Westmoreland category, Page 391
Neon Swing X-perience founder revives grandfather’s 1940s dance band
For 24 years, Neon Swing X-perience has been jumpin’ and jivin’ across area stages, playing a lively blend of vintage Americana music styles, including big-band, swing, rockabilly, hot jazz and blues. After a July 2 appearance at the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, the band will be no more. “I’ve...
Trafford-based home health care provider pays $383K to 46 workers to settle overtime claims
A Westmoreland County-based home health care service provider has agreed to pay more than $380,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 46 employees working from four Western Pennsylvania locations who were denied overtime pay dating back to 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The agency’s Wage and...
Jeannette lands federal grant to build new fire station
The Jeannette Fire Department will soon have a new home thanks to a federal grant. The department will build a new station on city-owned property that formerly housed the Clay Avenue school. Fire Chief Bill Frye expects to receive $1.2 million though an American Rescue Plan Act grant. He said...
Irwin OKs plans for Grand View Senior Residences
Irwin officials last week gave the go-ahead for the construction of a 50-unit four-story apartment building for senior citizens in a wooded area behind the Norwin Public Library. Irwin Council unanimously approved the plans that the Westmoreland County Housing Authority presented for Grand View Senior Residences, pending the housing authority...
Greensburg Salem School Board OKs 4-year superintendent contract with Ken Bissell
Greensburg Salem School Board has approved a formal contract with Superintendent Ken Bissell, who has been serving in that role for five months. The contract, approved this week by an 8-1 vote, extends through June 30, 2026. It will automatically renew for an additional year unless the board decides otherwise....
Grow Westmoreland, nonprofit started by Commissioner Kertes, seeks scholarship applications
A North Huntingdon-based nonprofit announced it will award $16,000 in scholarships to students seeking nursing degrees and skilled labor jobs. Grow Westmoreland, an organization created last year by Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, said it raised private donations that will be used to award scholarships to local students between the...
High-tech manufacturer expands presence at Westmoreland County industrial park
Fossil Industries, a high-tech manufacturing company, plans to more than double its footprint in Westmoreland County. The company — which builds barbecue grills, fireplace components, aftermarket automotive parts and supplies the military — said it plans to build a new 52,000-square-foot facility at the Westmoreland Technology Park II, which is...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: April 15-17
After-hours art Fiber artist Kari Roslund will be the special guest at Art After Hours from 6 to 8 p.m. today at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Roslund’s one-of-a-kind, hand-felted art pieces made from materials including wool, silk, wire, wood and paper are available in...
A native son: Faith and family are the foundation for the priesthood
Deacon Christopher James Pujol stood near the fifth row of pews from the back at Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church on Monday morning. He was replaying the memory of him as a 7-year-old making his First Holy Communion. “I was sitting right here,” he said, as he smiled recalling...
Ligonier olive oil shop offers education, gourmet tasting experience
Allison Lunko knew her specialty olive oil shop was a winner when someone asked, “How does it feel to have found something that people around here didn’t even realize they needed?” The Johnstown native opened Laurel Highlands Olive Oil at 140 E. Main St., Ligonier, in June 2021. Almost a...
Dispatcher: Person injured after vehicle hits Allegheny Township home
At least one person was injured when a vehicle hit a house on White Cloud Road in Allegheny Township. The vehicle hit the house at around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher. A gas meter was damaged during the accident and power is out in the...
Westmoreland commissioner defends rehiring of juvenile detention center director
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew this week defended the decision to rehire the county’s former juvenile detention center director. Commissioners announced Wednesday the county rehired Rich Gordon, who ran the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield between 2013 and 2015 before leaving for a job in Allegheny County and eventually serving...
Saint Vincent College responds to racism claims following weekend lecture
Saint Vincent College this week denounced racism in the aftermath of a symposium held on the Unity campus last weekend that drew criticism of comments from a speaker who suggested Vice President Kamala Harris ascended to her job only because she is Black. Nine lectures were part of a two-day...
Hospital patient accused by police of assaulting 2 nurses in Greensburg emergency room
Two emergency room nurses at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg escaped serious injury Wednesday after witnesses told police the staffers were kicked as they treated a 19-year-old patient, according to court documents. Brylin A. Hickman of Jeannette is charged with two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and...
Saint Vincent monks hit sweet spot with handmade hot cross buns
A team of about a dozen Saint Vincent monks were working from early morning into the evening Thursday as they carried out a new tradition at the Benedictine community. Their mission: preparing nearly 1,200 hot cross buns for pickup by customers on Good Friday. The monks have been enjoying the...
North Huntingdon man accused of creating, uploading child porn
A North Huntingdon man accused by state police of creating child pornography and putting it online was arrested Thursday and jailed without bail. James C. Gockel, 39, is charged with numerous counts of child pornography and related offenses. Troopers said they were notified by the National Center for Missing and...
Hempfield man gives back to Westmoreland County with food, book donations
Jeremiah Washburn loves taking walks and going on car rides. Now, he gives back to the community while enjoying these pastimes. Washburn, who has an intellectual disability and autism, gathers used books and nonperishable food items and donates them to Little Free Libraries and food pantry drop-offs throughout Westmoreland County....
Greensburg orders new Seagrave fire truck
The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department will soon have a new fire truck, replacing a 25-year-old apparatus at the city’s Hose Co. No. 6. Council members on Monday unanimously approved the purchase of a Seagrave model TB50CT Marauder Pumper for $779,114. “It’s a better truck all around, something that definitely we...
Jeannette native killed in Phoenix; police charge husband with homicide
Police in Arizona arrested the husband of a Westmoreland County native, accusing him of fatally shooting her at their Phoenix home last month, according to police and news accounts. Investigators said family members of Amy Jo Jacobelli Malobicky, 54, reported she and Paul A. Fratella, 43, had been involved in...
Westmoreland commissioners settle federal lawsuit filed by jail nurse
Westmoreland County commissioners have agreed to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former nurse at the county jail. Commissioners unanimously approved a $8,500 payout to Sophie Puskar, who sued the county and Wexford Health Sources, the private medical provider at Westmoreland County Prison. Puskar contended she was sexually...
‘Way of the Cross’ Good Friday drama will return to Greensburg after 2-year hiatus
After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, the Greensburg Ministerium’s portrayal of the Passion of Christ will return Friday. The “Way of the Cross” drama will begin at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street. Actors will travel on Otterman Street, Pennsylvania Avenue,...
Westmoreland County hires back former Shuman Juvenile Detention Center director
Westmoreland commissioners rehired the man who ran the county’s juvenile detention center nearly a decade ago before he took the helm of the of the now-shuttered Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Pittsburgh. His new salary will pay him 64% more than the woman he is replacing. Rich Gordon served as...
Memorial to man instrumental in developing Hempfield soccer moving to different park after township-county tiff
Larry Leggett’s name for years has marked a soccer field at Swede Hill Park in Hempfield, a nod to his instrumental role in developing the township’s soccer program. But this year, a memorial rock bearing Leggett’s name was removed from the park after the township chose not to move forward...
Jeannette Manor residents demand county commissioners help correct bug, mold issues
More than a half-dozen Jeannette Manor residents appeared at the Westmoreland County commissioners’ public meeting Wednesday to ask for help with what they claim is an ongoing insect and mold infestation in their building. Residents claim they have yet to receive any acknowledgement from the Westmoreland County Housing Authority —...
Cranberry nonprofit Variety helps Westmoreland youth with adaptive stroller donation
Jenna Bushnell beamed at her 5-year-old daughter, Kelsey, as she was being secured into her new adaptive stroller Wednesday at the Clairview School in Hempfield. “This is so much more usable for us. She has a wheelchair that is very big. We live on a farm, and it will be...
