Westmoreland category, Page 544
Westmoreland County reports 92 new covid cases, 5 deaths
Despite an increase in new cases from yesterday, Westmoreland County continues to see an overall decline in its new case average. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 92 new cases of coronavirus Thursday. It’s the 15th straight day the county’s new case count was in double digits. The last time...
Westmoreland water authority to meet with contractors, gas well operators
Representatives from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County plan to talk with companies that work around two of its fresh water sources — the Beaver Run Reservoir in Westmoreland County and the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville and McKeesport — about maintaining the integrity of its drinking water. The authority plans...
Loaded gun found as Kittanning man goes through Arnold Palmer Regional Airport checkpoint
A Kittanning man will be fined after attempting to take a loaded handgun through security at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Wednesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The .380 caliber handgun with six bullets appeared on the security checkpoint’s X-ray machine, where it was spotted by a TSA...
Westmoreland County bars and restaurants in line for nearly $4M in grants
Westmoreland County will hand out nearly $4 million in grants to local restaurants and other hospitality businesses struggling to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from the $145 million Pennsylvania Hospitality Industry Recovery Program approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf. Westmoreland is slated to receive $3.95...
Norwin chili cookoff goes virtual
Like so many activities the past 11 months, the popular Norwin Rotary Chili Cookoff & Wing Things that raises money to give nutritious food to needy students at Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace Elementary school, is going virtual this year, organizers said. “Wearing masks, social distancing and crowd limitation guidelines to keep...
North Huntingdon running low on road salt; back order never filled
As another snowstorm hits the region, North Huntingdon is starting to run low on road salt and has been unable to get the 3,400 tons of the ice-melting rocks it ordered last month, township officials said. There is sufficient road salt for the snowstorm forecast through Friday, public works director...
Murrysville officials pleased with second round of proposals for amphitheater project
Murrysville recreation officials will look at a second round of responses on Thursday to their request for a consultant to help conceptualize a park amphitheater project. Council and staff are looking to use a $299,000 state grant to help fund an amphitheater and performance space on 4.5 acres at Murrysville...
Hempfield postpones health and wellness fair until September
Hempfield leaders have postponed a health and wellness fair due to concerns over covid-19. The event, originally scheduled for Feb. 28 at the township Athletic Complex, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25, according to a post on the township’s Facebook page. Township leaders postponed the...
Scottdale man gets prison sentence for child rape
A Scottdale man will serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape and repeated sexual assault of a young girl over a five-year period that ended in 2016. Dylan Chiaramonte, 28, declined to speak during his a sentencing hearing Wednesday during which his accuser, now 14, told him...
Greensburg’s singing florist Gary Pratt has new album, record label
Greensburg’s singing florist Gary Pratt is celebrating two steps forward in his musical career. The owner of Le Jardin Florals and Home Accents has a new album and a new record label. With a March 26 release date, “Something Worth Remembering” will be the country singer’s third full-length album. The...
Fayette man’s Virginia confession results in guilty plea to sex charges
A former Fayette County man will serve up to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl 20 years ago. Lawrence Wesley Henry Jr., 50, formerly of Normalville and East Huntingdon, will serve his prison sentence in Virginia, where he first confessed to his crime in Westmoreland County following...
Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority seeking blighted properties for demolition
The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority has a significant chunk of money to help clear blight from communities. Now officials just need vacant buildings with the potential for demolition, said Brian Lawrence, executive director. “It is an essential thing that we have to face in our communities,” he said. The countywide...
Westmoreland County sees 4 additional covid deaths, cases steady
Westmoreland County on Wednesday added four new covid deaths, after two days with none, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The total number of covid deaths in the county now stands at 652 since the pandemic started last March. There have been 47 reported deaths in February....
Excela starting to offer covid vaccines to public when available; most staffers immunized
About 70% of Excela Health’s staff are immunized against the coronavirus and a limited number of appointments are periodically being opened to community members who meet the state’s guidelines. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox said the health system late last week opened appointments on its website to people over...
Westmoreland news includes craft show, scholarship application deadline
Festival • The Fort Armstrong Folk Festival, planned for Aug. 5-8, in Kittanning, is accepting space applications from vendors. Hours of operation will be 5 to 10 p.m. Aug. 5, noon to 10 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7, and noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 8. Vendors in the artists market...
Unity panel hears neighbor complaints, zoning appeal concerning backyard chickens
Neighbors complained about noise and odor from backyard chickens in Unity Tuesday as the owners concluded their testimony in pursuit of a zoning variance needed to keep the birds. Kristin and Jeff Kuhns are appealing a July 13 ruling by township zoning officer Harry Hosack that they can’t keep a...
Blackburn Center in Greensburg offers online training for violence hotline volunteers
The Blackburn Center in Greensburg is offering training for those interested in volunteering for the organization’s hotline that receives calls from victims of domestic and sexual violence. The 12-week training session, which begins March 8, teaches prospective volunteers skills needed to answer calls on the 24/7 hotline while also teaching...
Greensburg Civic Theatre takes comedic, poignant look at love
Two sets of actors will play a couple at different stages in their relationship in Greensburg Civic Theatre’s production of “I Do! I Do! I Do! I Do!”, which the group calls a portrait of “50 years of love, quarrels and marriage.” The musical will be staged Friday through Sunday...
Superintendent: Greater Latrobe no longer bound by strict school closure benchmarks
Greater Latrobe School District officials say they’ll have greater flexibility in assessing the need for covid-related school closures now that Westmoreland County has completed two consecutive weeks in the moderate level for community transmission of the coronavirus. According to Superintendent Georgia Teppert, the county’s return to a moderate transmission level...
Greater Latrobe OKs decrease in taxes for plaza, raises for property tax collectors
Greater Latrobe School Board has signed off on a settlement that will reduce the property tax assessment for a shopping center in Unity by 28%. It also voted to increase the compensation for two elected real estate tax collectors ahead of this year’s municipal elections. The board this week approved...
North Huntingdon-Irwin covid cases up slightly as of Feb. 16, 2021
The post-holiday spread of confirmed covid cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area rose by 57 from Feb. 8-16, according to state Department of Health data released Tuesday. That translates to an increase of 2.2%. The fact that the increase in cases from Feb. 8-16 was greater than the 43...
Western Pa. GOP focuses ire on Pat Toomey, as Republicans battle for control of the party
The border separating Allegheny County from the surrounding metro area is beginning to look more like the fault lines shaking a Republican Party trying to come to terms with the aftermath of a second impeachment trial of former President Trump. County GOP chairs in Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Lawrence, York and...
Pa. jobless benefit scams at $2.5M; Arnold woman pleads guilty to defrauding system
While many jobless Pennsylvanians have struggled to get unemployment benefits during the covid pandemic, the state has paid out at least $2.5 million in fraudulent claims, state officials said Tuesday. That might be just the tip of the iceberg, the officials said. The $2.5 million was siphoned off by just...
Burgatory gets national nod among restaurants ‘primed for success’
Burgatory was named to QSR’s annual list of America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals, one of 40 restaurants in the nation to be recognized. QSR, a magazine that caters to the restaurant industry, launched the list in 2017. “Everyone wants to find the next big thing in restaurants,” Sam Oches wrote...
Penn man accused of assaulting woman during fight about bathroom use
State police say a Penn Borough man assaulted two people during a fight about who was going to use the bathroom at an apartment Monday, according to court documents. Dakota Scheetz, 24, was arraigned Tuesday on two counts each of harassment and simple assault filed by troopers after the 5...
