Westmoreland category, Page 4
Laurel Highlands stream remains ‘impaired’ with elevated lead levelsVideo
Months after a shooting range was deemed the culprit of lead contamination in a popular Laurel Ridge stream, high levels of the heavy metal still flow through the water despite ongoing remediation. Testing performed this month by the Mountain Watershed Association showed there were 336 micrograms of lead per liter...
North Huntingdon seeks sponsors for ballfield banners
The fields in North Huntingdon’s parks could take on the look of minor league ballparks with banners advertising sponsors’ services. The township is launching a program giving businesses the opportunity to advertise on ballfield fences and other athletic fields, said Lydia Kinkaid, the township’s parks and recreation program coordinator. The...
North Huntingdon therapy collective aims to improve mental health counselors’ working conditions amid rising demands
Jeannette therapist Sarah Ludwig is on a mission to improve mental health counselors’ working environment. Ludwig, 36, has worked for various private therapy practices in her 12 years as a mental health counselor specializing in sexual violence cases. Though she finds the field rewarding, counselors often are burdened with high...
Westmoreland County juvenile detention center doubles capacity to 16 beds
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center has quietly doubled its capacity. Executive Director Rich Gordon confirmed Monday that a long-planned expansion of the program that houses juvenile criminal defendants at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was launched last month. “We had a group of kids that needed to come...
Theatre Factory to move to New Kensington arts hub; volunteers aim to fill gap in TraffordVideo
After 30 years providing theater opportunities to local actors, the Theatre Factory in Trafford will move into a New Kensington-based arts hub at the end of the summer. Theatre Factory leadership decided last fall it would accept an offer to become the resident theater company for Aluminum City Arts —...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust to recognize 64 high school seniors at ‘Achievement in the Arts’ ceremony
Sixty-four seniors from 16 Westmoreland County high schools will be recognized by the Westmoreland Cultural Trust for their exceptional artistic abilities. The Cultural Trust will host its 28th annual Achievement in the Arts award ceremony on May 13. It recognizes graduating seniors who have excelled in vocal or instrumental music,...
Man charged in connection to Westmoreland jail overdoses granted bail
A New Kensington man awaiting trial on charges that he sold a fatal dose drugs to a Westmoreland County Prison inmate can be released from jail on an unsecured bond, a judge ruled Friday. Davi Javier Roman, 30, was charged last September following a county grand jury investigation into alleged...
Food21 explores building a dairy hub in Western PennsylvaniaVideo
Pittsburgh nonprofit Food21’s mission is to improve the design, operation and regulation of local and regional food economies, and to work to find funding to achieve it. A recent feasibility study commissioned by the group examined ways to establish a dairy processing plant, agricultural research center and demonstration farm, potentially...
Westmoreland happenings: Senior citizen news, doo-wop dance, blood drive, more
Fundraiser Yukon SNPJ Lodge will present the Pittsburgh Belairs with doo-wop oldies from 7 to 10 p.m. May 1 at the Slovenian Hall, 137 Yukon Ave. BYO snacks. Refreshments will be sold. Admission: $10, at the door. Health • Independence Health System Westmoreland will offer wellness check diagnostic screenings by...
Seward man recognized with IUP’s aspiring alumni award
A Seward man was recognized by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for his involvement in the community. Kamden Boyle, who is pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs from IUP, received the aspiring alumni award from the university during a gala earlier this month. Boyle is a 2024 IUP graduate...
WCCC president: college changes inevitable to achieve improvement
The president of Westmoreland County Community College said Friday continued efforts to improve the college’s educational programs will involve change. “We have to adapt to change,” said Kristin L. Mallory. “We are not going to stay stagnant. We are moving forward.” Mallory, 63, has been president of the 4,000-student community...
North Belle Vernon mechanic to serve prison sentence for bilking clients
A North Belle Vernon mechanic was sentenced Friday to serve up to eight years in prison and ordered to repay 10 former customers nearly $37,000 for work police said he never completed. John Jeffries Jr., 60, pleaded guilty in January to more than 20 counts of theft and deceptive business...
Pair pleads guilty to $4.4M Greensburg Beverage estate theft
Jennifer Knopp knew something was wrong when her $4.4 million share of her mother’s estate never arrived. It wasn’t until she made calls from her Florida home that she learned money accrued over decades through her family’s ownership of Greensburg Beverage had been disbursed as part of a plan she...
Greensburg Salem approves comprehensive plan
Greensburg Salem School Board has approved the district’s latest comprehensive plan — focusing on literacy, engagement, work-based learning and mental health. The state Department of Education requires all 500 of the state’s public school districts to submit a comprehensive plan every three years. Improving early-level literacy rates, boosting engagement among...
Yough School Board fills vacancy left by former member’s resignation
A Sewickley Township father of five has been appointed to the Yough School Board, filling a vacancy and bringing a focus on diverse learning paths for district students. Gary Wetzler, 43, was selected Tuesday during a public special meeting to replace Gregg Nogy, who resigned April 1 after serving multiple...
Greensburg playground declared unsafe
Greensburg officials are working with Seton Hill Child Care Services on a situation that apparently has left playground equipment unusable. Signs on a fence surrounding what is known as the Taylor Street Playground, or 8th Ward Playground, say the equipment there has been “declared unsafe by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”...
Westmoreland County’s annual blight summit focuses on ‘Revitalizing Main Street’
The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and county Land Bank will partner with the Realtors Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and the Mon Valley on May 1 to host the fifth annual Westmoreland County Blight and Revitalization Summit. This year’s theme is “Revitalizing Main Street.” “’Main Street’ is the heart of every...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: April 24-26
The time has come for football madness in Southwestern Pennsylvania. But if you aren’t looking to make the trek to the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, you can still take advantage of a beautiful April weekend. Here are some things to do. Scott Blasey at Live Casino Fans of local favorites...
Jury rejects reluctant victim’s call to drop case, convicts New Kensington man of assault and strangulation
A New Kensington man was convicted Thursday of leaving a convenience store customer unconscious and for an assault of a city police officer as authorities sought to take him into custody months later. A Westmoreland County jury convicted Luther Boyd, 44, of one felony count of aggravated assault of a...
Westmoreland Envirothon: All winners in learning about the environment
Southmoreland senior Alexis Piovesan wrapped special tape around a large tree at Twin Lakes Park on Thursday — a yellow tape that measures diameter rather than circumference. “I’ve also learned to use a Biltmore stick to measure the lumber in a tree. I’ve identified different species of plants,” Piovesan said...
Route 30 off-ramp at Adamsburg to close permanently
A road from Route 30 into Adamsburg is set to be closed permanently, a move borough council President Bill Lasko said will improve safety in the tiny community. East Main Street shoots off to the right from westbound Route 30 just past Shift Right Transmissions. The speed limit immediately drops...
Environmental group to state: Make sure Rustic Ridge has sufficient subsidence insurance
An environmental organization has filed an appeal questioning whether a Donegal Township mine operator has followed a state directive to reinstate its mine subsidence bond to $3.14 million from a state-permitted reduction to about $293,000. The Mountain Watershed Association in Melcroft said in its filing with the state’s Environmental Hearing...
Westmoreland happenings: Band concert, Kentucky Derby party, hoagie sale, more
Church news Level Green Presbyterian Church will have a spring potluck luncheon April 26 at the church, 105 Olive Drive, Trafford. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the luncheon will be afterward in the fellowship hall. Bring a salad, main dish, hot or cold side dish or dessert....
Franklin Regional actors debate a man’s fate in ‘Twelve Angry Jurors’
Barring some seriously bad behavior, the legal system isn’t usually something with which the typical high school student is well acquainted. Don’t tell that to Franklin Regional students Isaac Eaton and Aerin Aranovich, also known as Juror No. 3 and Juror No. 8 in the high school Thespian Club’s upcoming...
Seton Hill launches $110 million fundraising campaign
Seton Hill University announced a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign Wednesday night benefiting student scholarships, student support services, academic program development and updated facilities at the university. But it has already raised the majority — $96.3 million — of its goal funding. The campaign, “Framing the Future: The Campaign for Seton Hill...
