Westmoreland category, Page 679
19th coronavirus death reported in Westmoreland
Officials said Thursday that a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 19. Ten men and nine women in the county have died as a result of the virus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. His office is being notified of the deaths sooner than...
Irwin restaurant delivering meals to seniorsVideo
Caroline Leppert got lunch delivered this week to the North Huntingdon residence where she has been living with her friend for the past month under a self-imposed quarantine to avoid getting sick with covid-19. Leppert and her friend were getting a meal of ready-to-heat pasta with a meatball, courtesy of...
Youngwood boy gets his own personal parade thanks to borough’s volunteer firefighters
On a cold and gray afternoon in Youngwood, one little boy’s birthday turned out to be a heartwarming, bright-blue celebration. On a day normally highlighted with a school celebration and then dinner at Hoss’s, Garrett Hamilton’s seventh birthday was looking to be a little less than thrilling this year, thanks...
1 person transported after motorcycle crash in Ligonier
One person was transported to the hospital after a motorcycle crash in Ligonier Township, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash, which happened shortly before 6:50 p.m., closed Route 711 between Peters Street and Route 30 until around 9 p.m. Further information on the driver’s condition or number of...
Westmoreland jail inmates asking court for release over coronavirus fears; Allegheny has released nearly 1,000
The population at the Westmoreland County Prison has dropped 22% since March 1 as inmates seek release to protect themselves should the coronavirus get inside the jail. Warden John Walton said officials there have identified 67 inmates between ages 22 and 80 who have chronic medical conditions that could make...
Online map provides zoning info for Greensburg developers
A new online map provides at-a-glance zoning information for developers and property owners in Greensburg. The tool is the latest effort in the city’s ongoing campaign to reduce confusion and red tape in development. It allows people to search for specific properties and see zoning districts at a glance. It...
Franklin Regional board opts not to add ‘sunset clause’ for Sloan bond payments
Franklin Regional school board director Ed Mittereder compares the district’s construction-related bond debt to a series of car payments. “We all look forward to the day when we pull that last coupon and make that last payment,” Mittereder said. “That sigh of relief comes the following month, when the money...
Greensburg Diocese to broadcast, stream Divine Mercy service
Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Greensburg Diocese will lead a Divine Mercy service that will be broadcast and streamed Sunday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Faith During Crisis: Lord, Have Mercy!” will be aired at 2 p.m. on WTAE-TV and will be available immediately afterward on the diocese’s...
‘Unwritten billboards’: Mt. Pleasant Township residents remember past messages on rock
Down the winding Kecksburg Road in Mt. Pleasant Township sits a rock that for years has been a point of encouraging — and sometimes profane — messages. Protruding next to the road, the gray rock is stained blue, with white letters reading “Stay healthy,” referencing the coronavirus pandemic. Other colors...
3 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two women and a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, upping the death toll to 18, officials said Wednesday. The deaths were added to a total provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who is being notified of deaths related to the virus sooner than the state Department of Health....
Parking tickets irk Greensburg workers during pandemic
Coronavirus has changed almost everything, but some people who work in Greensburg say they’re still facing one all-too-familiar scenario: parking tickets. “I think it’s ridiculous that we’re being ticketed during a pandemic,” said Tracy Scott, who works at the Welcome Home shelter on South Maple Avenue. She’s been given several...
Franklin Regional board votes to restart Sloan construction project
The Franklin Regional School District will restart the Sloan “elementary campus” project later this month despite concerns by four of its nine school board members. “There’s really no certainty when a good time to move forward is,” said board member Gary English. “I think we should err on the side...
Pitt-Greensburg seeks input for planned New Kensington mural
Community members are being invited to share their ideas for a mural planned for the side of the Walt’s Deli building in New Kensington. The mural is a project of the Community Arts and Reintegration Project (CARP), administered by the Center For Applied Research at the University of Pittsburgh at...
Charges filed in fatal Greensburg fentanyl overdose
Two Greensburg women are accused by police of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with a February fatal overdose, according to court papers. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 34, is accused of supplying a fatal dose that killed Justine Baker, 32, on Feb. 11, city police said. Baker’s spouse, Mary Elizabeth...
15 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two more people died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the current death toll to 15, officials reported Tuesday. The majority of the county’s fatalities are linked to senior living communities, said Coroner Ken Bacha. The two most recent deaths occurred at hospitals, but were people who had been...
Latrobe OKs new stormwater fee, but delays collection
Latrobe property owners will be asked to pay a new stormwater management fee, but not just yet. City council this week voted to create a new department to take charge of state-mandated stormwater management efforts, including reducing the flow of sediments into Loyalhanna Creek. It also established an annual supporting...
Arnold Palmer runway widening begins, despite rain
Rainy weather didn’t stop contractors from starting work Monday on a project that will give pilots a bigger target when they land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. General contractor Golden Triangle Construction began stockpiling stone that will be used this year as it widens the runway from 100 feet to...
Pennsylvania bill would ensure full pay for first responders stricken with coronavirus
State Rep. Eric Nelson this week proposed an amendment to state law that will ensure police and firefighters continue to be paid should they have to miss work because of the coronavirus. Nelson, R-Hempfield, said the proposed legislation will expand the state’s Heart and Lung Act that requires certain emergency...
YWCA Westmoreland names longtime employee as interim director
YWCA Westmoreland County appointed a familiar face as its new interim executive director. Gina McGrath has been with the organization since 1998, previously serving as technology instructor, IT director, and senior program director. She replaces Cindy Leonard, who recently departed the organization after working as executive director since 2018. “Both...
North Huntingdon woman accused of intentionally coughing on McDonald’s worker
A 47-year-old North Huntingdon woman who allegedly coughed on a McDonald’s worker and told the person “I hope you get covid-19” has been charged with assault, state police said. Sharon K. Powell is charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, reckless endangerment and simple assault in connection with the alleged incident at...
Another covid-19 death in Westmoreland County; total now 13
Officials on Monday reported the 13th coronavirus-related death in Westmoreland County. Coroner Ken Bacha said the latest death was yet another person connected with a local nursing home as all but one of the county’s fatalities have been linked to senior living communities. State health officials on Monday continued to...
Cops: Man jailed after assaulting girlfriend twice in Youngwood apartment
A 32-year-old man was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $10,000 bond on charges of harassing and physically assaulting a Youngwood woman twice in seven hours Sunday and early Monday, state police said. Nicholas A. Cole of Latrobe was arrested on multiple criminal charges of harassment and simple...
Adapting: Coronavirus restrictions keeping beloved Excela volunteer from his roundsVideo
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?” The line to Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” resonates these days...
Power mostly restored in Westmoreland County; about 500 remain without service
Electricity has been restored to most of the 1,600 homes that lost power in Westmoreland County Monday, according the West Penn Power. Crews are still working to restore utilities at 518 properties. In Allegheny County, the number of homes affected by strong winds and morning storms was far less, with...
Coronavirus clamps down on real estate business
Zach Kocian of Southwest Greensburg might be one of the less lucky homeowners in Western Pennsylvania who is trying to sell his home this spring. Kocian, a behavior specialist at a private school, put the Stanton Street house he bought three years ago up for sale with the hopes of...
