Westmoreland category, Page 547
Southmoreland School District continuing probe of teacher in connection with racist post
No action is expected at Southmoreland School Board’s meeting Thursday in response to a racist Facebook post purportedly made last month from a middle school teacher’s account, according to school officials. David Petonic, the district’s solicitor, said officials are continuing to investigate whether teacher Richard Love made the post. Petonic...
Trafford council president to seek Penn Township district judge seat
A Trafford borough councilman is hoping to be the next district judge in Penn Township. Kristopher Cardiff, 43, is seeking to win the seat currently held by District Judge Helen Kistler, who said she will retire at the end of this year when her third six-year term expires. “I was...
Irwin Council: Masks are optional at future meetings
Irwin Council decided Wednesday to no longer require anyone attending their meetings to wear a mask in spite of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to do so in order the slow the spread of covid-19. Meeting online through Irwin’s Facebook page, council decided 6-1 to return to...
Nicole Ziccarelli announces bid for Westmoreland County district attorney
Fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid to upset a two-term incumbent state senator, New Kensington lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli announced Wednesday she is seeking to oust another entrenched Democrat. Ziccarelli, a Republican, said she will run against six-term incumbent John Peck for the Westmoreland County District Attorney office in...
Greensburg man arrested in sexual assault, rape of 2 boys
A Greensburg man was arrested Wednesday on state police accusations that he raped a boy and sexually assaulted another in Unity nearly three years ago, according to court papers. Steven Michael Cope Jr., 25, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. Troopers said they received a...
Hempfield elementary school temporarily closed due to covid cases
A Hempfield elementary school is closed the rest of the week due to covid-19, according to district officials. West Point Elementary School will reopen Monday after one student and one staffer reported positive covid tests, according to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. Students will participate in remote learning Thursday...
Troopers: Latrobe fugitive arrested last week found with heroin, methamphetamine; new charges filed
When Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies searched the closet of a Unity mobile home last week, they found more than the 24-year-old fugitive they said had been dodging authorities for nearly three months, court documents reveal. According to complaints filed Wednesday by state troopers, Collin A. Quakenbush of Latrobe was discovered...
Train speeds set to increase along tracks running from Hempfield to YoungwoodVideo
Train speeds are set to increase this week along a portion of railroad tracks running through Hempfield and Youngwood. The increase, which will begin Friday, will bring speeds from 10 mph to 20 mph along sections of the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, according to Mark Rosner, president of Carload Express, the...
Former Westmoreland Recorder of Deeds Tom Murphy to run for new office
Tom Murphy spent 16 years as Westmoreland County’s recorder of deeds and, until last month, never considered running for another courthouse elected office. Murphy, who for the last year has been working the private sector after losing his re-election bid in 2019, received a call from his friend, Democratic incumbent...
You Are Here’s ‘Portraits of Jeannette’ pays tribute to familiar city faces
Photographer John Howard is a familiar face around Jeannette, as he documents people, places and events for the local historical society and various publications. Now, Howard will pay tribute to some other familiar Jeannette residents in an exhibit opening Feb. 20 at You Are Here. “Portraits of Jeannette” will run...
Westmoreland County adds 84 covid cases, 3 deaths
Westmoreland County on Wednesday added 84 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county’s totals now stand at 25,516 cases and 645 deaths associated with covid-19. Of those newly added cases, 26 are confirmed and 58 are probable. According to the state’s covid-19...
Westmoreland Symphony’s Young Artist Competition winners to hit virtual stage
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and its Academy of Music will present its 2021 Young Artists Competition winners’ recital as a virtual event this year. The program will premiere at 3 p.m. Feb. 21 on the symphony’s YouTube channel. The young artist competition is open to students who reside or take...
Latrobe eyes signs to help keep brewery traffic on course
Latrobe city officials are working with City Brewing to curb off-course truck traffic headed to and from the company’s Latrobe plant. It’s unclear how that traffic could be affected by the recent announced loss of Iron City Beer production at the plant. Latrobe Public Works Director Scott Wajdic told city...
Student artwork at Ligonier museum created in unusual circumstances
The artwork in the annual “Artists of the 21st Century” student exhibition is always impressive, said Kristin Miller, site coordinator of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art-Ligonier Valley, where the show opens on Friday. The circumstances under which it was created this year make it even more so. “I give...
Pitt-Greensburg, Saint Vincent snare grants for construction projects
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and Saint Vincent College will tap a pair of state grants to expand campus facilities. The schools were among scores of businesses, colleges and government agencies that were approved for Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program (R-CAP) grants during the final round of grant awards for...
Jeannette seeks flooding fix before Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County digs up sports field
Jeannette officials want the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County to agree to fix a flooding problem in 15 homes before allowing the authority to dig up part of a sports field in West Jeannette for a project. The two entities have been working on an agreement for months, said city...
Westmoreland events include parenting conference, turkey dinner
Fundraisers • Community Church of Hecla, 537 Hecla Road, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host a turkey dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at the church. Dine in or takeout. Details and takeout orders: 724-396-8065 or 724-244-2586 • West Newton Public Library is selling tickets for a Valentine’s Day...
Arnold Palmer airport 5-year plan envisions possible terminal expansion, added fire truck
A five-year plan for continued development of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport proposes additions to firefighting and snow removal equipment and renovation of the control tower. Officials also envision a further expansion of the terminal building — a move that could be justified if the Unity airport were to land a...
Hempfield landlord sued over fall
The estate of a Hempfield man who died two months after he crashed through the front porch railing of his rented home wants his former landlord to pay funeral and burial expenses even though he died from an unrelated medical condition. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Westmoreland County,...
Delmont councilman removed from vice president position
Delmont councilman Bill Marx already opted to not seek reelection as he faces a possible fall 2021 deployment in with his Army Reserves unit. The former Marine now has been stripped of his role as borough council vice president for publicly calling out fellow council members who have not worn...
Gas line replacement project ongoing in North Huntingdon
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania crews have started to replace more than 11,600 feet of gas pipelines serving about 90 customers on six streets in North Huntingdon, the company said. Customers along Main Street and Iris, Saralyn, Tulip, Hazel and Mica drives will be affected, Columbia Gas officials said. The gas...
Peck seeks to extend quarter-century run as Westmoreland DA
District Attorney John Peck announced he will try to extend his quarter-century run as Westmoreland County’s top prosecutor for another four years. Peck, 74, a Democrat from New Kensington, said he will seek a seventh term in office this year. “Leadership in law enforcement and justice in the courts are...
New Stanton man to serve up to 3 years in prison for child sexual assault
A New Stanton man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a young girl, his third child victim in more than a decade, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Paul E. Chamberlain, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of indecent assault for improper sexual...
Penn-Trafford-Jeannette covid cases tallied for week ending Feb. 9, 2021
The number of new confirmed covid cases in the Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area remained nearly level, with 30 new cases in the seven-day period ending Feb. 9 — up 3 from the week prior — according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Since the pandemic began in March, the six...
Mother, daughter injured in Pa. Turnpike bus crash last year file suit
A woman and her 11-year-old daughter who were severely injured in the fatal bus crash last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County have filed a federal lawsuit alleging negligence. The complaint, filed Saturday in U.S. District Court, names as defendants Z&D Tours Inc., which operated the tour bus;...
