Westmoreland category, Page 40
Lawsuit challenging Westmoreland vehicle tracking policy rolls on
Sheriff James Albert’s initial attempt to invalidate Westmoreland County’s vehicle tracking policy has been rejected by a judge. Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr., in a ruling made public Friday, said more evidence is needed to determine whether the policy violates the sheriff’s ability to independently run his elected office....
Baltzer Meyer launches restoration work at 1881 schoolhouse
Robert Reintgen and his crew of contractors spent the better part of Friday removing eight large glass windows from the Baltzer Meyer Historical Society’s Hempfield schoolhouse. He had one goal in mind, maintaining the integrity of the 1881 structure. “You don’t want to embarrass the building,” said Reintgen, a Derry...
20th annual Kecksburg UFO Festival promises update on 1965 crash
Sixty years ago, a December day changed the course of history for Kecksburg, a small community in Mt. Pleasant Township. People in seven states and Canada reported seeing a fireball in the night sky on Dec. 9, 1965, according to an article that appeared in the Tribune-Review. “Back in ’65,...
MAWC pauses refinancing plan amid concerns over economic downturn
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will pause a plan to refinance more than $150 million in existing debt. The authority board of directors have concerns that deteriorating economic conditions could result in a reduction in potential savings for the water and sewer agency. Authority administrators and private financial advisers have...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: July 18-20
It’s a perfect weekend to enjoy the best things in life — nature, music, art and family. Here are a few ways to take your days off up a notch. Garden council tour Take a day to explore the thriving gardens of your Westmoreland County neighbors and learn about how...
Cowboy Andy’s quick-draw antics and more at the Derry Township Ag Fair
The Derry Township Agricultural Fair is being held this week on the fairgrounds in New Derry. Events include the traditional arts and crafts, baked goods and animal showmanship traditional to the fair. The fair continues through Saturday with events including horse showmanship and a tractor pull at 3 and 4...
Ligonier DUI crash that injured 3 motorcyclists nets Washington County man prison sentence
John Creasy has had a long road to recovery after he and two motorcycle riders traveling along Route 30 in Ligonier were hit by a drunk driver. “I’ll be handicapped for the rest of my life,” Creasy said Thursday following a sentencing hearing for a Washington County man who prosecutors...
Jayhawk Commons retail space planned at former Monsour Medical Center property along Route 30
Work on a commercial space at the former Monsour Medical Center property in Jeannette is expected to begin next year, officials said. The retail complex would be accompanied by more than 30 nearby town homes, a project city officials hope will spur additional development. Developer Don Tarosky Jr., chief operating...
Penn State Master Gardeners will host Hempfield open house
Penn State Master Gardeners invite the public to a free open house at their demonstration gardens in Hempfield. The open house will be 9 a.m. to noon July 19 at the Penn State Extension’s Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road in Hempfield. Visitors can walk through more than a dozen demonstration...
Florida man sentenced for role in string of burglaries
A Florida man was sentenced to two-and-a-half to 20 years in a state prison this month in connection with a spree of distraction burglaries in the area, including two in Westmoreland County. Steve Nichols, 57, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and related charges in connection with seven burglaries in...
Bat cam: Streaming video reveals secret life of colony at Land Trust site in Hempfield
They only come out at night. Still, the Westmoreland Land Trust has shed some light on the lives of close to 50 bats that inhabit an old barn at its Hempfield nature park — thanks to some flexible cameras and ultrasonic detectors provided by trust board member Bill Powers. For...
Triaxle crashes, catches fire along Route 66 near Youngwood
More than a dozen passersby stopped Thursday morning to rescue a man trapped in a burning triaxle truck after it crashed in New Stanton, according to fire Chief Rob Cammarata. Joe Schiavone and Steve Parsons were headed to a job for Perfect Industrial Cleaning when they came upon the ball...
Western Pa. storms impact power, roads in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Fire crews and power companies from around Western Pennsylvania were busy Thursday morning racing to address downed power lines and fallen trees blocking roadways, following Wednesday’s strong thunderstorms that rolled through the region. Wednesday’s storms produced at least an inch of rain throughout the Pittsburgh region, said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist...
Advocacy group blasts plea deal in cruelty case against Derry cat shelter operator
A national animal advocacy organization Wednesday criticized a probation sentence imposed against a Derry-area woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offenses. In Defense of Animals, an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, Calif., said the guilty plea entered by Kimberly Rose, 45, of Blairsville in late June...
Westmoreland happenings: Parish festival, Civil War weekend, meetings, more
Festivals • The annual St. Pius X Parish Festival, Mt. Pleasant, will be held 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 20, at the church, 224 Summit St. There will be food including the famous parish pizza, games of chance, raffles, bingo, basket auction, children’s games and more. Entertainment will...
Standing-room-only crowd gets detailed look at plan for Homer City natural gas plant
Members of the public got their first detailed look Wednesday evening at what would be the largest natural gas-fired power plant in the U.S. if it’s built: a 3,200-acre project in Homer City, Indiana County. Representatives from Homer City Redevelopment were on hand alongside officials from local trade unions and...
Contraband concerns cited for refusal to transport yarmulke-wearing Westmoreland inmate
Concerns that contraband could be smuggled into the Westmoreland County Prison led officials to deny the scheduled transfer of a yarmulke-wearing inmate to the courthouse this week. After nearly two days of silence, county commissioners emailed a brief, two-sentence statement Tuesday night. They confirmed that Kort Noel Eckman was held...
Additional theft charges filed against Latrobe attorney John Allen Roth
Additional theft charges were filed Wednesday against a Latrobe attorney who is awaiting trial on police accusations that he stole $31,300 from an elderly jail inmate and used the money to gamble at a casino. John Allen Roth, 70, is accused in three new cases of taking $7,735 from clients...
IronRock Tap House in Hempfield closes; Atria’s in Murrysville to shutter; Rick’s Sports Bar for sale
After nearly six years in business, IronRock Tap House in Hempfield has closed its doors. Greg and Christina Cammerata opened the restaurant in late November 2019. The owners told TribLive shortly before IronRock’s opening that it was a prime location for their business venture, positioned next to Route 30 and...
New Westmoreland Museum curator hails from Southern California
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg announced on Tuesday that it has named Nicole Lampl as its new curator of American art. “We’re excited to welcome Nicole to The Westmoreland in this lead curatorial role,” Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO Silvia Filippini-Fantoni, PhD., said in a news release. “She...
Morning Roundup: Cooling centers open in Allegheny, Westmoreland; Fayette fire hospitalizes 4
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Wednesday, July 16: Cooling centers open in Allegheny, Westmoreland After issuing a heat advisory Tuesday, Allegheny County will keep its cooling centers open Wednesday as temperatures reach into the upper 80s. Cooling centers will be open in Allegheny County...
Rotaract Club will install ‘peace pole’ in Delmont’s Newhouse Park
Members of the Delmont-Salem Rotaract Club will install a peace pole” in Delmont’s Newhouse Park later this summer. The small monument, supported by Rotary and Rotaract clubs across the globe, is an eight-foot pole on which “May peace prevail on Earth” is inscribed in eight different languages. That is surrounded...
Time to fix Greensburg’s courthouse square clock — getting it back in sync on all 4 sides
Depending on which way you look, the clock at Greensburg’s courthouse square might have the right time. Or it might not. The four-sided clock is slated for repairs as the original timepiece appears to be broken, said Tom Bell, streets superintendent. Greensburg Council voted unanimously Monday to spend $5,600 on...
Former Latrobe man pleads guilty in friend’s overdose death
A former Latrobe man pleaded guilty to his role in the 2021 overdose death of his friend. Kevin. B. Shaffer, 52, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months after he pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in...
New Kensington murder suspect given deadline to decide on plea deal ahead of August retrial
A New Kensington man has just hours to decide whether to accept a plea deal involving the 2020 murder during a botched robbery and the unrelated shooting of four others a year earlier. The combined plea offer comes just weeks before the scheduled retrial of Latresse T. Williams, 34. Prosecutors...
