Westmoreland category, Page 692
Westmoreland prison stepping up actions to prevent coronavirus
Would-be visitors to the Westmoreland County Prison are being asked to stay home if they’re not feeling well amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus, according to Warden John Walton. Anyone trying to visit an inmate at the Hempfield jail who is coughing or sneezing in the lobby will be...
1 freed after 2-vehicle crash in Murrysville
One person was freed Tuesday morning from the wreckage of a two-vehicle crash on Route 380 in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Traffic was affected on the highway near Greensburg Road after the 7:48 a.m. crash. The two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions, a dispatcher said. Firefighters...
Amphitheater construction in Jeannette nearing completion
An amphitheater under construction in Jeannette is nearing completion. Mandy Zalich, director of Westmoreland Community Action, said the project should be done in the next couple of months. The amphitheater will be managed by Jeannette officials. “Hopefully, it’ll be a way for the city to generate funds to support” the...
Hempfield and Greensburg Salem students win 1st place at culinary competitionVideo
Students from Hempfield and Greensburg Salem high schools brought home the top prize after participating in a ProStart competition, which focuses on restaurant management and culinary skills. Kassie Miller of Hempfield, who studies culinary arts at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, along with Kelly Gillis, a Greensburg Salem student,...
Parents urge tighter security checks for volunteers at NorwinVideo
Parents say Norwin School District should tighten its policies and procedures for volunteers undergoing background checks after it was discovered that a man who worked with the middle school musical pleaded guilty to corruption of minors in Fayette County. “My concern is that this person was brought in (to the...
Invisible Man Brewing gets Greensburg grant for startup costs
Invisible Man Brewing will receive $4,760 from the City of Greensburg to help cover the architectural and design fees that went into its South Pennsylvania Avenue building. The brewery opened in October. Council unanimously approved the grant Monday under a program that provides money to cover “soft costs” for new...
Greensburg Salem teams sweep pasta bridge competition at Saint VincentVideo
Greensburg Salem School District swept the top three spots in Monday’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition at Saint Vincent College. Juniors Adam Nichols, 16, and Kevin Burkhardt, 17, both of Salem Township, took first-place honors when their model bridge, crafted from various types of pasta and glue, stood up...
Greensburg says farewell to 3 longtime employees, including police chief
Greensburg is saying “so long” to three longtime employees. Police Chief Chad Zucco’s last day will be March 30. Zucco, who announced his retirement last month, is stepping down after 22 years in the department, four of them as chief. He accepted a job as chief operating officer of Gaskey...
South Center Avenue in New Stanton reopened after vehicle crash
Part of South Center Avenue in New Stanton was closed Monday night after a two vehicle crash, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The road was closed between Pine Drive and Bridge Street. It reopened around 9:45 p.m. At least two people were transported to the hospital by the Mutual...
Norwin students propose using app to combat roadway litter; win region award
A team of Norwin High School students devised a cost-effective, safe and innovative way of curbing litter along the state’s highways. It also proved to be award winning. The students — John Christian, Joshua Gubanich, Jordan Loy and Elias Mignogna — propose using a specially designed smartphone app called PALS...
$10K bond request denied for man accused of raping 12-year-old who later gave birth
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday rejected a bond request from a Connellsville man awaiting trial on charges of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2013. Prosecutors say the girl gave birth to the man’s child nine months later. Shawn Melville, 42, was charged last year with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,...
Ahead of coronavirus, Saint Vincent College bumps up safety measures in dining areas
Saint Vincent College is bumping up safety measures in dining areas as a precaution against coronavirus, officials said Monday. College spokesman Jim Berger said there are no suspected cases at the school located near Latrobe. “In the interest of precaution and in an effort to reduce the number of frequently...
Sewickley man sent to prison for sexually assaulting 2 mentally disabled women
A Sewickley man will serve up to four years in prison for sexually assaulting two mentally disabled women at his home in 2018. Wayne E. Smith, 75, pleaded guilty Monday to forcing the women, ages 23 and 24, to have sex — acts they were unable to consent to because...
Cops: Murrysville man accused of nearly hitting policeman and dog in fleeing car
A 19-year-old Murrysville man, who police say almost hit a police officer and police dog Magnus while trying to flee a traffic stop, was arrested within an hour on multiple criminal charges. Zachary J. Jackson was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when several municipal police officers went to a residence...
First defendant in Youngwood murder cases pleads guilty, gets 15 to 30 years in prison
Matthew Genard was weeks away from a fresh start in Florida when he was brutally stabbed to death during a drug-related robbery more than two years ago in Youngwood. Genard’s eldest sister told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that the family’s youngest sibling was ready to turn his life...
Murrysville’s Morosini Reserve will become an ‘Enchanted Forest’ in May
It might seem a little strange for officials from the Westmoreland Conservancy – which focuses on science-based programming – to host a hunt for fairy houses and troll dens. “Just like with any myth, there’s a little grain of truth,” said conservancy President Shelly Tichy. “The ‘fairies’ are the insects...
‘We’re really not bad parents,’ say Unity couple accused of locking son in closetVideo
A Unity couple accused of locking their 9-year-old son inside a closet and nailing it shut so they could attend a relative’s birthday party say they love him and hope their family is soon reunited. “We want people to know that we’re really not bad parents. We love our kids,”...
Expert will explain benefits of controlled burning for Westmoreland woodlands group
Flames can damage a wooded area when they run wild and unchecked. But one that is controlled can benefit an ecosystem. Jesse Kreye, an assistant research professor of fire and natural resources management at Penn State University, will explain the positive impact of prescribed fire Thursday March 19 at the...
Greater Latrobe’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ blends romance, comedy and classic pop hitsVideo
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Greater Latrobe School District has limited attendance at “Mamma Mia!” to two invited people per participant in the musical. Attendees will be asked to identify the cast member they are representing when they arrive at the senior high auditorium. There will be an...
Bushy Run turns back clock to 18th century during Charter Day celebration
Bushy Run Battlefield, the Penn Township site of a 1763 British victory over Native American foes, held a Charter Day celebration Sunday. Visitors mingled with reenactors in period garb while taking free tours of the battlefield visitor center. Musket drills and children’s crafts also were featured. The event marked the...
Nearly 100 flock to Mazeroski home to be auctioned in HempfieldVideo
Whoever lives next in the house that Bill Mazeroski built will get to hit some of the same balls he did. Billiard balls, that is. The basement pool table is one of the few pieces of furniture that will be included when bids are placed for the Hempfield ranch house...
2019 H.S. performance score rankings for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Alle-Kiski Valley
The goal of most high schools is to have students graduate with skills that prepare them for success in life. One indication the school is making good on that intention is its building-level performance score — which is used to evaluate teachers and principals under Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System (Act...
Candidates for 58th state House seat preparing for special, general elections
Robert Prah Jr. has been campaigning for more than a year, and he’s got the Army-green notebook to prove it. Prah, a Democrat from Rostraver, will appear on the ballot during a special election March 17 to fill the remaining nine months of the vacant state House seat representing the...
Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace grabs top building score among Westmoreland elementaries
Teachers at Sheridan Terrace Elementary in the Norwin School District provided customized reading instruction for students and reached out to their families to reinforce educational goals. Those strategies paid off, as Sheridan led all elementary schools in Westmoreland County in 2019, based on state-calculated building-level scores. Sheridan achieved 93 out...
Penn-Trafford middle schools claim county lead in building performance results
Trafford Middle School used a flexible grouping approach to teach students last year, helping it to the top overall state performance score — 85.3 — among middle and junior high schools in Westmoreland County. Penn Middle School, also in Penn-Trafford School District, came in second with a score of 81.1...
