Westmoreland category, Page 581
North Huntingdon backyard chicken permit will cost $590
After months of wrangling and, at times, heated debate, North Huntingdon Commissioners this week took a step toward requiring residents who want chickens in their backyard to get approval from the township’s zoning hearing board. Commissioners Jason Atwood, Brian Blasko, Zachary Haigis and Ronald Zona voted to authorize township planning...
Westmoreland County reports a record 7 new covid-19 deaths in a single day
Westmoreland County continues to shatter coronavirus records. For the third time in a week the county surpassed 200 newly reported covid-19 cases in a single day and hit a new high for deaths reported in a 24-hour span. The county on Thursday reported seven additional coronavirus deaths and 259 additional...
Drugs, $4K seized from Jeannette home, 1 arrested
An Arona man is behind bars after police said Wednesday they found heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and nearly $4,000 inside a safe at a Jeannette house. Jair Deshawn Robinson, 28, who also has a McKeesport address, is charged with several drug offenses. Jeannette and Penn Township police, along with state agents...
Supreme Court upholds death penalty in Greensburg Six torture-murder appeal
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court this week upheld the death sentence imposed against the man convicted in the 2010 torture slaying of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg. Justices unanimously rejected the appeal from Melvin Knight of Swissvale, who claimed a Westmoreland County jury improperly sentenced him to death by lethal injection...
Drag queen art critics return for The Westmoreland’s online program
Drag performers know a thing or two about fashion, hair and makeup. Some of them also know a thing or two about fine art. Through their lush false eyelashes, Pittsburgh-based performers Alora Chateaux and Tootsie Snyder will take a look at works from The Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s permanent...
Multi-vehicle wreck shuts down part of southbound Route 66 in Washington Township
All lanes along a section of southbound Route 66 in Westmoreland County were closed Thursday morning because of a crash involving multiple vehicles, according to PennDOT. The accident was reported shortly before 7 a.m. in Washington Township. A 1-mile section of the road between Kiski Park Drive and the Route...
Westmoreland, Allegheny tech schools get grants for new equipment
Two Westmoreland County career and technology centers and another in Allegheny County will update their educational equipment with the help of state grants. The Department of Education this week awarded nearly $1.2 million in competitive matching grants to 32 such centers across the state, and to two school districts, for...
Parking deal clears path for 99 new apartments in Greensburg
Greensburg has cleared the path for 99 new apartments to be built downtown by agreeing to a deal that would allow residents to park in one of the city’s lots — but only at night. The decision waives Greensburg’s usual parking requirements. Instead, developer Urban Communities will lease the Buncher...
New covid-19 cases reported at Hempfield Area High School
New covid-19 cases were reported at Hempfield Area High School Wednesday afternoon. The additional cases brings the school’s total to eight among students for the period between Nov. 4 and Wednesday, according to a covid-19 tracker posted on the district’s website. That’s an increase from five students at the high...
Norwin schools see 6 more coronavirus cases
The coronavirus cases in Norwin School District continue to mount, with the school reporting Wednesday it had learned that three staff members and three students have tested positive for the virus. One staff member each at the high school, middle school and Hillcrest Intermediate School informed the district they tested...
Westmoreland County Community College and IUP ink dual admissions deal
Students at Westmoreland County Community College who plan to complete a four-year degree after finishing work on an associate degree can tap a new dual admissions program with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. An agreement the two institutions inked Wednesday outlines terms of the new program, designed to streamline the transfer...
Provisional board member axed after call to poll watcher
Westmoreland County commissioners unanimously fired a Republican volunteer from his role as a member of the county’s provisional board for partisan activity during ballot reviews. Commissioners said Thomas Altman, 70, of Ligonier, improperly coordinated efforts with a Republican campaign poll watcher to challenge contested provisional ballots earlier this week. Altman...
Salem man arrested for ‘open lewdness’ in Westmoreland County Courthouse
A Salem man was charged Wednesday with disorderly conduct and open lewdness after he was accused of performing a sex act in a hallway outside District Attorney John Peck’s office in the courthouse. Adam J. Amendola, 28, was arrested by county park police after a woman complained she encountered the...
Greensburg Salem School District moving to remote-only classes as coronavirus cases rise
All Greensburg Salem School District schools are shutting their doors and moving to full remote classes Thursday, the district announced Wednesday. The closure will last through Nov. 30. The district’s decision was made due the rising number of coronavirus cases in schools and the community, according to the announcement. Three...
17-year-old North Huntingdon girl found safe, back with family
North Huntingdon police said a 17-year-old girl who was missing since Nov. 12 was located Tuesday. Hailey M. Mastrovich left for work last week at the nearby Walmart but never showed up for her shift, which resulted in a public alert by authorities, police said. Police said investigators learned the...
Mt. Pleasant area contractor charged with taking $12K down payment for work never done
A Mt. Pleasant area contractor was charged this week after state police say he took a $12,000 down payment from a local dentist for a building repair project, but never did any work. Timothy Jay King, 34, was charged Tuesday with deceptive business practices, home improvement fraud, theft and theft...
2 women, including Westmoreland’s Kim Ward, just made history in Pa. legislature
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — One is a former health-care worker and political veteran from Westmoreland County. The other is an ex-public defender and...
Virus outbreak delays Westmoreland vote certification
Westmoreland County Commissioners said a final certification of election results won’t come until after Thanksgiving as officials continue to deal with a coronavirus outbreak among employees tasked with completing the ballot count. As of Wednesday, the outbreak that started days before the Nov. 3 election left just two full-time and...
Commonwealth Court to Allegheny County: Don’t count — for now — disputed ballots in tight Brewster-Ziccarelli Senate race
An Allegheny County judge on Wednesday denied two petitions by Republican state Senate candidate Nicole Ziccarelli to throw out provisional and faulty mail-in ballots in her challenge against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport. But the state Commonwealth Court on Wednesday night later ordered Allegheny County’s Board of Elections to...
Westmoreland County sets new coronavirus mark with 228 additional cases
Westmoreland County added more than 200 new coronavirus cases for the second time in a week, setting a new high with 228 on Wednesday. The new cases bring the county’s total to 6,649, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The previous high was 207 reported last Thursday. Of the...
Jeannette schools will hold 2 days of virtual learning after Thanksgiving break
Jeannette School District students will have two remote learning days after the Thanksgiving holiday in what school district officials said is an effort to reduce the potential exposure of the coronavirus. Students will resume classes Dec. 1 and 2 with remote learning both days after a fall break. In-person classes...
Stage Right plans 3 online versions of musical ‘Annie’
Mounting a theatrical production is complicated enough with one actor in the lead role. Stage Right is tripling the challenge by casting three Annies in an upcoming online production of the beloved Broadway staple. “Annie” is scheduled to stream nightly from Nov. 27 to 29 through the Showtix4u live-stream service....
Latrobe’s Holly Jolly festivities include contest, crafts, shopping, virtual Santa visit
This year’s Holly Jolly holiday festivities in Latrobe will include a virtual visit with Santa and four days of extended downtown shopping promotions. As with the town’s Great American Banana Split Celebration in August, Holly Jolly entertainment this year will be streamed online, not presented in-person. It’s all meant to...
NBC’s ‘Today’ talks with Lucy Pollock, 98, Latrobe baking sensationVideo
From her Latrobe kitchen to Facebook and now to NBC’s “Today,” Lucy Pollock’s baking skills keep reaching wider audiences. The 98-year-old started gaining recognition in the early days of the pandemic when her daughter and housemate, Mary Ellen Raneri, started sharing Pollock’s baking skills on live Facebook sessions. Mary Ellen’s...
Almost 7 pounds of suspected cocaine seized during Pa. Turnpike traffic stop in Hempfield
A Detroit man is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after state police said they found almost seven pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in his car, according to court papers. Kenneth Johnson, 36, is charged with two drug offenses. A trooper was patrolling the Pennsylvania Turnpike Monday afternoon in...
