Westmoreland category, Page 731
Appeal denied for Youngwood man convicted of sexually assaulting 2 teen girls
A Westmoreland County judge denied the appeal of a Youngwood man who is serving up to 17 years in prison for the sexual assaults of two teenage girls in 2016. Darell Deisean Walker, 23, was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and related offenses following a three-day trial in...
Murrysville church taking nominations, donations for ‘A Soldier’s Christmas’ program
Gordon Israelson of Murrysville knows the importance a handwritten note can hold for a soldier stationed overseas. “Mail is kind of always a big deal,” said Israelson, who was stationed in Germany from 1969 to 1972 with the U.S. Army. “A long-distance call to Europe back then was amazingly expensive.”...
Jeannette man charged with assaulting woman
A Jeannette man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman and holding her against her will a few days earlier in East Huntingdon. Corey J. Rubright, 25, was pulled over for vehicle violations, including driving on a suspended license and driving without insurance, early Sunday by Jeannette police and detained...
Cops: Export man arrested for 2 burglaries, resisting arrest
A 23-year-old Export man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after being arrested for separate residential burglaries in the borough just hours apart. Zachary Musto was arrested by state police at Kiski inside a residence on the 6000 block of Kennedy Avenue just after midnight Tuesday after troopers...
442 tons of prescription drugs collected nationwide during DEA Drug Take Back Day
Nearly 442 tons of prescription medications were collected nationwide during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26. That includes nearly 37,000 pounds collected by Pennsylvania police departments. The agency released figures on Monday. Three police departments in Westmoreland County participated in the event as...
Community symposium to focus on human trafficking in Westmoreland, Western Pa.Video
Recent stings that led to the arrests of three Western Pennsylvania massage parlor operators garnered widespread publicity, but two local human-service workers don’t see the region’s human trafficking issues ending soon. “A lot of times, we think of human trafficking as the van snatching a child or woman at the...
Sloan project opponents take 4 of 5 seats on Franklin Regional School Board
The race for five Franklin Regional School Board seats appears to have been dominated by a single issue: the Sloan “elementary campus” project. Candidates who banded together under the banner of “Restore Taxpayer Trust” took four of the five contested seats. They were steadfast in their opposition to the Sloan...
Fire damages Jeannette house where aspiring rapper was fatally shotVideo
Officials are investigating a Monday night fire that heavily damaged a home on Jeanette’s Cuyler Avenue where a deadly shooting occurred a week earlier. Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye said flames were coming out of a side window of the two-story wood-frame home but quick action by firefighters, who are...
Historical society show will honor Latrobe-area veterans
A new slide show, “Honoring Our Veterans,” will share the stories of Latrobe-area residents who served in American military campaigns from the French and Indian War through modern conflicts. Leading up to local Veterans Day observances, the slide presentation is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the Latrobe...
Hempfield Walmart gets some soul (food)Video
How does a former Liberian refugee from New Jersey end up at a Walmart in Hempfield? With the help of prayer, some venture capital and a business partner who grew up eating soul food in Tifton, Ga. Adenah Bayoh and Elzadie “Zadie” Smith opened the first Cornbread restaurant in Maplewood,...
Education professionals dominate Norwin school board field of 7 candidates
The next Norwin School Board could be filled mostly with education professionals because two current teachers, two retired teachers and an educational consultant are among the seven candidates seeking five positions. Voters in Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin, and about 30 votes in White Oak and South Versailles, will...
Norwin grad, business owner wins Miss Pennsylvania USA titleVideo
A Norwin graduate and owner of two boutique shops in Westmoreland County was crowned Miss Pennsylvania USA this weekend, giving her the chance to compete for Miss USA. Victoria Piekut, 23, of North Huntingdon — who owns Wight Elephant Boutique in Irwin and Greensburg — competed against 35 women for...
Weather expected to impact Westmoreland voter turnout on Tuesday
Beth Lechman, Westmoreland County elections director, predicted a turnout of 25% to 27% for the county, expecting voters to be deterred by the weather forecast of high winds and rain. The county has two Common Pleas judge positions up for election in addition to elections for county commissioner, sheriff and...
Cops: Mt. Pleasant Township man attacked workers with baseball bat over rental TV
A 55-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man was so angry when two workers arrived to pick up an 82-inch television he had rented that he attacked them with a metal baseball bat, police said. State police say Gene R. Overly fled the scene after the Saturday afternoon incident, but eventually was...
Cops: Pair used fake IDs to buy $24K of iPhones in Westmoreland, elsewhere
A New York City man and woman are accused of using fraudulent identification cards to buy $24,000 worth of iPhones in Westmoreland and surrounding counties, according to state police. Jose Miguel Jorge, 31, and Jessica K. Cocco, 41, allegedly used identification information for people living in Utah, Missouri and Minnesota...
Trafford police say driver accused of 6th DUI told them he used heroin, meth, cocaine
A 34-year-old man awaiting trial for his fifth DUI told Trafford police Sunday he was under the influence of heroin when his SUV swerved into the opposing lane. Tyler E. Thimons of Gibsonia was stopped about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after patrolman Zlatan Avdic said he watched Thimons’ 2008 Ford Escape...
Ohio men accused of burglary after being found sleeping in Salem house
An Ohio man was arrested Sunday after he apparently broke into a Salem home and went to sleep, according to state police. Brendan Scott Szrenkanyi, 37, of Cleveland, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass and loitering at night. A Salem resident called state police at 2:41 a.m. Sunday after he...
2 arrested in Jeannette pistol exchange
Two men were arrested last week in Jeannette after police said they exchanged a pistol that had the serial number obliterated. Timothy Joshua Bertrand, 28, of Jeannette, and Joseph Raymond Thornton, 52, of Manor, are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. City police and agents from...
2 injured in East Huntingdon crashVideo
Medical helicopters took two people to the hospital after a Monday morning crash in East Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County 911. The two-vehicle crash on Porter Avenue — also known as Route 819 — happened just before 7 a.m. One vehicle went over an embankment and was heavily damaged, with...
First graduating class of Westmoreland County Veterans Court set
The first graduate of Westmoreland County Veterans Court will be recognized on Nov. 19. County officials reinstated the program in May for veterans charged with certain crimes, allowing them to earn a reduced sentence. Veterans work through the six- to 12-month program that gives them opportunities to address issues such...
Former Mt. Pleasant Journal reporter revisits local tie to Iranian hostage crisis
On the day I was hired for my first job as a reporter, a cryptic two-inch-long story appeared on the front page of the paper that had hired me. The headline read “Local man held in Iran.” I’d never planned to be a journalist. But 40 years ago, in the...
40 years later: Mt. Pleasant tie to Iran hostage crisis revisitedVideo
Editor’s note: Portions of a first-person account from Janice Steinhagen, formerly Janice Malego, appear in italics throughout this article. Janice Steinhagen’s story based on an exclusive interview with former Iran hostage Jerry Miele sits in a box with 40 years’ worth of newspaper clippings. But as a story, it looms...
Greensburg counselor aims to connect clients with disabilities to the communityVideo
Toward the end of his nine years as a certified nursing assistant, Elliott Howe had begun noticing recurring back pain. “I enjoyed it, but I was having a lot of back issues because of the labor,” Howe, 30, of Greensburg, said of his work. About the same time, two of...
Hempfield building destroyed in fire
A Hempfield building was destroyed in a fire early Sunday. The blaze was reported at 4:33 a.m. at a structure on secluded Smith Road near Historic Hanna’s Town. A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said no injuries were reported. Hempfield fire officials did not respond to a request for information. The property...
Bret Michaels on recovering from health scares, why he won’t talk Trump
Bret Michaels boasts an unabashedly eclectic taste in music, which the multi-platinum rock star credits with getting him through life’s ups and downs and all the messy emotions in between. When Michaels works out, he’ll blast AC/DC. If the Poison front man and singer-songwriter is feeling reflective, he’ll throw on...
