Westmoreland category, Page 626
FAA to investigate flipped plane at Rostraver Airport
A pilot suffered minor injuries after his bright yellow Piper J-3 Cub plane ran off a runway and flipped onto its roof at the Rostraver Airport on Sunday, officials said. The call came in shortly after 2:45 p.m. as an “aircraft down” at the airport. According to a Westmoreland County...
Toppled tractor briefly pins man in Salem Township creek
Paramedics and local fire companies rescued a man who was pinned beneath his tractor in a Salem Township creek Sunday afternoon, according to emergency officials. Emergency responders headed to a home on the 400 block of Story Road in Salem shortly before 1:15 p.m., after a lawn tractor toppled into...
Civilian marksmanship program promotes gun safety, produces skilled shootersVideo
On a cool Sunday morning, the sun is burning the fog off Skellytown Road in North Huntingdon, and the dull crack of distant gunfire is the only thing interrupting the chatter of birds. The shooting is coming from the White Oak Rod & Gun Club, where a small group gathered...
Trade schools offer training in high-demand, essential careersVideo
Candace Carlton recently earned a massage therapy license. Unfortunately, the past six months have made it tough to put it to use. “That doesn’t do too well during a pandemic,” Carlton said. The prospect of going back to school also is challenging, given that school districts, colleges and education centers...
Butterflies released at Greensburg Garden CenterVideo
A legend ascribed to Native Americans says that if you want a wish to come true, you should capture a butterfly, whisper the wish to it and then let it go. Since a butterfly makes no sound, it can reveal the wish to no one but the Great Spirit —...
Westmoreland County edges up with 23 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Saturday reported 23 new coronavirus cases, the most in more than a week. The county had been reporting less than 20 new cases per day in August. The current 7-day average is 14 cases per day in the county, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland...
Historical society finishes work on 1800s-era Murrysville schoolhouse replicaVideo
The Murrysville Historical Preservation Society was hoping to mark Murrysville’s 200th anniversary at its annual festival this year. While the society has canceled its 2020 events, according to its website, it does have reason to celebrate: a period-appropriate replica of the former one-room schoolhouse off of West Pike Street was...
Hempfield plans to play fall sports despite state recommendation
Hempfield plans to proceed with fall sports despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendation they be delayed until 2021. In a letter posted on the district’s website, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki wrote school officials plan to move forward with their athletic health and safety plan passed by the board in June. The plan...
Westmoreland master gardeners take Monarch Migration Celebration online
Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County’s 2nd annual Monarch Migration Celebration has gone virtual, with seven weeks of activities to help children and their families learn more about monarch butterflies. The original celebration, held last September, was a single-day live event that drew about 150 participants. Organizers were hoping...
Jury quickly convicts man in 2019 Ligonier Township arson case
It took a Westmoreland County jury an hour Friday to convict a man of burning his Ligonier Township home last year. Brian W. McVicker, 55, of Laughlintown was found guilty of felony arson as well as risking catastrophe and criminal mischief in connection with a fire at a home he...
Greensburg considers plans for garage destroyed by fire as coronavirus limits options
Greensburg officials are still considering options to replace the public works garage destroyed by fire last year, but talk of seeking a new location for the building has been scuttled due to the financial uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. “We can’t look elsewhere because of covid-19,” said public...
Westmoreland Academy enrolling students; Hempfield school to start Aug. 27
The Westmoreland Christian Academy, a private interdenominational Christian school in Hempfield, is enrolling students and plans to reopen on Aug. 24, said the school’s administrator. The school, which features a Bible-based curriculum, had about 30 students in kindergarten through 12th grade last year, said Justin Tomson, middle school and high...
Westmoreland County adds 16 new covid-19 cases
Westmoreland County has 16 newly reported covid-19 cases as of Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 14 are confirmed and two are probable. The update brings the county’s total to 1,500 cases, with 1,460 confirmed and 40 probable. The start of August and the...
Jeannette woman arrested in child abuse, stalking cases
A Jeannette woman is accused by city police of pushing a 4-year-old girl down a flight of stairs in a basket and sending nude photos of a former boyfriend to his family and friends, according to court papers. Brittany Renee Zimmerman, 26, was arrested Friday in two cases. She is...
Jurors likely to deliberate Friday in Ligonier Township arson trial
Jury deliberations are expected to begin Friday in the arson trial of a Laughlintown man accused of torching his home last year in Ligonier Township. Prosecutors rested their case Thursday against Brian McVicker, 55, accused of setting fire to a century-old two-story home he lived in for free in exchange...
Westmoreland leaders say covid-19 grant awards will take longer than expected
Westmoreland commissioners said Thursday that $10 million in grants for local small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the coronavirus pandemic won’t be awarded until the end of August. The county received 500 grant applications by last week’s deadline. While officials originally suggested that money could begin to flow as early...
State reimburses Westmoreland for some voting machine expenses, talks to start Friday on finding next elections bureau head
Westmoreland County received a $3.4 million reimbursement from the state, which covers about 60% of the costs of new elections equipment purchased over the past year. That money, according to state guidelines, cannot be used to cover costs associated with the November presidential election, officials said. “It will have to...
Family reunions — another casualty of covid-19 gathering restrictions
The families of James and William Ulery were looking forward to their 95th annual reunion on Aug. 23 at Laurel Highlands Campground Pavilion in Donegal. But, like so many other events this year, the gathering fell victim to the covid-19 pandemic. “I hated like everything to have to (cancel), but...
Dealer school open house scheduled for this weekend at Hempfield mini-casino site
The public has its first chance to tour the new dealer school at Westmoreland Mall this weekend, which is slated to produce employees for the casino under construction at the Hempfield facility. From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, those interested in the school can speak with experienced table game dealers...
Westmoreland adds 9 new covid-19 cases, no deaths
Westmoreland County saw nine new cases of covid-19 added to its total on Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For the sixth straight day, the county did not see a covid-19 related death added to its total of 46 to date. After averaging 25 new cases a day...
North Huntingdon debating backyard chicken regulations
North Huntingdon officials are battling over proposed regulations that would govern how backyard chickens can be raised without infringing on neighbors’ peace and tranquility. An ordinance the planning commission recommended for approval this week would permit chickens to be raised on property of at least 1 acre; the existing rules...
Loves Furniture hiring to staff some of former Levin’s sites acquired in bankruptcy court
Loves Furniture, a new retail chain that formed when a private equity firm recently bought 27 Art Van, Levin and Wolf outlets in bankruptcy court, is looking to hire 1,000 workers in three states — including people to staff at the Mt. Pleasant store that for a century served as...
Missing 5-year-old girl found in Herminie
First responders have found a 5-year-old girl who was missing for about two hours Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sewickley Township Emergency Management Agency. The girl went missing around 4:30 p.m. in the area of Highland Avenue in Herminie, Sewickley Township, according to Westomreland County 911. She was found safe...
Norwin parents to protest hybrid school reopening plan
A group of Norwin parents who want their children in school all week rather than two days plan to protest Monday. “We want to get the kids back to school five days a week. It’s like they (district administration) quit on us,” said Leslie Savage of Irwin, whose son is...
Trial begins in case of Ligonier Township arson
A Laughlintown man spoke “gibberish” when he confessed to burning a home last year in Ligonier Township, his attorney said Wednesday. In his opening statement in the arson trial of Brian W. McVicker, defense attorney Tim Andrews said prosecutors cannot prove the Jan. 15, 2019, fire that destroyed a home...
