Westmoreland category, Page 650
Greensburg Salem keeps taxes flat, cuts librarians and band teacher
Parents, students and alumni who advocated for the preservation of programs at Greensburg Salem School District say they’re disappointed by the district’s decision to keep property taxes flat while cutting library and band positions. “A one-mill tax increase could have fixed so much,” said Sara Deegan, a parent of two...
Hempfield school board approves 2020-21 budget with no tax hike
Hempfield school board members voted unanimously last week to pass the 2020-21 budget that does not raise property taxes. The $97.3 million budget passed 9-0, holding property taxes at 83.46 mills. This is the second year board members have not raised taxes following five years of gradual increases. Originally set...
Jeannette woman allegedly sold drugs to buy football cleats
A Jeanette woman accused of having a golf ball-sized chunk of crack cocaine allegedly told state police she was selling drugs to raise money to buy football cleats for her son. State police say they found the crack cocaine in a car driven by Nivek Aneece Jackson, 39, when they...
Man who caused fatal 2018 Salem wreck is paroled
A West Virginia man was paroled Monday after pleading guilty to causing a crash on Route 22 in Salem that killed a man and injured his wife and young daughter nearly two years ago. Brian Keith Clemons, 43, formerly of New Alexandria, pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular homicide, aggravated...
Westmoreland juvenile center to require masks
Juveniles held in Westmoreland County’s Regional Youth Services Center will be required to wear masks to deter the spread of the coronavirus. The facility’s oversight board on Monday said the new requirement is a precaution at the Hempfield facility, which serves as a juvenile detention center and shelter for troubled...
Westmoreland considers coronavirus tests for all new county jail inmates
Westmoreland officials will consider testing all new inmates at the county lockup to help guard against coronavirus at the facility. Warden John Walton, during a meeting of the county’s prison board Monday, said although no case of covid-19 has breached the facility, the existing screening method to prevent spread of...
Goose, shot with arrow, on its way to recovery at Youngwood-based Wildlife Works
Crews with the nonprofit organization Wildlife in Need earlier this month rescued a goose that had an arrow lodged in its body. The goose was captured at a pond near the Unity Township Municipal Building. The practice arrow was lodged millimeters from the goose’s spine, said Beth Shoaf, executive director...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Monday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 640, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in the county since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
Historic West Newton house converted to Airbnb rental
A historic house built in the early 1800s along the Youghiogheny River in West Newton was remodeled and converted into a vacation rental that should be available in August, the owner said. Real estate developer Gregory K. Barr of Baldwin took what was the long-vacant two-story wood-framed John C. Plumer...
Westmoreland County reports 13 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Sunday reported 13 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 620, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in Westmoreland County since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
Briefly speaking: June 28, 2020
Sale The West Newton Community Yard Sale is set for 8 a.m. July 11. Maps will be available at Mantle Mission House, 132 S. Water St., and at 603 Vine St. Rain date will be July 18. Meetings Women’s Business Network, a business association that supports the success and growth...
Eagle Scout project to improve Historic Hanna’s TownVideo
Almost 20 Boy Scouts, parents and volunteers gathered at Historic Hanna’s Town on Saturday morning, scrambling to beat the rain as they kick started an Eagle Scout project for soon-to-be Greensburg Salem senior Adam Nichols. The project, headed by the 17-year-old, is aimed at restoring the site to what it...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Saturday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the total number of covid-19 cases in the county, 587 are confirmed and 20 are probable, state health officials said. The countywide case total is now 607, with 38...
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...
