Westmoreland category, Page 5
Hempfield grad Luke Zajdel plays PPG Paints Arena as Walker Montgomery’s drummer, calls it a ‘bucket list’ momentVideo
It had been a long time since Luke Zajdel felt as nervous as he did before performing on March 6. But this just wasn’t any concert for the 2018 Hempfield Area High school graduate. This was a hometown show — at PPG Paints Arena, no less, where he’d seen his...
Glassport sandwich shop opens location in Penn Township
A Glassport sandwich shop has expanded to a second location in Penn Township. Glads Deli opened in March along Route 130 at Crossroads Plaza. The building formerly housed a Subway. Owner Jason Billingsley ran Affordable Bathrooms and Kitchens by JB from 2000 to 2023 before getting into the restaurant industry....
Murrysville attorney on trial for alleged road rage incident
The former wife of a high-powered Murrysville lawyer told a Westmoreland County judge her estranged husband used his car as a weapon and ran her off a road near her home three years ago amid a heated custody battle. Brad Funari, 49, was charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless...
Jeannette boosts pay for new patrol officers to address 3 open positions
Two agreements between Jeannette and its police union are aimed at filling three open full-time positions in the department and alleviating rising overtime costs. Council approved the measures that will increase pay for new hires in 2026 and allow the police chief to collect overtime pay. So far this year,...
Jeannette parks could see camera installation
Cameras could be installed at five parks in Jeannette this summer. City officials are seeking bids for the installation of 12 cameras that will provide police with a direct link to the goings on at the parks. “We’ve had some vandalism in the parks,” said city manager Ethan Keedy. A...
Authority board approves scaled-back solar farm project for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
A scaled-back solar farm is moving forward at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport after an Arizona-based energy company received the green light this week. The project aims to power an expanded passenger terminal in Unity and could generate extra revenue for the airport over the next 20 years. The $4.4 million...
State police make arrest after killing of pet cat
State police made an arrest Tuesday in connection with what they described as the brutal killing of a pet cat in Derry Township. Police charged Tyler Rost-Maiolie, 27, with aggravated animal cruelty, reckless endangerment and related offenses. A resident on Guthrie Road, just off Route 981 north of New Alexandria,...
Westmoreland airport authority votes to extend paid parking lot, reduce price to $4
Paid parking at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be expanded starting next month. The Westmoreland County Airport Authority on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to more than double the size of the paid overnight parking lot in front of the main terminal building and cut the daily rate by more...
Ligonier Township supervisors failed to approve request; Country Market to look at other options
Ligonier Township officials Tuesday failed to approve Waterford Volunteer Fire Department’s request to have its 26-acre property rezoned from an agricultural to a commercial designation so it could expand its fire hall and also host the popular Ligonier Country Market. The rejection came by default — it never made it...
Insulting, blasphemous, disgrace: Western Pennsylvania Catholics weigh in on public discourse between Trump, Pope Leo XIV
West Deer resident Sam Mayhan has only ever voted for one person for president: Donald Trump. But the 28-year-old Catholic is now “pretty perturbed,” finding himself torn between his political allegiance and his faith following the president’s recent social media attacks on Pope Leo XIV. “I don’t think the pope...
Westmoreland County finalizes plans for May primary
Nearly a dozen polling locations will move for next month’s primary election in Westmoreland County. The county commissioners met Tuesday as the county’s election board to finalize plans for the May 19 primary. Despite ongoing lobbying complemented by a rally last week outside the courthouse, no action was taken on...
Greensburg another step closer on easements for Northmont flood control project
An easement agreement was approved Monday with one of two Hempfield property owners who have been in negotiations with Greensburg officials related to a flood control project in the Northmont neighborhood. Greensburg council on Monday OK’d the agreement, which calls for a $26,000 payment to John Maline, owner of property...
Jeannette receives land that would allow expansion of public works department
The Westmoreland County Land Bank is donating a property to Jeannette that could be used for future expansion of its public works garage. City council last week approved the donation of the land on North Fourth Street that shares a border with the public works property. The land bank acquired...
Glassport sandwich shop opens location in Penn Township
A Glassport sandwich shop has expanded to a second location in Penn Township. Glads Deli opened in March along Route 130 at Crossroads Plaza. The building formerly housed a Subway. Owner Jason Billingsley ran Affordable Bathrooms and Kitchens by JB from 2000 to 2023 before getting into the restaurant industry....
Club at Blackthorne no longer facing legal challenges
The Club at Blackthorne, a private event and wedding center in a Penn Township housing community, is no longer facing legal challenges. Blackthorne Investors has dropped an appeal of the venue’s occupancy permit. The 36,000-square-foot site, accompanied by a golf course, is located off Harrison City-Export Road in the Blackthorne...
Ligonier gazebo plays prominent role in trailer for ‘Hershey’ filmVideo
Ligonier’s Diamond features prominently in the trailer for the film “Hershey,” set to premiere in theaters on Thanksgiving. Near the end of the 2-minute trailer, released Monday, buildings around the Diamond and the gazebo at the center of it are shown during a celebration scene. Filming took place in the...
‘We’re all Penn-Trafford’: Penn Township and Penn Borough residents consider potential mergerVideo
Emergency services and finances were among the key talking points presented by the dozens of residents, volunteer firefighters and local government officials who gathered Monday night to discuss a potential merger of Penn Township and Penn Borough. Officials from the borough, a 0.2-square-mile community containing about 435 residents, approached the...
Construction begins on $10B natural gas power plant and data center in Indiana CountyVideo
Construction has begun on a proposed $10 billion project to create a 4.4-gigawatt natural gas-fueled power plant and hyperscale data centers on a hilltop outside Homer City in Indiana County. The aboveground construction began more than a week ago, after extensive underground foundation work was completed at what the company...
Former Manor police officer sentenced for impersonating UPMC officer, theft
A former Manor police officer was sentenced to three years of probation for impersonating a UPMC police officer at a health system building and taking credit cards and a key from an employee’s office, according to Allegheny County court records. Justin R. Hall, 41, of Washington Township pleaded guilty and...
Orlando flights to return to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport scheduleVideo
Spirit Airlines will resume flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 10, reversing a decision to halt service to the airport’s most popular destination. The discount carrier previously announced it would indefinitely suspend the route in favor of seasonal flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C. “I’m not...
Seton Hill, Point Park, CCAC to bolster initiatives to help parents earn degrees
It’s difficult for someone with a child at home to enter or return to college. Tuition costs seemingly keep increasing. Reliable child care is tricky to lock down. And navigating a work-life-family-school balance is a challenging juggling act. “The burden has become on the side of the colleges — in...
Love of music celebrated at 20th annual Three Rivers Community Band FestivalVideo
A new band assembled, rehearsed, performed and disbanded within hours Saturday — all for the love of community music. The 2026 Festival Band, made up of more than 100 musicians from 62 musical groups from around the region, was the lead performance for the 20th annual Three Rivers Community Band...
Greensburg Diocese Bishop Kulick says peace doesn’t have to be political
Taylor Stuart said she considered the prayer vigil for peace held Saturday at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg a grassroots movement that could rally people toward change. “The pope can’t tell each and every one of us what to do,” she said. “It’s important for me to hear it in...
Franklin Regional student team raises more than $157K for blood cancer researchVideo
When Liam Murphy, Ryland Kase and Jenna Munkittrick were trying to determine the best way to raise money for blood cancer research, they had a solid role model. Their classmate Luca Bertucci was a member of the Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries program. After raising $40,200 — the most money...
Human papillomavirus-related throat cancer skyrocketing in men over 50
Kevin Shields thought nothing of an unusual but persistent sensation in his throat. A public address announcer for the Fox Chapel Area School District baseball, softball and flag football teams, Shields also is the man behind the mic for the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans teams. He chalked up the sensation...
