Westmoreland category, Page 725
Latrobe woman lived long enough to see her Christmas sleigh wish fulfilled
Rita Ruffner was all about Christmas, so much so that she wanted her son, a former Hollywood set designer, to make a Santa’s sleigh for her front yard. Jeffrey Michaels, 51, of Las Vegas started work on the sleigh this summer. He finished days before his mother’s 80th birthday Oct....
Greensburg couple face drug charges after police seize THC cartridges, gummy bears
A Greensburg couple is accused of multiple drug delivery and possession charges after city police seized 577 THC vape cartridges and a container of THC gummy bears that were delivered in two parcels to their home earlier this month. Malachi U. Redhawk, 25, and Ashley M. Martin, 23, were charged...
Salvation Army hopes to overcome ‘lost’ week of Red Kettle fundraising
The Salvation Army says it is losing a week of Red Kettle fundraising as a result of the late Thanksgiving holiday. “That one week will affect our fundraising abilities since most of our locations don’t start until (Nov.) 29th,” said Lt. Cheyenne Martinez, assistant corps officer of the Greensburg Salvation...
Franklin Regional band returns to Macy’s parade for the first time since 2009Video
Franklin Regional students Amanda Zegarelli and JoJo Huczko have a name for the piano they will push 2-1/2 miles along New York City streets in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: “Persephone Priscilla Zegarelli Huczko.” “It’s so we can call her by her full name when she misbehaves,” said senior...
Florida woman arrested in Westmoreland County, charged with vehicle break-ins, fraud
A Florida woman allegedly involved in a group that targets affluent suburbs for thefts and financial crimes is facing charges in Westmoreland County after cashing a stolen check at a Hempfield bank, according to state police. Emily Elizabeth Helmer, 31, of Bradenton, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of dealing in...
Harbor Freight Tools set to open Rostraver store
Harbor Freight Tools will open a new location in Rostraver Township on Dec. 7 at 8 a.m., according to company officials. The first 500 customers at the store at 120 Finley Road will receive a free tape measure. The store is in a building that previously housed a Kmart, which...
Search on in Hempfield for bike-pedaling bank robberVideo
A search is on for a man police say robbed a Hempfield bank Wednesday before making his escape by pedaling a bicycle up Walton Tea Room Road. The robbery happened at 9:22 a.m. at CFS Bank, less than half a mile from Hempfield Area High School. State police temporarily locked...
Jeannette firefighters to be outfitted with body armor
Jeannette firefighters are getting body armor to protect them during calls where violence might be a factor, said Fire Chief Bill Frye. The department is getting 18 vests at $875 each for paid and volunteer firefighters. Frye said the department’s relief association is footing the bill of more than $13,000...
IronRock Tap House proprietors promise ‘cool, hip’ vibe in HempfieldVideo
When IronRock Tap House goes “live” next month, diners can expect to enjoy food prepared in a “scratch” kitchen, sourced as locally as possible, along with superior customer service, its owners say. Proprietors Greg and Christina Cammerata of Murrysville believe the location in front of Westmoreland Mall is a prime...
Latrobe dance academy teens to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Nineteen members of Latrobe’s Laurel Valley Academy of Dance will show off their moves next week before a national television audience watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The local teen dancers were among about 600 selected from studios and schools across the country to join the parade lineup as part of...
Greensburg cafe offers cat and kitten cuteness, with a coffee chaserVideo
On its second day of business, Greensburg’s new Cattfeinated Cat Cafe is quickly filling with customers, many of whom are immediately drawn to the cat “lounges.” The cafe offers baked goods from Peinetti’s in Jeannette and coffee drinks in three sizes — kitten, queen and tom. “Everything is made off-site,...
Norwin OKs pool renovation project
Norwin students could be swimming in an updated pool next fall. As expected, the Norwin School Board this week selected the least expensive proposal for updating the pool, estimated at about $1.2 million by Wallover Architects of Lancaster. A contractor has not been selected. Among the work being considered is...
Almost $3 million in upgrades expected for Westmoreland County’s 911 system
Westmoreland County commissioners are expected this week to approve more than $2.7 million in upgrades to the 911 emergency dispatch system. Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said Tuesday that plans call for replacement of aging computer-aided dispatch equipment and installation of a new transmission tower to provide better radio service...
First graduate of Westmoreland County’s Veterans Court says he’ll return as a mentor
Ryan Skuta was home about a year after his third tour of duty, a four-month stint as a freelance infantryman fighting with the Kurds against ISIS in 2016, when he was arrested in Jeannette and charged with drunk driving. On Tuesday, Skuta, 33, of Irwin, became the first graduate of...
Gunman, 2 accomplices ordered to stand trial in Export shooting
Most of the participants in a violent confrontation near an Export park during which a Monroeville man was shot twice were on a three-day methamphetamine binge, one of those charged told a judge Tuesday. The alleged gunman, Tyler Palandro, 19, of Murrysville and two accomplices, Sandra Lee Cline, 49, of...
Illinois man’s hacking conspiracy tied to 2016 Franklin Regional cyberattack
An Illinois man was sent to in prison last week for his role in providing access to illegal “booter” services, including one said to have been used in a 2016 hacking attack on the Franklin Regional School District and several other regional computer systems. Sergiy P. Usatyuk, 20, of Orland...
Shop and Share the Season benefits program for seniorsVideo
With an emphasis on shopping local, the United Way’s Westmoreland-Fayette Women’s Leadership Council and Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Westmoreland will co-host “Shop and Share the Season.” The Dec. 3 event kicks off at 3:30 p.m. in Ligonier, with about 15 specialty stores and boutiques extending their hours...
Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez faces 21 new child sex-related chargesVideo
Prosecutors filed 21 new charges Tuesday against suspended Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez after investigators found evidence of child pornography on devices they say he owned. Vazquez, 28, was ordered to stand trial Tuesday on 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and...
Police: Father charged after 2-year-old shoots mom in Derry Township
A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot his mother in the leg this month as she tried to take a loaded weapon out of his hands in Derry Township. On Tuesday, state police charged the father, David Vincent Marghella Jr., 25. Trooper Steve Limani said the weapon was left unsecured Nov. 1...
Firefighters extinguish attic blaze in Salem
Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze in the attic of a Salem Township home Tuesday, according to Westmoreland County 911. The residents evacuated, and nobody was hurt, a dispatcher said. The fire started on the 100 block of White Drive shortly before 4 a.m. It was extinguished within about 20 minutes....
Experts panel does not see U.S.-China relations improving any time soonVideo
With President Trump facing a re-election battle next year in the midst of the ongoing trade war with China, the state of relations between two of the world’s superpowers likely will not get much better in 2020, a panel of experts said Monday. “They (Chinese) don’t trust President Trump,” Yasheng...
Unity rings in holiday season with senior luncheon, tree-lighting
Unity Township will kick off the holiday season Dec. 6 with a luncheon for seniors and an evening tree-lighting ceremony. The luncheon, open to area residents age 50 or older and their guests, will be served at noon at Giannilli’s II restaurant on Route 30 westbound, just west of the...
Members sought for Westmoreland solar co-opVideo
A nonprofit that organized solar power co-ops in neighboring counties is looking to do the same in Westmoreland County. Solar United Neighbors initiated more than 200 solar co-ops across the country, including two in Allegheny County, one in Indiana County and another that operates in both Beaver and Butler counties....
Westmoreland County union workers reject proposed new contract
Members of Westmoreland County’s largest bargaining unit rejected the terms of a new labor contract for more than 600 government workers. The county’s existing four-year contract with the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania expires at the end of December. Negotiations on a new labor pact...
Former Jeannette doctor sentenced to house arrest for patient overdose deaths
A North Huntingdon doctor will serve two years on house arrest and five years on probation for over-prescribing drugs used by two patients who died of overdoses. Dr. Michel Toret, 73, of Jeannette, told a Westmoreland County judge that the practice of medicine has changed during his four decades as...
