Westmoreland category, Page 715
3rd sentencing hearing postponed for woman convicted in Greensburg torture-murder
A third sentencing hearing for the youngest member of group of former Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture killing of a mental disabled woman has been delayed as state appeal courts continue to weigh the legality of life prison terms for juvenile offenders. Angela Marinucci, now 27, has been...
Westmoreland County tax hike, first in 15 years, on the table
Westmoreland County commissioners could vote Thursday to hike property taxes for the first time in 15 years. Commissioners Gina Cerilli and Charles Anderson said Tuesday they have yet to commit to the proposed 2.4% tax hike as part of a finance package that includes adoption of a 2020 budget and...
Trafford offers grant for facade improvements – but not for naked mannequins
Entrepreneurs who want to open a business in Trafford next year will have a shot at a $600 matching grant for improving their storefront’s facade, though there is a catch. The money is available to any business owner who has designs on sprucing up their storefront in Trafford “as long...
Hempfield tax assessment appeal program up for vote in January
The future of Hempfield school district’s controversial tax assessment appeal program will be decided in 2020, after board members debated the process this week. The program, adopted in 2015 to target under-assessed commercial and industrial parcels, essentially raises property taxes to what they would be if officials did a countywide...
Mt. Pleasant man charged with child sex assault
A Mt. Pleasant man is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old over 14 months, according to borough police. Jarrod Rochat, 27, was charged Monday with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse causing serious bodily injury, indecent assault, corruption of minors and child endangerment. Police said the child described during an interview this...
300 kids have wishes come true at Shop With a Cop eventsVideo
The notebook state Trooper Tavin Davis typically uses during investigations served a different purpose Tuesday. He used it to jot down the cost of toys for two Youngstown children at the Unity Walmart store to make sure they stayed within budget. Daniel Wallace, 3, put a Play-Doh kit in the...
Hempfield students use engineering magic to clinch competition crown
Want to see a card trick? Hempfield high school students have one, and it takes over 20 different steps to execute. Performed by a student-built contraption named “Ab’rube’cadabra,” Hempfield students clinched the top spot last week for the magic trick at the annual Chain Reaction Contraption competition held at the...
Woman accused of stabbing Terrelle Pryor to be released from jailVideo
Shalaya Briston, the girlfriend of Terrelle Pryor who is accused of stabbing the professional football player, will be released from jail as she awaits a hearing on charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault, a judge ordered Tuesday. Judge Jeffrey A. Manning released Briston, 24, to her parents’ home in...
Franklin Regional telethon has raised more than $139,000 over the years
When local viewers watch this year’s Franklin Regional Holiday Telethon, they will see four compelling reasons to consider donating to this year’s beneficiary, the UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund. “We have documentary segments on four (Franklin Regional) families who have been helped through the Free Care Fund,” said high...
Monessen man pleads guilty to helping run one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest cocaine rings
A Monessen man pleaded guilty to helping run a cross-country cocaine ring that was among the largest in Western Pennsylvania history, federal prosecutors said. Deaubre Lightfoot, 29, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams (about a pound) or more of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Scott...
Saint Vincent College will take comment on dining hall expansion
Saint Vincent College officials on Thursday will discuss the planned development of a Student Life and Hospitality Hub, including the dining hall where the Pittsburgh Steelers eat during training camp on the Unity campus. The meeting, which will include a public comment period, begins at 9 a.m. in Room 2B,...
Youngwood woman who assaulted her mother to be released from jail
A Youngwood woman charged two years ago with a assault of her elderly mother during a dispute over the volume of a Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game broadcast was expected to be released from jail late Monday. Dolores Amorino, 42, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, simple assault...
Westmoreland County Prison to review visitation logs in wake of smuggling bust at Allegheny County Jail
Westmoreland County Prison officials said Monday they will review facility entrance logs to determine if a local attorney charged last week with smuggling drugs to inmates at the Allegheny County jail had similarly visited the lockup in Hempfield. Following the release last week of a grand jury presentment, lawyer Paul...
Ligonier man accused of assault, threatening women with shotgun
A 51-year-old Ligonier Township man was arrested Saturday, charged with assaulting two women and threatening them with a shotgun. Wayne J. Deem surrendered to Ligonier Valley Police about 12:45 p.m. Saturday at his home near Wilpen after police were called for a report of an assault involving a weapon. Officer...
Hempfield family packs ‘chemo comfort’ tote bags for adult cancer patientsVideo
A Hempfield family’s loss has turned into gain for hundreds of cancer patients in Westmoreland County. On Sunday, Dave Carr and his sons, Eli and Grant, gathered with family and friends at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg to assemble special tote bags for adult cancer patients. The Chemo Comfort...
Police: Pat-down of Monessen man yields nearly 2 bricks of heroin
Monessen police said while performing a pat-down on a man being evicted from a house Saturday they discovered about two bricks of heroin tucked inside of one of his jacket pockets. David D. Jeffries, 28, of Monessen, was arrested on charges of manufacturing, delivery and possession with intent to deliver...
Heinz Lofts claims Terrelle Pryor, girlfriend violated terms of lease
The North Side apartment complex where former NFL player Terrelle Pryor and his girlfriend, Shalaya Briston, lived is seeking the remaining rent due on the apartment they shared, claiming the couple violated the lease’s rules and regulations. A hearing on the matter is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday at District...
Cops: East Huntingdon woman left 2 young children ‘in deplorable conditions’
A 25-year-old East Huntingdon woman was arrested early Saturday after state troopers found her two children, both under age 4, alone inside her apartment “in deplorable conditions.” Danielle R. Thompson, who lives in Huntingdon Village apartments, was charged with two counts each of child endangerment and recklessly endangering another person...
North Belle Vernon councilman honored for park transformation
For a guy who’s into parks and recreation, R.J. Sokol doesn’t seem to take a break. Sokol, 62, of North Belle Vernon, has a day job as a production supervisor at the Eastman Chemical Co. in Monongahela. In his free time, he serves on North Belle Vernon Borough Council, oversees...
Cambria County man dies in Fairfield crash, coroner says
A 37-year-old man from Cambria County died in a single-vehicle crash in Fairfield on Sunday night, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. The crash happened shortly after 7 p.m. in the area of 1410 Route 271. Benjamin D. Snyder, of Upper Yoder, was alone and traveling south on Route...
Unity couple looks to expand pierogi business with Route 981 plant
A Unity couple has drawn upon a shared Polish heritage to grow a thriving business making pierogies for restaurants and fundraisers. The next step Jan Rawecki and Terry Smith-Rawecki are planning is to move production of Gosia’s Pierogies from their expanded Pauline Drive garage to a larger plant they intend...
Tax assessment appeals top list for newly elected Hempfield school board
The fate of a residential tax assessment appeal program in the Hempfield Area School District could be in question as newly elected board members who have mostly voiced opposition to the practice take their seats. More than two years into a residential tax assessment appeal program, the district is bringing...
Hempfield casino to feature FanDuel sports betting partnership
As one of the first approved mini casinos in the state, Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall will jump on another growing trend once it opens: sports betting. The Hempfield casino, which is expected to open next year, will be home to the FanDuel Sportsbook. The sports area will be...
Greensburg Salvation Army is short of 2019 Red Kettle campaign goal
With only eight days left, the Greensburg Salvation Army still has more than half of its Red Kettle campaign goal to raise. Lt. Cheyenne Martinez, assistant corps officer, said the Greensburg Salvation Army had raised $41,296 as of Monday — leaving $48,704 still to be raised toward the 2019 goal...
Trail Life troop lays wreaths for Revolutionary War soldiers in SalemVideo
An obscure Salem cemetery where three Revolutionary War soldiers are buried got some much-needed attention on Saturday, despite persistent rain and temperatures in the high 30s. Members of Trail Life Troop 2717 of Export laid seven wreaths at the Lessig Riddle Cemetery on Mark Drive in conjunction with the Wreaths...
