Westmoreland category, Page 509
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...
Mt. Pleasant songwriter Andy Davis nominated for 3 Josie Music AwardsVideo
Mt. Pleasant native Andy Davis was happy to be nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award in 2017 for his work as an on-air radio personality at Pittsburgh country station Y108 FM. But, after spending the past five years writing songs and working to gain recognition as a performer,...
Cook disputes Guy Fieri; says discrimination charges not resolved at Hempfield casino eatery
A former line cook who alleged racial discrimination at Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield this spring said the situation has not been resolved. The denial by Nate Ridley, 46, of East Pittsburgh came days after Guy Fieri in an interview with The New...
Latrobe’s banana split fest to return in person, at new park venue
Latrobe’s Great American Banana Split Celebration is returning with an in-person format featuring entertainment and activities Aug. 21 at Legion Keener Park. After pandemic restrictions prompted the switch to a virtual festival in 2020, “We’re very excited to be able to return to an in-person format,” said Briana Tomack, president...
Pavilion at West Point Elementary gets new life thanks to Eagle Scout project
A former West Point Elementary School student headed an Eagle Scout project this spring that returned a pavilion at the school to its former glory. Justin Finfrock, 16, who is going into his junior year at Hempfield Area High School, spent a weekend in April pressure-washing the structure, replacing boards,...
Man charged in connection with New Alexandria crash that injured 2
An Indiana County man is headed to trial in connection with a 2019 three-vehicle crash in New Alexandria in which one person was hospitalized, according to court papers. State police said Todd Douglas McCoy, 41, of Buffington was under the influence of antidepressant and smoking cessation drugs at the time...
West Point fire company in Hempfield placed on probation
The West Point Volunteer Fire Company in Hempfield was put on probation this week, a decision township leaders attributed to the resignation or transfer of three members, including the chief. Township supervisors Monday unanimously voted to place the company on probation, giving them 30 days to submit a corrective plan...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 2-4
Critter count Amateur naturalists are invited to help with a “bioblitz” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Keystone State Park in Derry Township. Participants can hike the McCune Run or Davis Run trails during the day and and compile a list of all of the living things they can see...
North Huntingdon event to promote auditing 2020 vote in Pennsylvania
A state senator who traveled to Arizona to see a private company recount votes in the presidential election that Donald Trump lost is scheduled to speak to a group in North Huntingdon on July 18. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, is planning to speak at the Audit The Vote...
Westmoreland commissioner forms nonprofit to help students land skilled labor jobs
Westmoreland Commissioner Sean Kertes, along with his chief of staff and the county treasurer, on Thursday announced the formation of a private, nonprofit entity that will work to connect high school students and young adults with skilled labor jobs. Grow Westmoreland will solicit private donations and conduct fundraising events to...
Food passion fuels Milwaukee teen’s restaurant review success, leads to Primanti Bros. visit
“Holy cow!” exclaimed Dominic Dean, his eyes wide as saucers, as he stared in awe and excitement at the towering sandwich placed in front of him. The 16-year-old Milwaukee native is an up-and-coming food critic with a special twist — a focus on positivity and kindness. Dominic, who is on...
Westmoreland elections director fired days before her ouster was made public
Westmoreland County’s former election bureau director was out of a job a week before her bosses officially signed off on her removal, according to a document obtained by the Tribune-Review. JoAnn Sebastiani was fired as elections bureau director effective June 19, according to an “action form” created by the county’s...
