Westmoreland category, Page 815
Westmoreland labor council endorses Democrats seeking local political office
The Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council announced it has endorsed a slate of candidates seeking county office this year. The organization, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor unions, announced it will support lawyers Mike Stewart and Jessica Rafferty in their bids to fill two vacancies on the Westmoreland County...
Pre-prom programs emphasize good decision-making
There was no need to shush students at Franklin Regional Senior High School on Thursday morning, when officials from the Westmoreland County coroner’s office were showing the graphic results of what can happen when an impaired driver is in a crash. “It was very impactful,” said Elissa DeLuca, 17, co-president...
Former treasurer of Derry church accused of stealing $20K
A Salem Township woman was arrested Thursday on allegations that she stole $20,000 from a Derry Borough church where she worked. Teri E. Sauers, 35, was arraigned on charges of theft and receiving stolen property filed by Westmoreland County Detective Will Brown. District Judge Mark Bilik released Sauers on recognizance...
Fayette County boy, 11, killed in turnpike crash near New Stanton
An 11-year-old Fayette County boy was killed Thursday afternoon when the pickup that his father was driving collided with a tractor-trailer between the New Stanton and Donegal exits of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, officials said. Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth A. Bacha identified the victim as Hayden M. Field of Connellsville Township....
Police quell rumor of chinchillas on loose at Monessen park
Reports of a chinchilla infestation at Monessen City Park turned out to be false, despite social media claims that a local breeder set 60 of the exotic rodents loose in the Monongahela River town, according to police Chief Jim Smith. “To the best of our knowledge, that didn’t happen,” Smith...
Greensburg Care Center starts music therapy program with state grant
Patients of Greensburg Care Center who have memory impairment are getting to listen to their favorite tunes thanks to a state grant. Officials at the Hempfield facility used a $12,650 grant from the state department of health to buy 30 iPods and pairs of headphones to start a music therapy...
Irwin reaches deal with new Cafe Supreme owner on $11,100 garbage bill
Robert Juliano moved a step closer to owning the Cafe Supreme restaurant in Irwin after reaching a tentative agreement with Irwin Borough to pay more than $11,000 in delinquent garbage bills that had piled up from the restaurant’s previous owner. Juliano paid Irwin council $3,000 toward the unpaid garbage bills...
Cops: Penn Township man with overdue book fees threatened to shoot up library
A Penn Township man remained in jail this week after police said he threatened to “shoot up” a library because unpaid fines for an overdue book prevented him from using any computers in the county’s library system. Greensburg police charged Boyd N. Klingensmith, 65, with making terroristic threats and possessing...
North Huntingdon approves policy limiting employees’ cellphone use while driving
North Huntingdon employees driving on township business have to pull off the highway and stop their vehicle if they want to make or take a call or text on their cellphone. Township commissioners recently approved the policy on a 3-2 vote with commissioners Brian Blasko, Darryl Bertani and Zachary Haigis...
Greensburg jewelry designer featured at pop-up in Pittsburgh
The name Splishy Splash Craft was inspired by Christina Krautz’s love of swimming. “I’ve been in a pool for as long as I can remember,” said Krautz, of Greensburg, who coaches swimming at Latrobe Aqua Club. “So, coming up with a name was easy because water is such a big...
Norwin student to build butterfly garden
With the monarch butterfly losing its habitat, a Norwin High School student wants to create a butterfly garden at the high school for the insects as they migrate from Mexico. “This could be a safe place for them,” junior Emily Jumba told Norwin School Board recently. She hopes to create...
Cops: Greensburg man accused of endangerment after 10-year-old fires loaded shotgun
A Greensburg man who left a loaded shotgun in a corner of his bedroom where it was picked up and accidentally fired by a 10-year-old boy earlier this month is charged by city police with endangering the welfare of children. Robert D. Stevens, 33, was charged this week with District...
Convicted Greensburg sex offender fails to have designation lifted
The appeal of a convicted sex offender seeking to invalidate a ruling issued a decade ago that classified him as a sexually violent predator was dismissed. Bilaal Abdulbadi Hale, 43, of Greensburg, contended he should no longer carry the sex offender designation and its accompanying requirement that he register his...
Judge tosses drug charges against Latrobe man
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Wednesday there is not enough evidence to prosecute a Latrobe man jailed since last summer on drug possession charges. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a drug-filled backpack found unattended on a Latrobe street could not be adequately linked to Christopher Twigger, who had...
New George Washington painting at Fort Ligonier will depict ‘friendly fire incident’
Ligonier native and renowned sculptor Chas Fagan will unveil a new commission on George Washington at Fort Ligonier on Friday. The unveiling of the painting “Flash Point,” about Washington’s “friendly fire incident” during the French and Indian War, will be held at the Fort Ligonier Association’s Annual Meeting at 5:30...
Indiana man accused of beating mother to death charged with assaulting hospital patient
An Indiana County man accused in the 2015 beating death of his mother allegedly choked another patient at Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township this month. Todd Royce Walters, 40, is charged with strangulation, simple assault and harassment in connection with an April 18 incident. Walters has been undergoing treatment...
Girl testifies she feared ‘getting shot’ by Derry mayorVideo
A 15-year-old boy testified Wednesday that he was involved in a scuffle at a Derry park this month with two younger boys when he heard someone yelling. “‘Get on the ground, put your hands up’ … with a lot more profanity,” the boy said he heard. The person yelling was...
Belle Vernon to host second Kentucky Derby fundraiser for schools
a cash prize giveaway, food trucks and “photo opps” in front of a bronze statue of a horse blanketed in red roses. “By supporting BVA Derby Day, people are helping provide a well-rounded education for our young people,” Svrcek said. “They also are assuring that our community continues to thrive...
Mt. Pleasant Township crash cuts power; responding medic unit damagedVideo
A woman reportedly was injured and power was knocked out in a section of Mt. Pleasant Township Wednesday after a car split a utility pole in the 7600 block of Route 819 south of Armbrust. The woman, who was not identified by authorities, was taken to an area hospital for...
West Penn Power spending $43 million to trim, remove trees along power lines
West Penn Power plans to spend $43 million this year to trim and remove trees that could pose problems for power lines in an effort to minimize outages across its 24-county service area. Six contractors for the Greensburg-based utility company have trimmed more than 600 circuit miles of electric lines...
Agents again raid Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office
Turmoil continues at the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office as state police investigators on Wednesday served another search warrant and departed with boxes of potential evidence. Details remain secret, but Sheriff Jonathan Held made one thing clear: “It’s not about me, this time.” He delivered that message when he briefly emerged...
Wedding fundraising for young Westmoreland couple tops goal
Once the news of Brady Hunker and Mollie Landman’s engagement broke, it didn’t take long for the young couple to exceed their wedding fundraising goal on GoFundMe. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the amount raised was $17,673. The goal was $15,000. Offers of assistance with the wedding also are coming...
Hempfield eyes creating one fire chief for its 12 departments
More than 30 days after Hempfield supervisors acknowledged potential issues in the fire department, changes could be coming to the command structure. The goal is to have the township’s 12 volunteer fire departments report to one fire chief. Each station now has is own chief who reports to the Bureau...
Storm water fee proposed for Latrobe property owners
Latrobe is the latest area municipality to consider charging property owners to help meet tougher storm water management mandates. Michael Gray, the interim city manager, wants council members to consider establishing a user fee. A first step, he said, would be an aerial survey to determine an “equivalent residential unit”...
Comcast workers to volunteer at Westmoreland food bank
Local Comcast NBCUniversal employees will volunteer at the Westmoreland County Food Bank in Delmont this weekend in advance of the company’s annual “Comcast Cares Day.” Comcast and Westmoreland County Food Bank volunteers will work together on April 27 to sort food, prepare it for distribution and pack senior boxes, among...
