Westmoreland category, Page 602
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...
16-year-old charged in Jeannette double shooting
A Jeannette teen accused of shooting and wounding two men Tuesday told investigators he had “a long-standing dispute” with the victims, according to police. Khalil L. Myers, 16, was arraigned Wednesday on two counts of attempted homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting at 4:46 p.m. inside a...
Diversity project billboards shine along Westmoreland County roadsVideo
Drivers on Westmoreland County highways are encouraged to take their eyes off the road — carefully — to look for new billboards offering messages of hope and healing. Ten artists created works that reflect the theme “Make Our Differences Our Strengths,” as part of the Diversity Billboard Art Project created...
Westmoreland County reports 89 new coronavirus cases, 24 new hospitalizations
Westmoreland County added 89 new coronavirus cases and 24 hospitalizations on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Those new cases bring the county’s total of covid-19 cases to 3,703 with a seven-day average of 93 new cases per day. The 89 cases — 67 confirmed and 22 probable...
Cook man, 73, charged with killing wife, keeping her corpse in home for a week
A 73-year-old Cook man remains in jail without bond after state police accused him of spending a week inside his home with the corpse of his wife, who was shot twice in the back. Troopers discovered the body on Tuesday, when a relative requested a welfare check for Sandra Montjar,...
Greater Latrobe spends $443K to boost air filtration at 5 schools amid pandemic
Greater Latrobe School Board has agreed to invest $443,000 in an ionization system to enhance filtration of interior air at its five schools during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Installation of 147 bipolar ionization units among the schools is expected to begin in early November, according to Superintendent Georgia Teppert....
Greensburg Holiday Markets offer added shop-local opportunities
Shoppers looking for locally sourced, one-of-a-kind and last-minute gifts will have two opportunities to find those items during Greensburg Holiday Markets on Nov. 29 and Dec. 20. Organized by the Downtown Greensburg Project, the events will feature some regular vendors from the Greensburg Night Market, another DGP offering, along with...
Westmoreland events include historic house tour, networking
Fundraisers • Laurelville Christian Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host a lunch fundraiser about Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater at noon Nov. 1 in the center small dining hall. Amy Humbert, Fallingwater’s school program and outreach manager, will be the speaker. Cost: $15 paid in advance. CDC...
