Westmoreland category, Page 491
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...
Police seeking suspect in ‘quick change’ scam near Donegal
State police are asking the public’s help identifying a man who they say bilked a Donegal Township convenience store out of $150. Troopers said the suspect entered the Coen Market along Route 31 near the Donegal interchange of the turnpike about 5:20 p.m. Saturday and conducted a scam, departing with...
Murrysville police sergeant has house full of police dogs
If someone breaks into Scott Kettren’s house, they’re in a for a “ruff” time. The Murrysville Police sergeant’s Penn Township residence is home to not one, but two, police dogs. While Argos, the 13-year-old Belgian malinois who served as the department’s police dog for a decade, enjoys his retirement, Magnus...
Greensburg’s Stage Right summer campers staging ‘Oz,’ ‘Addams Family’
Participants in Stage Right’s second summer camp session hit the ground running, starting to rehearse for performances on their first day. They’ll show what they learned during two musical productions Friday through Sunday in the Science Hall Theater on the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus. “We had a great...
Jeannette man accused of beating woman with chair, stealing her phone
A Jeannette man is behind bars after police said he beat a woman with a chair and stole her cellphone Saturday, according to court papers. Leon D. Fair, 22, is charged with robbery, theft, reckless endangerment and related offenses. City police were called to South Fifth Street at 11:20 p.m....
Wings Across Westmoreland art installation landing in Mt. Pleasant
Wings Across Westmoreland will land in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday. The seventh installation in Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative will be unveiled during a ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library, 120 S. Church St. Each set of wings includes features interpreting the community’s history and...
Wrong-way crash on Route 22 in Salem seriously injures 1 person, dispatchers say
At least one person was seriously injured Monday in a wrong-way crash that closed the westbound lanes of Route 22 at the intersection with Route 819 in Salem for two hours, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Multiple fire departments and state troopers were called to the scene near...
Greensburg YMCA to hold fundraiser
The Greensburg YMCA will hold a Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at J. Corks restaurant, 25 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg. Proceeds from this year’s event will go toward numerous capital projects, large and small, the YMCA said in a statement. The relaxed event will...
Penn Township to vote on termination of disaster declaration
Penn Township commissioners are scheduled to vote this week on drafting resolutions to terminate the municipality’s disaster declaration. The declaration was initiated in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It has allowed the township’s emergency management coordinator to “take all appropriate action needed to alleviate the effects” of the pandemic, according...
3 people flown by medical helicopter following crash along I-70 in Rostraver
Three people were flown by medical helicopter following a crash Sunday morning on Interstate 70 in Rostraver, according to the Rostraver Central Fire Department. Crews responded to the two-vehicle crash on the eastbound side of the Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge, also known as the Smithton high-level bridge, shortly before 10:30...
