Westmoreland category, Page 570
Greensburg-Salem to return to hybrid instruction; P-T middle school sports halted
Greensburg Salem’s 2,700 students will return to hybrid instruction on Jan. 19 instead of Jan. 26th, as previously announced, provided the number of positive covid cases among students and staff in each building meet state guidelines. The school district said all covid prevention and mitigation measures such as cleaning procedures,...
Unity sports bar allowed to reopen following shutdown because of covid violations
John and Jamie Huemme were delighted Friday when a state inspector reversed an order that would have forced Sharky’s Cafe and Pier, one of the region’s largest sports bars, to close during Sunday’s Steelers-Browns playoff game. The landmark sports bar and eatery, located along Route 30 in Unity, was ordered...
A Slice of New York brings Big Apple pizzas to ManorVideo
Sean Jefairjian’s dream of opening a pizza shop was partially because of frustration. “It’s very hard to find a traditional New York pie,” he said. A native of the Bronx, Jefairjian has lived in Southwestern Pennsylvania for 20 years. There are a few places in the region to get pizza...
2020 brings increase in Westmoreland overdose deaths
There appears to be a slight uptick in the number of people who died from a drug overdose in Westmoreland County in 2020 after two consecutive years of decreases. County coroner statistics show that 102 people died of a drug overdose last year and 19 more cases are suspected. That...
Nearly $1M in state grants will address mine drainage, stormwater in WestmorelandVideo
The Turtle Creek Watershed stretches across 147 square miles, straddling Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. With the support of a state grant, the 50-year-old watershed association plans to assess the many areas where abandoned mine discharges pollute the creek and its tributaries, to help qualify for additional funds to clean up...
Sports card appraiser looking at Greensburg collection says sell valuable cards now
Collectors holding onto cards of star football, basketball or baseball players as a financial investment should consider selling them now, according to a vintage sports card and memorabilia appraiser who plans to evaluate a Greensburg-area collection this week. “Now is a good time to sell. Prices have exploded higher than...
From high school dropout to $3M venture, Derry native launches gamer coaching platformVideo
When Josh Fabian dropped out of high school in Derry and moved out of his parents’ home all before the age of 18, he wasn’t expecting a career in web design to fall into his lap. He certainly wasn’t expecting to be heading up a gamer coaching company that’s attracted...
Norwin adds 16 covid cases this week; 32 since holiday break
Norwin School District officials said they were notified of 12 more coronavirus cases among students and staff on Friday, raising the total number of cases to 32 since the holiday break began Dec. 22. Two students each from the high school, middle school, Hillcrest Intermediate, Stewartsville Elementary and Sunset Valley...
Readying for renovation in GreensburgVideo
An excavator for Vince Construction Co. of Greensburg removes the debris gutted from a five-story building at South Pennsylvania Avenue and West Second Street in Greensburg, that Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires purchased last year. Squires has said the renovated building will have a dance studio on the first floor,...
Westmoreland Clerk of Courts to close offices noon to 1 p.m. daily for sanitizing
A covid-19 outbreak has promoted officials to announce new hours at the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office. Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline said beginning Monday, Jan. 11, the office will be closed from noon to 1 p.m. daily for cleaning and sanitizing. “We have had another surge of covid...
Blue lights mark human trafficking awareness campaign
The Westmoreland County Courthouse dome will be bathed in blue light every night Jan. 9-15 to drive home the reality that human trafficking cuts across all geographic and social lines. Renee Reitz, a spokeswoman for the Westmoreland Human Trafficking Task Force, said it’s important that people realize these crimes may...
Westmoreland County reports 273 new covid-19 cases, 4 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 273 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County. The county’s total cases are at 21,622, which is an increase of more than 1,800-cases from last week’s 19,806. The week before had a change of about 1,700 cases. On Friday, a weekly...
Unity native, Broadway vet Jerad Bortz stays thankful after life-changing accidentVideo
Going into 2018, Unity native Jerad Bortz had a lot to be thankful for, not the least of which was a successful career on Broadway, including 12 years with the hit musical “Wicked.” That could have changed forever in early February of that year, when a car accident left him...
Greensburg Salem foundation targets hybrid learning needs
Members of the Greensburg Salem Education Foundation were already hard at work raising money for classroom grants before the covid-19 crisis began. That made it easy to pivot a bit and focus their efforts this year on supplying educators with the tools they’d need to teach in a new hybrid...
Route 30 lane restrictions slated in North Huntingdon
Lane restrictions will be in place on a section of Route 30 in North Huntingdon beginning Monday. According to PennDOT, the restrictions will occur weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., between Michigan Lane and Woodside Road. That will allow crews to perform geotechnical boring in the area. The restrictions...
Jeannette Driver License Center opens Tuesday, as services shift from Greensburg
PennDOT is moving its Greensburg Driver License Center to a new location in Jeannette, beginning Tuesday. The updated center is in a converted building at 1100 Lowry Ave. The site previously was occupied by a discount retail store. It will offer free Wi-Fi service for customers and will feature enhanced...
Seton Hill severs ties with adjunct professor over Facebook posts, which he denies
Seton Hill University has parted ways with an adjunct professor after posts were made on his Facebook page referencing violence in relation to the Wednesday siege by supporters of President Trump at the U.S. Capitol. Gary Hypes claimed he did not write the posts, suggesting someone else might have used...
Westmoreland elections bureau to hire deputy director
Westmoreland County is seeking candidates to fill a deputy director’s position for the elections bureau ahead of the 2021 campaign season to help ease the burden on an office that was understaffed and pushed to its limits last fall. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 20. “We need to be...
Delmont man sentenced for possession of child pornography
A Delmont man was sentenced Friday to serve nearly two years in jail for possession of child pornography. Michael Goodis, 53, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in October of 32 felony counts in connection with at least 30 different pornographic images found stored on his computer equipment depicting...
Hempfield neighborhood raises more than $2,000 for food bank
The residents of the South Meadow at Lindwood development in Hempfield have long been a tight-knit bunch, according to Joseph Lanza, president of the condominium association. In a normal year, many of the neighborhood’s roughly 120 residents gather for monthly social events. When one of them gets sick, their neighbors...
Hempfield District Judge Anthony Bompiani retires with year left in term
Saying he wanted to “start a new chapter” in his life, Hempfield District Judge Anthony Bompiani has hung up his robe. Bompiani, 41, of Hempfield served as district judge for five years. He retired, effective Dec. 31, according to county special courts administrator Christopher A. Haidze. “I’ve been thinking about...
Latrobe man accused of indecently assaulting Adelphoi runaway
Police filed indecent assault charges against a Latrobe man accused of helping a 17-year-old run away from an Adelphoi Village group home. Eric L. Mallin, 50, and his wife, Michele L. Mallin, 48, were charged with corruption of minors after police say they helped the girl when she left the...
Proposed contract would turn South Huntingdon coal refuse into potential industrial site
A coal refuse pile in South Huntingdon that has been a source of pollution in adjacent Sewickley Creek for decades could soon be transformed into a site for potential industrial development. Latrobe-based Robindale Energy Services plans to remove about 85% of the coal refuse, known as the Soberdash Pile, and...
Covid cases reported in Hempfield Area schools during 1st week after holiday break
Days after students in the Hempfield Area School District returned to school buildings following the holiday break, new covid-19 cases were reported. According to a tracker posted on the district’s website, there are five active cases among students and staffers, which are identified as individuals who were in school buildings...
Westmoreland County hits record hospitalizations for covid-19
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 184 residents hospitalized for covid-19, the most since the pandemic began. Of those, 19 are in intensive care units and 13 are on ventilators. Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported the county added 346 new cases of coronavirus, with 146 of those confirmed...
