Westmoreland category, Page 567
Arnold man accused of exposing himself to Westmoreland County Prison worker
An Arnold man already being held in the Westmoreland County Prison was arrested last week after, police say, he exposed himself to a female commissary worker at the jail. John D. Weathersby, 46, is charged with indecent exposure and open lewdness. The incident was reported to county detectives on Jan....
Murrysville still seeking consultant for amphitheater project
Officials on Wednesday will consider advertising a more specific request for a consultant to help plan an outdoor amphitheater near Murrysville Community Park. Despite a $299,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, council members opted to delay construction of the amphitheater last spring, in part due...
Tamara Mahady hopes to keep district justice seat in the family
A Latrobe lawyer is hoping to keep a potentially vacant district justice seat in the family. Tamara Mahady, 32, announced this week her intention to run for district judge in the Unity office currently held by her cousin, District Judge Michael Mahady. Tamara Mahady said her varied law background would...
Irwin to return to virtual council meetings
Irwin will return to virtual meetings when council conducts its business until further notice, at least until the governor lifts the limits on in-person gatherings. With little fanfare and no criticism of Gov. Tom Wolf, council voted 5-1 on Jan. 13 to return to the virtual meetings that can be...
Beat the winter blues with wildlife and Westmoreland’s beautiful viewsVideo
The winter of 2021 is shaping up to look much like the spring, summer and fall of 2020 — at least when it comes to most forms of in-person socializing. But one place that has remained safe for activity throughout the pandemic has been the great outdoors, and that certainly...
Irwin tries to tackle $182 problem caused by Dunkin’ traffic snagVideo
Imagine paying $182 for a cup of coffee and a doughnut? Outrageous? But some thirsty motorists have been just doing that. They stop for their morning coffee and a doughnut at the Dunkin’ store along the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Irwin. But when they exit, they make a...
County leaders in Pa. call for mail-in ballot reform
County commissioners throughout Pennsylvania are calling for a series of election reforms they contend will improve the balloting process across the state and clarify procedures that resulted in counting delays and litigation. According to a preliminary report released Thursday by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, officials recommend state lawmakers...
Youngwood’s where the wild things are
The monthly Westmoreland Reptile Expo was held at the Youngwood Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall on Sunday. The expo, which began in 2015, features a number of reptiles and amphibians, as well as supplies and other items for sale. The next expo will take place on Feb. 7....
Rostraver house damaged by fire
The cause of a fire that damaged a vacant house in Rostraver early Saturday morning is under investigation, Rostraver firefighters said. The one-story house in the 200 block of Sylvan Drive was fully involved in fire when they arrived on the scene, Rostraver Central firefighters said on a Facebook post....
2 Greensburg organizations receive $20,000 grants for building renovations
The Greensburg Community Development Corporation is giving two local organizations $20,000 each to support renovations of two city buildings. McDowell Associates Insurance and the Westmoreland Bar Association both recently restored vacant buildings to be their new headquarters. They are the second and third recipients of the corporation’s “G-Fund” grant program,...
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...
