Westmoreland category, Page 769
Motivational quotes at Hempfield school to spur positive behavior
“Your attitude determines your direction.” “Be a buddy not a bully.” “Be kind.” These are just a few motivational words West Point Elementary students will see when school starts Thursday. Stuck to the walls of almost every bathroom stall in the Hempfield school, the quotes are a way to spread...
The hazards of ‘Running While Female’
The thrill of hitting the trail at full stride and the exhilaration of the fabled “runner’s high” is often replaced by fear and trepidation for female runners in the area, across the country and around the world. Aug. 21 marks one year since the discovery of the body of 20-year-old...
Norwin cuts ties with Chinese student exchange program
Norwin has cut ties to an educational firm that brought Chinese students and educators to one of its schools last year. The Norwin School District will terminate its August 2018 agreement with the International Foundation Alliance-EDU Chinese Youth Ambassador Program, which was to send a group of Chinese students to...
Fire chief: Cutting tool sparked oil tank fire in Derry Township
Firefighters from Bradenville and Derry quickly doused a tank of home heating oil that caught fire during demolition of a mobile home Monday evening on West Third Street at Hickory Avenue in Derry Township. Fire units were called to the scene after 8:15 p.m. and knocked the flames down within...
Franklin Regional OKs $35 million bond sale for Sloan Elementary projectVideo
The Franklin Regional School Board agreed to issue up to $35 million in bonds to fund the bulk of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, the same week that the district will be in court to face a group opposed to the plan. The project includes construction of a new elementary...
Geibel Catholic launching awareness campaign to boost enrollmentVideo
Faced with a drop in enrollment and the challenge of operating a private school in a region with declining demographics, Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School officials Monday unveiled a visibility plan for re-branding the school and a social media push to increase awareness of its quality education. “The goal is...
Murrysville’s Sardis precincts boundary lines questioned
Westmoreland County elections officials said Monday they suspect voters who live near the border between Murrysville and Washington Township might be casting ballots in the wrong municipality. Elections Bureau Director Beth Lechman said the county believes for the last two decades it has used outdated maps to determine voting districts...
Search warrants in Unity woman’s disappearance to remain sealed
Seventeen search warrants detailing the investigation into last year’s disappearance of a Unity woman will remain under seal, at least for another month, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. Following a closed-door hearing with two county prosecutors and a state police trooper, Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered the...
Rostraver Eat’n Park waiter serves up simple act of kindness to WWII veteran
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. Or so the saying goes. On Saturday evening, Lisa Meilander saw an example of simple kindness that so struck her she decided to post something publicly about it on Facebook. “I don’t normally make my posts public,” she said....
One person reported injured in Murrysville accident, dispatchers say
One person was reported injured Monday in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Vincent Hall Road and William Penn Highway in Murrysville, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. The accident occurred at 4:13 p.m., dispatchers said. The injured person had to be extricated from a vehicle that overturned following the...
March for Parks surpasses $1 million in fundraising
The county’s annual March for Parks event has surpassed the $1 million fundraising mark, as residents, businesses and organizations have come together since 2003 to raise money for improvements at places like the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, Mammoth Park and Cedar Creek Park. The 17th annual March for Parks this past...
Animal rescue seeking tips, donations after dog found dead in North Huntingdon
Humane agents are seeking help from the public after a dog with an apparent gunshot wound was found dead in North Huntingdon wearing a muzzle and tied to a railroad post. All But Furgotten President Melanie Wedge said the animal may have struggled before its death along a set of...
Sheridan Terrace Elementary students sent to Norwin High School due to sewage problem
Students at Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace Elementary School in North Huntingdon will be back in their own school Tuesday after being bused to the high school Monday morning because of a sewage problem on the first day of school. Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the Norwin School Board Monday evening that a...
4 accused in Crabtree baseball bat assault held without bond
A district judge denied bond Monday for four people accused in a baseball-bat beating that severely injured a Crabtree man outside his home late Sunday. Sarah A. Miller, 31, and Matthew J. White, 20, both of Greensburg, and Devon M. Allen, 25, and Treavair A. Green, 18, of Pittsburgh, are...
Police: Westmoreland jail inmate made shank from toothbrush
A Pittsburgh man accused of stealing items from unlocked vehicles in Hempfield earlier this year allegedly had a homemade shank in his cell at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Douglas Allen Bartrug, 33, of Bloomfield, was charged last week with inmate possessing a weapon and prohibited offensive...
Greensburg police arrest suspect in alleged 2016 rape of juvenile
Greensburg police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old Duquesne man accused of raping an underage girl in 2016. David A. Baker is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, aggravated assault and other offenses before District Judge Chris Flanigan. Baker formally lived...
Fire destroys Salem hay shed
A hay shed was destroyed by fire Monday morning in Salem, according to Westmoreland County 911. The fire on Hannastown Road was reported shortly after 5:30 a.m. Within an hour the building had almost burned to the ground, according to 911. The shed was unoccupied, and there were no reported...
Family conducts final cemetery search for homicide victim Cassandra Gross
Searchers went into the woods one last time Sunday, looking for any sign of Cassandra Gross. “I’ll never give up hope, I’m just running out of places,” said Kathe Gross, whose daughter was last seen April 7, 2018. Kathe Gross wore a “Bring Cassie Home” T-shirt to Unity Cemetery on...
Young competitors show off rabbits, goats at Westmoreland FairVideo
Pennsylvania’s Rabbit King held court at the Westmoreland Fair on Sunday morning. Zach Farlow, 18, of West Newton was awarded the title of this year’s Rabbit King by the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeder’s Association, and this week he and his award-winning lagomorphs are at the Westmoreland Fair hoping for more...
Demo derby part of the fabric of Westmoreland CountyVideo
Before they even knew how to drive, brothers Nick and Owen Patrick of Unity had attended the demolition derby series held every summer across Westmoreland County. “Mom would take us almost every weekend to the derbies,” said Owen Patrick. “Since we were probably five or six.” The pair have been...
Hempfield man among Terrible Towel twirlers for Steelers preseason game
George Muentzer was dressed in his finest black-and-gold regalia Saturday for his first foray onto Heinz Field for a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Attending 49 consecutive opening days of Steelers training camp were instantly worth it when the Hempfield man said he found out he was selected by the team to...
North Huntingdon may ask Corps of Engineers to inspect flooded areas
North Huntingdon residents living along Brush Creek near the Irwin border are not optimistic that a tour of the creek by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lead to any solution to their flooding problems. “I don’t think they are going to do anything,” said Janet Seman, whose Westmoreland...
Ligonier Valley Historical Society looks to revive tours, programs at Kinsey Museum
A Ligonier Township museum that preserves a pioneer family’s legacy is getting a new lease on life through a partnership with a local historical society. Officials with the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, which operates Laughlintown’s historic Compass Inn, announced last week they have finalized an affiliation with the Kinsey Museum...
Hundreds turn out for Back 2 School bash in GreensburgVideo
Hundreds of children got most everything they need for a new school year Saturday at the Salvation Army of Greensburg’s seventh annual Back 2 School Bash. The Salvation Army and other local organizations teamed up for the event, which offered activities like a bounce house and face-painting while also helping...
Police seek Salina man missing since Aug. 5, last seen in Delmont and IselinVideo
State police are looking for a man who has been missing almost two weeks. Jordan Olah, 31, of Salina was last seen Aug. 5 in both Delmont and Iselin. Anyone with information please contact PSP 724-697-4780 pic.twitter.com/hrRY3hYLbD— Troop A Public Information Officers (@PSPTroopAPIO) August 11, 2019 Olah may be driving...
