Westmoreland category, Page 490
State police seek teen runaway from Derry Township facility
State police are searching for a teenage girl who ran away from an Adelphoi Village facility in Derry Township. Police said Kendra Yates, 16, who is Black, was last seen just before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt, black sweatpants and black sandals. Anyone who sees...
Illness precedes end of watch for Greensburg Fire Department bloodhound
Members of the Greensburg Fire Department Bloodhound Team are mourning the loss of Sophy, an 11-year-old veteran bloodhound who died Tuesday after an extended illness. During her service with the team, Sophy took part in 111 deployments, assisting area fire departments and law enforcement agencies, concluding with her final response...
Former Westmoreland jail warden sues commissioner, alleges discrimination and emotional distress
The former longtime warden of the Westmoreland County Prison sued county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher this week, claiming in the lawsuit that “relentless and baseless harassment, discrimination and retaliation” forced him to retire early. John Walton, 62, filed the federal lawsuit Monday, alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on sex,...
Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin hosts kitten adoption eventVideo
Tracy Alaia is hopeful she can bring shelter animals one step closer to finding their forever homes by hosting kitten adoption events at her Irwin shop. On Tuesday, seven kittens pounced around Feathers Artist Market and Gifts as part of an adoption event in conjunction with White Oak Animal Safe...
Bond denied for 2 Westmoreland men police say were involved in separate domestic assaults
Two Westmoreland County men are being held without bond after separate domestic assaults during the weekend, according to court papers. On Friday night, North Huntingdon police were called to a Route 993 home in Ardara and arrested Donald Thomas Kemerer, 58. Officers said Kemerer kicked, punched and choked a woman...
‘We’re thrilled’: Local summer library programs return for kids, adults following pandemic
After jumping over coronavirus-related hurdles, local library programs are back this summer — and there are offerings for all ages. Murrysville Community Library’s annual summer reading program, titled “Tails and Tales” this year, has begun and will last through Aug. 6. “We’re really grateful that we can be open,” said...
Penn Township vacant house fire cause under investigationVideo
Police continue to investigate a house fire Monday afternoon in Penn Township’s Level Green neighborhood. Nearly a dozen fire companies were called to the home near the intersection of First Street Extension and Drakulic Lane, and more companies continued to arrive as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. A Penn...
2 flown from motorcycle crash in South Huntingdon
One of two people transported by medical helicopter following a July 5 motorcycle crash in South Huntingdon has died, according to emergency officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Route 31 and Nichols Lane for a report of a motorcycle crash shortly after 1:30 p.m. Two patients, Dennis...
Historic Hanna’s Town marks July 4th with reading of the Declaration of IndependenceVideo
American colonists drafted plenty of documents before the Declaration of Independence. In a fledgling Westmoreland County that, officially speaking, was only two years old in 1775, citizens drafted the Hanna’s Town Resolves, a response to the battles of Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary War. “Resolved unanimously, That there is...
Irwin Sunoco station owner seeks liquor license OK
The new owner of a Sunoco convenience store-gas station along Route 30 in Irwin is seeking approval from borough officials to permit him to transfer a liquor license from Scottdale in order to sell alcohol at his station. Irwin council has scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. July 14...
Hundreds turn out for inaugural 5K in memory of late state Rep. Mike ReeseVideo
Never underestimate the motivating power of a whole smoked hog. The smell of smoked meat wafted through Mammoth Park on Sunday morning, teasing the taste buds of participants in the inaugural Mike Reese Memorial 5K Roast, Run & Family Fun event, organized in memory of former state Rep. Mike Reese,...
Daylilies to take center stage at Donohoe Center demonstration gardensVideo
Master gardener Mary Niezelski has long had a preference for planting vegetables, but this year she learned to appreciate the daylily tubers that are bursting forth with colorful July blooms. A Derry Township resident, Niezelski is a recent addition to the more than 180 Westmoreland County members of the Penn...
VFD: Firefighter injured during vacant house blaze in Monessen ‘in good spirits’
A Charleroi firefighter was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Saturday after falling through the floor of a burning house in Monessen, officials said. The fire at 418 Parkway Ave. was reported about 2:45 p.m., said municipal Fire Chief Delmar Hepple. Although the house is vacant, Hepple said firefighters were told...
Voter rights rally held outside Westmoreland County Courthouse
A small group of people took part in a rally in support of voter rights outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Saturday. The event was one of several “Deadline for Democracy” rallies held across the region over the past few days in support of the For the People Act. Other...
Steelworkers union says it achieved its goals in proposed pact with ATI
The United Steelworkers union is scheduling meetings to explain a tentative, four-year contract agreement with Allegheny Technologies, Inc. to its members and for them to vote on ratifying it. ATI and the union announced Friday that they had reached the tentative agreement. If approved, it would end a strike that...
Hundreds of motorcyclists join 2nd Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride in LatrobeVideo
Anyone who slept in late Saturday morning in Latrobe was likely awakened to the sound of a couple hundred motorcycles rumbling through town. And that’s exactly what city resident Zeke Barr was hoping for. “That’s the whole idea: Patriot Thunder — a whole lot of noise,” said Barr, who serves...
Police seek help tracking alleged tattooed thief from Westmoreland Mall
State police at Greensburg are asking for help in identifying a tattooed man who allegedly stole about $100 in merchandise Friday from a store in the Westmoreland Mall along Route 30 in Hempfield. Three shirts were stolen from Zumiez in the mall about 2:30 p.m. by a man who had...
With team-first attitude, Greensburg Central grad molds son into MLB 1st-round draft prospect
Did you win? Did you have fun? Those were the first two questions that Jeff and Patty Frelick asked their three children on the rare occasions they couldn’t attend one of their baseball, softball, hockey or football games. “We never asked how many hits they had or how many goals...
Out & About: Cannons and Cocktails is a blast at Fort LigonierVideo
Parties at Fort Ligonier are a blast. Literally. A mortar-firing demonstration was part of the fun during a July 2 Cannons and Cocktails party at the fort, which dates back a couple of decades prior to the founding of the United States of America, to the days of the French...
‘So sweet’: Farms anticipate abundant corn season
After a challenging growing season in 2020, local farms are returning to normal levels of success with this year’s weather to produce much-anticipated sweet corn. Greg Forejt Jr. of Windy Heights Farm Market in East Huntingdon said last season was too dry, resulting in the loss of about half of...
Lottery spokesperson: Cluster of major area scratch-off prizes likely ‘pure luck’
Pennsylvania’s second-most-famous groundhog urges lottery players to “keep on scratchin’.” That advice resulted in some major scratch for Indiana County resident Randy Lytle. He won $3 million on a Monopoly 100X scratch-off ticket he purchased on Memorial Day at the Giant Eagle supermarket in Ligonier. He cashed in by risking...
ATI, Steelworkers reach tentative pact
Specialty steelmaker Allegheny Technologies Inc. reached a tentative contract Friday with its striking steelworkers, which could end a walkout that began March 30, if ratified by those on strike. The tentative contract with the United Steelworkers and the 1,300 ATI employees at nine plants was reached after three days of...
Allegheny County family’s overdose loss inspires law designed to ‘save lives’
Heather’s Law was signed this week by Gov. Tom Wolf, ending a four-year effort to provide an extra tool in the battle against overdose deaths. Authored by Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Hempfield), the legislation is named for an Allegheny County family’s daughter who died of an overdose. Formally titled Act 41...
Kids return to Saint Vincent College for Challenge Program, ‘Galactic Mission’
As the world opens back up, students at Saint Vincent College’s Challenge Program are blasting off into the worlds of space and in-person socialization. The Challenge Program, a weeklong science- and math-based summer camp, has been in existence for 40 years. After a year off because of the pandemic, program...
Excela Health lifting some visitor restrictions, closing covid testing center
Excela Health is closing its Unity covid-19 testing center and lifting some restrictions for hospital visitors as coronavirus cases continue to drop in Westmoreland County, officials announced. The center on Frye Farm Road opened after the first cases of the coronavirus were discovered in the county in March 2020 and...
