Westmoreland category, Page 691
Monessen man accused in rape of girl ordered held in county prison on $50K bond
A 23-year-old Monessen man was arrested this week on charges of raping a girl after she was treated and interviewed at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh following the alleged assault. Quentin T. Simpson was arraigned before night court District Judge Michael Mahady on charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, corruption...
Greater Latrobe agrees to pay contractor $831K to settle elementary construction claims
Greater Latrobe School District will pay Nello Construction $831,000 to settle the general contractor’s claim for money it says the district still owes for construction of Latrobe Elementary School. Both the school board and the Greater Latrobe School Authority, which owns the building, approved the settlement. The agreement ended a...
Pa. Superior Court hears Trib appeal for juror names in Westmoreland public corruption trial
The names of jurors in the public corruption trial of former Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held should be made public, a Tribune-Review attorney argued in court Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the state’s Superior Court heard arguments in Pittsburgh on the Trib’s appeal of a lower court ruling that withheld...
Hempfield doctor wants to use Pa. lawsuit against Purdue Pharma to defend his drug-death case
Lawyers for a Hempfield doctor contend a state lawsuit against drug makers could bolster his defense against a murder charge he faces for allegedly overprescribing medication that led to a patient’s death. Defense attorneys Brian Aston and Ken Noga said claims made in the lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney...
North Huntingdon Police seeking help on alleged luring incident
North Huntingdon Police are investigating a reported luring attempt of a 14-year-old boy in the township’s Hahntown section last week. Police disclosed in a Nixle report on Tuesday that the incident occurred along Entry Road about 2:30 p.m. Friday. In a separate alert, the school district said on its website...
Rostraver landfill, DEP reach agreement on liquids from oil, gas waste
A Rostraver Township landfill has reached an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the proper disposal of liquids generated by oil and gas waste. The consent order and agreement requires Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill to pay a $24,000 civil penalty and undertake a number of corrective actions related...
Seton Hill names new dean for visual, performing arts
Seton Hill University has named Kellee Van Aken as dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Van Aken, associate professor of theatre and chair of the Theatre and Dance Department at Seton Hill, joined the faculty in 2011 and has served as interim dean of the School of...
Police: Bugs ‘crawling on the walls’ at South Huntingdon home with 2 kids
A South Huntingdon woman who was ordered not to have contact with a baby is accused of having the child at her home last month, according to state police. Elizabeth Ann Hart, 22, is charged with child endangerment and harassment. Troopers investigating a 911 hang up call Jan. 8 on...
Pa. Superior Court hears appeal arguments in corruption case against former Westmoreland sheriff
The lawyer for former Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held argued Tuesday that not enough evidence exists to warrant the continued prosecution of the now-private citizen on public corruption offenses. Held, 45, of Hempfield is awaiting a second trial for allegations he directed on-duty staffers to participate in reelection campaign activities...
Gordmans grand opening in East Huntingdon draws curious shoppersVideo
Several dozen shoppers braved a wet, windy morning Tuesday to be among the first to shop at the new Gordmans, formerly Peebles, department store in East Huntingdon. Officials from the township and from Mt. Pleasant borough joined employees as they officially opened the location in Countryside Plaza. Grand openings of...
Conservancy seeking volunteers to help prune apple trees in Murrysville
Westmoreland Conservancy officials are looking for a few good apples, so they can create a whole bunch more. The metaphorical “few good apples” would be additional volunteers to help with a Feb. 22 apple-tree pruning session at the Conservancy’s Morosini Reserve in southeast Murrysville. “This will be our third time...
Western Pa. libraries prepare for upcoming chess tournamentsVideo
At 12 years old, Sidd Ramineni is understandably a little shy when it comes to discussing his accomplishments. But with a display shelf at his Murrysville home that’s filled with chess trophies, he certainly would have plenty to brag about. “I like the strategy you have to use,” said Sidd,...
Hempfield man accused of hitting Irwin bar patron with his truck
Police accused a Hempfield man of hitting another man with his pickup truck during a fight outside an Irwin bar last month, according to court papers. Adam Charles Walters, 26, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless endangerment and related offenses. He is free on a recognizance...
Participants needed for 3 focus groups with Westmoreland aging agency
Participants are needed for three focus groups next month to help the Westmoreland County Area Agency on Aging develop a four-year plan. Sessions will be held in Monessen, Latrobe and New Kensington. Participants will help the agency identify needs of older adults around the county while discussing existing services and...
Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski’s house in Hempfield goes on auction block
The Westmoreland County home of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski and his wife will go to the highest bidder, with the sale coming less than three months after memorabilia from his Hall of Fame career and other household items attracted hundreds of people to a New Year’s Day auction. Bids...
Westmoreland Historical Society hosts open house for potential volunteers
The Westmoreland Historical Society is looking for volunteers and is inviting those who may be interested in helping out to attend an open house at the society’s headquarters, at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield. The session is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 29 in the History Education...
Mt. Pleasant High School students win statewide award for suicide prevention videoVideo
Still grieving over the suicide death of a friend and classmate last year, three Mt. Pleasant Area High School students jumped at the chance to help promote suicide awareness and prevention. Senior Jillian Gearhart and sophomores Ashlynn Scherer and Bryce Jaworkski were told during a school assembly for the Council...
Cops: Youngwood woman charged with child endangerment after 2 incidents
A 40-year-old Youngwood woman was cited for child endangerment, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct after state police made welfare checks twice in three weeks and reported her apartment being “in deplorable condition.” Trooper Nicholas Parker filed the complaint against Mandy M. Kinnaird after troopers were called to the home twice...
New Stanton area hemp processor CAMO closes, stranding farmers
A company that seemed poised to make Westmoreland County a hemp hub has folded, leaving local growers with nowhere to sell their crops. Commonwealth Alternative Medicinal Options shut down its 45,000-square-foot CBD processing facility near New Stanton as the price of hemp collapsed. “The bottom line on it is, we...
1803 Hempfield school house restoredVideo
New life has been breathed into a Hempfield schoolhouse originally built in 1803. After sitting vacant for 15 years, the Middletown School House — along School House Lane — was purchased by Donna Acito in 2017. Originally planning to tear down the structure, Acito decided to restore it after learning...
Noteable: Beth Lechman confident county will be ready for voting changes, 2020 elections
As voters and candidates waited for days to get results of this month’s Iowa caucuses, Beth Lechman sat hundreds of miles away in her Westmoreland County home and imaged the nightmare that state’s elections officials were enduring. It is one Lechman hopes to avoid in April, when Pennsylvania voters go...
Sons of the American Legion remember a friend and toast veteransVideo
On a chilly Sunday morning before the sun came up, about a dozen of Mike Osenkowski’s friends gathered at the American Legion hall that houses Post 982 in Unity. Just hours after the bar closed, guys like Dave O’Barto and Patrick “Rabbit” Quinn, members of the Sons of the American...
Police: Uniontown woman hurt after vehicle goes into woods off Route 51
A Uniontown area woman was hurt after her vehicle went off the road and into the woods in Rostraver early Sunday morning, authorities said. Rostraver police said the 27-year-old woman was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The extent of her injuries wasn’t immediately known. The crash was reported...
Greensburg man might be the sharpest knife in the drawerVideo
Of all the words Kevin Sheftic might use to describe his life, “dull” is not one of them. After decades in the corporate world, Sheftic decided to pursue an entrepreneurial path providing services people rarely think about. In 2016, he founded Line Pro Striping, a company that paints lines on...
Late Jeannette policeman to be added to National Law Enforcement Officers MemorialVideo
It was Jeannette police Officer Allen “Jack” Capozzi’s last call. He and fellow Officer Carl Shifko went to the Piedmont Bar to break up an argument between two men Oct. 18, 1978. The officers separated them when something went wrong. “He just collapsed,” Shifko said. “He had a heart condition...
