Westmoreland category, Page 682
Monessen man gets 6-20 years for child sex assault
A Monessen man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy. Michael Christofel, 39, pleaded guilty Friday to charges he had multiple incidents of sexual contact with the boy in October and November 2018 in Monessen. According to court records, the victim’s...
Westmoreland halts most visits to county nursing home
Westmoreland County commissioners on Friday halted visitation for most residents at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. Commissioners will conduct a news conference at 9 a.m. Saturday at the courthouse to unveil the county’s full response plan to the coronavirus pandemic. The new restriction at the 400-bed Westmoreland Manor started...
Cops: Man jailed on $100K bond, charged with stalking Jeannette woman
A Jeannette woman told city police an acquaintance broke into her apartment Thursday and began texting her more than 30 photographs of items from inside her home. Steve G. Pierce Jr., 32, of Swissvale, was arrested on charges of burglary, harassment, receiving stolen property, stalking and theft by city police....
Latrobe officials nix attempt to replace fire chief, open to investigation
Discord continues to flare in the Latrobe Fire Department. After several months of strife, city officials agreed to look into an attempt by some firefighters to oust Chief John Brasile. Mayor Rosie Wolford said a council committee would investigate any written documentation firefighters produce that might establish a “just cause”...
Cops: 2 more suspects arrested in Greensburg residential burglaries
As Greensburg Police continue to probe dozens of daylight residential burglaries , two more suspects were arrested Thursday for allegedly selling some of the stolen items. James E. Dickant Jr. was arrested Monday at the Rodeway Inn in Hempfield Monday on multiple charges of forgery, possessing instruments of crime, theft,...
Work nearly complete on replica of 19th-century Murrysville schoolhouseVideo
A crew of Amish carpenters may have been brought in to build a replica of the 1836 schoolhouse off of West Pike Street in Murrysville, but Murrysville Historical Preservation Society members didn’t need to venture far to find other period-appropriate trappings. “Lou Geiger from Murrysville, who owns (Caleb Atlantic fuel...
Irwin still to hold St. Patrick’s Day events on Saturday
The city of Pittsburgh may have canceled its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, but Irwin plans to carry on Saturday with its festival that features traditional Irish food, libations and music. Several restaurants in downtown Irwin from noon to 5 p.m. will sell Irish food, according to the Irwin Business...
Delmont native works as Navy SeaBee electrician
With two generations of military men in his family, Derek Hughes of Delmont felt a strong duty to make a contribution of his own as the third. “My grandfather served in the Marine Corps as an infantryman during the Korean War and my uncle served in the Navy in the...
Westmoreland Symphony hits social media to get postponement out
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s decision to postpone the planned March 14 “Irish Rhapsody” concert included a “full court press” announcement. Patron notifications include Endy Reindl, executive director, making the announcement Thursday via a video posted Thursday to the WSO’s website and social media accounts. In the video announcement, Reindl notes...
AMC Theatres creating ‘distance’ in movies; full house now to be ‘half full’
AMC Theatres, which owns the theaters behind the Westmoreland Mall near Greensburg and the Waterfront in Homestead, is encouraging “social distancing” in its movie theaters because of the coronavirus, by making sure its screenings are only half-full at most. Ticket sales in movie auditoriums nationwide will be capped at one-half...
Unity OKs liquor license for Walmart alcohol sales; store remodeling planned
Unity is one step closer to being home to the second Walmart location in Pennsylvania to sell beer and wine. Township supervisors have approved a restaurant liquor license transfer for the Colony Lane store off Route 30, which now must be greenlighted by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Walmart hopes...
Unity bridge closure to become permanent with PUC approval
A Unity Township bridge that has been closed for the better part of a year because of safety concerns will remain so, under a new agreement the township supervisors reached with Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay for removing the bridge that once carried Buffenmeyer Road over...
Carving out new purposes for golf courses, country clubsVideo
Mike Smetak recalls learning to play golf at Timber Ridge Golf Club in East Huntingdon, before it closed in 2016. In years prior, the site off Route 31 was known as the Mulberry Hill Golf Course. Smetak says he finds it “a little surreal” that he and his wife, Lindsay,...
Greensburg Diocese restricts activities
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg said Thursday that Catholics aren’t obligated to attend Sunday Mass because of the concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. It also stated that all large group non-liturgical parish and diocesan gatherings, will be canceled beginning Saturday. The popular fish fries will be open for...
The Trendy Bunny opens in Greensburg
Alisha Edwards wants her new store — Trendy Bunny on South Pennsylvania Avenue — to showcase the best Greensburg has to offer. “We’ve taken the talents of Greensburg and brought them in here,” Edwards said. The boutique focuses on children’s clothing and features items from local creators as well national...
Greensburg St. Patrick’s Day events to continue despite coronavirus concerns
Greensburg area bars say coronavirus won’t prevent them from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day Weekend. All Saints Brewing, Mr. Toad’s and the Parkwood Inn are among the local establishments planning parties, and they say their events will go on as scheduled. “As far as I know, all the bars are still...
Westmoreland County schools planning for worst-case coronavirus scenario
As coronavirus cases continue to grow in eastern Pennsylvania and other areas of the country, school officials across Westmoreland County are preparing plans for how to educate students in a worst-case scenario. Principals in Greater Latrobe School District planned to meet Friday with their staffs to discuss plans for responding...
Westmoreland County postpones jury trials, asks residents to conduct business online if possibleVideo
Westmoreland County’s criminal court judges postponed all jury trials in March in response to the ongoing concern about the coronavirus. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger on Thursday conducted hearings for inmates at the county jail via video conferencing rather than have them brought to the courthouse. “I’m doing this as...
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau kicks of ‘Ag Literacy Week’
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau kicked off “Ag Literacy Week” in Pennsylvania on Thursday with bureau President Rick Ebert reading to his granddaughter’s class at Grandview Elementary School in Derry. Literacy week, March 16-20, will feature farmers and other representatives of the state’s agriculture industry reading to students in schools across...
Westmoreland Transit to continue service, step up vehicle cleaning
Westmoreland County Transit officials say the ongoing coronavirus scare for now will not impact local and commuter bus service and the agency’s Go Westmoreland paratransit shared-ride programs will continue at current levels. Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said buses and other vehicles will undergo additional disinfection to ensure the...
Greensburg Save a Lot to close after 17 years
Greensburg’s Save A Lot grocery story is closing Saturday after 17 years on East Pittsburgh Street. Shoppers mostly have picked the shelves bare, and even the carts are for sale. Owner Gary Wheatley of Lower Burrell said he’s been looking for someone to buy the store since last year, but...
Unity woman charged in $10,200 check-cashing scheme
A Unity woman is accused of cashing $10,200 in fraudulent checks mailed to her by an “online” paramour and then sending him the cash, state police said. Marjorie E. Aukerman, 56, is charged with theft by deception, receiving stolen property and assisting in consummation of a crime in connection with...
2 Allegheny County men arrested in Jeannette shooting
A Pittsburgh man is being held without bond after Jeannette police said he shot another man Wednesday. Ronald Lee Johnson, 64, of Perry South, is accused of firing the shot in the area of Wood and North First streets in Jeannette at 4:45 p.m, according to court papers. He is...
Cops: W.Va. man accused of assaulting, choking woman in Delmont
A Martinsburg, W.Va., man is being held without bail in the Westmoreland County Prison after he was accused of choking and threatening to kill a woman in Delmont. Ricardo Feliciano, 42, was charged with criminal trespass, cruelty to animals, disorderly conduct, harassment, stalking, strangulation and terroristic threats filed by Delmont...
Belle Vernon teachers strike averted; tentative pact reached in 11th-hour deal
Classes for about 2,500 Belle Vernon Area students continued as scheduled Friday after the teachers’ union and school board reached what they hope is a deal on a new contract, a union representative said. Details of the tentative agreement were not available. The contract still must be approved by the...
