Westmoreland category, Page 623
Jeannette woman, 76, missing overnight at Ohiopyle State Park found alive
“Doom and gloom” were setting in about 2 a.m. Monday as crews searched Ohiopyle State Park for a missing 76-year-old woman. The Jeannette woman had gone missing off Ferncliff Trail, where park rangers Chief John Kaminsky said there are some crevices and “unique dangers.” Their fears evaporated about 8:30 a.m.,...
11 new coronavirus cases reported in Westmoreland County – Aug. 16, 2020
Westmoreland County saw 11 new cases of covid-19 added to its total Sunday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The new cases make a total of 1,620 cases in the county since the virus was first reported there March 20. Of those cases, 1,575 are confirmed, 48 are considered probable....
Facing incurable, speech-robbing disorder, Westmoreland Chamber CEO Chad Amond forges ahead
The first signs of trouble were unmistakably odd. It wasn’t like Chad Amond to forget the name of someone he knew as they greeted. Not once but twice. And it certainly wasn’t like him to ask his wife, Amy, when she brought home a new type of his favorite ginger...
Despite pandemic, smaller fairs in Export, Irwin, New Kensington decide shows must go onVideo
In a summer of canceled festivals because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials of some smaller events in Export, Irwin and New Kensington decided the shows must go on Saturday. The Westmoreland Fair slated to begin Thursday, the Arts and Heritage Festival in Hempfield that usually runs in July and Fort...
Westmoreland County reports 16 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
Westmoreland County saw 16 new cases of covid-19 added to its total Saturday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, with one additional death. The death is the first death reported in the county since Tuesday. The county’s death toll now stands at 48. Through the first half of August, Westmoreland...
Penn-Trafford school staffer tests positive for covid-19
A Penn-Trafford School District staff member has tested positive for covid-19, district officials announced Friday. The staff member had been in close contact with other staffers, district Superintendent Matthew Harris said in a notice posted on the district website. “As soon as we became aware of the positive case, we...
Unity to hold special meeting regarding backyard chickens
Unity supervisors will hold a special meeting Thursday regarding whether backyard chickens should be allowed in residential areas and on any properties of less than 2 acres. The supervisors agreed to schedule the informational session — set for 6 p.m. in the pavilion behind the township building — after dozens...
Family owners hope the public will gallop in to El Vaquero Mexicano on the Diamond in Ligonier
When a prime spot became available on The Diamond in Ligonier, Stephanie and Alfredo Hernandez knew they couldn’t pass it up, even during a pandemic. They’ve had their eye on it for awhile, hoping one day they would be able to open a restaurant in town after nine years of...
Jeannette woman jailed after allegedly making numerous threatening calls to Westmoreland 911
The Westmoreland County Emergency Operations Center was placed on lockdown late Thursday after a Jeannette woman repeatedly threatened call takers and police over seven hours, according to court papers. Precious Linda Gantt, 36, called Westmoreland 911 16 times between 3 p.m. Thursday and midnight, sometimes yelling at the call taker...
North Huntingdon man accused of being drunk in crash that injured woman
A North Huntingdon man is accused by state police of being drunk at the time of a September crash that injured a woman, according to court papers. George A. Reed, 70, was charged this week with aggravated assault while driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Troopers were...
Potential covid-19 exposure closes Compass Inn Museum, cancels militia re-enactment
The Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown and the adjacent Ligonier Valley Historical Society headquarters are closed for two weeks because an employee may have been exposed to the coronavirus. The precautionary closure will be in effect through Aug. 28. The employee did not come into contact with museum visitors since...
Police searching for Hempfield fugitive in meth ring case; 4 others in custody
Authorities are searching for a Westmoreland County man wanted in connection to a methamphetamine ring after arresting his brother and three other alleged conspirators, federal prosecutors said. Zachary Miller, 27, of Hempfield, was deemed a fugitive Friday after being indicted by a grand jury, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W....
10 artists to create original works for Diversity Billboard Art Project
Ten artists have been chosen to create original work for the Diversity Billboard Art Project created by the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition in partnership with The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Their commissions will be inspired by the theme “Make Our Differences Our Strengths” to convey how diversity and inclusion can...
Woman accused in Hempfield man’s drug overdose death
A Hempfield woman is accused by state police in connection with the drug overdose death of a Hempfield man in June 2019. Elaine Grace Smith, 54, who also has a McKeesport address, was arrested this week. She is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, criminal use of a communication...
Westmoreland County adds 7 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported single-digit new coronavirus cases for the fourth time this month. The seven new cases bring the county’s total reported cases to 1,593, with 1,549 of those confirmed and 44 probable. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram There were no new deaths attributed to covid-19 in the...
Irwin seeks money for park trail
People who like to walk or jog on the path around Irwin Park may soon be on a better path to fitness. Irwin council authorized Lucien Bove, its engineer, to apply to Westmoreland County for about $138,000 to resurface and reconstruct the walking path around the park off the intersection...
Recruitment center for new Hempfield casino to open late August
The former Sears wing at Westmoreland Mall once again is coming to life as facilities that cater to the now-under-construction casino at the mall open up shop. A recruitment center is set to open Aug. 24 in the former Barbara Ann’s Country Furnishings store, which moved upstairs, said Tom Meinert,...
Latrobe sex offender who served time for 2009 sex assault accused in new rape
A Latrobe man who previously was jailed for sexual assault is accused of raping a woman last year after she requested his help to move a piece of furniture, police say. Jonathan Michael Pollard, 31, was arrested this week on charges of rape, sexual assault, stalking and related offenses. He...
Unity Township lobby to reopen soon, with renovation nearing end
Soon residents will be able once more to enter the Unity Township office building during business hours, as renovation of the lobby is nearing completion. “Hopefully, within the next week, we’re going to have the renovations done and the building will be open for people to come in,” according to...
Unity postpones debate on backyard chickens, cites pandemic restrictions
Unity residents were told to wait Thursday when they tried to give the township supervisors their two cents on a local debate about backyard chicken regulations. On the advice of Solicitor Gary Falatovich, the supervisors declined to take comments about chickens at their regular monthly meeting. They deferred discussion on...
Dozens of clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed in Allegheny, Westmoreland courts as possible deadline looms
More than two dozen lawsuits that allege sexual abuses by priests were filed Thursday ahead of what lawyers suggest could be a deadline to file legal action two years after the release of a grand jury report that detailed claims involving Catholic dioceses throughout Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh lawyer Alan Perer filed...
Hempfield attacker pleads guilty, begs judge to stay in jailVideo
All Ian Smail knew was he was brutally beaten by his Hempfield neighbor last year, an attack that left him in a coma for 11 days. It wasn’t until later that he realized his injuries were far more severe and included dozens of slash wounds to his face and a...
Large crowds taking toll on Pennsylvania state parks
In the late 1800s, Ohiopyle State Park’s 100-acre Ferncliff Peninsula was home to a boardwalk, bowling alley and hotel along the Youghiogheny River. The small resort eventually closed as automobiles replaced rail transportation to the small Fayette County town, allowing the natural landscape to return. Decades later, Ferncliff Peninsula Natural...
Battle over backyard chickens resumes in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon officials this week once again clashed over how to regulate backyard chickens in a prelude to a future public hearing on a proposed ordinance that will set parameters on how hens can be raised in a residential neighborhood. Commissioners on Thursday expressed conflicting opinions on what they wanted...
Export’s Ethnic Food & Music Fest a go; Delmont’s Apple’n Arts Festival, Pilgrimage canceled
In a season of cancellations, Export’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival is sticking to its guns and will go on this weekend. The event is set for noon to 9 p.m. Saturday along Washington Avenue. Councilwoman Melanie Litz said the relatively small size of both the borough and festival...
