Westmoreland category, Page 492
Westmoreland County, 8 jail staffers added as defendants in lawsuit over inmate beating
A federal civil lawsuit by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who was assaulted by a guard last year claims incident reports filed by a dozen other jail staffers contained no mention of the beating. The lawsuit was amended June 15 and asserts that the omission of the assault of...
Pa. covid hospitalizations drop to levels not seen since early days of pandemic
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 hospitalizations dropped to a level not seen since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 313 covid-19 patients currently hospitalized throughout the state. That’s the lowest total since March 27, 2020, when there were 252 people hospitalized. The state’s...
Stage Right’s ‘Hair’ celebrates 1960s hippie vibe
For the Stage Right Theatre Company, the rock musical “Hair” isn’t just an anachronistic snapshot of the peace and love era of the 1960s. Cast members in their 20s and 30s are finding parallels between the “Age of Aquarius” and the present day, said Director Tony Marino. The troupe will...
Unity supervisors to vote on loosened zoning requirements for electronic billboards
Unity supervisors in July will consider a zoning amendment meant to make it easier to convert conventional single-image billboards to electronic billboards in the township. The zoning change would be a win-win for the township and for local businesses that are looking to get the word out about their products...
Westmoreland news includes Independence Day celebrations, car cruise and sunset yoga
Class • Laurelville Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host outdoor Sunset Yoga with Find Your Fire Fitness at 7:30 p.m. July 9 atop Laurelville’s Sunset Hill. Bring a mat. In case of rain, the event will be in the Shenandoah gymnasium. Cost: $15. Tickets: visit the...
Youngwood man charged with having boy steal packages from neighborhood porches
A Youngwood man was arrested Tuesday, accused by police of directing an 8-year-old boy to follow delivery trucks around the borough and steal packages dropped off at homes, according to court papers. Alexander Leon Soroka, 39, is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and child endangerment. Troopers were called to...
‘Shocking’ study at Linn Run to help pave way to healthier habitat for trout to thriveVideo
It was a stunning scene this week in a section of Linn Run in eastern Westmoreland County. Volunteers with the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited sent 300 volts into the stream, stunning fish in the high-quality coldwater fishery to study the trout habitat. A few wild brook trout, some...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
Extension eases application crunch for municipalities seeking pandemic relief
Some area municipalities were scrambling this week to submit applications for federal pandemic relief funding, with an initial deadline looming Wednesday. They got a break from that crunch when officials extended that deadline by a month. The state Department of Community and Economic Development “started urging municipalities to apply as...
Defense seeks plea deal in 2019 death of East Huntingdon baby
The lawyer for a Fayette County man charged with first-degree murder of an 11-month old East Huntingdon child told a judge on Tuesday his client was ready to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino said Derrick A. Bass, 31, of Uniontown indicated his desire to...
Dispatch: 4 people flown by medical helicopters after multi-vehicle crash in Washington Township
Four people were flown by medical helicopter to area hospitals following a multi-vehicle crash along Route 66 in Washington Township, according a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to Route 66 at Hancock Avenue shortly before 4:30 p.m. Both lanes of Route 66 were shut down for about two hours. The...
Former Pagans leader ordered to report to state prison July 30
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered the former leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club to report to a Somerset County state prison in late July to resume serving an 80-month sentence for a drug conviction based on a 2011 raid of his Hempfield home. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, was...
Greensburg, Latrobe art centers celebrate shared mission in joint show
Greensburg and Latrobe art centers will celebrate their collective mission of promoting art and artists across Westmoreland County with the annual joint exhibition, “Art Neighbors.” Featuring works by members of both organizations, the show will run from Thursday through July 31 in the Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier St. An...
State police seeking witnesses to fatal Route 30 crash in Hempfield
State police in Greensburg are seeking information on a multi-vehicle crash Monday along Route 30 in Hempfield that claimed the life of a Fayette County man. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office reported the driver of one of the vehicles, Michael J. Yatsko, 69, of South Connellsville, died at Excela Health...
State Sen. Kim Ward recovering from mastectomyVideo
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, underwent a double mastectomy at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh on Monday, according to a video she posted on her official Twitter account. She posted a thank you message to Twitter on Tuesday morning as well. Ward announced in May she was undergoing treatment for...
Man indicted on drug, firearm counts arrested in North Huntingdon drug sting
A Pittsburgh man indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on illegal narcotics and firearm possession charges was jailed without bond in Westmoreland County Tuesday after his arrest in a North Huntingdon undercover drug sting. Hazeon “Ace” Kidd, 20, was arrested by township police on two counts of...
Ligonier Chamber tour book offers restaurant deals, chance on resort stay
Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is making it easy to plan dinners out with a new Ligonier Valley Restaurant Tour book. Diners visiting all listed eateries also have a chance to win a stay at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The books are available for $5 each in Ligonier in the...
Eclectic local band HABATAT vying for NPR Tiny Desk Concert slotVideo
When HABATAT dragged a desk onstage at a recent concert, it wasn’t just an eclectic performance art prop. The band, whose members hail from Greensburg and Johnstown, were getting ready to video a song for submission into NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert contest. HABATAT was onstage at FUNKy FEST, an annual...
Latrobe manager: Try again for funding of additional Ligonier Street intersection upgrade
As work winds down on traffic light and pedestrian improvements at nine downtown Latrobe intersections, the city plans to seek funding for another intersection upgrade, on the south end of Ligonier Street. Final touches at the downtown intersections, including installing decorative thermoplastic crosswalks with a herringbone pattern, could extend into...
Charges filed in 2019 Sewickley Township crash that injured 2
A North Huntingdon man was jailed Monday in connection with a 2019 drunken-driving crash in which two people were hurt, according to court papers. Brandon Lamont Pugh, 24, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, driving under the influence, accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle and a dozen summary...
State, local police plan Independence Day sobriety patrols, checkpoints in Westmoreland areaVideo
Beware, Westmoreland County drivers — local and state police are going to be keeping a close eye out for intoxicated motorists over the next several days. State troopers and the Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force both said they plan to have roving patrols and stationary sobriety checkpoints around the area...
Westmoreland commissioner urges municipalities to apply for funds by Wednesday
Eighteen Westmoreland County municipalities could collectively be leaving nearly $2.5 million on the table if they don’t apply for pandemic relief funds by this week’s deadline, according to county Commissioner Doug Chew. Chew learned that, as of Friday, 18 local communities had not applied for their share of funds from...
Saint Vincent College campus reopens after police investigate bomb threat
A bomb threat prompted temporary closure of the Saint Vincent College campus Monday evening. College officials said the campus was cleared to reopen just before 10 p.m., after state police determined the threat wasn’t credible. At about 7:30 p.m., officials were notified of a threat involving the Saint Vincent Archabbey...
Longtime Greensburg firefighter dies
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered state flags at all commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds in Westmoreland County to fly at half-staff in honor of a longtime Greensburg firefighter who died over the weekend. Richard A. Fry, 77, was found in his vehicle June 24 after participating in the Mt. Pleasant...
Prison sentence imposed for rape of Vandergrift child
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for the rape of a 5-year-old Vandergrift girl. Eric Jermain Emory, 35, pleaded guilty last week to one count of rape of a child for repeated sexual assaults of a girl in 2019 and 2020 and three additional charges...
