Westmoreland category, Page 549
Property tax assessment cut of 28% eyed in proposed Unity Plaza settlement
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering a settlement that would reduce the property tax assessment for Unity Plaza. The settlement would cut the proposed tax assessment for the retail center by 28%, from $600,000 to $432,000, for 2020 and 2021. The plaza, located at routes 30 and 981 in Unity,...
Volunteer ‘snugglers’ sought as Latrobe-based organization emerges from pandemicVideo
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Angel Arms, a free Westmoreland County family support service, provided short-term care for infants and young children for 25 to 30 guardians and parents on a regular basis so they could attend counseling or court-ordered addiction recovery programs. The small, Latrobe-based human service program is seeking...
Unity teens 1st area females to attain Eagle Scout rank
Two members of a Ligonier-based Boy Scout troop have just become Eagle Scouts, continuing a family tradition that started with their brother, who achieved the honor in 2018. What makes these two so different from others who have earned the highest rank in Scouting is that these 18-year-old college freshmen...
Export distiller partners with Penn Township company for ’boutique bourbon’ run
There is a lot of alliteration involving the letter “B” flying around White Valley Distilling in Export: things like “boutique bourbon” and “bloody butcher.” One is the special bourbon order that owners Jim Battaglia and Will Ramaley are making in partnership with Ventana Windows in nearby Penn Township. The other...
Ligonier councilwoman selected as Democratic nominee for 59th District seat
A Ligonier councilwoman has been nominated by the Westmoreland County Democratic Party to fill an open seat in the state House of Representatives, according to an announcement. Mariah Fisher was elected in 2017 to borough council. She is set to be the party’s nominee for the 59th Legislative District in...
Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, parkVideo
The cold weather didn’t stop a group of adventure seekers from taking to a snow-covered wooded trail Saturday in Murrysville. Maybe it was the promise of hot chocolate at the end of the nearly 3-mile hike or a desire to get outdoors with others during a time when indoor activities...
Helltown, Ohio nonprofit beer collaboration to pour proceeds to county food banks
Buy a beer and help the local food bank. Win, win. For folks in Westmoreland and Washington counties, that soon will be a reality when Helltown Brewing and Ohio nonprofit Helping Hops partner to release “Hellping Hops.” A portion of sales from the 6.5% ABV New England-style India pale ale...
Westmoreland County reports 72 new covid-19 cases, 6 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 72 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 25,202, which is an increase of about 540 cases from the preceding week’s 24,661. The week before had...
I-70 reopens at Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge after ‘serious’ crash
A few people were hurt in a Saturday morning crash that closed a portion of Interstate 70 on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge at the border of Westmoreland and Washington counties, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported around 6:45 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-70. The...
Death row inmate seeks new lawyer for appeal in Greensburg torture killing case
A death row inmate convicted in the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg wants a new lawyer after waiting more than three years for his court-appointed counsel to file an appeal. Ricky Smyrnes, 34, formerly of North Huntingdon, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced...
Westmoreland: Week in pictures, Feb.1-6
Here is a look at some of the images Tribune-Review photographers captured this week around Westmoreland County....
Voters to decide fate of reducing governor’s emergency powers
Pennsylvania voters will be able to decide in the May 18 primary election the fate of the Republican-backed proposed constitutional amendment to rein in the governor’s power to extend future emergency disaster declarations beyond 21 days without approval by state legislators. The General Assembly on Friday gave its final approval...
Derry Area School Board probes member Sean Kemmerer’s compliance with policy
A Derry Area school board member is under scrutiny by his elected colleagues. The board voted 8-1 this week to have its solicitor investigate whether Sean Kemmerer has violated board policy and confidentiality. The board moved to have solicitor Ned Nakles investigate Kemmerer’s conduct “to collect information bearing on the...
Troopers say man threatened Hempfield woman with a sword during assault
State troopers arrested a Greensburg man on charges including simple assault and strangulation following an incident Thursday at a Hempfield home that involved a sword. Troopers said they were dispatched for a report of a domestic disturbance and were met by a woman who reported that Nicholas J. Germano, 26,...
Route 22 high-speed chase in Salem nets New York man jail time
A New York man federal investigators said was a heroin supplier to a drug gang based on Pittsburgh’s South Side pleaded guilty Friday to leading police on a high-speed chase two years ago on Route 22 through Salem. Holiday L. Vaughn, 36, formerly the Bronx, was sentenced to serve up...
2 Greensburg councilmen announce reelection campaign
Two Greensburg city councilmen are getting an early start in their campaigns to keep their seats, this week announcing a joint re-election bid. Gregory Mertz and Donnie Zappone — both Republicans — are in the final year of their first term on council. The pair plan to start circulating petitions...
Deputies find fugitive hiding in closet in Unity mobile home
After three months on the lam, a Latrobe fugitive is back in custody now that Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies tracked him down — hauling him from a small crawl space in a bedroom closet of a Unity mobile home. Deputies arrested both Collin A. Quakenbush, 24, and Katelyn Stevens, 25,...
Air, water concerns voiced over proposed South Huntingdon coal refuse reclamation
Nearby residents and environmentalists are worried a proposed project to reclaim coal refuse in South Huntingdon could negatively impact local water and air quality. They aired their concerns this week at a virtual meeting about Robindale Energy Services’ plan to remove usable fuel from the Soberdash coal refuse pile on...
Westmoreland County reports 62 more covid cases, 9 deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 62 more cases of the coronavirus, dropping the seven-day average to 79. That’s the lowest the average has been since early November. The total reported cases in the county is 25,130, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 29 are confirmed...
Murrysville council authorizes purchase of new $1.5 million ladder truck
The ladder truck for Murrysville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 is affectionately referred to as “Diane.” But firefighters will have a new “woman” in their lives when August 2022 rolls around. Murrysville council approved the $1.5 million purchase of a new 2022 Sutphen aerial platform truck. “Sutphen met our need...
Western Pennsylvania sportsbooks bracing for Super Bowl action
The Steelers might not be in the Super Bowl this year, but that’s not stopping Pittsburghers from placing wagers on which team might take home the Vince Lombardi trophy. Bets are rolling in at local casinos ahead of Sunday’s game pitting the favored Kansas City Chiefs (-3, at most sportsbooks)...
Greensburg hires contractors for new public works garage
Work is nearly ready to begin on Greensburg’s new public works garage, and city officials hope to move in by this fall. By then, it will have been about two years since the fire that destroyed the city’s old garage. “It’ll be two years in October from when the fire...
Mushers, dog teams make the most of Laurel Mountain snowVideo
Ari Allen doesn’t particularly like being out in the freezing cold on a winter’s day. But her team of Siberian huskies and one Alaskan husky does. “I love my dogs. That’s probably the only motivation that would get me outside in this kind of weather,” the Hempfield resident said this...
Excela ‘Mask Up’ video taps Westmoreland facesVideo
Some recognizable faces — even behind masks — are helping Excela Health officials stress the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing while the coronavirus vaccine infiltrates the community. CEO John Sphon said the health system sought well-known figures to help spread the message as a way to reach county residents...
Upper Burrell man charged with woman’s attempted murder to remain in jail
An Upper Burrell man charged with the attempted murder of a woman will remain in jail after a Westmoreland County judge said Wednesday he is a danger to society. Police contend Matthew Best, 32, pointed a rifle and pulled the trigger during a confrontation Oct. 23. The woman’s life was...
