Westmoreland category, Page 77
Divided Greensburg Salem board OKs $535K student tech purchase
A divided Greensburg Salem School Board approved spending more than $535,000 over four years to replace aging computer tablets and laptops that officials say will no longer function when the next Microsoft Windows update comes in October. The board voted 5-4 to buy 900 iPad tablets for the district’s high...
Idlewild & SoakZone improves coasters, adds ice cream treat, welcomes duck for 148th season
A familiar ride with a fresh look will greet fans of coaster thrills when Idlewild Park opens for its 148th season on Saturday. And next month, the Ligonier Township amusement park will gain an added attraction with the arrival of the World’s Largest Rubber Duck. Park visitors this season will...
Greensburg Salem contends with $2.1M budget deficit
Greensburg Salem will need to close a $2.1 million gap in its 2025-26 budget as it contends with rising health care and cyber charter tuition costs. The district’s projected budget includes $51.9 million in revenue and about $54 million in expenses — a deficit that would require a 9.2-mill increase...
As Rite Aid collapses, customers and other pharmacies bear the impact
It takes Kathy Younkins just a few minutes to walk to her neighborhood Rite Aid. The 67-year-old has picked up her prescriptions at the company’s Harrison location since the 2000s. But now the Philadelphia-based pharmacy empire is crumbling. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, blaming “the...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: May 16-18
Now that the heat is ramping up, it’s time to enjoy the outdoors — or escape to the air conditioning inside, if you prefer. Here’s what’s going on in Westmoreland this weekend. Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ Fun fact: Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is the longest-running play in theatrical history. It...
Motorcyclist killed in collision with car in Derry Township
A motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a car Thursday afternoon in Derry Township. Jarad R. Boyle, 49, of Derry Borough was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 982 at Lincoln Avenue, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. The crash occurred at about 4 p.m. just outside...
‘Tariffs are messing with everybody’: Walmart shoppers wary of tariff-induced price increases on horizon
Walmart used to be Charmaine Bianco’s go-to grocery store for low-price goods. But Bianco fears she will have to search elsewhere for good deals as the nationwide grocery chain plans to raise prices this month in light of tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump. Executives at the $750 billion company...
Disabled caseworker, Westmoreland County settle wrongful termination lawsuit
Westmoreland commissioners voted Thursday to pay $7,500 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former children’s bureau caseworker who claimed he was improperly fired after one month on the job. Former Fayette County Controller Sean Lally contended he was discriminated against by supervisors in the county’s child welfare office...
Law enforcement officer memorial unveiled on Westmoreland courthouse square
The absence of Trooper Michael Paul Stewart III is felt on a daily basis, said his brother, Jason Stewart. Now the family has a spot where he can be remembered by them and the entire community as a memorial honoring Westmoreland County’s 28 fallen law enforcement officers was unveiled Thursday....
2 campaigns promote candidates for 4 Ligonier Valley School Board seats
Seven candidates, divided into two campaign camps, are running for four seats on the Ligonier Valley School Board. Campaigning jointly and appearing only in the Republican primary are three incumbent board members — Donald L. Gilbert Jr., Cindy Brown and Josi Bennett — along with Robert J. Fryman, who previously...
Jeannette’s 2-term Republican mayor faces challenger in Tuesday’s primary election
A political newcomer is challenging an incumbent in Tuesday’s Republican primary election for mayor of Jeannette. Ed Day hopes to bring a new face to the seat, while Curtis Antoniak is seeking his third term. The winner will face Michelle Langdon, the lone Democrat seeking a nomination and current councilwoman,...
Minivan slams into barn along Eisaman Road in Hempfield
Firefighters had to work quickly — and carefully — Thursday morning to free a motorist who became trapped after crashing a minivan into a barn in Hempfield. Hempfield Fire Assistant Chief Dan Thoma said the vehicle slammed into a load-bearing wall of the structure along Eisaman Road around 7:20 a.m....
‘Person of interest’ in death of Jennah Seibert awaiting extradition from Florida
A “person of interest” in a Rostraver woman’s death is awaiting extradition from Florida on unrelated burglary and robbery charges stemming from an incident in Donora. Dorian C. Jeri-Greene, 39, of Monessen was booked into the Orient Road Jail on Tuesday after being arrested on a warrant by police in...
Transparency, recreation and solar: 7 candidates share key issues in East Huntingdon races
Seven candidates are vying for two supervisors seats in East Huntingdon, as the township navigates a commercial solar lawsuit and brainstorms how to use the former Ruffsdale Elementary property it bought more than four years ago. Incumbent Justin G. Morrow, a Republican who works for the township’s road crew, is...
4 incumbents, 6 challengers in running for Greater Latrobe School Board
A crowded field of 10 candidates is in the hunt for four seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board as the district seeks a new superintendent and decisions loom regarding proposed replacement of the junior high’s leak-prone roof and the future of several aging buildings. Of the four incumbents, a...
‘She earned it’: Penn Township native secures bronze at World Special Olympics
Penn Township resident Kaitlin Grove came to the base of the World Special Olympics ski course with arms raised and a smile across her face. Grove, 28, received a bronze medal in the giant slalom event, taking her place on the podium in Turin, Italy. She was the only Western...
Terry Carcella departing as Latrobe’s city manager for similar post in Springdale
Latrobe officials will look to reassign administrative responsibilities temporarily as City Manager Terry Carcella departs this month to take on a similar post in Springdale Borough. Springdale Council voted Tuesday to hire Carcella, initially paying him a prorated salary of $85,000 through the end of the year. Carcella said his...
Raids lead to charges against businesses run by onetime video poker kingpin
A series of video gambling raids last year across Southwestern Pennsylvania has led to criminal charges against two companies linked to John “Duffy” Conley, Western Pennsylvania’s onetime video poker kingpin. Investigators seized more than 400 illegal video gaming machines from locations in a dozen counties, including Allegheny and Westmoreland. On...
Lyft driver on the lam, no shows for sentencing in North Huntingdon crash
An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for a Lyft driver who pleaded guilty last year for her role in a drunken multi-vehicle crash in North Huntingdon left six people injured. The lawyer for Slobodanka Bulatovic, 49, of North Versailles, told a Westmoreland County judge he learned about a half-hour before...
Chipotle to open restaurant near East Huntingdon’s Countryside Plaza
A Chipotle Mexican Grill is set to open in East Huntingdon, near the Countryside Plaza. Township officials said they’ve been told the restaurant might open this summer. It will be serving customers at 200 Bessemer Road, on the site of a former medical building that has been demolished. Other Chipotle...
Person of interest identified in killing of Jennah Seibert, DA says
A person of interest in the slaying of a Rostraver woman last month has been arrested on unrelated charges, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. Spokesperson Melanie Jones did not release his name Wednesday. No charges have been filed in connection with the April 11 death of Jennah...
North Carolina woman extradited to Westmoreland after arrest related to online extortion, theft case
North Huntingdon police made an arrest after sorting through a convoluted scheme that cost a township man nearly $24,000, according to court records. The man reported to police last year that he donated to what he believed was an online fundraiser for a person in need of a heart transplant....
Jeannette City School District considers classroom storage of cellphones for all grades
All student cellphones may spend much of the day locked away at Jeannette City School District buildings if school directors approve a new policy next month. Directors gave an initial OK on Monday to the proposed change that would require mandatory classroom storage of any electronic device for students in...
Springdale hires new manager away from his same position in Latrobe
Terry Carcella worked for several municipalities, in different capacities, while constructing a 42-year municipal government career. Now, he can add the Springdale Borough manager position to that list, as borough council hired him with a unanimous vote Tuesday. On May 27, he’ll assume his new post, which has been vacant...
Monroeville officials debate ways to improve access to Westmoreland Heritage Trail
Monroeville officials plan to improve residents’ access to Westmoreland Heritage Trail. But how that access will be improved has yet to be finalized, especially after the cost of one approach doubled in price. Council on Tuesday night voted to pursue a $250,000 state grant, which would be combined with a...
