Westmoreland category, Page 482
Road sign honoring late Rep. Mike Reese unveiledVideo
Motorists traveling along a section of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township will be reminded they are traveling on a highway named for a beloved state legislator who died in January. Family members of the late Rep. Mike Reese joined state, county and local officials and scores of friends Wednesday...
Export man arrested in connection with Homewood shooting
An Export man was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting Aug. 2 in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood. Pittsburgh police said Roemon Howard, 21, of Export was charged Wednesday with criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, and reckless endangerment. Howard is...
Blairsville man acquitted for threats after wife recants allegations
A Blairsville man was found not guilty of making threats to kill his wife after she told a Westmoreland County jury she lied to police. Police claimed James Leroy Trout Jr., 45, pointed a gun at a Latrobe home on Oct. 15, 2019 where his wife fled to after the...
Westmoreland tax office to remain closed until Monday as covid-19 cases confirmed
The tax office at the Westmoreland County Courthouse will remain closed to the public until Monday, Aug. 16 after employees testified positive for the coronavirus. County officials said test results reported Wednesday afternoon confirmed that three employees in the first-floor courthouse annex office had contracted the virus. The office was...
Ex-Latrobe wrestling coach testifies in alleged hazing case
A former junior high school wrestling coach testified he didn’t originally believe any crimes were committed or students were hurt when he saw one of his team leaders brandish a stick before practice last year. But Cary James Lydic admitted Wednesday that video of the incident suggested wrongdoing. Responding to...
Child safety advocates launch billboard campaign against Sen. Kim Ward
Child sexual abuse prevention advocates are making good on their promise to keep the heat on state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward for her refusal to advance a bill giving adult survivors of child sexual abuse their day in court. This week, they took their battle to the Hempfield Republican’s...
Lead Safe Westmoreland program offers free abatement, training for contractors
Westmoreland officials hope county homeowners with children will help get the lead out of their residences. Funded through a $3.4 million federal grant that began in January, the newly formed Lead Safe Westmoreland program is seeking both homeowners to take part in the lead abatement program and contractors to help...
Wine Store at Vallozzi’s Restaurant in Hempfield offers unique varieties
While other folks were learning to crochet or bake bread during quarantine, restaurateur Ernie Vallozzi turned his attention to wine. The results of his study are on display — and for sale — in the new Wine Store at Vallozzi’s Restaurant in Hempfield. “We had a realization (during pandemic restrictions)...
2 arrested in Jeannette after deputies find drugs, children in ‘horrible living conditions’
Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies serving warrants in Jeannette Tuesday said they turned up counterfeit cash, suspected crystal methamphetamine and a house of filth, according to court papers. Two people are facing charges — Anthony Bittinger, 22, and Jennie Wagner, 27. Deputies said they served warrants at the pair’s South Fourth...
Westmoreland news: burger bash, concert and pet blessing service
Art • The Harlan Gallery at Seton Hill University is accepting entries for Women Artists 2021, a juried exhibition that will showcase women artists in all media. The event will be Nov. 2 to 26 and an opening reception will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 4. Artists may submit up...
Man charged with choking woman at Mt. Pleasant Township home, burning her face with cigarette
A Herminie man is behind bars after state police accused him of using a cigarette to burn a woman’s face and later breaking into her home and choking her, according to court papers. Titus Isaiah Wright, 28, is charged with strangulation, burglary, criminal trespass and related offenses. Troopers were called...
Export’s annual Ethnic & Food Festival set for Aug. 21
Export officials are making plans for the borough’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival, set for Aug. 21 throughout the downtown area. Washington Avenue will close late in the evening on Aug. 20 to allow vendors to stage booths and bring in equipment, and to construct the main performance stage...
Car charging stations, ramp equipment among electric additions eyed at Arnold Palmer airport
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority wants to reduce the carbon footprint at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport by replacing some diesel-powered aircraft ramp equipment with electric-powered models. The authority also wants to install charging stations for those who drive electric cars to the airport, at routes 981 and 30 in Unity....
Crash affects traffic on Interstate 70 near New Stanton
No one was hurt in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 Wednesday morning, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The 7:30 a.m. crash closed the westbound lanes for a time near the Madison exit, not far from New Stanton. The crash caused traffic backups, according to a PennDOT traffic map....
Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force planning sobriety checkpoints, patrols
Members of the Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force are planning an enforcement weekend around Westmoreland County later this month. They’ll be out looking for intoxicated motorists during roving patrols and stationary checkpoints Aug. 19-23. The group did not release specific details or locations but said all of the enforcement activities...
Latrobe wrestling coach on trial, accused of failing to stop and report alleged hazing incidents
Ritual hazing among members of the Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School wrestling team was ongoing as the boys’ coach stood feet away, a district administrator told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday. That testimony came during the first day in the nonjury trial of former wrestling head coach Cary...
New cardio monitors a ‘lifesaver’ for Allegheny, Westmoreland EMS outfitsVideo
For an 18-year-old man who suffered a heart attack, the use of a new remote cardiac monitor/defibrillator by Plum first responders proved to be a lifesaver. EMS personnel were providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but the patient’s heart had stopped, said Brian Maloney, director of operations for Plum EMS. The patient was...
Norwin teachers union: ‘productive’ contract talks Tuesday
The Norwin School Board and the district’s teachers union had an eight-hour “productive negotiation sessions” Tuesday and will resume talks on Sept. 1, the day after the current five-year contract expires, a union official. Both the school district and the Norwin Education Association have “a number of issues” remaining to...
Greensburg woman facing charges after police say she assaulted man, stole his dog
A Greensburg woman is accused of assaulting a man and stealing his red nose pit bull during an altercation in the city last week. Cynthia Marie Finch, 29, is facing several charges after witnesses told police she jumped out of a red SUV, pushed a man to the ground and...
Arnold Palmer airport director optimistic after Spirit flights remain cancel-free so far this week
After a week of mostly canceled and delayed flights, Spirit Airlines’ service improved dramatically this week at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Spirit, the sole commercial carrier at the Unity airport, “had definite issues,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. But he expressed confidence at the...
Apple Hill, Theatre Factory share Trafford stage for ‘Mamma Mia!’ joint production
No one is trying to upstage anyone else as Apple Hill Players and The Theatre Factory prepare for their first joint production. “It sounds very Brady Bunch-ish, but we all get along really well. There are no divas here,” said Tina Lepidi-Stewart, artistic director for both Apple Hill and “Mamma...
Mask supporters, opponents try to sway Norwin board on mandates
To mask or not to mask: That is the question before the Norwin School Board as some parents try to persuade officials to require masks when classes start next month and others passionately defend the freedom of families and students to make their own decisions. The board will vote Monday...
Greensburg Hose Company No. 1 hosting car and bike cruise
Members of the Greensburg Hose Company No. 1 are hoping to show off their classic cars while raising money for the station. Scheduled for Aug. 15, it will be the first first car and bike cruise hosted by members of the McLaughlin Drive station. In addition to the show, the event...
Citizens Bank set to close Ligonier, New Kensington, Ross branches
Citizens Bank is set to close branches in Ligonier Borough, Ross Township and New Kensington by early December. Bennett Griesmer, spokesman for Citizens Financial Group, confirmed the New Kensington branch, at 901 Fifth Ave., is slated to close Nov. 17, while additional closures are set for Dec. 7, at the...
Greensburg diocese reinstates limited mask requirements
Responding to a surge in the coronavirus delta variant, the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg on Monday reinstated requirements that priests and church volunteers wear face masks indoors, regardless of whether they received their covid vaccination. Those attending worship or indoor parish events are “strongly encouraged” to wear a mask as...
