Westmoreland category, Page 767
Former Mt. Pleasant police chief sues borough over firing
Mt. Pleasant’s former police chief filed a federal lawsuit this week claiming that he was fired after defying instructions from officials to ignore what he described as “wrongdoing” on the borough’s part. Douglas Sam, 52, of Mt. Pleasant Township, made several claims in the suit against the borough, including that...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival ranks high for vendor profit
The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival has been ranked as the nation’s 15th most profitable classic and contemporary craft show for 2018 by “Sunshine Artist” magazine, a leading publication for art and craft show exhibitors, promoters and patrons. The magazine’s 27th annual “200 Best” list, released today, says it was...
Goats munching on Norwin hillside brush
Seven goats are munching on the hillside above the Norwin Knights Stadium, chewing away at the overgrown weeds and brush on a steep slope above the bleachers. ”This is a great way of getting rid of invasive (plant) species. They can go where the (mowing) equipment and people can’t go,”...
Penn Irwin Motel site slated for development
A North Huntingdon developer wants to put retail shops at the site of the old Penn Irwin Motel along Route 30. Donald Tarosky Jr., a partner in Colony of Irwin, told North Huntingdon officials this week he intends to develop the old motel property in the same way a California...
Greensburg’s Pride in the Park Picnic welcomes all
Jean Slusser, president of PFLAG — Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays — Greensburg welcomes anyone to the annual Pride in the Park Picnic. Slusser is a founding member of the group and of Westmoreland LGBTQ Interfaith Network, co-hosts of the picnic from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 18 at...
Export officials review timbering plan for Murrysville property
Before Export officials begin selectively timbering property the borough owns in Murrysville, they want to make sure they are getting enough bang for their buck. The financial benefits of starting a timber management program on the borough’s roughly 74-acre property on Borland Farm Road have been called into question. The...
Latrobe Night Out opens eyes to local policing methods, impaired driving hazardsVideo
Latrobe-area residents took a ride on a Fatal Vision roadster and saw how a K-9 officer takes a bite out of crime Tuesday evening at a National Night Out outreach event organized by the city’s police department. Firefighting equipment also was on display, as well as Army vehicles and a...
Attorney for Jeannette man accused in selling drugs that killed brother questions police investigation
The attorney for a Jeannette man on trial accused of selling a fatal dose of fentanyl to his brother in late 2016 suggested in court Tuesday his client’s stunned acknowledgement of a police inquiry was not a confession. Defense attorney Brian Aston, in his opening statement, told jurors the arrest...
Deferred repairs, budget cuts threaten Keystone, other state parks, officials sayVideo
If the Pennsylvania state budget were a dollar, the budget for the entire state park and forest system would be about half a penny. Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation, used that example Tuesday to illustrate infrastructure and maintenance needs confronting the state Department of Conservation...
Jeannette, Penn Twp., North Huntingdon areas under boil water advisory
About 3,500 residents in the Jeannette, Penn Township and North Huntingdon areas are under a boil-water advisory. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Tuesday afternoon a water line break near 13th Street in Jeannette has left some customers with low water pressure or without service. Officials said a 36-inch...
Suicide suspected in Interstate 70 crash, bridge jump
A man who jumped off the Smithton Bridge on Monday likely committed suicide, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha. At 2:40 p.m., Brian Hayden, 39, of Monessen crashed a car he was driving westbound into a barrier on the bridge that carries Interstate 70 over the Youghiogheny River between...
Westmoreland Diversity Coalition to host former skinhead as keynote speaker
The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition is joining Saint Vincent College, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, Adelphoi and the YWCA to sponsor a keynote speech this month by former white supremacist Arno Michaelis. Michaelis, author of “My Life After Hate,” will speak on his experience at 9:15 a.m. Aug. 29 at...
New Stanton robbery suspect accused of spitting in jail guard’s face
A New Stanton man arrested in connection with a robbery spree last month was charged Tuesday for allegedly spitting in a guard’s face at the Westmoreland County Prison. Westmoreland County detectives said Anthony David Gillingham Jr., 31, spit in the male guard’s face when he was denied an extra blanket...
Westmoreland Historical Society seeking nominations for 2019 Arthur St. Clair Award
The Westmoreland Historical Society is accepting nominations for the annual Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Award. The award honors individuals or organizations that have made a “significant and sustainable” contribution to the preservation of Westmoreland County’s historic places, documents, records or stories, the society said. Nominations can be submitted by...
Re-enactors to fire cannon, display frontier skills at Compass Inn
Visitors to historic Compass Inn this month will see demonstrations of past frontier skills representing such 18th-century trades as the gunsmith, blacksmith and midwife. Members of Proctor’s Militia, a local re-enactment group that portrays a Revolutionary War-era militia unit of the same name, will camp at the restored 1799 Laughlintown...
Trial to start for Jeannette man accused of selling drugs used in brother’s fatal overdose
Opening statements will begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a Jeannette man accused of selling drugs his brother used to fatally overdose three days after Christmas 2016. Markus McGowan, 31, is charged with one felony count of drug delivery resulting in death. Police contend he sold $60 of fentanyl...
Body found after person reportedly jumped into Yough River after crash on I-70
A body was discovered in the Youghiogheny River on Monday afternoon after rescuers responded to a report of a person jumping into the river following a crash on Interstate 70, according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher. The crash was reported at 2:40 p.m. on the westbound side of the highway,...
Ticket sales take off for ‘Kecksburg’ UFO movie premiereVideo
Tickets are going fast for the Sept. 12 world premiere of “Kecksburg,” a feature film based on the famed 1965 UFO incident in the tiny Westmoreland County village of the movie’s title. The event will take place at the State Theatre Center for the Arts, 37 E. Main St., Uniontown....
Derek Woods Band will play annual festival at Woodstock host’s farm
At 31, Derek Woods is far too young to have attended the original Woodstock. Next week, however, not only will the Hempfield resident have a chance to visit the original festival grounds in Bethel, N.Y., but his group, the Derek Woods Band, will play the annual Yasgur Road Reunion, held...
Police: Mt. Pleasant man drove 100 mph, cut through cornfield during chase
A Mt. Pleasant man was drunk when he led police on a weekend chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, according to court papers. At one point during the 12.5-mile pursuit, Daniel S. Sebulsky, 34, drove through a cornfield before parking at his home and fleeing on foot, police said....
Tractor-trailer hauling beer overturns on Pennsylvania Turnpike
A tractor-trailer hauling beer overturned on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Monday morning, blocking the right lane of the interstate until early afternoon. OVERTURNED TRACTOR TRAILER on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Westbound Just Before New Stanton. #WestmorelandCounty #wpxi pic.twitter.com/SExJxXTYFm— WPXI Traffic (@WPXITraffic) August 5, 2019 The crash occurred westbound between the Donegal...
Vehicle smashes South Greensburg doctor’s office
A doctor’s office in a South Greensburg building was damaged Saturday afternoon when a vehicle drove into it, crashing through the exterior. The front wall of Dr. Geoffrey B. Monsour’s office was smashed when the vehicle hit the brick building and pushed into the doctor’s waiting room. Doors to the...
Veterans help with archaeological dig at Fort Ligonier
A weekend archaeological dig at Fort Ligonier did not find any evidence of an artillery battery in the eastern end of the French and Indian War-era fort, but it gave veterans an opportunity to search for some history from a conflict centuries ago. Accompanying Juniata College professor Jonathan Burns, who...
Pennsylvania officials, clergy react to shootings in Ohio, Texas
Officials and religious leaders across Pennsylvania are sending their condolences and extending offers to help communities in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, after two mass shootings in less than 24 hours this weekend. The shootings killed nearly 30 people and injured dozens more. They came less than a week...
Restaurants, drivers grapple with challenges from expansion of food-delivery apps
Stephanie Stefan can wait up to 20 minutes for a DoorDash order to be prepared by a restaurant, only to make between $5 and $6, she said. The 50-year-old Jeannette resident has worked as a driver for the popular food delivery app for three weeks. She already has reservations about...
