Westmoreland category, Page 527
Hempfield Area temporarily closes middle school; PSSAs postponed
A Hempfield Area middle school will close for two days this week because of positive covid-19 cases, district leaders announced Monday. Students at West Hempfield Middle School will participate in remote learning Tuesday and Wednesday after two students at the school tested positive for covid-19 and were at the building...
Overdose antidote giveaway planned for released Westmoreland prison inmates
After a two-year decline in fatal drug overdoses, Westmoreland County officials said a slight uptick in deaths in 2020 will require a renewed effort to avoid a repeat of a nearly decade-long era of record-setting deaths attributed to opioid abuse. County prison board members said Monday doses of Narcan, a...
Westmoreland Sheriff taps U.S. Army veteran from Unity as chief of staffVideo
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert named Thomas S. Abraham, a U.S. Army veteran from Unity, as his chief of staff. “Tom’s background makes him a nice asset in this office. He has a lot of experience in budgets, so he’ll be working more in that kind of an administrative role,”...
Westmoreland County to pay jail inmates to get covid vaccine
Westmoreland County will provide $25 in commissary credit to prison inmates who receive a covid-19 vaccine. Members of the county prison board approved the plan Monday. “We’re still working out the final details, but this will be for all inmates,” county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said. Vaccine doses will be...
Covid deaths cause for caseload surge at Westmoreland coroner’s office
Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha said a meteoric 21% increase in the office’s caseload last year was fueled by coronavirus death investigations. The statistics detailing the sharp increase to 3,523 cases in 2020 compared with 2,906 cases in 2019 was included in Bacha’s annual report released Monday. Deputy Coroner Josh...
Irwin OKs plans for development at Penn-Irwin Motel site
The former Penn-Irwin Motel property along Route 30 in Irwin is a step closer to a transformation after officials approved plans for the site, although much of the hillside will be removed before construction can begin. Irwin Borough approved development plans submitted by Colony Development Co. of North Huntingdon for...
Excela Health virtual childbirth classes help expectant parents
When Megan Fritz was preparing to become a mother for the first time, she found herself scouring the internet to learn how to breastfeed her newborn. It was difficult for the Unity woman to find reliable sources at a time when in-person classes on the topic have been halted because...
Allegheny County posts lowest single-day covid case report in 6 months
For the first time since Oct. 26, Allegheny County has posted a single-day covid case number below 100. Monday’s report by the Allegheny County Health Department shows 94 new coronavirus cases, something that hasn’t happened in the past six months. While health officials have often said Monday’s case counts are...
Your Guide to Greens: Vitamins, minerals, and health benefits
This installment of “Active Aging” is presented by Redstone, Westmoreland County’s leading lifestyle community for older adults We all know that eating lots of fruits and vegetables is good for our health, and greens, specifically, have numerous benefits – especially for older adults. Veggies are generally low in calories and...
Norwin adjusts for ‘The Little Mermaid’ performances
The Norwin High School Theatre Company’s production of “The Little Mermaid” is not going under the sea, but it will be heading outside. The musical will be performed under the lights in the Norwin Knights Stadium at 8 p.m. May 6-9. Performance of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” was canceled last...
Pizzeria in Export holds fundraiser benefitting autism advocacy and research
There was never much of a question over the charity that would benefit from Ginny’s Neighborhood Pizza Joint’s first fundraiser Sunday celebrating the return of warm weather and the 7-month-old Export pizza restaurant and ice cream parlor, owner Nick Juricich said. “Our general manager, Samantha Leger, has a young son...
Fire extensively damages house in Unity
No injuries were reported Saturday after a Unity home was extensively damaged by fire. Dryridge Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rich Levay said firefighters from multiple central Westmoreland County fire departments responded to the blaze at the residence on McClellan Drive that was reported at 6:49 p.m. He said firefighters were...
Irwin to get new parking meters, rate increase
Motorists in downtown Irwin will see new parking meters in the near future, and a rate increase. The borough was to receive an order of 200 refurbished digital meters Friday from Take A Powder Inc. of Paterson, N.J., said Stacie Santimyer, assistant borough manager. Council on April 14 approved buying...
Hospitality grants help ease pandemic strain on Westmoreland restaurants, bars and hotels
Heather Papinchak said the $20,000 hospitality grant she recently received from Westmoreland County will certainly help her business in the months ahead, but the financial hardship caused by coronavirus pandemic over the past year will linger for some time. “It’s been an unbelievable challenge to operate, being in the hospitality...
Covid-19 shattered enrollment patterns at region’s community colleges
Community college enrollment booms when the economy busts. That was an accepted fact, proven time and again during the cycles that characterize the U.S. economy. But the covid-19 pandemic, which sent the world into a series of lockdowns, shattered that pattern. Although the region’s community colleges were expecting an enrollment...
North Huntingdon, Latrobe police expecting body cameras
With the increase in controversial and sometimes deadly encounters between law enforcement and citizens across the country, more local police departments in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are looking to outfit officers with body cameras — but they are scrambling to pay for them. “There’s no question that law enforcement needs...
Wildlife webcam viewership more than doubles; 2 screech owls nuzzle and more surprises
Two screech owls in Murrysville were caught on video nuzzling or rather grooming each other, a clutch of bluebird eggs have hatched and tired migrating birds are stopping at a drip bird bath in Key Largo, Fla. All are sights anyone can access in seconds and on demand. Apparently more...
Mt. Pleasant walking route proposed under state health program, would be 1st in Westmoreland
The YMCA of Laurel Highlands is joining a state effort to get residents outside and walking on a regular basis. Located in East Huntingdon, the Y is planning to establish a designated walking route in adjacent Mt. Pleasant Borough as part of the state’s WalkWorks program. It would be the...
Greensburg church, others partner to fight vaccine hesitancyVideo
Bishop Carl Jones of Greater Parkview Church in Greensburg admits having many reservations earlier this year about the covid-19 vaccine, but that initial skepticism has turned to advocacy over the past few months. Jones, pastor since 2003 of the nondenominational, multicultural church with many Black congregants, teamed with two other...
Pennsylvania sees new trend in covid hospitalizations: 3 days of decline
To start the month, the state had increases in covid hospitalizations in 13 of the first 14 days of April. But a trend in the last few days shows numbers going the other way, with hospitalizations in Pennsylvania dropping by about 6% since Wednesday. Pennsylvania The state had 2,656 covid-19...
Westmoreland courthouse to host vaccine clinic on Tuesday
The Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg will host a covid-19 vaccine clinic on Tuesday. County officials announced that county employees, their families and the general public are eligible to participate in the clinic, which will be conducted in the commissioners’ public meeting room off the main lobby of the courthouse....
North Huntingdon police locate missing 11-year-old boy
North Huntingdon police located a missing 11-year-old shortly before 10 p.m. Friday night, after a roughly four-hour search of the Penns Woods area east of White Oak Park. Police said neighbors assisted with the search, and thanked the community for its help in a Nixle alert message sent shortly after...
Rotary Club of Latrobe celebrates century of community service
Covid-19 pandemic restrictions prevented the Rotary Club of Latrobe from holding its annual projects fundraising dinner this year at Saint Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Center. But that’s not going to keep the organization from continuing the mission it has carried out for the past century: serving the needs of the...
Hempfield woman wins Marine volunteer award
A Hempfield woman who volunteers in a leadership role with the Westmoreland County Young Marines won a national award for her efforts, a year after her daughter won a Young Marines award for her exemplary service. Sheila Myers, who has logged more than 1,000 community service hours in the past...
Teen charged as adult in Jeannette shooting; 2nd shooter acted in defense, DA says
A 16-year-old boy is charged as an adult with attempted homicide for an incident in which, police say, he shot a 17-year-old boy in Jeannette during an argument earlier this month. Desean Ingram of Jeannette also was shot during the April 7 altercation, but District Attorney John Peck said Ingram...
