Westmoreland category, Page 466
Bethel Park man, Rostraver native competes in Paralympic Triathlon in Tokyo this week
Eric McElvenny never shied away from a challenge. This week, the 38-year-old Bethel Park father of three will face a new one. The Rostraver native will take to an international stage as a member the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team in Tokyo. Like the Summer Olympic competitions that wrapped up there...
Latrobe eyes technology, paving upgrades with pandemic recovery funding
Latrobe Council on Monday voted to amend the city’s $6.5 million 2021 budget to include more than $409,000 the city expects to receive in an installment of federal pandemic recovery funding. City Manager Michael Gray also proposed a series of projects and other expenditures where the money could be applied....
Westmoreland’s former elections director claims political coercion and scapegoating in federal lawsuit
JoAnn Sebastiani, former director of the Westmoreland County Election Bureau, claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Monday against all three county commissioners that she was “scapegoated,” belittled and discriminated against before she was fired without adequate cause. Sebastiani, 63, had been on the job for 10 months when she was...
Westmoreland controller questions approved raises in new union contract
Raises handed out to about 250 employees in Westmoreland County’s court-related offices appear to be double what was estimated when a new four-year labor contract was ratified in April, according to an analysis from Controller Jeffrey Balzer. Balzer said the deal with the Westmoreland County Court Related Employees Association, approved...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre receives Westmoreland Cultural Trust art installation
Volunteers installed a wing-themed art installation on the grounds of Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre on Saturday as part of the Wings Across Westmoreland initiative. Vandergrift was the eighth location included in Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative featuring metal wings inspired by places in various locations in Westmoreland County. “The Casino...
Photo ID program for Westmoreland veterans unveiled
A new photo identification card program for veterans was unveiled this month, part of a renewed effort to entice former military members to officially register their discharge documents with Westmoreland County. Matt Zamosky, director of the county’s Veteran Affairs Office, on Monday urged the county’s nearly 30,000 former military members...
2 arrested in Irwin drug bust
Two people were charged by North Huntingdon police during the weekend after a drug bust at an Irwin home, according to court papers. Heidi Renee Mohammed, 43, and Colton Hayden Koett, 19, are being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail each. Township and borough police said they...
Westmoreland County youths show off hand-crafted clothing at fair
They already had won blue ribbons for the clothing items they sewed. But now, it was more about stage presence while wearing them. Fifteen-year-old Ava Kozar of Loyalhanna wowed the judges Sunday, taking home top prize after expertly walking the stage during the 4-H modeling contest at the Westmoreland Fair....
The Digital Foundry takes shape in a bid to tap the digital world to remake New Kensington
The digital world is colliding with the real one, only this time it’s not on a movie set but on the gritty streets of New Kensington. Workmen are setting the steel for The Digital Foundry at New Kensington, the brainchild of a coalition brought together by Penn State New Kensington...
Norwin PTAs seek to raise $600,000 for new, upgraded playgrounds
Playgrounds at Norwin’s four elementary schools and its intermediate school would be replaced and upgraded through an ambitious initiative undertaken by Norwin PTA committees seeking to raise $600,000 over the next few years. The PTAs from the elementary schools and Hillcrest Intermediate School have joined with the school district and...
Mask debates rage in Western Pa. as schools return to class
The debate over whether students should wear masks to school this fall shows no signs of cooling down at area districts, with the start of classes arriving as the covid-19 transmission rate rises across the region. Officials in Harrisburg have recommended that local districts follow guidance from the Centers for...
State troopers urge motorists to be alert for school buses, pedestrians, bus stopsVideo
As the new school year gets underway, Pennsylvania State Police are reminding motorists to be alert for the bright yellow buses, pedestrians and gatherings at bus stops. Motorists may have become used to fewer school buses on highways in the 2020-21 school year, when many districts adopted remote instruction because...
Hundreds from Murrysville church perform ‘uncommon’ community service in JeannetteVideo
Millie Warren’s backyard in West Jeannette is recognizable again, thanks to the hard work of volunteers from a Murrysville church. Within a couple hours Saturday morning, a crew from Cornerstone Ministries Church cleared several truckloads of brush and an old fence, leaving behind neatly trimmed trees and grassy space. They...
Westmoreland County free of West Nile virus as 2021 season nears end; Allegheny spraying set
No cases of West Nile virus have been found so far this year in Westmoreland County, which means officials haven’t had to apply spray to combat the mosquitoes that can transmit the disease. The Westmoreland Conservation District, which traps mosquitoes to be tested for signs of the disease, reports that...
Out & About: Latrobe Art Center paints the town yellow with annual gala
Staff members of Latrobe Art Center and Ricolita’s Cafe got a jump on the Yellow Tie Gala by taste-testing prototypes for the event’s signature cocktail. Assistant Director Joe Bellack was the mixologist. The quaff that received final approval was served at the annual nightclub-slash-block party held Friday in the center...
Rape suspect sues Westmoreland DA for malicious prosecution
A Greensburg man who once served a six-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of a young runaway and is currently in jail awaiting trial on charges that he raped a co-worker wants the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office to pay him more than $250,000 for the malicious prosecution of...
Driver shortage continues to plague Go Westmoreland shared-ride service
Additional service cuts on the Go Westmoreland shared-ride system could be considered in response to an ongoing driver shortage, transit officials said. Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said recent efforts to beef up and maintain the authority’s roster of drivers who operate small passenger buses as part...
Federal vaccine mandate threatens revenue, staffing at Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland Manor potentially could forfeit tens of millions of dollars this fall under the new federal policy that requires nursing home employees to be vaccinated for coronavirus. County officials said they are assessing the impact of the vaccination mandate announced Aug. 18 that also carried a threat from President Biden...
Volunteers needed to pick surplus corn for Westmoreland food bank
Ideal growing conditions have led to an overabundance of sweet corn at the Greenawalt Farm in Sewickley Township. Thanks to the a relationship between the farm and the Westmoreland County Food Bank, those extra ears won’t go to waste. The food bank is seeking volunteers to pick corn from 9...
Youngwood park dedicated to former Mayor Joan DercoVideo
Diane Schaefer couldn’t think of a better place to pay tribute to her mother, former Youngwood Mayor Joan Derco, than at the Youngwood Borough Complex and park on South Sixth Street. “Every night, she’d stop on that landing,” Schaefer said, gesturing to a nearby red brick home. “She’d look out...
Latrobe festival kicks off 2-day celebration of city’s banana split legacyVideo
Six-year-old Adler Ulrich giggled with delight Friday when she helped comedic magician Steve Haberman turn a rabbit figurine into a whole family of smaller toy bunnies. The magic show behind Adams Memorial Library was just the beginning of a day out with her brother, Charlie, 3, and their Unity Township...
Pitt Greensburg officials break ground on new Life Sciences facility
Calling it a game-changer, officials at the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg broke ground Friday for the school’s long planned Life Sciences Building on its Hempfield campus. The $19.3 million, 32,000- square-foot sustainable building is scheduled to be completed in November 2022. Beginning in January 2023, it will house the school’s nursing program...
The Westmoreland plans Central, South American culinary experience
Diners are invited to take a culinary trip south of the border via the Border Cantos Dinner at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Presented in conjunction with the “Border Cantos | Sonic Border” exhibition showing through Sept. 5 in the Greensburg museum, the dinner...
Franklin Regional, Hempfield and Norwin schools team up for K-5 online academy
Three area school districts are banding together to create an online academy for students in kindergarten through fifth grade during the upcoming school year. Franklin Regional, Hempfield Area and Norwin formed the consortium Westmoreland Online Academy. A total of six teachers — two from each district — will be assigned...
4-H members learn from project judging at Westmoreland FairVideo
Overall, the number of 4-H projects and displays submitted for judging at the Westmoreland Fair is lower than in previous years — except for one category. From carrots and potatoes to green beans and tomatoes, there were plenty of vegetables to keep the judges busy Friday. “I think that’s because,...
