Westmoreland category, Page 593
Westmoreland County reports 64 new covid-19 cases, 2 new deaths
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 64 new cases of covid-19, bringing the total known cases to 3,900. The county’s 7-day average has dropped to 84 cases from an all-time high of 96 just five days ago. With 393 new tests reported, the county’s daily positivity rate is 16.28%. That’s after...
Postal Service ramps up for election season, delivering 1.5M pieces of political mail daily in Western Pa.
Call it junk mail if you will, but Jeffrey Hauser takes those political ads piling up daily in your mail seriously. Less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, the Latrobe postmaster demonstrated just how seriously the Postal Service takes the flow of countless campaign mailers and mail-in ballots....
Cochran returns to challenge Warner for 52nd state House District seat
Former state legislator Harry Young Cochran, a Democrat, is looking to return to Harrisburg by challenging incumbent Ryan Warner, a Republican seeking his fourth term in the 52nd state House district. The race will be decided on Nov. 3 in part by Westmoreland County voters in Scottdale and the Bessemer...
Greensburg houses of worship unite for coronavirus prayer initiative
Greensburg’s houses of worship have different doctrines, but they all have one thing in common, according to the Rev. Kevin Haley of First United Methodist Church. “We all have these different theologies, different backgrounds, but we all pray,” Haley said. Seven of the city’s religious institutions have teamed up for...
Joyce challenged by retired FBI agent for 13th Congressional District
Voters in the massive 13th Congressional District — stretching from Westmoreland County to Gettysburg — will chose between a freshman incumbent who embraces the agenda of President Trump and a Democratic challenger who wants to serve as an opposition to power. The race is between state Rep. John Joyce, a...
Seton Hill to display never-before-seen photos of Holocaust massacre
When Harry Knights went to war in Europe, he picked up a camera. His photographs captured the aftermath of a German massacre of concentration camp prisoners near the end of World War II. “He was a witness, and he recorded what happened around him,” said James Knights, Harry Knights’ son....
6th Westmoreland Manor resident dies from covid-19
Westmoreland County officials on Thursday reported the coronavirus-related death of a Westmoreland Manor resident, the sixth resident to die from the disease. The announcement came on a day when new cases throughout the county totaled 133, Westmoreland’s second highest daily increase since the pandemic began. The number of coronavirus cases...
Police: North Huntingdon cat hoarder said animals took over his house
Police said a North Huntingdon man told them he stopped staying at his township home because cats had overrun it. In September, authorities rescued 73 cats from the property on Leger Road and removed 11 that died. Since being surrendered to Frankie’s Friends in New Kensington, another 22 cats died...
Westmoreland County schools could face difficult closure decisions as coronavirus risk remains high
Westmoreland County school districts face difficult choices as the county’s coronavirus transmission risk is expected to remain “substantial” for at least another week when the state updates its three-tiered Early Warning Monitoring System. Leaders will need to weigh student safety and legal liability as they decide whether to close schools...
Dollar General opens new location in Penn Township
Dollar General opened a new store in Penn Township, along Harrison City-Export Road. The 9,000-square-foot store is located near the Penn Crossing shopping plaza. “Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” spokeswoman Mary...
Westmoreland County: Almost 70,000 mail-in ballots approved
The Ohio company processing mail-in ballots for Westmoreland County has sent more than 64,000 to the post office and is up-to-date with its processing, a county election official said Thursday. Midwest Direct of Cleveland, which prints and mails the ballots, handled 64,604 ballots as of Tuesday, with an additional 3,800...
Blairsville man accused in month-long burglary spree in Westmoreland County
A Blairsville man was arrested this week, charged in a month-long burglary spree that targeted all-terrain vehicles, transport trailers, specialty tools and pieces of heavy equipment from drilling companies, construction sites and private storage units along the Route 22 corridor in Derry Township. Michael C. Hamrock, 43, was charged with...
Westmoreland County reports 2nd highest number of daily coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 133 new coronavirus cases Thursday, its second highest daily increase in cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The county also reported two new deaths. The county’s seven-day average is 91 cases and the county’s seven-day case total is 635. The total number of cases in the...
North Huntingdon police get 4-year contract extension
North Huntingdon police officers agreed to a wage freeze next year followed by pay raises of 2% in 2022, 2.5% in 2023 and 3% in 2024 under a four-year contract extension reached with the township. Township commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved the contract that township Manager Jeff Silka called a...
Veteran state House member Petrarca challenged by Silvis, a longtime film stuntman, in 55th District
Democrat Joe Petrarca is asking voters on Nov. 3 to return him to Harrisburg for a 14th term representing residents of the 55th District in the state House. Republican challenger Jason Silvis is hoping those voters instead will help him end that long run. “I think people are ready for...
Pittsburgh creative couple start residency at The WestmorelandVideo
A creative couple from Pittsburgh are the first-ever resident artists at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The arrangement formalizes a relationship that D.S. and Anqwenique Kinsel have had with the museum, including a February musical performance by Anqwenique in conjunction with “African American Art in the 20th...
New West Point Little League scoreboard to honor Hempfield’s Eddie Coletta
When Matt Maiers saw an opportunity to honor Hempfield’s Eddie Coletta, he jumped at it. Maiers is leading the effort to raise money for a new West Point Little League scoreboard that will bear Coletta’s name. Coletta spent several years volunteering at the organization where his daughter, Emma, now 18,...
Residents at North Huntingdon care facility test positive for coronavirus
Dozens of residents at a North Huntingdon care facility tested positive for coronavirus this month, officials announced. Transitions Healthcare posted on its Facebook page that 60 residents had contracted the virus in October. Nine have since recovered and officials said they “anticipate and hope that 51 of the residents will...
Irwin’s faulty parking meters ‘bagged’ until recalibration
Irwin police will not be writing tickets for vehicles in spaces with an expired meter until they can be recalibrated. The decision to suspend ticket writing at expired meters was prompted by a Westmoreland County Bureau of Weights and Measures’ inspector finding faulty meters in a group of about a...
Murrysville Council hears proposal for ‘right-size’ development south of Route 22
Developers are responding to an indication by Murrysville Council that the community needs more housing options for older residents. Council held a public hearing for Hillstone Village, a 42-home planned residential development at the intersection of Harrison City-Export and Claridge roads. “At the last (comprehensive) plan discussion, it was mentioned...
Greater Latrobe School District eyes bond refinancing, notes dip in tax receipts
Greater Latrobe School District is looking into refinancing some outstanding bonds for potential savings while experiencing a drop in tax revenues during the pandemic. The school board this week authorized business administrator Dan Watson to confer with Solicitor Ned Nakles and with district financial consultants to consider whether Greater Latrobe...
New Stanton man killed in multi-vehicle crash on I-70 in South Huntingdon
A New Stanton man was killed following a multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 70 that sent multiple people to area hospitals Wednesday evening, officials said. Deputy Coroner Joshua Zappone Thursday morning identified Dillon Walton, 27, as the person killed in the crash that occurred near Smithton. The crash, which was reported...
Westmoreland County says mail-in ballot backlog cleared
Westmoreland County officials reported all but about 4,100 requested mail-in ballots have been sent to voters. The county elections bureau said as of Wednesday morning, more than 64,600 ballots were mailed, clearing a backlog of requests caused by delays at the Cleveland company hired to print and mail them. “The...
Fayette County man accused in East Huntingdon fatal hit and run will stand trial
A Fayette County man accused of hitting and killing a Mt. Pleasant man with his car and fleeing the scene waived his right to a hearing Wednesday and will proceed to trial. William P. Williams, 27, of Bullskin Township, faces multiple charges including homicide by vehicle in connection with the...
Jill Biden makes case to local Italian American community on husband’s behalf
Local Democrats received a message Wednesday from the wife of Joe Biden asking they embrace her husband’s candidacy and her Italian roots as the presidential race heads into the stretch drive with less than two weeks to go before Election Day. Jill Biden, in an online address to supporters as...
