Westmoreland category, Page 388
Hempfield man pleads guilty in woman’s shooting
A Hempfield man was paroled Monday after he pleaded guilty to charges related to an incident last year in which a woman sustained a gunshot wound to her ring finger. Police said Timothy John Luchon, 40, had a physical altercation with a woman at a home near New Stanton on...
Ex-inmate’s lawsuit claims Westmoreland County violated settlement terms, wants $150K
A New Mexico man who received a $150,000 payment to settle a federal lawsuit against Westmoreland County claims public officials violated terms of a confidentiality agreement and wants an additional payment from taxpayers. Westmoreland commissioners, at a public meeting in February, approved the settlement with James Mapp, 34, to end...
North Huntingdon Army veteran receives Quilt of Valor for service in Germany
A North Huntingdon man was elated but humble Monday after receiving a Quilt of Valor recognizing his military service. “I just think there’s a lot more people that are deserving,” said Ron Ickes, 81, of Biddle. Sally Strait, a member of Norwin Quilters, presented Ickes, an Army veteran, with the...
Greensburg YWCA panel to discuss messages in Amanda Gorman poetry
The poetry anthology of Amanda Gorman will be discussed by a local NAACP official, a college professor and three young adults at 6:30 p.m. May 25 at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main St. The panel discussion of “Call Us What We Carry” will feature Ruth Tolbert, president of the...
Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township will host ‘Paws for Prevention Walk’ for dogs, owners
There will be plenty of fun for four-legged family members at a fundraiser Saturday at Mammoth Park. Organizer Sarah Opalinski said activities for dogs will be mixed in with community resources at Paws for Prevention Walk at the Mt. Pleasant Township park. The proceeds will benefit the Council on Substance...
Hempfield man jailed, accused by police of beating, choking woman
A 31-year-old Hempfield man is in the county prison after state troopers say he severely beat and choked a woman with a television cable and threatened her with a shotgun. Cody J. Mattei was arrested Sunday after the woman was able to escape a residence in the 100 block of...
Murrysville man designs ‘Monopoly’-themed road rally course
They won’t see Park Place or Boardwalk, but drivers in a Saturday, May 21 Monopoly-themed road rally through Westmoreland County might pass over some old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. “The course will head out on a winding route to the Bells Mills covered bridge in (Sewickley and South Huntingdon),” said Bruce...
Primary voter turnout expectations low across Pittsburgh region
Voters at Harold Zion Lutheran Church in Hempfield will receive one of four different ballots on Tuesday as Westmoreland election officials navigate the first Election Day that features a splitting of Hempfield’s Middletown precinct into two Congressional districts. Hempfield Middletown, with its 668 registered voters, was split in half as...
New conservation easement protects Loyalhanna headwaters in Cook
A new conservation easement obtained by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has added close to 300 acres in Cook Township to nearly 27,000 acres the nonprofit conservation organization has protected in the Ligonier Valley. The easement covers 289 acres of privately owned forested property along Chestnut Ridge. The property includes more...
Export officials want more communication with nonprofit social-service site
Export officials are hoping to have a clearer line of communication with a nonprofit that operates a house in the borough for individuals with disabilities. Community Living And Support Services (CLASS), a nonprofit whose mission is to “support people with disabilities as they explore options, participate in the community and...
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum pairs food, drink with ‘Artful Evening’
Taking food or drink into a museum gallery is a major taboo. Imagine sticky fingerprints left on a priceless piece of art. Rules were broken Saturday during An Artful Evening at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The event underscored that artwork comes in many forms — whether...
Out & About: Ex-Steeler Craig Wolfley helps Westmoreland Food Bank mark 40 years
Guests at the Westmoreland Food Bank 40th Anniversary Gala expected some good hockey talk from former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Bourque. Instead they got football commentary complete with live replay from Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst and former offensive lineman Craig Wolfley. “You were expecting the Old Two-Niner, you got the fat...
What would a college voucher program mean for students in Pennsylvania?
“Heated budget battles” were raging in Harrisburg last year when state Rep. Eric Nelson stopped by the Hempfield Home Depot. Unexpectedly, he ran into a young man whom he coached in youth football. As Nelson and the former player chatted, the man explained he worked at the home improvement store...
Unity Township renames Lakeside Park after beloved maintenance man Bob Evancho
When Unity Township tax collector Mark Burkardt takes his grandchildren to the newly renamed Bob Evancho Lakeside Park, he hopes his grandchildren will ask who Bob Evancho was. “I’ll be happy to tell them that he was my friend,” Burkardt said. On Saturday, the township supervisors officially dedicated Lakeside Park...
Derry Township man accused of assaulting child
A Derry Township man is charged with assaulting a child. Jordache R. Larrabee, 32, of the village of Torrance, was arrested on multiple charges this week including aggravated assault of a child after state police troopers discovered multiple bruises on a child, according to Trooper Gregory Frank. The child was...
More than 100 volunteers create West Newton Avenue of Flags in preparation for Memorial Day
Volunteers gathered Saturday to raise the West Newton Avenue of Flags at West Newton Cemetery for the Memorial Day holiday. In its 28th year, the Avenue of Flags features 365 full-sized flags, each given by a family member in honor of one or more local veterans who have died. Members...
Level Green cleanup slated for Saturday
The Level Green Lions spring cleanup event, postponed last week because of rain, will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the Penn Township community. Registration will be from 8:30 to 9 a.m. at the Level Green Community Building, Murrysville Road. Roadside cleanup sites will be assigned at...
Greensburg Salem School Board looks to hold line on taxes, continue free high school meals
Greensburg Salem School Board is expected to vote Wednesday on a proposed 2022-23 district budget that would support about $49.1 million in planned expenses without raising taxes. To cover that spending, which reflects a 2% increase from this school year, the district might have to pull more than $658,000 from...
North Huntingdon: Vote pending on backyard chickens for two residents
The latest chapter in whether North Huntingdon residents are permitted to raise chickens could end next week. Commissioners are likely to vote on a request from Megan Jovar of Lancelot Drive for a conditional-use permit to keep the seven hens she has in her backyard and a request from Sarah...
Jeannette councilman Ron Smith, dead at 76, described as ‘true asset’ to city
Jeannette Councilman Ron Smith, a longtime high school football coach, died Friday after a battle with cancer. His two daughters remembered him as a “gentle giant” who was honest and fair, attributes Mayor Curtis Antoniak said spilled over into council chambers. Antoniak visited Smith, 76, Thursday before council’s regular monthly...
Bridge replacement project will close I-70 off-ramp in Rostraver
Work related to replacement of a bridge overpass will affect traffic on eastbound Interstate 70 in Rostraver beginning Monday. The eastbound off-ramp is set to close at 8 p.m. at the Arnold City exit and will remain closed until 6 a.m. on the following Thursday, depending on weather conditions. PennDOT...
Greater Latrobe hopes to avoid potential 1-mill school tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board is eyeing a proposed 2022-23 budget of more than $61.5 million that could require a 1-mill tax increase to cover a funding shortfall. But district officials have indicated they may be able to reduce or eliminate that potential tax hike if school subsidy increases proposed by...
State appellate court upholds attempted rape verdict in 2017 assault case in Unity
A state appellate court on Friday upheld the 10-year prison sentence and attempted rape conviction of a former Somerset County man in the September 2017 attack on a former Saint Vincent College student in Unity. Luke W. Hoover, 25, had appealed his 2021 conviction and sentence to state Superior Court,...
2 jailed in Trafford drug bust; police seize $81K from suspect
Two people are being held without bail after police said they found $6,000, four bricks of suspected heroin and a stolen gun at a Trafford apartment last month, according to court papers. Westmoreland County detectives and Penn Township police on Friday charged Gessica A. Merlin, 25, of Hempfield, and Damone...
Murrysville students get a glimpse into the past at replica of 1800s schoolhouse
When Laura Hoff was looking to teach her students at Calvary Early Learning Center about local history in Murrysville, she didn’t realize there was a building full of it just up the road. “I saw a Trib article describing the (replica of the) old Murrysville schoolhouse,” Hoff said. “I stopped...
