Westmoreland category, Page 764
State gaming board grants final license for Westmoreland Mall mini casino
State gaming officials approved the license for a mini casino to operate out of Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The state Gaming Control Board voted unanimously Wednesday to grant Stadium Casino LLC — owned by the Maryland-based Cordish Companies — a Category 4 satellite casino license for which they paid more...
Cops: Penn Township woman disrupted porch party with ethnic intimidation
A Penn Township couple alleges that a neighbor disrupted a weekend porch party by hitting their backyard fence with an aluminum baseball bat as she yelled threatening racial epithets toward the gathering, township police said. Beth D. Knapp, 50, of Nancy Drive, was charged with ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief and...
DEP consent order aims to identify FTMSA issues by 2022
Delmont Councilman Bill Marx is not happy about signing a consent agreement with no sense of how much it might someday cost the borough. “I’m going to be honest, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to be told that we have to sign onto this without knowing what it’s going...
Former Monsour hospital site in Jeannette officially changes hands
Nearly two years after an agreement was reached between Westmoreland County and a developer, the former Monsour Medical Center has officially changed hands. The vacant 6.4-acre Jeannette property now is owned by Colony Holding, the Westmoreland County Land Bank announced Wednesday. “Jayhawk Commons,” a mixture of commercial, retail and office...
Norwin considers advertising on its website
Norwin School District may use the popularity of its website to make money from digital advertising. The school board is considering hiring Thought Process Enterprises LLC, an Ellwood City marketing company, to place advertisements on a small banner atop the school district’s homepage. Under the proposed agreement, Norwin would receive...
Export festival marks official opening of Westmoreland Heritage Trail’s 4th phase
The annual Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival often marks the unveiling of something new and positive for the borough. “In the past we had the unveiling of the (restored Turtle Creek Valley Railroad) caboose, and last year we unveiled a mural, so it’s really nice to do a little...
Murrysville wreck entraps dump truck driver
Emergency workers pulled a dump truck driver from his truck Wednesday morning after it overturned and blocked a Murrysville road, according to Westmoreland County dispatch. The truck rolled over just off the road at Pleasant Valley Road near Trafford Road around 8 a.m. The man was removed from the truck...
Westmoreland Fair bills itself as ‘A Timeless Tradition’
The 65th edition of the Westmoreland Fair celebrates “A Timeless Tradition” with some new attractions and the return of some old favorites Aug. 16-24 at Westmoreland Fairgrounds, Mt. Pleasant Township. “Here in Westmoreland County, agriculture is huge. This is agriculture’s time to shine,” says Sarah Sphon, in her first year...
Longtime Greater Latrobe school administrator named assistant superintendent
Longtime Greater Latrobe school administrator Michael Porembka took a step up in the district’s central office this week, with a promotion to assistant superintendent. The school board Tuesday appointed Porembka to the new position for a five-year term, as he resigned as director of teaching and learning, the post he’s...
Historical Society program examines Latrobe’s claims to pro football fame
“Latrobe: Home of Professional Football… or are we?” is the question considered in a themed slide show of images from local gridiron history that will be screened Friday and Saturday by the Latrobe Area Historical Society. Doors open at 9 a.m. each day, and the show begins at 9:30 a.m.,...
Historic military convoy greeted in Ligonier; part of ‘3,000-mile-long July 4 parade’Video
Watching military vehicles rumble through the Diamond in Ligonier on Tuesday brought back a flood of memories for 91-year-old Albert Lambert, who served in the U.S. Army’s occupation forces in post-World War II Japan. “I enjoyed seeing those vehicles,” said Lambert, a Ligonier resident who served in the Army from...
Greensburg to establish vacant property registry, fines for absentee owners
Greensburg will create a registry of the city’s vacant properties at the expense of absentee property owners, according to Mayor Robert Bell. “There’s all these vacant properties around town, and we just want to have some kind of regulation,” Bell said. Under the ordinance passed this week by city council,...
Defense to file new evidence in New Kensington cop-killing case
Defense attorneys for the man awaiting trial for the 2017 shooting death of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw will have four weeks to disclose potential evidence that could be used to convince jurors to save his life, a judge said Tuesday. During a pretrial conference, lawyers for Rahmael Sal...
Vandergrift woman rejects plea deal in cousin’s murder case
The attorney for a Vandergrift woman accused of killing her cousin said his client rejected a deal to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Defense attorney Pat Thomassey said Ashley Croft would rather go to trial than accept a deal to plead to third-degree murder and serve 30 to 60...
Police: Hempfield man assaulted 2 state troopers, threatened 10-year-old boy
A 42-year-old Hempfield man was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $40,000 bail Tuesday after allegedly assaulting two state troopers who were called to his home to quell a reported domestic disturbance. State police charged Timothy M. Nelson with two counts each of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare...
Cops: Beaver woman kept $3,000 in adoption fees from Hempfield animal rescue
A Beaver County woman is accused of keeping $3,255 in pet adoption fees from a Hempfield-based animal rescue for which she volunteered as a foster home. Jenessa R. Tolejko, 33, of Brighton Township, is charged with forgery, theft and access device fraud. State police said in court papers that Tolejko...
Mt. Pleasant teachers issue strike notice
Mt. Pleasant Area School District teachers who have been working without a contract for the last year issued a strike notice this week after failing to reach an agreement during their 15th negotiating session. The Mt. Pleasant Area Education Association, which represents 143 teachers, counselors, nurses and school psychologists, said...
Lawyers: Jeannette man accused of 2 arsons, 1 fatal, deserves separate trials
A Jeannette man charged with setting two fires, including one that killed an elderly woman, wants separate trials for the alleged arsons. Brian Rendon, 34, is scheduled for trial next month on two cases — one in which he is charged with setting fire to a couch in front of...
Latrobe sets fine for violating city fire pit regulations
Residents who violate Latrobe’s fire pit ordinance will face a $50 fine under an amended version of the law approved at council’s Monday meeting. The fine and related penalty provisions provide some teeth for city police, the city manager or code enforcement officer Ann Powell to enforce restrictions on small...
Get a taste of the inaugural Greensburg Restaurant Week
Local chefs are inviting diners to “be our guest” during the inaugural Greensburg Restaurant Week on Aug. 19-25. Seventeen restaurants and cafés in downtown Greensburg and along Route 30 in Hempfield are following the lead of other U.S. cities — including Pittsburgh — that roll out incentives during August, one...
Community resource event planned by Hempfield treatment centers
Two Hempfield addiction treatment centers are teaming up for an event that will bring dozens of community resource agencies to one spot. The Community Advocacy Resource Exchange (CARE) Community Event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at 1037 Compass Circle, just off of Roseytown Road near Lynch...
Latrobe OKs contract with union workers, adds police officerVideo
Latrobe Council approved a new three-year contract with city workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The labor agreement, retroactive to July 1, provides a roughly 3% annual raise for the employees while increasing the amount they pay toward premiums for medical insurance. “It averages...
Laurel Mountain man’s attorney to present new defense theory at murder trial
The lawyer for a Laurel Mountain man awaiting trial on charges of bludgeoning to death his live-in girlfriend in 2014 said Monday his client suffers from a mental condition preventing him from forming an intent to kill. Defense attorney Brian Aston said a brain injury sustained by Gregory R. Randall...
Loyalhanna man seeks to overturn conviction for killing his mother, sister and aunt
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Monday challenged a judge’s ruling allocating up to $2,500 in taxpayer money for defense lawyers to hire a ballistics expert to help craft an appeal for a death row inmate. Kevin Murphy, 58, of Loyalhanna, is seeking to overturn his conviction to three counts of first-degree...
Norwin considers hiring consultant for pool repairs, updates
Norwin School District may hire a swimming pool consultant from Lancaster to outline it options and cost estimates for repairing and updating the high school pool to bring it up to modern standards. The school board could vote to hire Wallover Architects Inc. on Aug. 19 to provide the cost...
