Westmoreland category, Page 435
Westmoreland lawyer accused of assaulting state trooper at Seven Springs waives right to hearing
A Westmoreland County assistant public defender accused of assaulting a state trooper at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. David E. Mulock, 36, of Murrysville, has been suspended with pay since his arrest on charges of aggravated assault on a law...
Beloved Westmoreland Mall Santa makes special visit; mall Santa arrives Friday
It’s only November, but for many in Westmoreland County, Santa Claus already came to town. For three days last week, thousands of children and parents waited outside the Christmas Town store at Westmoreland Mall for their chance to meet the man many have deemed the real Kris Kringle. “This Santa...
Ligonier man worked for Coke, Disney, Steelers, Pitt, and drove limousines
Lelia Tosh can remember being in a grocery store, several thousand miles away from home on one of her family’s many motor home trips, and catching her father straightening up the store’s Coca-Cola display. “We’d say, ‘C’mon, Dad, we’re on vacation!’ ” Tosh said. “But he was just so proud.”...
‘It was scary,’ Hempfield woman says of rollover crash
A Hempfield woman does not remember much about a crash Wednesday after being pulled from her overturned SUV by two passing good Samaritans assisted by a state trooper, but she’s glad they stopped to help. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember much about it. I’m still sore, but OK,” said Joan...
Overly’s Country Christmas is a year-round venture for the holidays in Westmoreland County
Workers have been scrambling this week to string lights for the displays spread across the Westmoreland Fairgrounds near Norvelt, unpack countless late-arriving boxes of holiday gifts and shelve them at Overly’s General Store in preparation for Thursday’s opening of Overly’s Country Christmas. Visitors to the annual show will see many...
Former Hempfield drug treatment counselor indicted on fraud, identity theft charges
A former Greensburg woman was indicted by a federal grand jury after authorities said she used the identity of a person she met at a Hempfield drug treatment center to secure a bank loan and credit card, according to court papers. Nina Marie Barkley, 34, is charged with bank fraud...
State Education Department says Norwin’s ‘masks optional’ move is a misinterpretation of court ruling
The Norwin School Board’s decision this week to maintain the policy of allowing students the option of wearing a mask could cause school officials to “lose the sovereign immunity and may personally face lawsuits from those who may be affected by any official’s attempt to ignore the order,” the state...
Convicted sex offender to serve 9 years in prison for failing to register with police
A former Greensburg man living in North Carolina was ordered Wednesday to serve up to nine years in prison failing to register as a convicted sex offender. Ozzy James Bowland, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony charge that requires convicted sex offenders to register current addresses and provide their photographs...
Ties in 39 races to be broken Friday in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County election officials said 39 races on the Nov. 2 ballot ended in ties that will be broken Friday through a casting of lots, including one open seat for Jeannette city controller where 30 candidates each received one write-in vote. The county’s elections board on Wednesday issued a precertification...
Castle Doctrine debated as defense in Arnold shooting trial
A Westmoreland County prosecutor argued Wednesday that Pennsylvania’s Castle Doctrine is not an applicable defense in the murder trial of a Churchill man charged in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said jurors should not receive legal instructions about the statute that...
Holiday happenings around Westmoreland: Christmas parades, turkey trots and more
Here is a listing of upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday related events around Westmoreland County. If you have a community event you would like to be considered, please email details to gtrcity@triblive.com. Dec. 2 Greensburg 52nd Annual Luminary Night will be held from 5-9 p.m. in downtown Greensburg. Dec. 3...
Troopers: Man accused of sexually assaulting, biting woman at South Huntingdon party
A 19-year-old Hunker man has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at an outdoor party in South Huntingdon in September, according to state police. Dakota Rain Archibeque is charged with indecent assault and simple assault in connection with the alleged incident that occurred during a party in a wooded...
As national overdose deaths top 100K in a year, Pa. official urges naloxone use
State officials are encouraging people to stock up on opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone as overdose deaths climb locally and nationally. The coronavirus pandemic upended a lot of progress officials statewide had made on reducing the number of drug overdoses, said Jen Smith, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug...
Westmoreland happenings: Oil painting workshop, Christmas parade, craft and vendor show, more
Art • Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley will offer a beginners oil painting workshop with local artist Doreen Currie from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 at the museum, 1 Boucher Lane, Ligonier Township. Cost: $30 includes both days. A supply list will be...
Rockslide closes section of Route 906 in Rostraver
A portion of Route 906 between Vance Dei Cas Highway and Webster Hollow Road in Rostraver Township was closed Wednesday due to a rock fall, PennDOT officials said. The road will remain closed until further notice as PennDOT crews evaluate the site, according to PennDOT District 12 in Uniontown. Rockslides...
TribLive Taste Test: National Baklava Day
It’s National Baklava Day! And if you’re like us, after you get through the roughly 15 pounds of gyro meat that always comes with a quality gyro, you’ve barely got enough room left for one of our favorite desserts. So today we skipped the gyro and went straight for the...
Youngwood woman not guilty of hit-and-run for crash that left 5-year-old boy injured
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday acquitted a Youngwood woman of hit-and-run charges in connection with an incident two years ago in which a 5-year-old boy on a bicycle collided with a sports utility vehicle in Hempfield. Beth Ann Briggs, 50, did not testify during the one-day trial. But her...
Police testify suspected murder weapon in Arnold slaying was found in a shoe
Detectives who searched the Arnold home where police said a man was gunned down last year testified Tuesday the suspected murder weapon was found hidden inside of a shoe left behind at the home. Statepolice Detective Nick Iera said he initially didn’t see the weapon as he walked through the...
Greensburg teen charged as adult by police in apartment shooting
A 17-year-old Greensburg youth injured in a June 16 shootout at an apartment complex was arrested this week by city police and charged as an adult with attempted homicide and reckless endangerment in connection with the shooting. Anthony Joshua Shook was ordered held in the county juvenile detention center without...
Norwin increases pay for cafeteria workers
Forced to compete with area restaurants for employees, the Norwin School District will increase the starting wage for cafeteria workers from $10.80 an hour to $14.80 an hour under terms of a contract approved by the board this week. The district’s contract with the Service Employees International Union 32 BJ...
Norwin board OKs 6-year teacher contract; pay hikes average 3%
Norwin’s teachers will enjoy wage hikes averaging 3% for this school year and the next five school years under the terms of a six-year agreement that both the teachers and the Norwin School Board approved on Monday. The board voted 8-0 to approve a contract with the Norwin Education Association...
Westmoreland commissioners to meet Thursday in courthouse lobby
Westmoreland County commissioners’ monthly voting meeting will be more public than usual. The Nov. 18 voting session, where commissioners are expected to unveil a preliminary 2022 budget, will be held in the courthouse lobby at 10 a.m. Commissioners typically convene public sessions in the large meeting room just off the...
Derry man accused of recording county court employee without permission
A Derry man was arrested Monday on accusations that he used a cellphone to record a Westmoreland County court employee at the Greensburg courthouse and later posted the video on social media, according to court papers. Justin Martinez, 41, is charged with violating wiretap laws. The employee in the court...
Kelly Tua Hammers sworn in as Derry Township district judge
Kelly Tua Hammers was sworn in as Monday as the new district judge in Derry Township. Hammers, 50, was appointed in October by Gov. Tom Wolf to fill out the remaining two months in the term of District Judge Mark Bilik, who retired in August. Bilik had been hearing cases...
Self-defense claimed in Arnold fatal shooting
The lawyer for the man charged in the fatal shooting of a man in Arnold last year told a Westmoreland County jury that his client acted in self defense. Devon Askew, 28, of Churchill feared for his life and fired two shots to protect himself, a woman and her young...
