Westmoreland category, Page 777
Penn Area Library celebrates summer reading programVideo
More than 400 children enjoyed some fun in the sun Wednesday afternoon at a celebration of the Penn Area Library’s summer reading program. Face-painting, food, games and other activities were set up in the Penn Township Municipal Park for the culmination of the program. Library children’s services coordinator Pat Cappeta...
Pennsylvania Turnpike section will close overnight in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed in both directions overnight between the interchanges at Monroeville and New Stanton. The stretch will be closed from about 11 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday to allow for emergency removal of a sign structure at milepost 56.9, turnpike officials said. Motorists still will...
Longtime Latrobe councilman, municipal authority member dies from crash injuries
A longtime former member of Latrobe Council and the city municipal authority board died Monday from injuries related to a vehicle crash last week south of Twin Lakes Park, Allegheny County authorities reported. Rudolph A. “Rudy” Prohaska, 92, of Latrobe died at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh. Prohaska died from...
Cops: Man had 50 bricks of heroin, loaded handgun in Hempfield traffic stop
A man pulled over for a traffic violation Tuesday while exiting the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield was arrested on drug and firearms charges after state troopers discovered 50 bricks of suspected heroin and a loaded handgun inside his car, according to court documents. Khasuante S. Thompson, 26, of Penn Hills,...
Long voting lines in Murrysville could soon be a thing of the past
Additional voting precincts will be established in Murrysville for next year’s presidential election to deal with overcrowding frequently seen at particular polls. Westmoreland County’s elections board has agreed to seek a judge’s approval for a redistricting plan that, if approved, would redraw voting districts to ease long wait times that...
Ligonier’s Diamond Park cited as ‘Great Public Space’
Ligonier’s rejuvenated Diamond Park is a “Great Public Space,” according to the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association. The recently renovated park at the heart of the borough was recognized in the Public Space category of the organization’s 2019 Great Places in Pennsylvania program. The awards recognize sites that...
Firefighters battle house fire in Murrysville
Firefighters extinguished flames at a Murrysville home Wednesday morning. Crews were called to MacArthur Drive around 8 a.m. The majority of the damage appeared to be in the rear of the two-story home. Smoke was still pouring out near the roof by about 8:30 a.m. No one was home at...
Mt. Pleasant woman taken in secret shopper scam
A Mt. Pleasant woman became a victim of an online secret shopper scam, according to state police. Troopers said the unidentified 46-year-old woman signed up online to be a secret shopper at Walmart. An unknown person sent her instructions along with a check for $4,000, which she cashed at her...
Penn Township man dies after being rescued when fallen tree traps him inside homeVideo
A Penn Township man rescued from his home early Wednesday after a fallen tree trapped him inside died from injuries about two hours after being freed, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. The 75-foot-tall oak tree toppled about 2:45 a.m. onto the roof of a two-story home owned by...
Pedestrian killed by train in Hempfield identified as Penn Borough man
A Penn Borough man was hit and killed by an eastbound freight train Tuesday night in Hempfield, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. Thomas R. Brown, 57, was found dead on Norfolk Southern Corp. railroad tracks at about 9:30 p.m. according to the coroner. He was found near the Wegley...
Norwin library to host PUC consumer help program
Consumers will be able to learn about the utility assistance program, how to budget utility bills, shop for natural gas and electricity service and how to conserve energy during a workshop that Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission representatives will present at the Norwin Public Library on Caruthers Lane, Irwin, from 11...
Hempfield murder suspect wants statements to police barred from trial
A Hempfield man insists he believed he was under arrest and required to answer questions during an eight-hour police interrogation following the shooting death of his girlfriend two years ago. Allen Eugene Trent, 55, testified Tuesday that he was handcuffed, placed in a patrol car, driven to the state police...
Storm knocks down trees in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon firefighters were able to remove a tree that fell onto a house off of Route 993 in the village of Shafton Tuesday evening. The fallen tree dragged down wires onto Washington Avenue at about 6:15 p.m., according to emergency dispatchers. Additional details were not available. During the same...
Judge: New Stanton teen competent to stand trial for murder of mother, brother
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday ruled a New Stanton teen charged with the murder of his mother and younger brother is competent to stand trial. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said a mental health evaluation of now 17-year-old Jacob Remaley determined he can adequately cooperate and participate with his...
North Huntingdon slide repair, Smithton rail crossing upgrade prompt detours
PennDOT plans to close a section of Route 993 in North Huntingdon to repair a landslide and a segment of Route 981 in Smithton for replacement of a railroad crossing. The North Huntingdon closure is set to begin Aug. 8 and is expected to continue through late September. While Plum...
2 more businesses coming to Greensburg’s South Pennsylvania Avenue
Two businesses have announced their imminent arrival on Greensburg’s South Pennsylvania Avenue, bringing more development to a street that’s seen a resurgence this year. The Trendy Bunny children’s clothing boutique will open in the rear of 136 S. Pennsylvania Ave., with the entrance on McKeon Way, this fall or winter....
Wanted Pittsburgh felon stopped by deputies near Youngwood Park ‘N Pool
A man who was pulled over by Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies in Youngwood was ordered held without bail Tuesday after authorities discovered he was wanted on a federal warrant for possessing a large amount of fentanyl. Sheriff’s Deputy John Dixon and Sgt. Irvin Shipley were in an unmarked vehicle about...
Russian song and dance ensemble Barynya visits Ligonier Valley LibraryVideo
Mikhail Smirnov was playing music in a Russian restaurant in Long Island, N.Y., in 1991 when a dancer came in and asked for a job. The owner told Smirnov and the musicians to play dance music for her. The first dance they performed together was the folk dance Barynya. Since...
Man accused in 5 robberies in Allegheny, Westmoreland arrested in South Carolina
A West Mifflin man accused in five 2017 gas station and convenience store robberies in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties was arrested Tuesday in South Carolina by the U.S. Marshals Service. Bennie J. Carter, 54, is accused of being the getaway driver in an alleged conspiracy with three other suspects, according...
Man accused of exposing himself in Latrobe park
A Derry Township man is accused of exposing himself to three boys and a 16-year-old girl last month at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, according to court papers. Jesse Phillip Hollick, 61, is charged with open lewdness and public drunkenness. Latrobe police said the girl, who was babysitting the boys,...
Cops: Former EMT serving probation for 2016 sex assault accused of new rapeVideo
A former Greensburg assistant deputy fire chief and paramedic recently accepted into a probationary program for the 2016 sexual assault of a female co-worker was taken into custody Tuesday by city police for allegedly raping a mentally challenged woman. Parker A. Foster Jr., 54, is charged with rape, indecent assault...
Police: Passenger found dead in car during Jeannette traffic stop
A woman’s suspicious death Friday is under investigation by Jeannette police and Westmoreland County detectives, according to police Chief Shannon Binda. April J. Claiborne, 31, of Ligonier, was found dead in the front passenger seat of a vehicle during a 7:48 a.m. traffic stop at the intersection of Lowry Avenue...
Loyalhanna Conservation Corps expands Laurel Ridge trail for hikers, rescue crewsVideo
Ligonier Township native Josh Fitz has spent many summers camping with his family in nearby Forbes State Forest. The 20-year-old West Virginia University student, who is focusing his studies on global environmental change, returned to the forest this summer for work instead of leisure — helping to improve hiking trails...
Murrysville fracking well hearing focuses on truck traffic
The ongoing public hearing for the proposed Titan fracking well pad off Bollinger Road focused on traffic most recently, but members of the community who want to comment on the project will have to wait, as the hearing stretches into its third month of Murrysville council meetings. Monroeville driller Huntley...
Greensburg’s Yumzio Bistro planning move downtown
A Greensburg restaurant is hoping to find new eaters by moving up the street to a new location. Yumzio closed at 640 North Main St. on Sunday. It will open within a week, though the date isn’t certain, less than a mile up the road in a basement space in...
