Westmoreland category, Page 476
Felony sex counts dismissed as part of plea deal in New Kensington assault case
A Bridgeville man pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault on Monday after a Westmoreland County prosecutor agreed to dismiss four violent sexual offenses in connection with allegations made two years ago by a former girlfriend. Terry James Clawson, 30, told a Westmoreland County judge it was in his...
Jury seated in trial of Allegheny Township man charged in 6 sex assault cases
A Westmoreland County jury was seated Monday to hear evidence in six cases against an Allegheny Township man charged with sexual assaults against two young children, a teenager and two adults. Prosecutors contend Eric Alan Wright, 50, raped two children — including one accuser who told police the sexual assaults...
Stream bank stabilization work closes Westmoreland Heritage Trail near TraffordVideo
It’s been a fairly dry summer in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Yet when the rain has come, it has tended to come as part of heavy storms dumping a lot of water all at once. Every time it has done so, Westmoreland Heritage Trail volunteers including Doug Webster would worry about the...
Latrobe council meeting postponed due to lack of quorum
Latrobe Council’s monthly voting meeting has been postponed to Aug. 23 because the seven-member panel lacked a quorum to hold the session as regularly scheduled, on the second Monday of the month. The postponement was attributed to “reasons beyond our control” in a posting Monday on the city’s Facebook page....
Former state prison in Hempfield scheduled for sheriff’s sale
A former state prison in Hempfield is scheduled to be sold at a Westmoreland County Sheriff’s sale on Sept. 7 as part of a mortgage foreclosure seeking payment of $5.6 million. The sheriff’s sale notice is the most recent chapter in the ongoing saga of the former prison located on...
Covid concerns prompt Westmoreland tax office to close Monday
The tax office in the Westmoreland County Courthouse complex was closed Monday because of coronavirus concerns. “We have no positive cases,” said Alexis Bevan, the county’s human resources director. The tax office is on the first floor of the Greensburg courthouse annex building on Pennsylvania Avenue and was locked Monday...
Donora man accused by police of having stolen gun, cash after 100 mph Rostraver chase
A Donora man is behind bars after state police said he led them on a 100 mph chase Sunday in Rostraver, according to court papers. Troopers said they seized $3,000 and a stolen handgun from Jashawn Anthony Mackall, 27. He is charged with receiving stolen property, weapons violations, unlawful body...
Free Westmoreland Symphony concert will celebrate Lincoln Highway history
Take a musical journey along the Lincoln Highway during “Rhythm of the Road,” a free outdoor concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lincoln Highway Experience in Unity. The nation’s first transcontinental road for automobiles, dedicated in 1913, helped spawn new business and cultural opportunities as travelers passed through...
Wilkins man claimed to be policeman during traffic stop, troopers say
A Wilkins man was arrested Friday after police said he claimed to be a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop with a state trooper, according to court papers. Jonathan Matthew Kauric II, 38, who also lists a Mt. Pleasant address, is charged with impersonating a public servant, disorderly conduct,...
Patchy, brown grass? What to do about dead spots in the yard
This installment of Home Sweet Home is presented by Bella Construction Everyone wants a lush green lawn for summer barbecues and romping by children and four-legged friends. So what do you do when your yard starts looking brown or patchy? Start by identifying the underlying issue behind the...
Mock military engagement attracts all ages to anniversary event at Bushy Run BattlefieldVideo
Fred Lucas traveled from Bloomington, Ind., to help lead Graham’s Company of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment into battle in Penn Township. He joined dozens of other reenactors who converged on Bushy Run Battlefield Saturday and Sunday to replay the two-day 1763 engagement between British and American troops and their...
Greensburg, city police reach new labor deal
New officers joining Greensburg’s police force no longer will undergo a two-tiered salary structure under terms of a new contract approved by council. The contract between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police General Greene Lodge No. 56 removes the salary structure, which reduced the pay of officers hired...
Greensburg’s welcome event works to connect college students with local communityVideo
Students at three area colleges and universities will have the opportunity this fall to meet with Greensburg-based organizations and get a tour of the city during Greensburg’s first welcome event. Scheduled for Sept. 24, the event will bring students from Seton Hill University, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and...
Monroeville promoter plans amateur, pro boxing cards at Murrysville SportZone
Monroeville boxing promoter Derek Gionta had just put on a successful evening of fights in March 2020, and planned to continue cards in larger Pittsburgh-area venues. Then the covid-19 pandemic hit. Sports in general went by the wayside, to make no mention of a full-contact sport like boxing. “I stepped...
Turnpike crash near Donegal sends Florida man to Pittsburgh hospital
A Florida man was taken to a Pittsburgh trauma center after the truck he was driving overturned Saturday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Donegal, according to state police. Police said speed was a factor when Courtney Mills, 26, of Orlando, lost control of his westbound truck at 2:30 p.m. just...
Masks recommended, not required, at weekend Masses in Greensburg Diocese
Wearing of masks is recommended, but not required, for those attending Masses this weekend in the Greensburg Catholic Diocese, while covid-19 transmission in Westmoreland County has risen to a substantial level. Covid protocols will be a topic for discussion at Monday’s meeting of a diocesan committee that formed to address...
Remembering fallen of 14th Quartermaster focus of bike runVideo
Spc. Frank Keough of North Huntingdon was short but mighty, according to his sisters. At 5 feet, 5 inches, “He was always the smallest, but it didn’t stop him,” according to Denise Samuels of Irwin, one of eight siblings who grew up in the large Keough clan. “He was the...
Military veterans benefit from ‘therapeutic’ archaeological fieldwork at Fort Ligonier
Dr. Jonathan Burns has been attempting for around six years to uncover archaeological evidence of an artillery battery and line of communication supposedly buried near the back door of Fort Ligonier — all while impacting veterans’ post-war lives. Located along Route 30, the British fortification is a recreated 18th century...
Penn Township resident wins Governor’s Twenty Match for 2nd time in 3 years
An Air Force National Guardsman from Penn Township took first place in an annual shooting contest at Fort Indiantown Gap. Staff Sgt. Nicholas Yackovich, a National Guard member for six years, has competed in the Governor’s Twenty Match for the past three years. Although he placed sixth last year, Yackovich...
Truck overturns, closing Interstate 70 westbound at New Stanton
The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed for several hours in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in New Stanton after a tractor-trailer overturned Saturday morning. The rig overturned on the off-ramp from the turnpike to I-70 shortly before 10 a.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. No...
Nixed Spirit flights could tax airline’s reputation, reliance out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Travelers’ confidence in Spirit Airlines may wane after thousands of cancellations over the past week essentially stopped commercial air traffic in and out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, according to industry experts. The airline, the sole carrier at the Unity airport, canceled flights daily to and from Florida destinations such...
Former foster mom pleads guilty to child endangerment, rape count dismissed
A former foster parent was ordered Friday to serve three years on probation after she pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a case in which, police say, she had sex with her foster son more than 500 times. Joelle M. Barozzini, 50, of Greensburg told a Westmoreland County judge it...
Reenactors retrace British troops’ 1763 trek from Ft. Ligonier to Battle of Bushy Run
A handful of history enthusiasts set out on foot Friday morning on a 30-mile journey beginning at Fort Ligonier, a recreated 18th century military landmark along modern Route 30, and ending at Bushy Run Battlefield. Their aim is to retrace for the first time one of the history-making troop movements...
Hempfield woman opens ‘The Space’ for artisans, self-care workshopsVideo
Giving your new business a simple name like “The Space” opens it up to many possibilities — exactly what Hempfield resident Sarah Just is hoping to do. Located in a historic brick building at 203 Old Route 30, Hempfield, the recently opened business is subtitled “A Community Place.” Just’s vision...
Woman charged in hit-and-run that critically injured bicyclist in Export
A Salem woman faces multiple charges after police said she struck and critically injured a bicyclist in Export before crashing and abandoning her car in Murrysville. Tanya Lynn Cardoni, 37, was arraigned Friday on charges of abandoning a vehicle on a highway, driving under the influence, aggravated assault while DUI,...
