Westmoreland category, Page 778
Greensburg group holds protest against planned ICE raids on illegal immigrantsVideo
As she stood at a candlelight vigil in Greensburg on Friday to protest the treatment of immigrants in detention centers along the Mexican border, Sister Colette Hanlon recalled seeing federal agents dropping off busloads of exhausted parents and young children at the pastoral center in El Paso, Texas, where the...
Westmoreland food bank seeks to expand ‘senior food box’ programVideo
Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Sheila Christopher is happy 1,300 Westmoreland County seniors take advantage of the food boxes available each month through the group’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP. Unfortunately, it represents only 10% of the county’s eligible seniors, and Christopher, along with county food bank CEO Jennifer Miller,...
French connections abound in Southwestern PennsylvaniaVideo
On Sunday, when France celebrates its day of independence, Bastille Day, it’s a good time to acknowledge the strong influence that country and its people have had on Westmoreland, Allegheny and surrounding counties — beginning before the United States existed. A number of Southwestern Pennsylvania communities have names that reflect...
Van fire, crash, jam I-70 eastbound in Rostraver
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Rostraver were backed up Friday afternoon because a van caught fire along the highway, then an accident occurred in the traffic backlog, a Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety supervisor said. The van caught fire around 5 p.m. on the interstate between Routes...
WCCC to offer Culinary Quick Start program
Aspiring chefs can dip a toe in the water at Westmoreland County Community College next month. Citing “hundreds of immediate openings for line and prep cooks in professional kitchens,” WCCC officials announced they will offer a Culinary Quick Start program, encompassing three weeks of evening classes, beginning Aug. 19 at...
Unity man arrested in alleged sexual assault of 13-year-old girl
An 18-year-old Unity man was arrested Friday after he was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Micah J. Romanelli was charged by state police in Greensburg with statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of minors. He was arraigned before District Judge Chris Flanigan and...
Former North Huntingdon doctor pleads guilty in 2 patient overdose deaths
A former North Huntingdon doctor pleaded guilty Friday in connection with the 2016 drug overdose deaths of two patients. Michel Toret, 73, of Jeannette, entered a general plea to two counts of drug delivery resulting in death and two related charges, all felonies. Prosecutors did not make a sentencing recommendation....
Motorcyclist injured in South Huntingdon crash, dispatcher says
A motorcyclist was reportedly airlifted by medical helicopter to a hospital Friday after crashing in South Huntingdon Township, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The dispatcher said the crash occurred about 1:10 p.m. along Mt. Pleasant Road. State police were investigating. No further details were immediately available....
Western Pa. residents grow weary of rain, flood cleanups
Thursday’s torrential rains may have been the final straw for Janet Seman. After six floods since moving to her North Huntingdon Township home in 2004, Seman doesn’t know if she can clean mud out of her basement one more time. “I have sump pumps, I have what I’m supposed to...
Woman charged in connection with stabbing in Murrysville
A woman was arrested early Friday after being accused of stabbing a Murrysville man during an argument inside his home. Shalonda White, 43, who lists addresses in Murrysville and Homestead in court records, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault and simple assault in connection with an incident that occurred...
Pipe replacement closes Skidmore Road in Hempfield
A section of Skidmore Road in Hempfield is closed while PennDOT crews replace a 36-inch pipe that crosses beneath it. The closure is in place between Mourning Dove Lane and Tall Oaks Trail, tentatively through July 19. Traffic is being detoured along Reamer Avenue (Route 819), Main Street (Route 119),...
Flooding recedes in Westmoreland Co.; roads reopened
Flood waters have receded in Westmoreland County after a day of storms that pushed the Pittsburgh area ahead of 2018’s record-setting precipitation. Roads that were closed by flooding Thursday had reopened by Friday morning, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. A section of Guffey Road in the southwestern part of...
Dump truck overturns in Rostraver
One person was reported injured Friday after a dump truck overturned on Tyrol Boulevard in Rostraver. The crash, which was reported at 6:45 a.m. at 200 Tyrol Boulevard, according to Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers, included a fuel spill as well. A post on the Rostraver-West Newton Emergency Services Facebook page...
Groups to host Greensburg vigil against refugee detention camps
Voice of Westmoreland, a nonpartisan community group that works to give everyone a voice, is hosting a candlelight vigil Friday, “to end human detention camps” on the U.S.’s southern border. Members of the group will join the community to “protest the inhumane conditions faced by refugees in our own country,”...
9 people rescued in Penn Borough after onslaught of rain
Nine people were rescued in Penn Borough on Thursday afternoon by the Penn Township Ambulance Association’s swift water rescue team. Eight adults were rescued from Style Right Industries on Cole Street after the building became surrounded by water, said Edgar Grant, director of the association. Not knowing how high the...
Appeal hearing continued for former chief deputy sheriff Patricia Fritz
A Westmoreland County deputy sheriff testified Thursday that he felt intimidated when he said then-chief deputy Patricia Fritz started screaming at him during a conversation last year about union-related issues. Cpl. Steven Felder, union president, said he was trying to leave the conversation and go to the county’s human resources...
Westmoreland food bank seeks donations to replace truck lost in fire
The Westmoreland County Food Bank is hoping donors will help the organization replace a truck that was destroyed by fire last year. The truck and more than 3,000 pounds of food were lost when its engine caught fire in North Huntingdon last June. It was one in a fleet of...
Greensburg man accused of setting fire in woman’s apartment
Greensburg Police have an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old man acccused of intentionally lighting a pair of jeans on fire inside woman’s closet after an argument early Dec. 2. In addition to arson, Timothy J. Rosenberry of Greensburg is charged with reckless endangerment, criminal attempt and risking a catastrophe. Police...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust plans open house for new Palace Theatre apartments
In downtown Greensburg, a man’s home could be his Palace. The last four apartments developed by the Westmoreland Cultural Trust above the Palace Theatre are ready for occupancy. One of the third-floor apartments is already spoken for, but the other three range in size from 808 to 1,218 square feet....
Murrysville consumer advocate named to PUC advisory council
Murrysville consumer advocate Mary Bach has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Consumer Advisory Council. Bach was one of five new members appointed by the PUC on Thursday. The council meets every other month and advises the PUC commissioners on issues important to utility customers. Members serve on...
Westmoreland sees flooding, damage during torrential rainVideo
Roads scattered across Western Pennsylvania — including some major highways — closed Thursday as heavy rains caused flooding throughout the region. In North Huntingdon, a sinkhole opened outside of a North Huntingdon daycare center, forcing its evacuation. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning at 7:30 Thursday evening for...
Jeannette woman accused of assaulting boy during argument over cellphone
A Jeannette woman was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted a boy under 12 years old during an argument over a cellphone, city police said. Nicole L. Gogolsky, 39, was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal trespass. She was arraigned before District...
Westmoreland commissioners OK emergency repairs to courthouse parking lot
An emergency contract for repair work at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Thursday got a formal OK from the county commissioners. The board approved the nearly $70,000 contract with Maccabee Industrial, Inc. of Belle Vernon for labor, materials and equipment needed to fix damage in the underground parking area of...
Westmoreland commissioners approve settlement with woman injured at jail
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $7,500 settlement payment related to a complaint about an injury at the county jail. The board unanimously approved the payment as part of a settlement agreement with Christine Shellhammer, who reported being injured Sept. 15 while visiting an inmate at the jail....
Project to stabilize homes affected by mine subsidence to start in Derry Township
Work on a mine subsidence project involving 125 homes in Bradenville, Derry Township, could begin as early as next week. The state Department of Environmental Protection has awarded a contract to Howard Concrete Pumping Inc., of Cuddy in Allegheny County. Howard was the lower of two bidders at $5.2 million,...
