Westmoreland category, Page 558
Pandemic exposes weakness in Pa. counties without health departments, like Westmoreland
When Kim Ward was sworn in as a Westmoreland County commissioner in 2008, one of her first questions was: Who oversees the county’s health department? The former respiratory therapist was stunned to learn there wasn’t one. Westmoreland, like 61 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, leaves the issue of public health to...
Diamond Theatre of Ligonier presents its postponed play ‘The Christmas Eve Diner Dilemma’
After being postponed for about a month, Diamond Theatre of Ligonier is presenting its original play “The Christmas Eve Diner Dilemma” this weekend. The show, written and directed by Leigh Ann McCulty and her son, Lanigan, is set in the 1950s. It follows Louise, Al, and their two young daughters...
Forbes Road residents shocked gobbler ‘Butterball’ shot by game wardenVideo
Forbes Road residents remained stunned this weekend after a state game warden gunned down Butterball, a free-roaming, friendly turkey that some had come to consider the unofficial mascot of this Salem Township village. “People are in shock. It was a pet,” Josh Nuttall, 35, said Saturday of the dark-feathered turkey...
Jamison Farm to close, ending 35-year run of supplying lamb to top restaurantsVideo
John and Sukey Jamison are bidding farewell to the business they’ve enjoyed for 35 years at their farm in Unity. The couple is phasing out their highly regarded Jamison Farm line of grass-fed lamb products, a decision prompted in part by the covid-19 pandemic. “We had been thinking about retirement...
Westmoreland County posts 173 covid-19 cases, 3 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 173 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 23,039, which is an increase of more than 1,400 cases from last week’s 21,622. The week before had...
Social ‘climate,’ lagging pay could be fueling decline in municipal police applicants
Some local police chiefs are having a tough time finding officers to join their forces. Jeannette recently advertised seeking candidates to take a civil service test. It received three applications. Irwin had five applicants for its test — all of whom were already part-time officers in the borough. After receiving...
Hempfield elementary school closed Tuesday due to covid-19
An elementary school in the Hempfield Area School District will be temporarily closed early next week after covid-19 cases were reported in the building. Fort Allen Elementary School will close Tuesday, Jan. 19, after three active cases were reported in the building, according to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki....
Dispatch: 2 people taken to hospital following I-70 crash
Two people were taken to the hospital following a crash on Interstate 70 in New Stanton Friday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to the two-vehicle crash, which closed the eastbound lanes of the highway at the on-ramp to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, around 6:30 p.m. The scene...
Westmoreland County Democrats flock to the GOP in week of D.C. riot, bucking Pa. trend
Nowhere else in Pennsylvania saw more Democratic voters switch their party allegiances to Republican than in Westmoreland County during the first week of January. From Jan. 4 through Jan. 11, there were 189 registered Democrats who became members of the GOP, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Department of State....
Jeannette cryogenic plant to be fully operational by summer
Construction of Elliott Group’s $60 million cryogenic pump test stand is on schedule and is expected to be completed this spring, according to spokeswoman Christy Bash. The facility should be in full operation this summer, she said. Crews have been working through the winter at the former site of the...
Hempfield hit-and-run victim gives police photo of alleged driver, leads to arrest
As Eugene Hunter was being wheeled to an ambulance on a gurney Thursday afternoon, he handed state police a cellphone he said contained a photo of the driver who ran him down in a Hempfield parking lot. Trooper Tristan Tappe reported in court documents that the photograph, taken moments before...
Westmoreland County reports fewest new coronavirus cases in about 2 weeks
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 153 additional cases of covid-19, the fewest in nearly two weeks. That dropped the seven-day case average to 217, the lowest since New Year’s Day. Of the new cases, 101 were confirmed from 457 PCR tests while 52 were listed as probable by the Pennsylvania...
Security upgrades coming to Westmoreland government buildings
Security at Westmoreland County government facilities will be tightened as part of a $2.4 million project approved Thursday. Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Dagostino Electronic Services of Homestead to install new systems that consolidate cameras and other security features at the courthouse complex in Greensburg, Westmoreland Manor, the county...
Monessen extends protections to LGBTQ community
Monessen city officials have extended protections to members of the LGBTQ community through a nondiscrimination ordinance. The action, which council passed unanimously this week, forbids discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Protections previously were based on race, gender and religion. “Monessen’s a...
Firefighter collapses while battling blaze in Greensburg
A Southwest Greensburg firefighter was injured while battling a house fire Friday morning, according to Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell. The fire at 231 Painter Street in Greensburg was reported around 2:30 a.m. The firefighter collapsed while on the roof of the home, according to Bell. He was taken to...
Garage fire doused quickly in Derry Township
An early morning garage fire broke out on the 100 block of Flowers Road in Derry Township, according to Westmoreland County 911. The fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Friday. New Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department and other neighboring departments responded and had the fire under control within about 30...
No injuries reported in Derry Township house fire
Firefighters battled a blaze early Friday morning at a Derry Township home, according to Westmoreland County 911. The fire on the 600 block of Pizza Barn Road was reported shortly before 4 a.m. Firefighters had it under control before 5 a.m., according to 911. No injuries were reported. Pizza Barn...
Ralph Snyder, architect of West Point youth softball program, dies at age 80
Ralph Snyder had just moved his family from Norvelt to West Point in 1977 and signed up his oldest daughter, Renee, in the West Point Little League. His daughter made the West Point fast-pitch all-star team in 1978 and competed in the state tournament in Williamsport. West Point was overmatched....
North Huntingdon restaurant defies closure ordered by state for covid-19 rule violation
A North Huntingdon restaurant was open for business Thursday despite an order to close over alleged violation of state rules meant to mitigate the spread of covid-19. “We’ve been reported because people don’t have the mask,” Cenacolo Restaurant owner Steve Salvi said, referring to the face coverings the state requires...
Latrobe men charged by police after daylight brawl involving knife, pepper spray
Two men were arrested when an ongoing feud resulted in a daylight brawl Wednesday along a main thoroughfare in Latrobe, city police said. Police said one person allegedly used pepper spray and a small knife during the fight along the 1900 block of Ligonier Street near Latrobe Elementary School about...
Pandemic pay continues for contracted nurses but not most Westmoreland County employees
Most Westmoreland County employees won’t see additional pay this month for working during the covid-19 pandemic, but commissioners Thursday agreed to a bump in wages for workers from a private company providing care at the county-owned nursing home. The pandemic pay was included in a contract extension with Dedicated Nursing...
State police investigating vehicle-pedestrian accident in Hempfield
State police are investigating a vehicle-pedestrian accident Thursday in a Westmoreland County Housing Authority complex in Hempfield. An unidentified man was taken by Mutual Aid Ambulance to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville with multiple injuries after being hit by a vehicle along Lenhart Avenue in the West Hempfield Townhomes complex, according...
Shop with a Cop program succeeds despite pandemicVideo
The pandemic that struck the region canceled many activities, but not the holiday tradition of the Westmoreland County Shop with a Cop program. “We were able to help 804 children this year,” said Trooper Steve Limani, who coordinates the program which is in its 13th year. “There was a spike...
Westmoreland County adds 14 covid deaths
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 14 additional covid deaths and 203 cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths bring the county’s death toll to 516. The county passed 500 reported deaths on Wednesday. There have been 93 deaths attributed to the virus this month in the county....
Occupants escape house fire in Yukon
A basement fire was quickly extinguished Thursday at a Yukon home, according to Yukon Fire Second Assistant Chief John Stants. When firefighters arrived in the South Huntingdon village, they saw “smoke coming out of pretty much every window in the house,” Stants said. Firefighters breached a basement door just feet...
