Westmoreland category, Page 701
Route 130 reopens in Penn Township following 2-vehicle crashVideo
A two-vehicle crash shut down Route 130 in Penn Township for more than four hours Saturday afternoon, according to authorities. The crash, involving a car and a pickup truck, was reported at 12:20 p.m. on Route 130 near Hungry Hank’s Pizzeria, a 911 supervisor said. “We had one patient in...
Innocence Institute founder will discuss overturning convictions in Murrysville
In 1989, Drew Whitley was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Seventeen years later in 2006, with the help of the Innocence Institute at Point Park University, he was exonerated and freed. One of the people who helped establish Whitney’s innocence will be the featured...
Financing plan eyed for potential $5.8M Eastern Westmoreland tech center renovation
Administrators at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center are taking the next step toward a proposed renovation of the 43-year-old building — by working on a plan to pay for the project, which could cost more than $5.8 million. The center’s Joint Operating Committee this week authorized administrative staff to...
Shoppers return to Delmont Walmart following gas leak
The Delmont Walmart store was temporarily evacuated shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday as area firefighters investigated an odor of natural gas. Crews traced the odor to a small leak in a gas line that supplies a roof heating unit near the store’s pharmacy, Forbes Road Fire Chief Bob Rosatti said....
State House scales back proposed emissions inspection overhaul
The state House scaled back a proposal that would have exempted many Pennsylvania drivers from vehicle emissions inspections — now calling for a study instead of an immediate overhaul. “They essentially gutted and replaced it,” said state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the driving...
Prosecutor says Derry man skipped sentencing hearing to take drugs
Glenn Levtzow apparently had a scheduling conflict Friday morning when he was due in court to be sentenced for his role in a friend’s overdose in 2017, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said. “He had better plans today. He is out smoking meth, according to the probation department,” Assistant District Attorney...
South Huntingdon carpenter is GOP nominee for 58th House special election
Westmoreland County Republicans selected a union carpenter making his first run for public office as the GOP’s candidate in a special election for the Pennsylvania State House 58th District seat. Eric Davanzo, 43, of South Huntingdon was nominated Thursday night to run against Democrat Robert Prah in the March 17...
Greensburg Salem School Board to search for new member following resignation
The Greensburg Salem School Board will be looking for a new member soon. Rachel Shaw announced her resignation this week. She was elected in 2017. Shaw took a job as mediator with the state’s Department of Labor, which prevents her from holding elected office. “I enjoyed my time on the...
Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of sexually assaulting 10-year-old
State police have an arrest warrant for a 76-year-old Mt. Pleasant man on charges of sexually assaulting a girl on multiple occasions nearly five years ago. Donald C. Werry of Brush Creek Road was charged by state Trooper Robert Politowski with aggravated involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated...
Greensburg police seek 2 suspects in strong-arm robbery
Greensburg police are looking for an Allegheny County man and a second unidentified male suspect accused in a strong-arm robbery, according to court papers. Investigators got an arrest warrant Friday for Jonathan Stewart Kostial, 26, of Moon, who is charged with robbery, strangulation, conspiracy, theft and related offenses. A Greensburg...
Former Murrysville massage parlor to be sold at sheriff’s sale
A prime commercial lot and building with a notorious past along Route 22 in Murrysville is slated to be sold at Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Sale March 2. The defunct Tokyo Massage Spa at 6428 William Penn Highway, which was shut March 22 after the arrest of owner Hui Xu, will...
Donora library to host Heinz history center’s traveling World War II exhibit
In the run-up to the 75th anniversary of World War II’s ending this fall, the Donora Historical Society and Donora Public Library will co-host the traveling World War II exhibit from the John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. For historical society volunteer Mark Pawelec, it’s a chance not only to...
Minor damage to Mt. Pleasant Post Office building in vehicle fire
A vehicle fire Friday caused minor damage to the Mt. Pleasant Post Office. An employee’s pickup truck parked near the rear of the Mt. Pleasant Township building caught fire around 11 a.m., according to Hecla Fire Lt. David Yuhouse. The flames reached to a roof extension on the building, but...
Latrobe family establishes IUP scholarship fund in honor of Jerry Quinn
A pair of Latrobe area brothers established a new scholarship fund at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in honor of local entrepreneur Jerry Quinn Sr. Students from Greater Latrobe High School or Westmoreland County will be eligible to apply for the scholarships from the Quinn Keystone Legacy Trust of Westmoreland County,...
Annual Sports Cards and Collectibles show returns to Westmoreland Mall
More than 40 vendors selling sports cards and other memorabilia have taken over Center Court at Westmoreland Mall for the weekend. The annual event, which has been going on for more than a decade, gives interested parties the opportunity to buy, sell and trade cards, wax products, action figures, gaming...
Schools, churches, non-profits to receive aid for promoting census in Westmoreland County
Schools, churches and local nonprofit organizations interested in promoting the census will have a little help soon from the Westmoreland County Complete Count Committee. Aimed at collecting an accurate countywide count, the committee is offering mini-grants of up to $1,000 to help with necessary resources and training for an organization’s...
Poll workers needed in Monessen for March special election, other communities for primary
Poll workers are needed in Monessen for the March 17 special election for state representative and in other communities for the April primary election. The Westmoreland County Elections Bureau is seeking 10 to 15 poll workers in Monessen, who will be trained and earn between $95 and $130 for the...
Westmoreland judge gives Pittsburgh man jail break in North Huntingdon drug case
A Pittsburgh man charged last summer with discarding 50 bricks of heroin during a police chase through North Huntingdon avoided a jail sentence when a Westmoreland County judge said he could be a strong example to children he mentors. Laplez Cummings, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday to drug charges, reckless endangerment...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 24-26Video
Desk jockeys are in the home stretch now, and the weekend looms. It’s a busy one, indoors and out, from antiques to music, culture to sculpture, to food. Enjoy. All that glitters Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce will host its 29th annual Ligonier Ice Fest Jan. 25-26, with ice sculptures...
Former South Greensburg secretary gets more jail time in borough theft case
Convicted in the theft of more than $110,000 in public money, South Greensburg’s former borough secretary was ordered to serve an additional year in jail on Thursday. Dennis Lee Kunkle Jr., 55, originally pleaded guilty in October 2018 to six counts for embezzling government funds for his personal use and...
Westmoreland Dems seeking new leadership for party committee
Westmoreland County Democrats will have new leadership in this presidential election year after the party committee’s top two officials resigned in the last month. Party chairwoman Rachel Shaw notified committee members this week she will step down Jan. 27 for professional reasons. The committee’s vice chairman Paul Adams resigned in...
Unity man pleads guilty to supplying lethal drugs in 2 overdose deaths
A Unity man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges he provided the drugs used by two men who fatally overdosed more than two years ago in Derry and Hempfield. Police said Jesse Hudspath, 27, shared 50 bags of fentanyl-laced heroin with two friends who died in their homes. Malachai E. Mundorff,...
Good Samaritan helps troopers ID suspected meth users in New Alexandria
A Good Samaritan who expressed concern over the safety of Route 22 motorists telephoned state troopers Wednesday to report two men parked outside a Sheetz store in New Alexandria who were allegedly using drugs. Troopers subsequently arrested Travis D. Teets, 35, and Adam J. Dewitt, 34, both of Preston, W.Va.,...
Hempfield to roll out memorial benches, trees
Hempfield residents soon could have a new way to commemorate loved ones. The township’s parks and recreation department plans to sell memorial benches and trees that can be placed in parks and at facilities across the township. “It will be an opportunity for families to commemorate loved ones whether they...
DA: Police justified in killing Greensburg woman who had gun
The fatal shooting of a Greensburg woman in March by a city police officer has been officially classified a justified homicide. Nina C. Adams, 47, posed a threat to police and the public March 13 when she fired shots at a Harvey Avenue building, according to a report released Thursday...
