Westmoreland category, Page 578
The top stories for the week of Dec. 13Video
Here are some of the region’s top stories for the week of Dec. 13: PennDOT pouring $10 million into Route 356 Route 356 in Buffalo Township will be expanded to five lanes through a $10 million PennDOT project. The plan targets the area near Buffalo Plaza, which houses Buffalo Pizza,...
Greensburg bloodhound team called for search near Lynch Field
The Greensburg Fire Department bloodhound team was called to assist police in a search for a suspect near the Lynch Field area of the city late Friday night, according to Westmoreland County 911. A man who had contacted Greensburg police around 11:30 p.m. said that someone had stolen his child....
Washington County man slain, authorities say
State police are investigating the murder of a 27-year-old Washington County man found dead in his Coal Center home, the Washington County Coroner said late Friday. The victim, Marshall Y. Craig, was found in his Spring Street home at 5:55 p.m. Friday, the coroner said. The cause of death is...
Franklin Regional’s annual telethon transforms into live-streamed holiday showcaseVideo
During the annual Franklin Regional Telethon in December, the main hallway in the senior high school is, to put it charitably, a roiling mass of chaos. Multimedia students are scrambling to line up the next act in their live broadcast. High school clubs have tables set up from end to...
Norwin covid cases continues to rise; near 100 post-Thanksgiving
The number of covid cases among Norwin’s students and staff continued to rise this week with an additional six cases reported on Friday. The raised the number of cases reported to 31 this week — and pushing the post-Thanksgiving surge close to 100. The school district said in a statement...
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg smashes fundraising goal, netting $233,950
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg hoped its online Guardian Angel Appeal fundraising campaign would raise about $50,000. Donors smashed that goal, then kept giving. The campaign raised $233,950. “There’s no way I could express how amazed I am at the success of the campaign, not because of any...
I-70 bridge named after Rostraver-West Newton paramedic who died responding to callVideo
When drivers cross the newly named Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon, Krisi Secrist said she hopes they recall the joy her uncle had helping others. “You never had to ask Matt for help. He was always there to do anything for anyone and, despite his...
Latrobe man gets 10-year prison sentence for sale of fatal drugs
A Latrobe man will serve up to 10 years in prison for selling the drugs that killed his friend in a Derry social club in 2018. Kyle Clem, 30, received a mitigated sentence on Friday that authorities said was reduced because of his cooperation with a grand jury investigation into...
Murder charges anticipated in Unity woman’s disappearance
A Westmoreland County prosecutor said Friday that murder charges will be filed against a Unity man who has been long suspected in the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. After a court hearing in which the lawyer for Thomas Stanko asked a judge to dismiss pending criminal cases filed after Gross’ disappearance...
‘You feel hope’: 1st Excela front line workers get coronavirus vaccineVideo
When registered nurse Miranda Donaldson treats covid-19 patients, she wears a surgical gown and mask, gloves, goggles and a respirator that resembles a hood. Now, she has something inside her body to protect her from the coronavirus, too. Donaldson was among the first Excela Health employees to get vaccinated at...
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fundraisers struggle in pandemic year
The Salvation Army’s famous red kettles are a lot lighter than usual this year, and there are fewer of them to be found around Westmoreland County. “As of right now, we’re not even at half our goal, and we have six kettle days left,” said Lt. Donna Hannan, assistant corps...
Westmoreland County reports drop in daily covid cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 248 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest daily total since posting a record 657 cases a week ago. The drop brings the county’s seven-day average down to 395 from a high of 469 just two days ago. Of the new cases, 229 are confirmed from...
Murrysville council approves 2021 budget with no tax hike
Murrysville council approved a 2021 budget of $14.2 million that does not include a tax increase. Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to OK the budget, which will keep property taxes at 12.15 mills. Council members Jamie Lee Korns and Tony Spadaro were not present. Municipal officials said, while taxes have remained...
Trafford man accused of attacking 3 people
A Trafford man is accused by police of attacking three people on Third Street in the borough Thursday morning, according to court papers. Alfred H. Tournay III, 53, is charged with aggravated assault, burglary, criminal mischief, terroristic threats, disorderly conduct and harassment. Police were called to Third Street at 7...
Penn-Trafford elementary closed after 2 new virus cases
Sunrise Elementary School in the Penn-Trafford School District is closed after two more people in the building tested positive for the coronavirus. That brings the total active case count to three within 14 days, according Superintendent Matt Harris. The school was notified Friday morning of the new cases, Harris said...
Leechburg native Msgr. Larry Kulick named new bishop of Diocese of GreensburgVideo
Catholics in the Greensburg Diocese are celebrating an early Christmas gift from Rome: the appointment of one of their own, Msgr. Larry J. Kulick, as bishop-elect. Pope Francis announced the appointment of Kulick, a Leechburg native, as the sixth bishop of the diocese early Friday. The appointment of the 54-year-old...
Franklin Regional joins other districts in second post-holiday shift to online learning
If Franklin Regional officials had not made the move to remote instruction the week following Thanksgiving, nearly 60 people with either a positive covid-19 test or a potential exposure would have come back into the senior high school, according to the superintendent. “During those days, from Nov. 26 through Dec....
No injuries as SUV goes over hillside near Murrysville-Plum borderVideo
Roads continued to prove slippery in the wake of heavy snowfall across the region, but no one was injured when an SUV went over an embankment near the Murrysville-Plum border on Thursday evening. Murrysville police said the SUV’s driver went off the roadway near the intersection of Saltsburg Road (Route...
Excela Health receives covid vaccine, set to start administering to workers on Friday
A record-breaking storm that left parts of the region under 9 inches of snow did not stop Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine from making it into Excela Health’s hands. Officials received it Thursday, as expected. They anticipate administering it to the first employees on Friday. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox said...
Covid-relief grants available to Westmoreland emergency medical services
Twenty-one nonprofit emergency medical service departments are in line to receive $15,000 covid-relief grants as part of a new round of awards unveiled Thursday by Westmoreland County commissioners. Officials said nearly $400,000 remaining from grants earmarked for nonprofit agencies will be used to fund the program. “We are under a...
Westmoreland department heads earn raises for pandemic-related work
A handful of Westmoreland County government department heads were handed substantial raises Thursday, a move commissioners said was related to their work during ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The biggest pay hike was given to Solicitor Melissa Guiddy, who has seen her salary increase by about 70% since she was hired in...
Mt. Oliver man wanted in connection with North Huntingdon woman’s fatal shooting
Police are seeking a Mt. Oliver man wanted in connection with the Dec. 5 shooting death of a North Huntingdon woman. An arrest warrant has been obtained for Jerrel Marquis Ingram, 32, of Mt. Oliver. Allegheny County detectives said 22-year-old Madison Gilroy of North Huntingdon died of injuries sustained during...
Gov. Wolf grants 5th extension to renew firearms carry permits
Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to grant a fifth consecutive extension to renew firearms carry permits through March 31 couldn’t have been more timely, according to Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert. The previous extension was set to expire Dec. 31 and Albert said his two deputies assigned the “appointment only” permit...
Westmoreland commissioners approve budget with no tax hike
The coronavirus has been good for Westmoreland County’s bottom line. Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $339.7 million budget for 2021 that does not raise property taxes in part because federal covid relief money held back to pay for personnel and other expenses related to the ongoing pandemic. Property taxes...
West Newton woman accused of coughing on liquor store workers, bottles
A 69-year-old West Newton woman is facing multiple criminal charges after police said she removed her mask inside a Rostraver liquor store and deliberately coughed on employees and liquor bottles, claiming she had covid-19. Township police charged Leona V. Warman with four counts each of reckless endangerment and simple assault...
