecting to receive a $1.5 million grant for the project, available from the state Department of...
Westmoreland prison inmate planned to use wire from face masks in foiled escape plan, detectives say
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate is accused of using the small pieces of wire in the face masks used to prevent the spread of covid-19 to fashion a weapon he intended to use to help him escape from a court appearance, authorities said. The alleged escape plan by inmate Dennis...
Founder’s daughters revive Tropical Bungalow restaurant in Hempfield
Tom Papinchak said the smoothie was relatively new to Western Pennsylvania when he started selling the fruity concoction in the mid-1990s, first from a mobile thatched-roof kiosk and then at his Tropical Bungalow kiosks in Westmoreland Mall, downtown Pittsburgh and The Galleria in Johnstown. About 10 years later, he moved...
Symposium will help educators integrate Fred Rogers’ teachings into the classroom
Fred Rogers is renowned for the ways he taught and interacted with children — and this July, educators will have the opportunity to glean some of his wisdom during a virtual symposium. Saint Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Institute in Unity will host the two-day symposium on July 19 and 20....
Latrobe locals invited to learn about wards’ history during upcoming shows
Latrobe residents are invited to go back in time and learn more about the city’s six wards in the upcoming months. The Latrobe Area Historical Society will present four shows about this history between July and October. The first show, which will delve into the First Ward, will take place...
Pa. House approves Pitt funding after months of debate over fetal tissue research
The University of Pittsburgh is set to narrowly escape with its state funding after months of heated back-and-forth between Pitt and House Republicans over the university’s fetal tissue research. The state House voted Wednesday night to pass Pitt’s appropriation. Lawmakers reworded an agricultural funding bill to provide Pitt’s funding and...
1 person reported injured in ATV accident in Bell Township
One person was injured Wednesday in an all-terrain vehicle accident in Bell Township, according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher. The accident occurred about 10:23 a.m. and the person was flown by medical helicopter to an undisclosed hospital trauma center in Pittsburgh, the dispatcher reported. Bell Township firefighters were assisted...
Export mayor breaks tie in contentious vote to raise sewage ratesVideo
Export Mayor Joe Zaccagnini had to break a 3-3 vote this week as council approved a $5 increase in local sewage rates, passing along a roughly 8% rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority that goes into effect in August. “We have to pass on the cost that’s...
Vandergrift motorcyclist seriously injured after colliding with truck in Ligonier Township, police say
A Vandergrift motorcyclist was seriously injured and flown by medical helicopter to a Johnstown hospital Tuesday after colliding with a truck along Route 30 in Ligonier Township. The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. along the highway stretch of Route 30 between Laughlintown and the Laurel Mountain Summit, east of Ligonier...
