Westmoreland category, Page 530
Mt. Pleasant motorcyclist arrested with drugs, gun after going 85 mph in a 35 mph zone, police say
A Mt. Pleasant Borough man told investigators he was on drugs during a short police chase in New Stanton Saturday that ended when he crashed his motorcycle, according to court papers. Troopers said they seized a loaded gun and drugs from Joshua Scott Lucot, 24. He was being held at...
Teen testifies to sexual relationship with ex-Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, says initial contact was ‘super cool’
A 17-year-old girl testified Monday she thought it was “super cool” when Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez responded to her social media message in which she wished him a happy birthday in July 2017. Six weeks later, with her parents away for the day, Vazquez had sex with her...
Fire extinguished at Derry Borough apartment building
A fire at Derry Manor Apartments was quickly extinguished by fire crews on Monday, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The building on West Fourth Avenue in Derry Borough was evacuated. It was unclear if anyone was hurt. An air conditioning unit reportedly was on fire, according to dispatch reports....
Pennsylvania’s covid report dips under 1,000 for 1st time in over 7 months
It hasn’t happened since Oct. 5. That’s the last time Pennsylvania’s daily covid report showed fewer than 1,000 new cases. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health added just 872 new cases. It’s been 225 days since the state posted such a low number — adding 672 on Oct. 5....
Victims ID’d in Penn Township double homicide, police find stolen vehicle 5 miles away
A man and woman were fatally shot at a Penn Township home Monday, and a Toyota Tacoma taken from the scene was found abandoned in Manor hours later, according to investigators. Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck identified the victims as Jacob R. Erdeljac, 41, and Mara Casale, 27. They...
4 incumbents, 3 challengers seek nomination for Mt. Pleasant Area School Board
Seven candidates, including four incumbents, are seeking nomination to four seats on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board. All cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican tickets in the May 18 primary. Incumbent board members on the ballot this year include Allison A. Brooks, 37; Brad Coppula, 46; Eric Poole, 43;...
New bishop presides at first maskless Mass at Saint Vincent Basilica
In yet another sign that the world is beginning to reopen from the covid-19 pandemic, Bishop Larry Kulick of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg celebrated Mass without a mask Sunday for the first time in more than a year. The occasion was a visit to the Saint Vincent Basilica Parish...
$3 million in stimulus money two months away, North Hutingdon officials told
North Huntingdon will get about $3 million from the federal American Rescue Plan for a variety of public projects, but township officials were told not to expect the check right away. It could be another 60 days before North Huntingdon gets the money under the stimulus relief package that Congress...
Feds assisting North Huntingdon police investigating car explosion
Authorities are investigating a car explosion in North Huntingdon on Saturday night. The vehicle exploded on Clay Pike shortly before midnight, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. There were no injuries or damage to other property reported. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, according to the 911 dispatcher....
Fire destroys landmark Murrysville restaurant
Spaghetti & Steakhouse, a landmark on Route 22 in Murrysville for more than 50 years, was destroyed Sunday in an early morning fire. The restaurant that has fed generations of local families and survived the pandemic was a total loss. A dispatcher for Westmoreland 911 said a caller reported the...
Help wanted: Western Pa. businesses hurting from lack of worker interest to fill open jobs
Dino’s Sports Lounge is in the same boat as so many other employers — competing to attract workers in a market made all the harder by covid-19 and an extra $300 a week in benefits being pocketed by eligible jobless workers. “I can’t get people to apply,” said Dino DeCario,...
Is extra $300 in federal unemployment assistance stopping people from applying for jobs?
With about 56,000 people in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties reporting they are without a job, businesses still find themselves scrambling to fill vacancies. One reason cited for the challenge is the extra $300 a week in federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance that people have collected since the end of December....
Hempfield opens long-awaited dog park
Hempfield Township is going to the dogs — literally. The Hempfield Parks and Recreation Department cut the ribbon on its first dog park on Saturday. The long-awaited facility got high marks from dog owners who showed up for an inaugural run. It includes two fenced-in off-leash runs for dogs 35...
Greensburg honors Hometown Heroes in ceremony that marks the reawakening of civic lifeVideo
Civic life in Greensburg inched open Saturday morning as local officials and families from across the region gathered at St. Clair Park on a sunny, maskless May morning to honor 66 Hometown Heroes featured on banners throughout Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg. The ceremony that featured music by the Westmoreland Symphony...
Mural project in New Kensington meant to inspire community, invite participation
Organizers of Murals on a Mission were expecting as many as 100 people to turn out Saturday for the first of several events promoting the painting of six murals in New Kensington over the next few months. Held at the Voodoo Brewing Co. on Fifth Avenue, Saturday’s event offered a...
Murrysville sidewalk artists ‘Chalk the Walk’ to benefit Community Park
A “Chalk the Walk” fundraiser was held at Murrysville Community Park on Saturday. For $10, people could reserve a 4-foot square space along the walking trail to create their chalk masterpieces. Proceeds from the event benefited the Murrysville Parks and Recreation Foundation’s trail painting project at the park....
Allegheny County surpasses 100,000 covid-19 cases, half-million residents fully vaccinated
Allegheny has become the second county in Pennsylvania to surpass 100,000 cases of coronavirus. In its covid-19 report released Saturday, the Allegheny County Health Department reported 186 new cases of the virus. That brings the county’s total since the pandemic began to 100,039. Only Philadelphia, with 146,238 cases, has more....
Franklin Regional life-skills students use mobile kiosk to take entrepreneurship on the road
Teachers in the Franklin Regional School District are slowly but surely creating a small army of entrepreneurs and skilled workers through programs funded by the nonprofit Franklin Regional Panther Foundation. The foundation’s first $12,000 grant in 2017 helped establish the FR Panther Shop, where life-skills students in the Work Exploration...
Unity awards $2M in contracts for paving, roof replacement, storm sewer project
Supervisors in Unity are tapping the township’s first-ever bond issue to finance replacing the municipal building roof, storm sewer improvements and a massive paving program that will include more than 80 roads. At their May meeting, the supervisors awarded a $121,700 contract to TRS Roofing of Williamsburg, the sole bidder,...
A ‘Tony’ for Tony: County detective honored for commitment to Westmoreland drug court
For months as the coronavirus pandemic raged, Westmoreland County drug court participants quarantined at home and away from the much-needed counsel and treatment for their addictions. That’s where Tony Marcocci, a detective with the county District Attorney’s Office, stepped up, according to the two judges who oversee the special court...
Norwin turnout strong for covid vaccineVideo
After having lived in a dormitory at Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a roommate who contracted covid this past school year, Norwin graduate Jade Taylor did not hesitate to get a covid vaccine Friday afternoon at Norwin High School. “I have a lot of family members who are younger and...
Masks no longer required for vaccinated staff, visitors at Westmoreland courthouse
Westmoreland officials on Friday said anyone who is fully vaccinated against coronavirus will no longer be required to wear masks at the courthouse and in most other government buildings. “We are all looking forward to getting back to normal,” county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said. According to a memo released...
Jury seated in Pirates pitcher’s sexual assault trial, testimony to begin Monday
Testimony in the sexual assault trial of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez will begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom. Twelve jurors and two alternates were seated Friday for what is expected to be a three-day trial after Vazquez was accused of having sexual relations with a 13-year...
Westmoreland elections office to open over weekend for mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County’s Election Bureau will be open this weekend to distribute ballots to voters who requested but not received their mail-in and absentee ballots for Tuesday’s primary election. The courthouse office will operate from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to reissue ballots, said Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani....
West Newton man accused of assaulting, restraining ex-girlfriend
A 57-year-old West Newton man was arrested Friday on accusations of assaulting and choking his ex-girlfriend and burning her arm with cigarettes while holding her against her will, according to court documents. Fred R. Gambrill was arraigned on multiple charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, strangulation and unlawful restraint filed...
