Westmoreland category, Page 645
North Huntingdon boy battles cancer, community rallies behind him
When Casey Watson took her then-13-year-old son to Forbes Hospital’s emergency room in October, she never imagined some of her worst fears would be coming true. On Oct. 28, Tristan Watson, a Norwin student, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer that occurs in and around bones. Doctors found a...
Westmoreland County rescue divers train for dangerous searchesVideo
Divers from the Greensburg Fire Department and Murrysville Medic One were honing their rescue skills Sunday in the murky waters of a Ligonier Township lake, training for that time when they will be asked to find a body or recover criminal evidence tossed to the bottom of a reservoir. “This...
Railroad, Walnut among streets included in $80K Latrobe paving project
Railroad Street and portions of Walnut and Washington streets are among areas slated to get attention in Latrobe’s annual paving program. Council on Monday awarded the project to Derry Construction, which submitted a low bid of $80,865. City Manager Michael Gray said the work is to be completed this year...
Westmoreland County officials confirm 3rd courthouse worker tests positive for covid-19
Westmoreland County officials on Monday confirmed that a third courthouse worker has tested positive for coronavirus. The latest staffer to test positive was reported to county officials on Saturday. Two other cases involving courthouse staff were disclosed last week. “The cases are unrelated, and we do not have any concern...
Judge denies bond for Mt. Pleasant man accused of attempted murder
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday ruled the only way to protect the community from a Mt. Pleasant man accused of attempting to murder his girlfriend was for him to remain in jail. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request to release Charles Etling on nominal bond, saying...
Irwin to hold ‘picnic food’ festival
How does a community hold a celebration of picnic food — hot dogs, hamburgers, kielbasa, tacos and nachos — when the state’s covid-19 requirements prohibit large gatherings of people? Since people can meet virtually, but not eat virtually, the All American Picnic Food Fest in Irwin will feature food from...
4 men sentenced for roles in gambling ring prosecutors say spanned Western Pa.
Three members of a Western Pennsylvania numbers-running and sports-betting network pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County to their roles in what state prosecutors contend was a major gambling ring with ties to organized crime that generated millions of dollars. Deputy Attorney General Mark Serge said the men were “low-level” operators...
Pet Adoption League founder arrested after struggle at Yukon shelter
South Huntingdon resident Barbara Flanigan has been arrested again after yet another confrontation with the animal rescue organization she founded, days before the organization was set to move out of her life. Flanigan, 71, allegedly trespassed in the headquarters of Pet Adoption League and threw a punch at league Director...
Family pleads to lesser charges in illegal video poker operation in White Oak, North Huntingdon
The patriarch of a White Oak family and his three children were sentenced Monday for charges they oversaw more than 100 illegal video poker machines in North Huntingdon and the surrounding area. Robert Biros, 85, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of operating a corrupt organization while his two...
Westmoreland County passes 1,000 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County had 16 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total case count to 1,010, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Monday. The count includes 982 confirmed cases and 28 probable cases. There were no new deaths Monday. The county’s coronavirus death counts remains at 39, according to the department. Monday...
Luminaria night at WCCC to replace annual Relay for Life walks
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life will host a drive-thru luminaria event to take the place of annual walks that have been canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic. Luminaria night is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. July 30 at the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus. The Greensburg, Mt. Pleasant,...
Bill Mazeroski’s former Hempfield house sells for $150,000
A lineman for West Penn Power Co. in Greensburg bought the home of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski, fitting because the house was once featured in an advertisement for the electric supplier. Nathaniel Smirga picked up the home and nearly 20 acres along Walton Tea Room Road in...
Veteran Greensburg officer promoted to police chiefVideo
Thirty-two years after he started on Greensburg’s police force, Robert Stafford now is chief of the city’s 25-member department. Greensburg Council on Monday unanimously approved the promotion. Stafford, 56, succeeds Chad Zucco, who resigned in March after four years leading the department. Stafford takes over his new role immediately. “I’m...
Tarentum man dies in motorcycle crash on Route 366 in Murrysville
A Tarentum man died Sunday afternoon when his motorcycle crashed in Murrysville, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on Route 366, the dispatcher said. Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha identified the victim as Patrick G. Dzugan, 59, of Butler Street, Tarentum. According to...
19 new coronavirus cases reported in Westmoreland County, no new deaths
Westmoreland County reported 19 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths on Sunday, according to state health department officials. That brings the total number of covid-19 cases in Westmoreland County to 994. Of those, 968 are confirmed and 26 are probable cases. The department reported 23 new covid-19 cases Saturday,...
‘We know them well’: Firefighter’s parents die in Rostraver fire
An elderly couple died in a fire that destroyed their home early Sunday morning in the Rostraver Township village of Collinsburg. The husband and wife, Marie A. Oblak, 81, and her husband, Lloyd D. Oblak, 83, were found inside their home at 808 Collinsburg Road, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office...
Rain, covid-19 restrictions don’t dampen Idlewild Park’s opening weekend crowd
While rain soaked some visitors Saturday who ventured to Idlewild Park & SoakZone in Ligonier Township, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of those who waited a long time for the park’s opening weekend, which was delayed because of covid-19 restrictions. “They were looking forward to coming. They’ve been coming...
Low water brings rare glimpse of old bridge and Pa. Canal at Conemaugh River Lake
Low water levels in the Conemaugh River Lake have exposed some archaeological artifacts: abutments to a railroad bridge and remnants of the Pennsylvania Canal system from the 1800s. The artifacts in the Conemaugh River Lake, straddling Indiana and Westmoreland counties just east of Saltsburg, were visible over the July Fourth...
Norwin forming reopening plan, to present to board later this month
Norwin officials expect to give the school board later this month a final plan for reopening the schools, and distribute that plan to students’ parents the first week of August. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said he is “very confident” that students will be able to return to the school buildings in...
23 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County but no new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 23 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths in Westmoreland County. The numbers bring the countywide case total to 975. The death total remains at 39. The department had reported 35 new cases Friday, 21 new cases Thursday, 33 on Wednesday, 35...
State police staked out Felipe Vazquez after Pirates game at PNC Park in 2019
In an effort to find where in Pittsburgh the Pirates once-heralded relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez lived, state police staked out PNC Park last year and a trooper followed him as he left the stadium, according to testimony. Vazquez got the final four outs, three by strikeout, in the Pirates’ 9-4...
Powdermill Nature Reserve gets $1M grant toward new avian center, research
A $1 million Richard King Mellon Foundation grant will help Powdermill Nature Reserve construct a new Avian Research Center while expanding related activities and programs. The two-year grant includes $700,000 for the new center, which should cover about a third of the project’s cost, according to John Wenzel, director of...
Beloved clergyman assumes the mantle of leadership at Saint Vincent Archabbey
Although it may have triggered adjustments, even a pandemic couldn’t halt the passing of the baton Friday as the Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel accepted the mantle of leadership at the Saint Vincent Archabbey. The majestic tones of the pipe organ filled the soaring Saint Vincent Basilica in Unity as...
Westmoreland, surrounding counties, will not see new dining, bar restrictions over weekend
Westmoreland and surrounding southwestern Pennsylvania counties received a reprieve — for the weekend, at least — on new restrictions that would have temporarily halted indoor dining and drinking in an attempt to slow increased covid-19 cases. County officials received word that Gov. Tom Wolf would not announce any new restrictions...
Franklin Regional looks to unify online learning with Schoology system
Google Classroom and a patchwork of other educational tools helped Franklin Regional staff and students through the final months of a hectic school year. But district administrators are looking to bring all of those tools into the same shed for students who may be learning from home in the coming...
