Westmoreland category, Page 479
3 transported to hospital following Turnpike crash
Three people were taken by ambulance following a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Wednesday afternoon in Penn Township, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to mile marker 61 around 3:15 p.m. for reports of the crash, where vehicles went off the roadway and into a ravine, the dispatcher...
Suspected drug mule found guilty in Westmoreland heroin trafficking scheme
A woman who prosecutors said served as a drug mule for a heroin trafficking organization in Westmoreland County that was conceived of as a way to pay a convicted drug dealer’s legal expenses was herself convicted Wednesday. A jury deliberated about two hours before finding Sade Franklin, 34, formerly of...
Neighbors help troopers locate Hempfield break-in suspect
Residents in the rural Hempfield village of Hannastown helped direct state police to a man accused of forcing his way into a home Tuesday and initially refusing to leave before running away moments before officers arrived. Blake R. Quakenbush, 26, of Latrobe was arrested on charges of burglary, criminal trespass,...
Store security tape, red paint lead troopers to charge woman in Salem hit-and-run
Surveillance tapes from a convenience store and red paint on a car grille helped state police identify a woman they say was involved in a hit-and-run accident last month, according to court documents. Tamara J. Stoken, 46, of Irwin, was charged this week with careless driving, fleeing the scene of...
Diocese of Greensburg to put $20M in pledged donations toward tuition assistanceVideo
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg said Wednesday that pledged donations totaling about $20 million will help it provide tuition assistance to students in diocesan schools over the next five years, and contractors are doing about $300,000 in capital improvements at no cost to the diocese. During an announcement at Mary...
No tax money at issue in case of Latrobe councilman charged with theft of fire department funds
Taxpayer money is not at issue in a criminal case against a Latrobe councilman and another man who were arrested by police in connection with thefts from a city fire department, according to Latrobe Mayor Rosie Wolford. “None of the allegations … comes from the funds that the city provided...
Westmoreland news includes concerts, art exhibits and reunions
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will participate in a free dual exhibition with the Westmoreland Museum of American Art that is being presented by the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. An exhibit will be held July 23 to Sept. 20 at the Rowe Gallery of the Greensburg Art Center. A free...
After $100K in damages, Hempfield Area to charge students insurance on borrowed computers
Hempfield Area School District officials want students to be more careful with their school-issued Chromebooks. After shelling out a whopping $107,000 in repair costs last school year, the district announced families will have to pay for a damage insurance policy this year to be able to take one of the...
2 Greensburg sites share Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s 75th anniversary show
In selecting works for Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s “75th + 1” exhibition, juror Barbara Jones said she “tried to pick a broad range of techniques. What I’m always attracted to with watercolor is the technique and the layering and how the artist uses that to sort of finesse it and create...
Motorist drove over median in Route 22 wrong-way crash, police say
A Salem woman was seriously hurt after state police said she ran a red light and drove over a low concrete center median on Route 22 earlier this week, slamming into an oncoming tractor-trailer. Troopers said Wendi A. Hutton, 49, of Slickville was headed eastbound in Salem at 9 a.m....
Westmoreland prosecutors contend drug trafficking scheme designed to pay inmate’s legal costs
A Westmoreland County prosecutor on Tuesday said a Harrisburg woman brought thousands of dollars worth of heroin into the region five years ago as part of a scheme by a convicted drug dealer to pay for the appeal of his 30-year prison sentence. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar told jurors...
Latrobe councilman, former firefighter charged with stealing fire department funds
A Latrobe councilman and the patriarch of a city family involved in an ongoing dispute with the local fire department and its chief were arrested Tuesday by Westmoreland County detectives. Councilman Robert S. Forish, 58, and Fabian Giovannagelo, 65, were arraigned on charges of theft, theft by deception and misapplication...
Joy Riders bring senior ride-along program to Redstone Murrysville residents
Carl Schlenke of Murrysville can remember walking down to the railroad tracks on the southern side of Route 22 and watching steam engines load coal for transport to Pittsburgh. Now, that railroad bed is part of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, and Schlenke, a resident at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville, got...
North Huntingdon considers allowing alcohol in township parks
North Huntingdon may allow beer and wine at township park pavilions if renters pay for an alcohol permit and provide proof of liability insurance. The township will draft an ordinance to set criteria and requirements for those interested in obtaining a permit, said Jeff Silka, township manager. The board of...
Murrysville artist’s work will go on display at Brushes and Beans Café
Like so many other large-scale public events, art shows largely went by the wayside during the covid-19 pandemic. So, when Murrysville artist Barbara Jewell saw that a new coffee shop, Brushes and Beans Café, offered their space as a venue for local art displays, she was immediately energized. It cemented...
Hempfield man arrested after police said he extorted woman over $20K in savings bonds
A Hempfield man was arrested Sunday after police said he tried to extort the owner of $20,000 in savings bonds that he claimed he found, according to court papers. Craig Alan Gordon, 35, is charged with theft by extortion, receiving stolen property and theft of lost property. The situation was...
North Huntingdon, trash hauler to part ways at end of year
A Rostraver trash collection company that has been the target of complaints by North Huntingdon officials and residents will terminate its contract at the end of the year, two years before the pact was set to expire. “It’s a mutual separation agreement,” Zachary Haigis, commissioners’ president, said of the proposed...
Man clung to hood of car for 5 miles as Scottdale pair sought hospital treatment, police say
A man and woman who say they were assaulted late Sunday in Scottdale drove about 5 miles to a Mt. Pleasant hospital for treatment with their alleged assailant clinging to the hood of the car, according to court papers. Scottdale police arrested Michael J. Overly, 21, of Everson, Fayette County,...
Murrysville library welcomes new youth services coordinator
Public libraries have a special place in Becky Martinazzi’s heart. “They’re one of the best spaces offered to people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity or physical ability,” said Martinazzi, 33, of Ebensburg, who recently was introduced as the new youth services coordinator at Murrysville Community Library. “I specialized...
Jeannette school board seeking applicants for vacancy after member resignation
Jeannette City School Board is seeking a new member after approving a resignation Monday. Superintendent Matthew Jones said the vacancy left by Jennifer Rager’s departure will be filled by a board appointment. The open seat runs through December 2023. Anyone interested in the seat should send a letter of interest...
Greensburg woman accused in North Carolina military romance scam
A Greensburg woman surrendered to North Carolina authorities last week after investigators accused her of stealing money from a person on a dating website by claiming to be a member of the military. Authorities in the Pitt County Sheriff’s Department said Jo Ann Burkey, 63, was charged with accessing a...
Masks not required for Hempfield Area’s return to classrooms this fall
Hempfield Area students and staff will not be required to wear masks this year under a health and safety plan approved by the school board. The plan, unanimously approved during this week’s school board meeting, will allow parents to decide if they want their child to wear a mask in...
Homeless man charged in Sutersville shooting, robbery paroled after guilty plea
A homeless man was released from jail Monday after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and other offenses in connection with a November 2018 robbery and shooting in Sutersville that left two people wounded. Chad W. Wolfe, 36, was one of four men charged in connection the incident police said...
Beaver County man accused of vehicle theft, related charges after breaking into Penn Township home, police say
A Beaver County man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond after he was arrested on charges of breaking into a Penn Township home early Friday, according to court documents. Nicholas J. Wooddell, 30, of Aliquippa, was arraigned on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, and driving on a DUI...
Westmoreland commissioner says sheriff ‘derelict’ for refusing to transport sick inmates
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew on Monday accused Sheriff James Albert of ignoring a court order that officials say requires his deputies to take sick inmates to and from the county jail. “The sheriff is derelict in his duties,” said Chew, chairman of the Westmoreland County Prison Board. Chew’s comments came...
