Westmoreland category, Page 443
Jeannette police, school officials ‘actively addressing’ incident with student
Jeannette City School District officials are working with police and a junior high student and his family after the student was removed from the cafeteria Tuesday by the school resource officer, according to Superintendent Matt Jones. He and Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said the issue stemmed from a disciplinary...
Westmoreland leaders set to hear from public about how to spend covid relief money
Westmoreland commissioners will conduct two public sessions Thursday to hear recommendations as to how the county should spend $105 million in federal funds allocated for coronavirus recovery programs. “We just want to hear from residents who have opinions and what thoughts they have,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Both sessions will...
Police: Monroeville man taped phone to shoe to take ‘upskirt’ photos at Murrysville Sheetz store
A Monroeville man is accused of taping a smartphone to his shoe to take inappropriate photos and videos under two women’s skirts at a Murrysville Sheetz, police said. Brandon Scott Bass was charged after a monthlong investigation into a Sept. 27 incident at the Route 22 convenience store where a...
St. Emma’s to host Lantern Saint Tour on monastery grounds Friday
Greensburg Catholic Schoolhouse and St. Emma Monastery on Friday will host the first Lantern Saint Tour. The lantern-lit walking tour around the grounds of the monastery, located at 1001 Harvey St. in Hempfield, will feature live saint portrayals in honor of the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. All...
2 boys to be charged in vandalism at Jeannette public works garage
Police said they plan to charge two boys after mowing equipment and items in the Jeannette public works garage were vandalized during the weekend. The pair went to the building on North Fourth Street Saturday and were seen on surveillance cameras discharging two fire extinguishers in the cab of the...
Hempfield supervisors approve development that includes 52 duplexes
Several duplexes are coming to Hempfield after supervisors this week granted final conditional approval for second phase development plans at Grandview Estates. Supervisors unanimously approved the project, which would bring 52 duplex lots and one single-family home to the township near Swede Hill Road. Mark Nikoula, co-owner of Cherry Hills...
El Diablo eatery brings wood-fired pizzas, grilled entrees to Greensburg
On opening day at El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired Kitchen in Greensburg, Sierra Barner had a build-your-own pizza with white sauce, pineapple and sausage. She proclaimed it “fantastic.” The Greensburg resident had been watching signs of progress at the site for months when she visited the nearby Aerobic Center...
Westmoreland happenings: blood drive, Election Day food drive and comedy night
Art • Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg, will host, “In Conversation: Curator Talk,” with Melissa Wolfe and Barbara Jones at 7 p.m. Oct. 28. The event is free, though registration is required. Registration: visit the events section at thewestmoreland.org Blood drive • White Valley AMVETS...
Six candidates compete for 4 open seats on Murrysville council
The six candidates competing for four open seats on Murrysville council in the Nov. 2 election have a wide range of goals if elected and concerns about current council officials potentially raising taxes for the first time since 2007. “The biggest issue facing Murrysville is its ability to effectively balance...
Latrobe police locate missing man
Latrobe police have canceled a missing person alert issued early Wednesday. Daniel Jacobs, 69, has been located, police posted to social media. He is safe and in good health, police said. Officers thanked the public for its help. Jacobs had last been seen walking in the city on Oct. 14....
Exotic dancer sues 2 Westmoreland adult clubs, claiming employment law violations
A North Huntingdon exotic dancer wants a local adult night club to pay her more than $58,000 in back wages and damages she says she is owed because the club misclassified her employment status. Deanna Betras, 41, alleges the owners of the former The Filly Corral in South Huntingdon —...
Greensburg woman’s appeal rejected in drug delivery resulting in death case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Greensburg woman who was sentenced to serve a 14-year prison term for the sale of heroin that caused the fatal overdose of a woman last year. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 35, sought to rescind her guilty plea and contended she...
Lawsuit: FedEx truck driver’s headphones may have contributed to deadly 2020 Pa. Turnpike crash involving tour bus
If a FedEx truck driver hadn’t been wearing noise-canceling headphones, he might have avoided crashing into an overturned tour bus in January 2020 as part of a Pennsylvania Turnpike wreck that killed five people and injured 14 in Westmoreland County, according to a civil lawsuit. The complaint, filed in Philadelphia...
Appearing on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show a dream for chef at Hempfield’s IronRock Tap HouseVideo
Arnold Ivey’s decadeslong dream of competing on a culinary television show will come to fruition this week when “Guy’s Grocery Games” airs on Food Network. The 42-year-old executive chef at IronRock Tap House in Hempfield will appear alongside two other chefs on Wednesday’s episode “ABC Mania,” considered one of the...
Police: Youngwood man ‘forgot’ cocaine baggies in sock when booked into county jail
A Youngwood man told police he forgot he had two baggies of cocaine in his sock as he was being processed this month at Westmoreland County Prison, police said. When George R. Weightman III, 43, was picked up Oct. 9 on an arrest warrant for theft, a jail guard found...
Where have all the students gone?: Western Pa. colleges struggle with declining enrollment
Colleges across the region, ranging from the University of Pittsburgh to local community colleges, are mirroring troubling national trends in enrollment. In a development experts say could lead to gaps in the workforce and affect the nation’s economic health for years to come, college enrollment is down overall for the...
Latrobe fire department study suggests closing stations, changing chief selection process
Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department could find itself with two fewer companies, dropping from five to three, if city officials implement recommendations of a new study. The reduction is necessary to eliminate redundant equipment and help the department become “sustainable for as long as possible,” said Nick Sohyda, chief of the...
Hempfield Supervisor John Silvis appointed to 2-year term on board
A vacant seat on the Hempfield Board of Supervisors will be filled by John Silvis, a current board member whose term was set to expire in December. Supervisors during Monday’s meeting unanimously voted to appoint Silvis to the two-year position that was left vacant after former Supervisor Rob Ritson resigned...
82-year-old man killed in South Huntingdon crash
An 82-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening in South Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha. John W. Labasky Jr., of Sewickley Township, was pronounced dead at Excela Health Frick Hospital, Bacha said. According to a coroner’s report, Labasky was driving west on Stants Road...
Pa. Rep. Nelson, parents file suit against 4 Westmoreland school districts over mask mandate
A group of parents, along with state Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, filed a lawsuit against several local school districts alleging the state-issued mask mandate is unconstitutional. The suit was filed in Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas against Hempfield Area, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area school districts by a group of...
What can be done about police officer shortage?
Continued difficulty in hiring police officers is driving conversations among police chiefs and departments across the region in hopes of a solution to their staffing problems. A roundtable discussion Monday in Latrobe broached using state money for sign-up bonuses and to pay for training and certification courses, Latrobe police Chief...
Westmoreland jail moves to in-house covid-19 shots
Covid-19 vaccinations will soon be administered in-house to inmates at Westmoreland County Prison. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday that the jail’s medical provider has been granted permission to administer shots, a move local officials hope will increase the vaccination rate at the Hempfield lockup. “Vaccinations will be offered to all...
Tablets for all at Westmoreland County Prison
Every inmate at Westmoreland County Prison will have access to new tablets on which they can conduct video visits, make calls or watch movies. Westmoreland Commissioners on Monday approved a new contract extension with the private company that provides communication services to the jail that officials said will generate more...
Former Jeannette man returns to court to appeal conviction for house fire that killed wife, sons
A former Jeannette man serving three consecutive life sentences in connection with the 1993 deaths of his wife and two young children in a house fire appeared Monday in a Westmoreland County courtroom as part of his ongoing appeal. James C. Young, 54, has maintained since his 1995 trial that...
Minor crash landing temporarily closes runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
The main runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity was closed for over an hour Monday after a small airplane crash landed after its landing gear failed to deploy. The accident occurred at 1 p.m. Airport emergency vehicles and area fire vehicles were still on the scene at 2:20...
