Westmoreland category, Page 398
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum toasts tenure of curator Barbara Jones
Friends, relatives, colleagues, artists and admirers gathered Saturday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art to celebrate the career of Chief Curator Barbara Jones. More than 250 strong, they raised a Cosmopolitan — Jones’s favorite libation — or other glass to toast her 26-year career at the Greensburg museum, which...
Murrysville Alzheimer’s educator publishes children’s book about dementia
During her time as director of a memory-care facility in Rhode Island, former teacher Doreen Putnam began to notice the children who were coming to visit residents whose cognition had been affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “They really didn’t understand what was happening to their grandma or grandpa,” Putnam...
Fred Rogers Center event in Unity will aim to help grown-ups ‘learn to listen’
Millions of children grew up singing songs including “It’s You I Like” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” with Mister Rogers — but those children, now grown, might not realize the musical depth present in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College in Unity this month...
Hempfield will no longer maintain, operate Swede Hill Park after county balks at handing over ownership
After a quarter-century run, Hempfield no longer will maintain and operate the 17-acre Swede Hill Park. Hempfield officials chose not to renew the township’s $1 annual lease after they could not persuade Westmoreland County to transfer ownership of the park at no charge, said George Reese, chairman of the township...
Unity seeks $1M grant to replace bridge over Sewickley Creek branch
Unity officials are seeking a $1 million state grant to help replace a township bridge over the North Branch of Sewickley Creek that is rated in poor condition. Though the bridge on Shinsky Road isn’t in imminent danger of falling down, “We want to stay ahead of the curve,” said...
Trafford Post Office to remain at site; no replacement for one in Wendel
The post office in Trafford is staying where it is, despite the building being sold, but the U.S. Postal Service has not been able to find a suitable site for another office in the West Hempfield village of Wendel. The post office in Trafford will remain at 411 Cavitt Ave.,...
Street entertainers, games, prizes get Irwin visitors primed for St. Patrick’s Day
A late winter storm didn’t stop residents from getting out to enjoy a Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Food and Family Funfest on Saturday afternoon in downtown Irwin. Meadow Golick, 7, stopped at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Hall to get a shamrock and other Irish-related images painted on her hands after...
Coroner: East Huntingdon man using snow blower killed by passing pickup
A man operating a snow blower was struck and killed by a pickup Saturday morning, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. County Coroner Timothy Carson identified the victim as Brian P. Hyde, of East Huntingdon. Hyde, 49, was struck around 10 a.m. by a Dodge Ram pickup traveling at...
New Westmoreland chamber leader seeks to expand outreach efforts
The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s new president said he wants the chamber to be more involved in the community, working with different nonprofits and assisting businesses and people in need. “It’s about supporting the business community and helping them with their employment issues,” said Dan DeBone, 55, of Murrysville,...
Jeannette will hear testimony on use of CDBG grant funds
It appears both sides may get their way in Jeannette’s debate over whether to help businesses with grants through government funding related to the coronavirus pandemic. A public hearing is planned at 1 p.m. March 21 at city hall to hear testimony about creating a pot of money for businesses...
As ice festival business booms, Jeannette company looks to train carvers
The work is plentiful, but the laborers are few. With the proliferation of winter ice festivals across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, DiMartino Ice Co. in Jeannette is looking to train ice carvers to fill the demand. “We’re busy from December through February,” said owner Ernie DiMartino. “We’re somewhere every week,...
Structural failures elsewhere spur call for emergency repairs at Westmoreland courthouse
It had been a month since the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s East End collapsed, and the memory was fresh in the mind of Westmoreland County Public Works Director Greg McCloskey as he gathered his bosses around a conference table to meet with an engineer. It was at that Feb....
Hempfield school board shelves any changes to its library book policy and selections for now
The Hempfield Area School Board next month will further discuss the possibility of tweaking a policy related to reevaluating course materials after high school students were allowed access to two books deemed inappropriate by a small group of parents. The board’s policy committee on Friday decided to not move forward...
Late West Penn Power employee’s legacy ‘helping others’ to continue through donation
The power line technology program at the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Stanton received a shot in the arm Friday that will continue a late graduate’s legacy of helping others. More than 50 family members, friends, school officials and former West Penn Power co-workers of the late...
Westmoreland jury awards $19M to swimming pool injury victim
A jury on Friday awarded $19 million in damages to a Vandergrift man left paralyzed from an accident in a friend’s swimming pool, in what is believed to be the largest verdict ever issued in Westmoreland County. Jurors found that Washington Township homeowners Robert and Laura O’Black were negligent and...
‘Sneetches’ help N.C. students teach Norwin kindergarteners through Read Across America exercise
A Read Across America exercise for a kindergarten class at Norwin’s Stewartsville Elementary School took on a special meaning Friday when high school students from Charlotte, N.C., read a Dr. Seuss book to them. “I think it was great. It was very nice,” said Emma Sartori, a student in Nicole...
Troopers cite 2 drivers for alleged ‘road rage’ incident on Route 22 through Salem
The driver of a pickup and a tow truck operator were cited for misdemeanor and traffic charges after state police said the men engaged in a miles-long road rage incident along Route 22 through Salem. Troopers said they used witness accounts and a video volunteered by the pickup driver to...
Greensburg Salem School Board OKs 7-year bus contract, fills 2 administrative posts
Greensburg Salem School District will stay with its current transportation provider for another seven years. The school board this week approved a new contract with DMJ Transportation, setting annual cost increases through the 2028-29 school year. The per-vehicle rate charged by Mt. Pleasant area-based DMJ will increase by 1.5% in...
Troopers seize 59 pounds of marijuana during turnpike traffic stop in Westmoreland County
An Oklahoma man pulled over for drifting between eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township was later arrested by state troopers on drug trafficking charges. Investigators said they found 59 vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana in his minivan. Zhi Yu Lin, 43, of Muskogee, Okla., was ordered held...
Penn-Trafford library aide transforms old books into dress for Women’s History Month
Sarah Schadler said she has a “really hard time” throwing old books into the dumpster. The McCullough Elementary School library aide in the Penn-Trafford School District instead saves unused, outdated books — some with copyrights as early as 1954 — for future library projects. Her latest project featured a Cinderella-style...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: March 11-13
Musical interlude The free monthly Music at Midday concert will begin at noon Friday in the Verostko Center for the Arts, on the second floor of the Latimer Family Library at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Award-winning trombonist and composer Sean Durkin will perform standards by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio...
Jury to deliberate Friday in paralyzed Vandergrift man’s lawsuit over swimming pool injury
A Westmoreland County jury will begin deliberations Friday to determine if a Washington Township couple is responsible for injuries that left their son’s best friend paralyzed after he broke his neck in 2013 in their backyard swimming pool. Lawyers for Michael Fraser, 29, of Vandergrift contend Robert and Laura O’Black...
Greensburg Salem’s use of traditional school holiday names draws dissent
Tradition trumped inclusiveness this week as the Greensburg Salem School Board selected holiday names for use on the district’s 2022-23 school calendar. The board voted 8-1 to use time-honored names for three holidays when students get to stay home: Christmas Break, Easter Break and Columbus Day. The vote came after...
Vietnam veterans eligible for pinning ceremony in North Huntingdon
Vietnam War veterans will be able to receive a commemorative pin to honor their service during a ceremony at 2 p.m. March 31 in the J. Howard Snyder Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781, Billott Avenue, North Huntingdon. The ceremony is being held in conjunction with National Vietnam War Veterans...
Delmont woman charged with threats against judge
A Delmont woman was charged amid allegations that she threatened to hang the Westmoreland County judge who is overseeing her ongoing custody dispute. Detectives said Jennifer Gesuale, 42, posted a YouTube video on March 7 in which she is alleged to have called for the murder of Westmoreland County Common...
