Westmoreland category, Page 533
Hempfield Area to get more Chromebooks for next school year
Hempfield Area School District will buy 500 new Chromebook laptops for use by next year’s high school students. During Monday’s school board meeting, board members unanimously voted to authorize the business office to advertise and seek proposals for the purchase of the Chromebooks. Board member Sonya Brajdic was absent from...
Norwin students criticize return to full-time in-school instructionVideo
Norwin’s plan to have students return to school five days a week beginning Friday was panned by eight high school students Monday, who claimed they are being made to choose between their health and their education. The students say social distancing is not possible in the high school, and not...
Hempfield Area outlines phased reopening for high school students returning full time
Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District have laid out a schedule for when high school students will return to in-person classes five days a week. Starting March 26, senior students will be the first to fully return as part of the phased reopening. They will be followed by the...
Former Wesley United Methodist Church, antique mall in Mt. Pleasant being razedVideo
A fixture on West Main Street in Mt. Pleasant for more than 130 years is coming down. The former Wesley United Methodist Church, which became known as the Antique Mall on the 700 block of West Main Street, is being razed, according to its owner, Gene Saloom, a former state...
Westmoreland DA candidate Ziccarelli a no-show for jury duty
Nicole Ziccarelli, a candidate for Westmoreland County District Attorney, was a no-show Monday morning for jury duty at the courthouse. Court officials confirmed Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal trial term. Ziccarelli, a Republican,...
Derry man charged with having heroin, fentanyl at Westmoreland County Prison
A Derry man was arraigned Monday after Westmoreland County detectives said he brought drugs into the county jail, according to court papers. Jason Michael Thomas, 31, of Derry is charged with drug possession and contraband. Detectives said Thomas was being processed at 1:20 a.m. Sept 15 at the Hempfield jail...
Ruffs Dale man jailed after troopers accuse him of firing shotgun at girlfriend, threatening his mother
A Ruffs Dale man was ordered to the Westmoreland County prison without bond on attempted homicide and assault charges because state police allege he fired a shotgun toward his girlfriend early Sunday and later threatened his mother, according to state police. David M. Hoffman, 21, was arraigned Monday on multiple...
Familiar face from Fort Ligonier moving to The Westmoreland
A familiar face at Fort Ligonier will soon be a familiar face at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Erica Nuckles, the fort’s director of history and collections, will join the Greensburg museum’s staff in April as director of learning, engagement and partnerships. “I am thrilled and honored to join...
Pennsylvania surpasses 11% fully vaccinated for covid
More than 1.4 million Pennsylvanians have now been fully vaccinated against covid-19, according to the latest data released Monday. That means more than 11.2% of every resident — including the 20.6% that are under 18 and not eligible for the vaccine — have received either both doses of the Pfizer...
New Jersey man arrested after attempted break-in at Hempfield home
A New Jersey man is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after state police said he tried to break into a Hempfield home Friday, according to court papers. Colin Daniel O’Connor, 19, of Clarksboro, is charged with attempted burglary, harassment, resisting arrest, false identification and flight to avoid apprehension....
New banners honor Greensburg vets
The faces of local veterans and other Greensburg heroes are popping up all over the city, adorning dozens of banners that decorate city lampposts. The Greensburg Community Development Corporation replaces the city’s decorative banners with new designs every two years. In this round, Executive Director Ashley Kertes said, the corporation...
Lamp Theatre pavilion completion delayed
The delay in finishing the outdoor pavilion at The Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin can be blamed on a familiar problem: a supply chain disruption caused by the covid pandemic. “Covid has held us back. We’re waiting for a lot of materials,” said John Gdula, president of The Lamp Theatre...
No matter how you slice it, today is Pi(e) DayVideo
To mathematicians, today is Pi Day — 3.14 is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. Get it … March 14 … 3.14. But to bakers, it’s apple, cherry, cream or even a whiskey-infused Pie Day. “Every day is pie day here,” said...
Westmoreland County hospitality grant program opens Monday
Westmoreland County will begin accepting applications for hospitality grants Monday. Commissioners have said they expect to award up to 200 grants, which will be capped at $20,000 each, to local restaurants, taverns and hotels as part of a state program to assist businesses among the hardest hit by the ongoing...
‘Absolutely beautiful’: West Penn Hospital staff gave Harrison man 2nd goodbye with dying mother
It was time. The soulful tones of Diana Ross’ version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing from a nurse’s cellphone cut through the surreal moment. Motown music, her favorite, was the soundtrack to 74-year-old Josephine Ferguson’s final breaths, after covid-19 devastated her previously healthy body. Gregory Del Duca, her...
‘Reverberation of grief’: Covid losses take toll on Western Pennsylvania residents, communities
It has been nearly a year since the world of Ludmil Velev changed forever. For a few months in early 2020, his mother was visiting Pittsburgh from Bulgaria, thrilled to be with her granddaughter. “I’m happy I spent time with her,” said Velev, 44, of Greenfield. “She was extremely happy...
Pre-St. Patrick’s Fest held in Irwin
A Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Food and Family Fun Fest was held in Downtown Irwin on Saturday. Thirteen restaurants and businesses participated in the event selling Irish food, drinks and other items. Children’s games, karaoke and photos with Saint Patrick were offered inside the Shidle Lodge, and a balloon artist was...
Greensburg man accused of attempting to smuggle Xanax pills and painkillers into prison
Westmoreland County Prison guards processing an incoming inmate are credited with thwarting an attempt to smuggle about 100 anti-anxiety and painkiller pills into the lockup, according to court documents. Jamel C. Miles, 33, of Greensburg was arraigned this week on multiple criminal counts of attempt to deliver controlled substances, possession...
Monroeville man dies in Murrysville motorcycle crash
A 24-year-old Monroeville man died Saturday morning of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Murrysville. The Westmoreland County Coroner identified the man as Robert S. Mahan. According to Murrysville police, Mahan was headed south on Sardis Road near Cal-Ken Court about 12:45 a.m. when his motorcycle collided...
New director of Community Foundation of Westmoreland County looks to make her mark
The new executive director of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County knows how important it is to build connections — and how much harder that is during a pandemic. “I think the most important step is getting out in the community and increasing my understanding of the challenges and opportunities,...
Greensburg couple honored with Master Gardener Emeritus status
Larry and Sonnie Miller of Greensburg are the first husband and wife team to join the ranks of Master Gardener Emeriti with the Penn State Master Garden Program of Westmoreland County. Master Gardener Emeritus status recognizes distinguished service of at least 1,500 volunteer hours and 10 or more years of...
Life during covid: North Huntingdon home health care supervisor writes fiction novel to escape stressVideo
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Since the onset of covid-19, there’s been no such thing as a routine home health care visit. Although the spread of coronavirus has slowed in the region, a North...
Pharmacist: Vaccine clinic at Greensburg Salem for more than teachers, district employees
Friday’s covid vaccine clinic at Greensburg Salem High School was open to more than just school district employees — most of whom were ineligible to be inoculated. Ed Christofano, president of Hayden’s Pharmacy, said he took issue with how district officials portrayed the event. An announcement on the district’s website...
Overtime, hazard pay boost Westmoreland County employee wages in 2020
Nearly a quarter of Westmoreland County employees were forced to sit home without a paycheck for several months last year while furloughed during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Other staffers, though, more than doubled their annual salaries though hazard pay and overtime. A Tribune-Review analysis of overtime and...
Regional impact of 1918 flu pandemic in Western Pennsylvania continued into following year
Closings of schools, taverns and movie theaters, along with warnings against large gatherings, aren’t new in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On Oct. 4, 1918, communities debated how to enforce statewide restrictions as the region was hit hard by a second wave of a global influenza pandemic that ultimately claimed about 2,000 lives...
