Westmoreland category, Page 575
Latrobe eyes 2% hike in residential garbage rates
Latrobe residents could pay higher garbage fees next year, as officials consider passing on a 2% increase in the city’s contract with hauler Republic Services. City Manager Michael Gray is proposing the rate hikes as part of a revised schedule of various fees being reviewed by council. The new fees...
First day of winter camp held at Graystone Equestrian Center in Salem Township
The first day of Graystone Equestrian Center’s three-day Winter Camp was held Monday at the Salem Township facility. Ten campers spent the day grooming horses, receiving instruction from barn owner Cindy Valenta and participating in games and arts and crafts. The program is open to ages 5 and up....
Man charged with assaulting 2 Derry Township relatives, state trooper
A 40-year-old man accused of assaulting two relatives in their Derry Township home after walking naked through their neighborhood early Saturday was arrested hours later for allegedly kicking a state trooper. James J. Zamerski of Pittsburgh was arrested by troopers twice in a span of three hours Saturday on multiple...
Westmoreland Manor residents, staff start receiving coronavirus vaccine
Westmoreland Manor residents and staff started getting vaccinated against the coronavirus Monday. It was the first day the vaccine was available in long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania. The number of those at the Hempfield facility consenting to get inoculated grew as the day went on, interim director Abby Testa said....
27 new positive inmate coronavirus cases at Westmoreland County Prison
Twenty-seven Westmoreland County Prison inmates tested positive for the coronavirus Monday as three units housing prisoners remained on lockdown, according to interim Warden George Lawther. Inmates on the C, J and D units are able to shower, participate in recreation and make phone calls and video visits, but they are...
Westmoreland County adds 258 new covid cases, 7 deaths
Westmoreland County reported 258 additional coronavirus cases over the past two days, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state reported 167 cases on Sunday in Westmoreland County and 91 on Monday to bring the county’s total to 18,389. Of the newly reported cases, 242 are confirmed and 16...
North Huntingdon man jailed after 3 township officers hurt during welfare check
A North Huntingdon man is being held in the county jail after police said three township officers were hurt when they performed a welfare check at his house earlier this month, according to court papers. Kevin Michael Shouse, 23, is charged with several counts each of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment,...
Bell Township house fire kills 1 resident, injures 2 othersVideo
A 52-year-old man was killed and two others injured in a fire Monday at a home along Route 286 in Bell Township, a state police fire marshal said. Resident Frank R. Zanavich died in the blaze, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth A. Bacha. Bacha has not ruled on the...
North Huntingdon pastor relied on faith as covid claimed his motherVideo
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. By the time Glenn Meyers entered his mother’s hospital room at UPMC East in October, he knew it would likely be the last time he saw her. A covid-19 diagnosis...
GoFundMe account established for family of teen killed in Unity crash
A 17-year-old Westmoreland County teenager who was critically injured Wednesday in a one-vehicle crash in Unity died of his injuries at a Pittsburgh hospital, family members said. Joshua Ryan Nearanzio of Loyalhanna in Derry Township died at 3:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where he was transported after...
Westmoreland officials weigh bill for mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County officials said this week no decisions have been reached about how it will handle bills recently received from an Ohio direct mailing company that claimed mechanical issues caused two delays in sending ballots out to voters this fall. The county received two invoices earlier this month totaling more...
Group of Greensburg Salem students call for end of senior projectsVideo
A group of Greensburg Salem High School seniors is calling on the district to cancel senior projects because of the coronavirus pandemic. Student Tyler Allen uploaded a video on the subject to YouTube Tuesday. It had been viewed over 6,000 times as of Sunday morning. “It’s been held over everyone’s...
Hempfield schools preparing for student return
Hempfield Area School District officials are preparing for students to return to in-person classes through the hybrid model early next year. Students, who have been completing online instruction since Dec. 1, will return to school buildings Jan. 4, according to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. Secondary students will follow...
Pennsylvania State Police seek donated horses for mounted patrol unit
Maverick spent the last decade of his life in public service, ranging from ceremonial duties in the nation’s capital to watching over World Series attendees in Philadelphia. The Percheron crossbreed horse was about 6 when owners Dave and Pat Miller of Youngwood donated him as a recruit for the Pennsylvania...
Hempfield couple joyful at arrival of Christmas ‘surprise’
You couldn’t name your first child after a character from the Batman comic book series and not expect any surprises. For first time parents, Tammy Maharaj, and Brandon Kalp of Hempfield, the surprise from their daughter, Harley Quinn Kalp, was born at 2:13 p.m. Christmas Day at Excela Health Westmoreland...
Jeannette woman ticketed for driving over 130 mph on Route 119
A woman who led police on a brief chase at speeds exceeding 130 mph along Route 119 in East Huntingdon this month has a hearing on multiple criminal and traffic citations tentatively scheduled next month. Roxanna L. Varriano, 44, of Jeannette was charged this week by state police with illegally...
Westmoreland County posts 357 covid-19 cases; 5 more deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 357 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County during the past 48 hours, as cases continue to dip in the area. The numbers represent 215 new cases reported Christmas Day and 142 the day after. Westmoreland County has remained below 400...
Scottdale man on covid battle: ‘I did not think I was going to make it’
Wayne Grabiak had encouragement coming from all angles. There were the FaceTime calls with his wife and text messages from family, friends and his cardiologist. Plus, the staff at AHN Jefferson Hospital loudly repeating a mantra through a glass window separating his room from the rest of the intensive care...
Five Star Trail leased for another 25 years
Westmoreland County’s Five Star Trail will be around for at least another quarter century. County commissioners, acting as members of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., last week approved the renewal of the 25-year lease with the Regional Trails Commission and the private freight railroad that operates along the tracks...
Excela remembrance tree event to be virtualVideo
Excela Health Hospice’s annual remembrance tree event will look a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event, typically held at the now-shuttered Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center in Hempfield, will be a virtual ceremony featuring ornaments that memorialize a loved one previously under...
Lower Burrell woman spent months battling covid long-haul syndrome
When Kristin Giron Stewart was discharged from UPMC St. Margaret hospital after a 13-day battle with covid-19 over the summer, she thought she was well on her way to recovery. The 47-year-old Lower Burrell woman grew frustrated and frightened as the days wore on, and she continued to struggle with...
Greensburg church prepares hundreds of meals for Christmas giveawayVideo
Holly Hallman and her family spend every Christmas at First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg, helping to prepare Christmas dinners for those in need. She’s helped organize the event for eight years, bringing along her husband, Craig, as well as her parents. This year, she brought a new addition — her...
More than 1,000 pounds of food donated to Westmoreland food bank from new casino
As the facility sits dark in compliance with mitigation orders aimed at stopping a surge of covid-19 cases across the state, officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh took time to donate food, along with volunteer hours, to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. “Just because we’re closed doesn’t mean we can’t help...
Merry (covid) Christmas: Western Pa. families share how they plan to spend the holiday
Christmas this year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, will be different for most, if not all, families. As the virus continues to spread, Gov. Tom Wolf curtailed some businesses and shut others through the holiday season. Health officials have urged people not to travel and to celebrate Christmas...
Greensburg infant’s brief life honored with random acts of kindness
In January, the brief life of a Greensburg infant led to an outpouring of love and support to his bereaved parents. This year on the date of his birth and death, Jan. 6, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region is honoring his memory with Willie’s Random Acts of...
