Westmoreland category, Page 642
Crews responding to motorcycle crash along Route 30 in Hempfield
Part of Route 30 eastbound in Hempfield is blocked following a motorcycle crash, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to Route 30 near the Pittsburgh Street exit shortly before 7:50 a.m. Monday for reports of the crash. The left lane of Route 30 is closed. Traffic is being...
New Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Board head: skilled, interested job-seekers needed
With unemployment in Westmoreland and Fayette counties hovering around 19% because of the covid-19 impact on the economy, the new leader of the region’s workforce development organization sees “connecting companies and employers with professional, skilled, and interested job-seekers” as one of its biggest challenges to economic growth. “There can sometimes...
Survey shows 2020 grads changing post-high school plans due to pandemic
In a normal year, “summer melt” impacts many high school graduates, who in the spring intended to go to college but don’t quite make it come fall. This is particularly true for those of lower socioeconomic status, said Kelli Canonge. She is convinced it will be worse in 2020 —...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit captures $200K Mellon grant to boost virtual learning
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will use a $200,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to expand and enhance virtual learning for children age 3 through grade 8 and their families. The intermediate unit’s Learning Equitable Accessibility Network project is among 37 proposals that were granted a total of $5.25...
Westmoreland County wants to shutter 2 district court offices
The Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas plans to close district courts in Mt. Pleasant and Penn townships by next year. This decision was made due to dwindling population and caseloads, according to the county’s new Magisterial District Court Redistricting Plan, released Friday. The move would save the county an...
Wildlife Works fundraiser benefits fawns in needVideo
The eight whitetail fawns Morgan Barron and Ella Lawrence have been taking care of know when it’s time to eat. They’ll run to the door of their Mt. Pleasant Township enclosure or make noises. But that’s the only time the small herd wants to be around people. “Which is good...
Academic Excellence Scholarship for Foster Youth presented to Idelia Robinson-Confer of Greensburg
Greensburg’s Idelia Robinson-Confer has been in foster care since she turned 13. Now 20, one constant over the past seven years from changes she has endured in homes, families and schools has been Florence “Flo” Jenkins, a Greensburg resident who served as her Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Jenkins nominated...
Westmoreland County reports 9 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County has nine new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Friday. The countywide case total is now 587, with 38 deaths, according to the department. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in Westmoreland County since May 18. More than 16,000 county residents...
Man accused of firing 9 shots inside Jeannette apartment
A Jeannette man is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after, police say, he fired nine shots inside his apartment, according to court papers. Jason Matthew Thomas, 31, is charged with discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, reckless endangerment and drug and drug paraphernalia possession. City police...
Unity man sentenced to up to 10 years in 2 fatal drug overdoses
A Unity man was sentenced Friday to five to 10 years in prison for supplying drugs in two 2017 fatal overdoses. Jesse Joseph Hudspath, 28, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy, criminal use of a communication device and three other drug-related offenses....
The Westmoreland plans online talk with 2 African American artists
Artists Renée Stout and Alisha B. Wormsley will discuss their artistic practices during a special “In Conversation” planned for July 15 by The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Time for the livestream event is 7-8 p.m. Stout’s assemblage, “The Colonel’s Cabinet,” is part of the “African American Art in the...
Annual float day is Saturday on Jacobs Creek in Scottdale
Jacobs Creek Watershed Association will host its annual Lazy River Family Friendly Float Day on Saturday at Garfield Park in Scottdale. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Float hours are 12:30-4 p.m. Participants are invited to bring their own rafts, canoes, kayaks, tubes or anything else that floats, or rent a...
Free service APPRISE helps older adults understand insurance options
Understanding Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap and other supplemental insurance options for older adults can be a confusing and frustrating process. There’s a lot of information to sift through, and it’s not always easy to find answers to questions that arise. What few people are aware of, however, is that Pennsylvanians don’t...
Building at Jeannette Industrial Park to be renovated with $657K state grant
A $657,000 project to renovate an unoccupied building at Jeannette Industrial Park was approved Thursday by the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. TBI Contracting of McKeesport was awarded the contract, according to an announcement. Workers will install energy-efficient interior lighting, add insulation, replace the floor and doors, add a women’s...
Norwin class of 2020 celebrates commencement
The Norwin High School class of 2020 marked graduation Friday at the school’s football field....
Westmoreland County moving its tax delinquent property sale to WCCC campus
Westmoreland County is moving its annual tax sale off site. Commissioners on Thursday approved relocating the sale to the auditorium in Science Hall on the campus of Westmoreland County Community College, a move officials said is needed to account for social distancing required in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The...
Lawyer for suspended Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez says evidence of child sex assault should be thrown out
The lawyer for suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez said evidence collected by police during an investigation into sexual assault allegations were the product of an illegal search and should be barred from use by prosecutors in an upcoming trial. Vazquez, 28, has been in jail since September, when he...
Westmoreland Cleanways suspends electronics recycling
Westmoreland Cleanways temporarily is halting drop-off of electronics at its Pleasant Unity recycling center because of a covid-19-related shutdown of a company that processes the items. Executive Director Ellen Keefe said Thursday that Westmoreland Cleanways learned the out-of-state electronics processor shut down because of a suspected covid-19 infection. She stressed...
Westmoreland County pays $50K to settle lawsuit, want row officers to start footing legal bills
Westmoreland County commissioners have had enough of paying out large sums of money to settle lawsuits filed against other elected officials. “We’re sending a letter to all of our row officers and elected officials telling them we want to hold them accountable,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Those comments came Thursday...
Norwin graduation falls within state guidelines, district says
When Norwin High School conducts its commencement ceremonies for almost 400 seniors Friday night, there likely will be more than 250 people — graduates and guests — gathered at Knights Stadium for each of the two sessions. Although Westmoreland County is in the green phase of the state’s covid-19 restrictions...
Butterflies available for Greensburg Garden Center release
Greensburg Garden Center will hold its popular butterfly release on Aug. 8. This year’s event will include two separate release sessions, to accommodate social distancing concerns. Release times will be 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Lefevre Butterfly Garden behind the center’s headquarters at 951 Old Salem Road. A...
Ligonier Valley School District approves fall back-to-school plans
The Ligonier Valley School District approved plans Monday for a series of virtual Family Town Hall Sessions that will begin Monday, June 29. Sessions will explain options for students and families for the 2020-21 school year reopening, discuss health and safety concerns and allow for questions to be raised. The...
Westmoreland County has 15 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County has 15 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Thursday. The countywide case total is now 578, with 38 deaths, according to the department. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in Westmoreland County since May 18. It was the fourth day...
Former Saint Vincent College president elected archabbot of Benedictine community
The Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel, a former president of Saint Vincent College, was elected the 12th archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, a community of Benedictine monks that founded the college in 1846. Bartel, 64, succeeds Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, who resigned upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75...
Work on rail crossing will trigger Sewickley Township detour
A section of Lowber Road in Sewickley Township will be closed beginning Monday for maintenance of a railroad crossing, according to PennDOT. The closure, near the intersection of Sutersville Road, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to continue through 3:30 p.m. Wednesday as a CSX crew works at...
