Westmoreland category, Page 780
Bridge project triggers Route 981 detour in Loyalhanna Township
A section of Route 981 in Loyalhanna Township will be closed for a bridge replacement project beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday. That section of road, also known as Avonmore Road, will be closed between Fourth Avenue and Washington Street (Route 286). A marked detour will be posted directing motorists along...
Ross Perot’s ties to Western Pa. began with marriage to Greensburg native
A young Naval officer from Texas who came to Greensburg in 1956 to marry a local girl and went on to become a billionaire and two-time presidential candidate, is being remembered as a kind and thoughtful man who used some of his wealth to help make the region better. Lt....
Arnold Palmer airport passenger bridge nearing completion
Westmoreland County Airport Authority members Tuesday toured the new passenger boarding bridge that is expected to be ready for use at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport by the end of July. Authority engineer Scott Kunselman said electrical work has yet to be completed on the bridge, which arrived at the Unity...
Woman struck by train in Sutersville
A woman was transported by ambulance to an area hospital after being struck by a CSX train in Sutersville on Tuesday afternoon. The incident was reported around 3:20 p.m., according to Sutersville VFD Chief Mark Ghion. A Westmoreland County dispatcher said the incident occurred along the 600 block of Second...
Bovard residents frustrated proposed gas hookups fizzle
Several Bovard residents in Hempfield are frustrated because gas hookups suggested in 2017 have yet to come to fruition. As part of the Peoples Gas initiative Go With Gas, gas lines were to be extended into three Westmoreland County communities — including Bradenville in Derry Township and Claridge — giving...
Police: Record fentanyl bust on Pa. Turnpike saved countless lives
Investigators believe Monday’s fentanyl bust on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is the latest operation in a network connected to the Dominican Republic that is funneling drugs into Southwestern Pennsylvania. “We feel strongly that it is a part of the same group,” Trooper Stephen Limani said. Two New York City men remained...
Cops: Unity man accused of firing gun, assaulting man in neighborhood speeding dispute
A Unity Township man was so angry over a man he accused of speeding on a residential street that he allegedly fired a .38 caliber handgun at the victim’s passing car Monday and later injured him during a physical confrontation, state police said. Terry E. Simms Jr., 32, was arrested...
Police: N.Y. woman tried to use fraudulent ID to buy iPhones in Hempfield
A New York woman is behind bars after state police said she tried to use a fraudulent driver’s license and credit card Monday to purchase two iPhones at a Hempfield store. Raquel M. Martinez, 27, of New York City is charged with access device fraud, identity theft and related offenses....
Greensburg overwhelmed with brush pickup requests
An overwhelmed Greensburg Department of Public Works is asking residents to stop leaving large trees, loose grass and other unwieldy brush for city workers to clean up. “The call volume has increased dramatically, and some have taken advantage of the service, which is not fair to the people that have...
Greensburg dissolves Historic and Architectural Review Board
Greensburg Council on Monday unanimously voted to dissolve the city’s Historic and Architectural Review Board, an advisory body that supervised construction and renovation projects in the city. The city has been laying the groundwork for HARB’s dissolution since May. Monday’s vote passed without discussion or fanfare. HARB will remain active...
Greensburg hires planning director
Greensburg has a new planning director after a five-month search. Jeffrey Raykes will take over the city’s planning department July 29. “We’re extremely excited to have him,” said Greensburg Mayor Robert Bell. “He comes with impeccable credentials.” Raykes will leave his position as deputy director of the Indiana County Office...
Latrobe looks to add penalties to fire pit ordinance
Latrobe’s ordinance permitting residents to operate approved outdoor fire pits is going to undergo some tweaking. City council on Monday authorized the solicitor to amend the 2 1/2-year-old law as officials noted it’s lacking language setting forth penalties for violations and a process that would allow the city to revoke...
West Overton’s distillery making whiskey; won’t be ready until July 2020Video
West Overton is distilling rye whiskey this week, just like it did when Henry Clay Frick’s grandfather, Abraham Overholt, was making it in a log building at his East Huntingdon farm in 1803. The production of Old Overholt was stopped in 1919 when the 18th Constitutional amendment — Prohibition —...
North Huntingdon seeking garbage collection bids
North Huntingdon is seeking bids from haulers to collect garbage and recyclable materials from residences, but not from the many commercial accounts in the municipality. The township commissioners recently authorized advertising for bids for a contract for residential service, beginning Jan. 1, 2020, and continuing through December 2023. The township...
Greensburg author Scott Brown recounts heartfelt tales of region’s opioid epidemic
If the stories in Scott Brown’s new book, “Hope and Heartbreak: Beyond the Numbers of the Opioid Epidemic,” sound familiar, it might be because they are. Brown, a Greensburg native and former sports reporter for the Tribune-Review, ESPN and Philadelphia Inquirer, mined a decade of reports on the epidemic to...
Motorist sues North Huntingdon, PennDOT, claiming road conditions caused accident
The survivor of a fatal North Huntingdon traffic accident last year is suing the township and PennDOT. Robert E. Leonard Jr. of Trafford claims in a lawsuit filed last week in Westmoreland County that injuries he sustained in the April 20, 2018, crash on Route 993 could have been avoided...
State police: Fentanyl bust on turnpike likely largest in Western Pa. history
A drug bust on the Pennsylvania Turnpike likely is the largest seizure of straight fentanyl ever in Western Pennsylvania, state police said. Troopers said they discovered 3 pounds, 6 ounces of fentanyl hidden inside an SUV driven by Juan Junior Guzman, 41, of New York City, after they pulled over...
Westmoreland delays election machine purchase
Westmoreland County officials said Monday the planned purchase of new voting equipment this summer will likely be delayed after state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf failed to agree on funding for election system upgrades throughout Pennsylvania. “We were on track to make a decision this summer, but we’re on hold...
Man ordered to stand trial in connection with 4 bulls shot at Loyalhanna Twp. farm
A teenage boy testified Monday he and a former Avonmore man shot bulls on a Loyalhanna Township farm in March because the man didn’t have any food in his apartment. The teen said Shaun D. Ross, 60, told him he had no food. “I had a crossbow; he had a...
Officials: Rabid cat found in South Huntingdon business
A rabid cat wandered into a business in South Huntingdon last week, exposing at least one person to the disease, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said. On July 5, the cat entered the business on Country Lane, acting normal. A feral cat colony is near the company, which...
W.Pa. soccer leaders support U.S. women’s team in pay disparity fight
The winners of the Women’s World Cup not only are inspiring Western Pennsylvania soccer players with their footwork, but they’re also showing players on boys and girls teams that it’s important to stand up for yourself. The United States Women’s National Team’s win in France on Sunday was met with...
Organizers: Westmoreland Arts and Heritage festival sees lower attendance
Attendance was down during the 45th annual Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival this last weekend, according to its Executive Director Diane Shrader. The festival, which brings food and craft vendors to Twin Lakes Park east of Greensburg, typically draws around 125,000 people over four days. This year, however, heavy rains...
Informational meeting for 2020 Census to be held this weekend in Derry
Almost 3,000 jobs are available in the area ahead of the 2020 Census, and a forum is being held for community members to ask questions about possible employment and the importance of the once-a-decade survey. Led by Maryann Schneider, Westmoreland County recruiting assistant for the U.S. Census Bureau, the event...
Penn-Trafford grad will join Shinedown onstage at KeyBank PavilionVideo
When hard rock band Shinedown takes the stage Wednesday at KeyBank Pavilion, Penn-Trafford High School alumni from the late ’90s and early 2000s will see a familiar face onstage. Josh Sturm of Murrysville, a 2000 Penn-Trafford graduate, will join the band onstage after a brief stint filling in for bassist...
Police: Derry Township man tried to hit man with his car
A Derry Township man was arraigned Monday after police said he tried to hit another man with his car. Robert John Kuszajewski, 27, is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Police were called to South Summit Street in Derry Township at 10 p.m. Wednesday when...
