Westmoreland category, Page 482
Route 30 westbound near Ligonier reopens after being shut for downed utility wires
A section of Route 30 westbound outside of Ligonier reopened after 4 p.m. after it closed when a trailer hauling an oversized load pulled down utility wires onto the highway Wednesday morning. Ligonier Valley police reported the incident occurred west of Ligonier in Ligonier Township before noon, according to a...
Man arrested after police say he confronted woman with PFA against him at Westmoreland courthouse
An Arona man is behind bars after police said he yelled at a woman headed to a protection-from-abuse hearing involving him at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, according to court papers. Shawn E. Grbach, 43, is facing two counts of intimidation of a witness. County detectives said Grbach confronted the woman...
Massive boost in state education funding is not much help to Franklin Regional
Pennsylvania’s 2021-22 education budget includes the largest funding increase for public education in the state’s history, some $416 million. That is little consolation to Franklin Regional school officials, however, who found themselves again raising taxes to the state’s Act 1-mandated limit for the coming year, or risk cutting programs and/or...
The Westmoreland plans major exhibition of Depression-era artist Doris Lee
The work of Doris Lee, a painter known for her Depression-era murals and depictions of everyday life, will be on exhibit Sept. 26-Jan. 9 in The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. “Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee” will feature 77 of the artist’s most notable works, along...
Westmoreland news includes concerts, meetings and reunions
Class • Laurelville Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host Ann Talarek at a Lunch and Learn event at noon July 24 in Laurelville’s small dining hall. Talarek is horticulturist at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run. After lunch guests will go outside with Talarek to...
Former Hempfield lab owner ordered to jail, house arrest in kickback scheme
The owner of a defunct Hempfield drug testing lab who admitted to paying kickbacks to a Kentucky doctor for referrals will serve 60 days in jail. William Hughes, 74, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone on Tuesday to serve an additional year of home detention and...
1 arrested in North Huntingdon drug bust
A McKeesport man is being held without bail after North Huntingdon police said they busted him for selling heroin Tuesday, according to court papers. Joshua Kevin Bavin, 40, is charged with drug offenses. Township police worked with a confidential informant to arrange a buy from Bavin just before 1 p.m....
Route 30 reopens in North Huntingdon following car fire at auto repair shop
A fire Tuesday night at an auto repair shop Route 30 in North Huntingdon closed both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the busy highway, police said. Route 30 was closed between Route 48 and the Ardara Road intersection in the western end of the township. It reopened shortly after...
Rash of scam calls prompts warning from Latrobe police, victims duped out of thousands of dollars
Latrobe police are cautioning residents not to provide personal information over the phone after learning of a rash of scam calls. Police Chief John Sleasman said his department received reports of about two dozen such scams over the preceding week. According to Sleasman, bogus callers have falsely presented themselves as...
Advance registration and fee required to bid on tax delinquent Westmoreland properties
Potential buyers at Westmoreland County’s next sale of tax-delinquent properties will have to register in advance and pay a required fee to be eligible to bid at auction. County commissioners are expected on Thursday to approve a new $25 registration fee to cover administrative costs. New registration provisions, enacted through...
Westmoreland commissioners blast airport authority over vote on Arnold Palmer restaurant lease
It’s been a month since the Westmoreland County Airport Authority approved a new lease for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s restaurant, but it continues to draw flak about the move from county commissioners. The new restaurant lease was approved by a 7-2 vote in June, allowing DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse to continue...
Unity woman charged with pen assault against nurse ruled incompetent to stand trial
A judge on Tuesday said a Unity woman jailed for the past year after she was accused of using a pen to attack a nurse at Excela Westmoreland Hospital is not competent to stand trial. Susan Barkley, 42, will undergo treatment for the next two months in an effort to...
Yukon siblings’ lemonade stand raises more than $900 for fire department
The Yukon Volunteer Fire Department received $903 in donations over the weekend from six siblings who successfully held their third lemonade stand. Laken Cope’s children first sold lemonade at the end of May and used the inaugural profits to purchase additional lemonade and cups for a second sale in June....
Pitt-Greensburg education professor honored with 2021 Racial Justice Award
As the child of a Holocaust survivor, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Professor Melissa Marks said she has been drawn to advocate for equity. Marks was honored with the YWCA Westmoreland County’s 2021 Racial Justice Award because of her work in diversity education. “I know what can happen when people...
Driver clung to tree ‘for dear life’ after turnpike crash in Mt. Pleasant Township, fire chief saysVideo
A Butler area man was “holding on for dear life” to tree branches Monday night along the Pennsylvania Turnpike after being ejected from his SUV that launched over a hillside after crashing, Mt. Pleasant fire Chief Jerry Lucia said. “He was about 8 or 9 feet up in the branches...
Greensburg officials lay out plans for 1st payment of American Rescue Plan funds
Greensburg officials plan to use money from the first payment of federal covid relief funds to help build a new public works building that will replace one destroyed in a 2019 fire. In all, the city will receive more than $1.47 million from the American Rescue Plan. Funds will be...
Greensburg YMCA to hold meeting on future plans
The Greensburg YMCA, which reopened on June 14 after having been closed since September, plans to provide its members and general public with an update on its operations during two town hall meetings on July 27. The YMCA staff, board members and directors will offer insight into its plans for...
Birding tips offered at Westmoreland Land Trust workshops
Visitors who stop to smell the flowers growing on the grounds of the Donohoe Center might be surprised what they can find if they also take time to listen to and look for birds. “When we’re busy doing other things, we don’t look to see the things that are right...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival back for 1-day fall event
Fans of the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival will be able to get a taste of what they’ve missed during two years of pandemic-driven cancellations during a one-day event set for Oct. 2. The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Mini-Fall Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in...
Latrobe agrees to cover $34K in railway costs for Ligonier Street underpass upgrade
Latrobe Council agreed to pay about $34,000 to meet Norfolk Southern cost requirements and move forward with stalled improvements to a railway underpass on Ligonier Street. Council on Monday unanimously approved a preliminary and construction engineering services agreement with Norfolk Southern, but member Jim Kelley said his vote was “most...
2 Jeannette men accused by police of shooting gun from back porch
Two Jeannette men are accused by city police of repeatedly firing a gun outside a South 11th Street home earlier this month, according to court papers. John Raymond Horne, 30, and Steven Paul Klingerman, 50, are charged with a weapons violation, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Horne, who is being...
Westmoreland water authority GIS system recognized
A geographic information system that locates and monitors the status of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s infrastructure was recognized with a national award. “There is so much more we can do (with the GIS), that we could not do five, six years ago,” said Thomas Ceraso, the authority’s assistant...
Police say Derry Township man broke into neighbors’ home wielding knife
A Derry Township man is being held without bond after state police said he broke into his neighbors’ home and tried to attack two occupants with a knife, according to court papers. Kenneth Copeland Johnson, 40, is charged with aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and resisting arrest. Troopers...
Hempfield Park concert features Italian songs of ‘amore’ and more
The land of “amore” is the inspiration for a July 20 concert in Hempfield Park. Alabaster Performing Arts will present Mary McCormack and Jessie Glover singing tunes made popular by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others during an Italian American Concert at 7 p.m. in the park’s open-air Smail Amphitheatre....
Pickup driver who was fleeing troopers on turnpike in Donegal injured in crash
A Philadelphia man was airlifted to a hospital with multiple injuries Saturday after crashing his pickup in Donegal as he was being pursued by state troopers along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to police reports. Sergio E. Rodriguez-Guzman, 21, was airlifted by medical helicopter to Conemaugh Hospital in Johnstown as a...
