Westmoreland category, Page 814
Hempfield decreases number of buses for next school year
Fewer buses will be used next year to shuttle Hempfield Area students, continuing a trend of the past four years. Budget cuts and decreasing student enrollment led to 44 buses being allotted for the district next year, six fewer than were used last year. The change will impact high school...
Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force plans patrols, checkpoints
Drivers beware: the Laurel Highlands DUI Task Force will be out on the roads this weekend. Sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols will be set up in Westmoreland County from Friday to Sunday. Police did not offer specific details on locations or times. Police urged drivers to drink responsibly and be...
Authority to replace leak-prone Pleasant Unity sewer
Unity Township Municipal Authority is moving forward with plans to replace a leak-prone sanitary sewer main in Pleasant Unity and to extend sewage service to two businesses on Donohoe Road. The authority Wednesday opened bids for the Pleasant Unity project, including an apparent low figure of $201,127 submitted by McKeesport...
No injuries after plane crashes on takeoff at Arnold Palmer airport
No one was injured Tuesday night when a plane crashed during takeoff from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, officials said. A single-seat experimental jet was taking off to fly locally shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, county emergency officials said. For an unknown reason, the plane crashed, a...
Westmoreland commissioner candidate pushes hard-right platform
Republican John Ventre, during an election forum Tuesday night in Greensburg, said “liberals who kill unborn babies” are not welcome in Westmoreland County. Ventre was one of six Republicans and one Democrat running for Westmoreland County commissioner who participated Tuesday night in the forum at the Greensburg Garden & Civic...
Law firm to investigate Westmoreland warden’s complaint against Commissioner Gina Cerilli
Westmoreland County will use a Harrisburg law firm to investigate a harassment complaint against county Commissioner Gina Cerilli. Jail warden John Walton last month accused Cerilli of misrepresenting facts associated with a state grand jury investigation into human trafficking that involved a jail guard. Walton said Cerilli used the false...
Greensburg prepares to dissolve Historic and Architectural Review Board
The agenda at Tuesday’s meeting of the Greensburg Historical and Architectural Review Board was typical — approving a straightforward sign change at a gas station. The circumstances, however, were not. The meeting was likely one of the board’s last, as city council moves to dissolve the organization that serves as...
Judge rules Belle Vernon students eligible for prom, graduation after underage drinking citation
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday halted the expulsion of eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking at a charity event. The preliminary injunction granted by Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. means the students will be allowed to return to school next week...
Scottdale woman broke down barriers, loved people
Patricia Walker did not know she was opening doors for future generations when she stepped foot on a train that would take her to San Antonio, Texas, in 1950. The then 17-year-old made a decision about her life — rather than follow in the footsteps of a lot of young...
Tips led Latrobe Police to robbery suspect
Latrobe Police said tips provided by the public led to the arrest Tuesday of a Johnstown man in connection with the March 8 robbery of the BP gas station-convenience store. Cory Lonsinger, 27, was arrested by city police on charges of robbery, robbery by use of force, unlawful taking, receiving...
Q&A with Westmoreland Register of Wills candidates
Four candidates are vying to serve as Westmoreland County’s next Register of Wills and lead the row office that handles filing and docketing of actions in Orphans’ Court, including estates, guardianship, marriage licenses and adoptions. The office is the central location for birth and death records. Below is biographical information...
Greensburg cafe owners plan next step after fire
Eric Bevan said he’s not sure what’s next after his Greensburg cafe went up in flames. An electrical fire gutted Bean & Baguette at 248 W. Otterman St. early Saturday. After a difficult weekend, Bevan and his wife, Alexis Bevan, are still trying to figure things out. “We would love...
4 candidates seek party nominations for Westmoreland Register of Wills
Westmoreland County voters have to decide between two candidates on each the Republican and Democratic tickets for the Register of Wills office. Republican incumbent Sherry Magretti Hamilton, 42, of Hempfield is being challenged by former employee Kimberly Horrell, 54, of Greensburg. The Democratic ticket features Register of Wills deputy clerk...
Police: Latrobe man raped girl, 14, after giving her alcohol
A Latrobe man serving a state prison sentence for sexually assaulting several girls in Westmoreland County was arrested Tuesday on new rape charges. Nicholas Lee Cook, 23, is accused by Greensburg and Latrobe police in connection with the rape of a then-14-year-old girl in January and February 2016. He is...
Penn Township man who restrained mother now accused of assaulting father
A Penn Township man who in 2016 pleaded guilty to restraining his mother was arrested this week on charges of assaulting his father during an argument near his home. Penn Township police charged Neal Hubish, 39, with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and simple assault in connection with the incident...
Hempfield to test undersurface of track
A new track could be in Hempfield Area School District’s future, but it all boils down to the undersurface. A test done by Advantage Engineers will tell school directors if the undersurface of the track is crumbling and needs replaced, said Sonya Brajdic, school board president. “We already did one...
Police: Roaming cows in Murrysville spotted on Trefoil Drive
Several black Angus cows that have been spotted roaming Murrysville during the past few weeks were seen Tuesday morning in a Trefoil Drive front yard, according to police. Four of the animals were seen at 6 a.m. in the residential neighborhood off School Road South, according to a post on...
Kennametal in talks with union about closing its Carbidie plant in Hempfield
Kennametal Inc. could close its Carbidie manufacturing operations in Hempfield, potentially shuttering yet another of the industrial toolmaker’s Westmoreland County plants. “No final decisions have been made at this time, and we are currently in discussions with (United Steelworkers) … about this plan,” Kennametal spokeswoman Christina Sutter said in an...
Communications could improve at Hempfield schools with new app
A new system could make communication easier among teachers and parents at Hempfield Area School District. Remind, an application that can be used on a smartphone or through a district email, would allow teachers to interact with students in specific classes, send reminders for homework or notify parents in case...
Hempfield Area School District approved preliminary budget
Hempfield Area School District’s proposed 2019-20 budget would reduce six positions — five paraprofessionals and one building aide — and saves district residents from yet another property tax increase. School board members voted unanimously to move forward with a budget of more than $98.1 million budget. The budget sets taxes...
Greater Latrobe students rise to challenge of creating, solving escape rooms
A team of Greater Latrobe Senior High students last week had to retrieve fake IDs that had been stolen from them. Another group of sophomores enrolled in Renee Stallings’ academic English 2 course had to defeat a dragon — actually, a donkey-shaped pinata. Ending a months-long class project, the teams...
Mt. Pleasant Area’s Rumbaugh Elementary School to close
Lloyd F. Rumbaugh Elementary School, which has educated Mt. Pleasant Area students for about 60 years, will shut its doors for good at the end of the school year. Operational efficiency as well as academic opportunity were the driving factors in the decision to close Rumbaugh and reconfigure the elementary...
Greensburg votes to dissolve Historic and Architectural Review Board
Greensburg City Council has begun the process to dissolve the Historic and Architectural Review Board, an organization that served as gatekeeper for most commercial development in the city. Council unanimously voted on the motion Monday. The ordinance to make it official will likely be introduced at June’s council meeting, and...
Michael Gray will remain as Latrobe’s city manager
Michael Gray became Latrobe’s city manager on Monday, after holding down the position on an interim basis since March 25. Council voted unanimously to keep Gray in the new role, setting aside plans to search for additional candidates from outside the city staff. “We had talked about doing a search,”...
Diocese of Greensburg priest removed pending sex abuse investigation
A Diocese of Greensburg priest has been placed on leave as law enforcement investigates an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, the diocese said. Officials said they received the allegation Monday against the Rev. Andrew M. Kawecki. He served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Everson and St....
