Westmoreland category, Page 805
Hempfield supervisor candidates tackle fire, police issues ahead of primary race
Long-discussed fire and police issues have six candidates at odds for two open supervisor seats in Hempfield. The debate over how to fill empty volunteer positions in the fire departments and an upcoming New Jersey-based Insurance Services Office Inc., or ISO, rating has dominated board discussions the past few months....
Unity medical marijuana dispensary hosting job fair
A soon-to-be open medical marijuana dispensary in Westmoreland County is looking for employees. RISE Latrobe, which will be located on on Beatty Country Road in Unity Township, is hosting a job fair to find eligible employees for hourly retail staff, including patient care specialists and shift supervisors. On Thursday ,...
Q&A with judicial candidates for Westmoreland Common Pleas Court
Six lawyers are seeking two vacancies this year on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Democrats Michael Stewart, Jessica Rafferty and Matt Schimizzi, along with Republicans Wayne McGrew, Kyle Baxter and Justin Walsh are each running in both party primaries on May 21. The top two vote-getters in each...
Six lawyers vying to fill two Westmoreland County judicial seats
Westmoreland County’s Common Pleas Court hasn’t seen a full roster of judges in more than a year. That is expected to change starting in January 2020, after two judges are elected this fall to replace Richard E. McCormick Jr. and Anthony Marsili, who retired. Six lawyers — three Democrats and...
Greensburg awards grants to apartment project, spa
Greensburg will pay almost $9,000 in grant money to transform a vacant building into apartments and expand a Maple Street spa. The city will pay $7,500 to City Cribs, a company converting a long-vacant building at 136 S. Pennsylvania Ave. into 10 apartments and a first-floor boutique. The second grant...
Veterans don’t need to pay for help to apply for benefits in Pa.
Westmoreland County’s director of Veterans Affairs is reminding veterans that applying for benefits should never come with a fee. “Veterans’ benefits are something that really aren’t supposed to be monetized,” said Matt Zamosky, one of 200 accredited veteran service officers working in Pennsylvania. Zamosky said the issue of military veterans...
Greater Latrobe School Board eyes 1-mill tax hike
Taxes would go up next year in the Greater Latrobe School District if the school board passes a tentative 2019-20 budget that cleared a first hurdle this week. The board is considering a tax hike to 82.25 mills — one mill higher than this year — to help pay for...
Hunker woman’s attacker found guilty of assault
A Donora man was convicted of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend last year. Following a three-day trial that ended Wednesday, a Westmoreland County jury found Travis Magash, 33, guilty of aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault for his role in a violent attack against his girlfriend. Danielle Rose Thompson, 25, told...
Hempfield christens new amphitheater
Hempfield is kicking off its Summer Concert Series with the grand opening of its new amphitheater this weekend. Normally filled with kids playing sports and families enjoying the walking trail and pavilions, Hempfield Park will be home to bands, food trucks and lawn chairs. Work on the Hempfield Smail Auto...
Cops: 19-year-old wearing ear buds hit by train in Mt. PleasantVideo
Miranda Cook is lucky to be alive after being hit Thursday afternoon by a slow-moving freight train engine in Mt. Pleasant, authorities said. “She was under the train. It was a matter of inches or it would have been a lot worse,” Mt. Pleasant Patrolman Tim Ferree said of the...
Appeals court upholds decision to let Belle Vernon students attend prom
Eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking can attend the prom Friday night, a state appeals court ruled. The state’s Commonwealth Court issued that order late Thursday afternoon as school district lawyers challenged a county judge’s ruling from earlier this week that halted the...
North Huntingdon OKs Sheetz site plan; awaits request for liquor license
North Huntingdon officials have approved Sheetz Inc.’s plans to expand its store along Route 30 so that it can meet state liquor laws in order to sell alcohol at the site. Township commissioners Brian Blasko, Zachary Haigis, David Herold and Tony Martino voted to approve the site plans to expand...
North Huntingdon to appeal zoning board OK of cell phone tower
North Huntingdon is taking its township zoning board to court over its decision to allow a cell phone tower to be built on property bordering Manor borough. Township commissioners this week authorized an appeal to Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court. The zoning board on April 2 granted TowerCo 2013 of...
Murrysville police anticipate joining multi-agency Community Response Team
Tom Seefeld started a Community Response Team when he was police chief in New Kensington 20 years ago, with the goal of having some officers specially trained for high-risk events such as active shooters or barricaded gunmen and serving drug warrants. Now chief in Murrysville, Seefeld is about to be...
Pocketbook issues drive heated contests in school board races
A controversial building project, questions about assessment appeals and a long-stalled teachers’ contract are among the issues driving public engagement in heated school board races in Tuesday’s primary. It’s not unusual for school board ballots to draw few candidates and scarce attention from voters. Given that candidates in such races...
5-month probe lands Mt. Pleasant Township man in jail on firearms charges
Following a five-month investigation, state police in Greensburg said they arrested a Mt. Pleasant Township man Thursday for illegal possession of multiple firearms including a AR-15 rifle and grinding off the serial numbers so they could not be traced. Michael C. Lint, 33, was arrested by state police following the...
Unity couple reaches rare milestone with 75th wedding anniversary
A thin, rectangular box collects dust in Harry and Velma Smith’s closet. It’s inscribed with the date May 17, 1944. Inside are the delicate lace remains of the dress and veil Velma Smith scrambled to find for her wedding amid World War II. There also is a message written by...
U.S. Air Force recognizes Hempfield’s parks and rec department
The Hempfield Township Parks and Recreation department was nationally recognized by the United States Air Force. According to Aaron Siko, parks and recreation director, the Air Force is allowed to use township facilities at no charge, including fields, pavilions and the athletic complex. The Air Force uses the facilities for...
Cops: West Newton woman cut man because she didn’t get birthday present, cake
Georgia M. Zowacki’s 55th birthday was not what she expected, according to court papers. The West Newton woman was unhappy and turned violent Wednesday because she didn’t get a birthday present, card or cake, police said. She drank vodka throughout the day to celebrate, but by 3 p.m. started threatening...
Allegheny, Westmoreland schools get grants for breakfast initiative
Several Westmoreland and Allegheny county schools were awarded grants recently as part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s School Breakfast Initiative. The initiative, which is providing more than 150 schools with grants up to $5,000 this year, is aimed at giving students a healthy breakfast. About $592,000 in grants were given to...
Hempfield-based General Carbide CEO finalist for regional entrepreneurial award
A Hempfield businesswoman is in the running to be Entrepreneur of the Year for the East Central Region of the United States. Mona Pappafava-Ray, president and CEO of General Carbide Corp., is a finalist in the competition that recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who excel in areas such...
North Huntingdon Police find $15K worth of marijuana wax, cocaine in traffic stop
North Huntingdon police stopped a car for driving erratically on Route 30 and arrested two Allegheny County men after finding about $15,000 worth of a powerful marijuana extract known as “Shatter” and a smaller quantity of cocaine, according to court documents. Dwayne M. Jefferson of Munhall and Darius L. Auston,...
Westmoreland Heritage promotes tourism ‘passport’
People who visit at least 25 Westmoreland County historic and cultural sites, art centers, theatres and community festivals this year can not only learn about the county’s history and heritage but get some prizes in return. A passport program offered by Westmoreland Heritage, in conjunction with the Laurel Highlands Visitors...
Arab headdress in Penn-Trafford school shooter training video criticized
Several Penn-Trafford School District alumni are up in arms over a perceived racist video of an active shooter drill at the high school. The video, posted on Twitter, shows a man — who some believe was serving as the active shooter — wearing what appears to be a keffiyeh, or...
County municipal authority hires architect for new sewer headquarters in New Stanton
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Wednesday hired an architect to design a new administrative and storage facility for the utility’s sewer operation, a move criticized by a former county controller for not seeking alternate proposals. The $225,000 contract was awarded to DLA+ Architecture to design and develop...
