Westmoreland category, Page 53
Hempfield solar farm gets green light
A Colorado firm’s plans to construct a solar system farm in Hempfield were approved by supervisors last week. Bear Peak Hempfield intends to build a 3,000 kilowatt facility on an 86-acre property off Penn Valley Road, said Matthew Pernelli, township planning manager. “It will be distributing the power to West...
Pets perish in Memorial Day mobile home fire in Hempfield
A Hempfield family was displaced and lost their pets when a fire broke out in their mobile home Monday morning on Robin Drive. The man and woman who rented the dwelling weren’t at home when flames were reported shortly after 8 a.m., but multiple cats perished inside, according to Don...
Sons of Union Veterans pay tribute at Westmoreland’s last Civil War veteran gravesite
A Plum woman who teaches students about American history learned about her own ties to one of the most significant chapters in that history Monday when she joined fellow descendants of Civil War veterans at the Irwin gravesite of her great-great-great-great-grandfather. Local members of the Sons of Union Veterans presented...
Westmoreland WWII airmen remembered 80 years after perishing in Tokyo POW prison fire
Two Westmoreland County airmen who survived the loss of their B-29 bombers during separate World War II missions over Japan were among POWs who perished 80 years ago when the military prison where they were being held was destroyed during an American firebombing raid on Tokyo. The stories and sacrifices...
Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg honor ‘the very, very best of our community’ with banners
Cindy Anderson can only imagine what it was like for her mother to watch three of her sons leave at the same time to serve in the military during World War II. “The three oldest all went off to war at the same time,” said Anderson, of Greensburg, “which is...
Neighbors describe helping elderly woman shot in Unity domestic, standoff incident
A 59-year-old man accused of shooting his 80-year-old mother surrendered after an hours-long standoff with authorities Saturday in Unity. State police charged David Andrew Rebar Jr. with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records. The woman, who was shot in an arm, was being...
Westmoreland happenings: Strawberry festivals, Memorial Day observances, vacation Bible school, more
Bus Trip • Westmoreland Garden Council will sponsor a one-day bus trip June 18 to the Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio. The trip will include a guided tour of the Corbin Conservatory, the 65-room Tudor revival manor house and various gardens. Lunch will be at Cracker Barrel on the...
Route 130 slide repair will trigger detour in Penn Township
A portion of Route 130 will be closed to traffic beginning Tuesday as crews conduct landslide repairs in Penn Township, just west of Jeannette. The closure will be in effect between 14th Street and Burrell Hill Road and is expected to continue through late August. A detour will be in...
Judge to decide future of Ligonier pavilion
Ligonier Borough neighbors are asking a Westmoreland County judge to enforce a zoning board ruling and rescind permits that allowed owners of a boutique hotel to build and host events in an adjoining designer pavilion. A land use appeal filed this week challenged a legal claim made by owners of...
Norwin High School sends off the Class of 2025 at commencement ceremony
Norwin High School seniors graduated Friday, one of the first in the area this year. There were 411 students in the Norwin Class of 2025. Other upcoming graduation ceremonies include: Friday, May 29 — Greater Latrobe, Belle Vernon Area; May 30 — Derry Area, Hempfield Area, Jeannette City, Mt. Pleasant...
Mentally ill Greensburg mother to serve prison sentence for daughter’s attempted murder
A Greensburg woman told a Westmoreland County judge she believed her best option to protect herself and her then-6-year-old daughter from an imagined serial killer with whom she believed she had been romantically involved was to end their lives in her own way. Skye C. Naggy, 32, on Friday insisted...
Judge rejects defense call to dismiss death penalty case in New Kensington son’s slaying
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected claims from a Brackenridge father facing a potential death penalty that prosecutors are biased and have insufficient evidence to prove he killed his 9-year-old son three years ago in New Kensington. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio in a 19-page ruling found there was...
Hempfield plans work to improve safety along Route 66
Improved safety measures are coming for two sections of Business Route 66 in Hempfield, as well as a park in the north end of the township. Supervisors on Wednesday awarded a contract to Penn Line Service, Inc. for $125,000. Hempfield received $140,000 in funding from PennDOT’s Automated Red Light Enforcement...
MAWC details uninterrupted service amid storm power outages
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday the agency continued to serve its more than 123,000 customers even as late April’s violent storms shut off power to hundreds of thousands of residents. “Nobody noticed we kept the water flowing,” said authority business manager Brian Hohman as administrators briefed authority...
Pension payments top $100K for ex-Greensburg police officer awaiting sentencing in drug case
A retired Greensburg police officer who has collected more than $100,000 in pension payments is set to learn her sentence Tuesday in a federal drug conspiracy case involving the city’s former police chief. Attorney Lee Demosky, solicitor for Greensburg’s police pension committee, said he plans to attend the sentencing hearing...
Trafford Historical Society has new name for borough’s veterans memorial
Towns often want to honor native sons and daughters who served in the armed forces, whether it’s through a banner, a veterans memorial or something similar. But it’s not always easy to get a complete list of names. “A lot of times, there isn’t an official record, especially the farther...
Work to nudge Five Star Trail away from rail line to begin this fall
A 1-mile section of the Five Star Trail will gain some distance from an active rail line under a project that could start later this year. Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation planning coordinator Jeff Richards said the extra few feet of space is needed because the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad is...
Faces of the Valley: The Rev. Angelique Edmonds a ‘gifted and spirit-filled’ pastor
From prayer hikes to women’s brunches to painting with parables, the Rev. Angelique Edmonds has used her gifts to help strengthen convictions at Faith United Methodist Church in Fox Chapel and its outreach ministry, Roots of Faith in Sharpsburg. Appointed associate pastor in 2021, the Beltzhoover native feels as though...
Greater Latrobe selects Hempfield Area administrator as new school superintendent
Greater Latrobe School Board has looked to a neighboring school system to find the district’s next superintendent. The board voted Thursday to hire as its top administrator Kim Rieffannacht, currently assistant superintendent for elementary education at Hempfield Area School District. Greater Latrobe approved a five-year contract with Rieffannacht, with an...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: May 23-26
Happy Memorial Day weekend. For many, that means an extra day to relax and recharge — but it also means extra time for some fun events around Westmoreland. Here are a handful. Yinzer Valley Spring Wine Fest Yinzer Valley Farms is having its first Spring Wine Festival on Saturday. This...
Pennsylvania legislators vow no tax increases to cover federal funding cuts
With about five weeks remaining before the deadline to pass a state budget, legislators are in the dark as to how the proposed cutbacks in federal spending will impact Pennsylvania’s fiscal planning. But one thing is certain: No new taxes, the top Senate leader said Thursday. “We’re certainly not going...
Stanwood Elementary student wins Greensburg Rotary’s annual spelling bee on a tough word
Riley Beckett, a third grader at Stanwood Elementary School, has been relentlessly practicing her older brother Luke’s spelling list since she was in first grade. “She could spell any word since she was 6,” said her mother, Joanna Beckett. Combining her hours of practice with her love for reading, Riley...
Memorial Day events slated for Norwin area
An honor guard will conduct ceremonies at four cemeteries in the Norwin area Sunday and the annual Memorial Day parade will be held in Irwin on Monday. The Manor American Legion Post 472 honor guard, in conjunction with the Norwin Historical Society, will conduct Memorial Day ceremonies at four cemeteries...
Boy found after walking away from Metzgar Elementary School in Salem
A boy was found Thursday after state police and Greensburg Salem School District officials said he walked away from James H. Metzgar Elementary School. Troopers and firefighters were called to the Salem school just before 2 p.m. to search for the child. First responders called for drones to help with...
Ligonier Valley deadlocks on proposed $36M school budget, eyes special session to revisit
The Ligonier Valley School Board plans to meet Wednesday, May 28, in an attempt to break a 4-4 tie over approval of a proposed 2025-26 district budget. At the special 10 a.m. session in the district administration building, the board also will consider applicants for a seat on its roster...
