Westmoreland category, Page 575
Unity woman to seek district justice seat
A Unity woman who has worked for the last decade as a criminal justice liaison with the county’s mental health agency announced this week she will run to fill a potentially vacant district justice seat. Rebecca Salandro, 38, said she wants to serve as a judge on the local court...
State police looking for Hempfield man accused of fleeing arrest, threatening girlfriend
State police this week obtained an arrest warrant for a Hempfield man wanted for threatening to harm his girlfriend and fleeing from police. Police are looking for Shawn P. McCune, 32, of Grapeville, on charges of driving on a suspended license, false imprisonment, fleeing and eluding, flight to avoid prosecution,...
Hempfield to continue with remote learning through holidays
Students in the Hempfield Area School District will continue with remote learning until after the holidays. According to a letter posted on the district’s Facebook page, schools will reopen Jan. 4, following the Christmas break. The decision to keep schools closed came days after school board members reaffirmed that students...
Irwin’s annual Festival of Trees altered because of covid restrictions
Irwin’s annual Festival of Trees, with the stores featuring decorated trees, will be yet another event that will be altered because of the pandemic covid-19 restrictions. To allow for social distancing, there will be a self-guided walking tour around downtown Irwin spread over six days. The event starts Dec. 4...
Mt. Pleasant Area School District will keep remote learning through end of semester
Students in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District will continue with remote learning until the end of the semester. According to a letter posted on the district’s website by Superintendent Timothy Gabauer, it will last until Jan. 21. The decision came as covid-19 cases continue to rise across Westmoreland County....
Greensburg plans inventory of blighted city properties
There are more than 6,000 parcels of land in the City of Greensburg, and Westmoreland County employees soon will examine all of them to figure out which are blighted. The city received a $10,000 grant from the Realtors Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and Mon Valley to partner with the county...
Crabtree race organizers run with ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ theme
Things are expected to get ugly Dec. 12 in the village of Crabtree. But that’s just fine with Julie Watkins and Kathy Kuhns. They’re organizing the second annual St. Bartholomew Church Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K and 2-Mile Walk for 11 a.m. that day. About 150 participants came from as far...
New covid cases force 2 Westmoreland County courthouse offices to close
Two Westmoreland County Courthouse offices were shut down Friday as the coronavirus continues to surge. The Register of Wills Office, which processes estate documents and marriage licenses, was closed on the courthouse’s third floor along with the Public Defender’s Office on the fourth floor after staffers tested positive for the...
WOW Outlets property for sale in Hempfield for $2.5 million
After about 30 years under the ownership of the Maskowitz family, WOW Outlets in Hempfield is for sale. The building, which houses World of Values and Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity, among others, has been on the market for about a year, said owner Barry Maskowitz. He noted that the...
Equine therapeutic center in Cook Township plans drive-thru holiday Winterfest
The STAT Ligonier Therapeutic Center will spread some holiday cheer with a drive-through Winterfest, from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19. “We were thinking about how so many Christmas events have been canceled, and we wanted to do something for the kids and the community,” said founder Catherine Markosky. The...
Westmoreland County sets record (again) for new covid-19 cases
Westmoreland County set another high for new covid-19 cases Friday, marking a second straight day a record was set. There were 412 new cases reported Friday, following Thursday’s 400 case count. In the past two days, the county has recorded more covid cases (812) than it did in its first...
Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center to begin remote instruction
Students at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center will move to full-time remote instruction on Monday as Westmoreland County has experienced several weeks with a “substantial” level of covid-19 transmission and cases have been on the rise. Full remote instruction also is underway or imminent at the three school districts...
Westmoreland County to award additional pandemic grants
Westmoreland County will award a final round of covid-relief grants next week to small businesses, while nonprofit agencies and local volunteer fire departments will receive awards later this month. Commissioners on Thursday increased grants handed out last week to Penn and Washington townships to cover coronavirus-related costs incurred by their...
Virtual meeting set to update public on Laurel Valley road project in Unity
PennDOT will hold a virtual meeting this month for the public to review and comment on plans for the northern section of the proposed Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. The project proposes an alternate, improved alignment for 11 miles of the Route 981 corridor, between Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant...
Norwin middle, high school students to stay in virtual learning mode through December
With covid cases rising in Norwin schools and high absenteeism among employees, middle and high school students will have virtual instruction for the remainder of December, the district announced Thursday. Elementary and intermediate middle school students will return to a hybrid mode two days of in-person learning and three days...
Hempfield school leaders take first steps toward feasibility study to rebuild or renovate high school
Hempfield school officials are moving forward with a feasibility study that will look into renovating or rebuilding the high school. Board members voted unanimously this week to advertise for requests for proposal to find a company to complete the study, which will determine what kind of project is possible at...
Ethics commission fines former Belle Vernon Area superintendent for violationsVideo
The Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission this week fined a former superintendent of the Belle Vernon Area School District $1,250 for numerous ethics violations. The commission said John Wilkinson, who resigned in 2018, borrowed several pieces of district equipment for his personal use, including a generator, circular saw and cement mixer....
Additional charges filed against Latrobe counselor accused of sexual abuse of minors
Five more former clients of a Latrobe therapist accused of inappropriate behavior during counseling sessions have come forward with new allegations, according to court papers. Gregory Patrick Miscik, 49, of Salem was charged Nov. 6 with trafficking, sexual abuse of children, child pornography, corruption of minors, indecent assault and harassment....
Latrobe man convicted of illicit contact with a minor accused of soliciting images from girl
A Latrobe man serving time at home on electronic monitoring for illicit contact with a juvenile in 2017 was arrested again Wednesday by state police on new charges of having a girl send him explicit images through social media. Cristofer R. Dowden, 21, was arraigned on two counts of indecent...
Westmoreland County sees record 400 new covid-19 cases, surpasses 10,000 total cases
Westmoreland County added a record 400 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, pushing the total number of cases over the 10,000 mark. The state also reported that there were six new deaths in the county. The total number of cases in the county now stands...
Hempfield Area middle school students’ return to daily in-person classes delayed
Hempfield middle school students hoping to return to in-person classes full time beginning early next year will now have to wait a few more weeks as covid-19 cases continue to spike. Superintendent Tammy Wolicki recommended that students return to in-person classes five days a week beginning Jan. 19 rather than...
State loan could help add jobs at industrial park housing former Volkswagen, Sony plants
A state loan of $2.25 million could bring more than 100 new jobs to the RIDC Westmoreland industrial complex near New Stanton. The low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania will help with a proposed $5.6 million renovation. The work...
‘Christmas Brasstacular’ opens River City Brass online concert seasonVideo
The emotional impact of not being able to play together during the pandemic didn’t hit members of River City Brass until they finally gathered to rehearse and record their upcoming online concert season. “We hadn’t played since March. For us to come together was very overwhelming,” said artistic director and...
Norwin covid-19 cases top 100; 21 new cases reported
Norwin School District officials said Wednesday the district has 21 new covid-19 cases among its students and staff, pushing the total number of cases since school began Aug. 31 to more than 100. The reports of 21 new cases, pushing the total to 114 cases of the coronavirus, is the...
Hempfield to continue with hybrid model of learning next week
The Hempfield Area School Board reaffirmed students will return to in-person classes every other day starting next week after they completed a week of remote learning after the Thanksgiving break. Students will return to in-person classes through the hybrid model Monday after district leaders said they returned a formal notice...
