Westmoreland category, Page 831
Old Fleatique, grocery store to become greenway corridor
Property along Route 30 in Ligonier Township, where the Fleatique and Red & White grocery store once were in operation, will become part of the greenway corridor between Idlewild Park and Ligonier. The 3.3-acre property at the intersection of routes 259 and 30 was purchased in October 2018 by the...
Vandergrift woman’s first-degree murder trial delayed
A Vandergrift woman accused of killing her cousin will have her trial delayed at least four months. Ashley Croft, 35, is awaiting trial in connection with the Oct. 18 shooting death of John Edward Smail of Greensburg. Croft is charged with first-degree murder. She is being held in jail without...
Commissioner Cerilli won’t comment on campaign money from dead man tied to massage parlor prostitution ring
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Monday refused to comment on $1,900 in donations her campaign received from a deceased family friend implicated in a human trafficking and prostitution ring at area massage parlors. According to campaign finance records, Cerilli received four donations from Henry “Sonny” Caruso dating to 2015,...
GOP commissioner candidate challenges ballot order selection for Westmoreland primary
Members of Westmoreland County’s Elections Board could meet this week to consider allegations of impropriety made by a Republican candidate for county commissioner over a lottery that chose the ballot order for May’s primary. John Ventre, one of seven GOP commissioner candidates seeking two nominations this spring, wants a do-over....
Sen. Kim Ward posts online survey regarding Sunday hunting, legalizing pot
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, wants to know what Westmoreland County residents think about Sunday hunting and the legalization of recreational marijuana. She is starting a new feature on her website that poses survey questions about issues being considered by legislators. “I’m going to start doing this on a regular...
Loyalhanna Twp. man, 15-year-old boy accused of shooting 4 bulls, killing 2Video
State police charged a 60-year-old Loyalhanna Township man and 15-year-old boy with shooting four bulls with a crossbow at a nearby farm over St. Patrick’s Day weekend and then attempting to cover up the incident. Shaun D. Ross was arrested on charges of agricultural vandalism, ecoterrorism, aggravated cruelty to animals,...
Tour of French saint’s intact heart to stop at Hempfield parish
The “incorrupt,” or intact, heart of St. Jean Vianney, a 19th-century French priest, will make a stop in Hempfield on April 17 as part of a national tour. The unusual relic will be available for veneration at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 1011 Mt. Pleasant Road, following a 9 a.m....
Avian researcher at Powdermill Nature Reserve gets grant
An avian research coordinator for the long-term bird-banding program at Powdermill Nature Reserve was named a Western Pennsylvania Environmental Award winner. Lucas W. DeGroote was one of the four winners of the award, presented to organizations and individuals demonstrating leadership, effectiveness and results in making an impact on the environment....
Veterans Leadership Program earns state nonprofit association’s ‘Seal of Excellence’
Pittsburgh-based Veterans Leadership Program is the first veteran service organization in the state to receive the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organization’s Seal of Excellence. “Participating in this program and subjecting our organization to the independent review demonstrates the organization’s commitment to excellence not only to the Veterans we serve, but...
Greensburg-born Civil War hero to be inducted into Hall of Valor
A Civil War soldier from Greensburg who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the waning days of the war will get long overdue local recognition when he is inducted into a hall of fellow heroes in Pittsburgh. John C. Matthews will be among nine inductees into the...
Police: Woman attacked child, driver of vehicle on Route 30 in Hempfield
A Mt. Oliver woman was arrested Saturday after state police said she slapped a 6-year-old boy repeatedly in a moving vehicle and attacked the driver. Troopers found an open can of malt beverage Four Loko in the backseat where Christina Dawn Hall, 38, was sitting, according to court papers. Hall...
Southwest Greensburg WWII hero wanted to be bomber pilot
Robert “Archie” Long of Southwest Greensburg wanted to be a pilot when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December 1943. With the United States fighting a war in Europe against the Germans and Italians and a war in the Pacific against the Japanese, the Army certainly needed pilots....
Longtime bike seller, repairman not yet at end of trailVideo
When Karl Tringhese of Southwest Greensburg started working in a bike shop in his native Johnstown as a teenager in the 1960s, there were no internet sales to keep customers at home if they wanted a bike, no super discount store down the highway that brought bikes in by the...
Norwin to reveal two finalists for superintendent’s post
The two finalists competing to be Norwin’s next superintendent will have an opportunity Wednesday to explain what positive impact they would have on the district. With the public meeting and presentations by the candidates, the board wants to make the hiring process as transparent as possible, said Barbara Viola, board...
In Pennsylvania, young lawmakers drive conversation on reducing student debt
When freshman state Sen. Lindsey Williams, a Democrat from West View, learned Philadelphia Sen. Vincent Hughes was crafting a bill to tackle student debt refinancing, she quickly agreed to circulate a co-sponsorship memo. Williams, 36, and fellow freshman state Sen. Katie Muth, a 35-year-old Democrat from Montgomery County, are among...
Landmark Scottdale collectible shop closingVideo
After 30 years of operating country gift, antique and collectible stores, floral shops and a tea room, Martha “Marty” Savanick is calling it a career. “It’s been a great run. People are saying there is really no stores close by like ours with the extensive inventory,” said Savanick, who is...
Saturday morning fire displaces Monessen family
Fire officials say children playing with matches sparked a Saturday morning blaze that heavily damaged a Monessen home, displacing the family that lives there. No charges will be filed because of the young age of the children, according to Monessen Fire Department Station 1 Chief Chris Rhome. No one was...
Group proposes county Vets of War on Terror monument
A group seeking to raise money for a proposed Westmoreland County Veterans of the War on Terror Monument took a step toward gaining public awareness Saturday by installing a sign about the project at the site next to Twin Lakes Park. The monument, expected to cost about $350,000, is planned...
Almost $18,000 raised during Derry High School’s annual Bachelor Auction
Dressed in tuxedos and waiting for their bid, 19 junior and senior boys at Derry Area High School participated in the 2019 Bachelor Auction, raising almost $18,000 for charity. The annual event is hosted by the school’s Interact Club, a student organization based on community service. Up to 20 junior...
North Huntingdon fire temporarily closes section of Route 30
A section of Route 30 was closed in both directions for about an hour Saturday morning as firefighters battled a blaze at a North Huntingdon auto dealership. According to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher, the fire was reported at 7:16 a.m. in an attic at an auto dealership at 13460...
Teacher contract talks continue in Mt. Pleasant
Contract negotiations are set to resume Monday between the Mt. Pleasant Area School District and its teachers and other staff who have worked without a contract since Aug. 31. Spokesmen for the school board and the Mt. Pleasant Area Education Association — the union representing 143 teaches, counselors, nurses and...
One person in critical condition after Friday evening crash on Route 119
One person is in critical condition after they were trapped in an overturned vehicle Friday evening, Midway-St. Clair Fire Chief Rich Kepple confirmed. Officials responded to Route 119 in Hempfield Township around 7:30 p.m., he said. One vehicle was involved in the crash. Crews were clear of the scene around...
Chris Young bringing his tour to KeyBank Pavilion this summer
The country star known for “Raised on Country,” “Sober Saturday Night” and “Who I am With You” is headed to the Pittsburgh area. Chris Young is set to perform at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown on Aug. 24. Artists Chris Janson and Jimmie Allen are scheduled to perform prior to Young....
State trooper will be recognized for founding Greensburg Shop with a Cop program
The 2019 Salt and Light Award winners are a parish director of faith formation from Rostraver, a Filipino couple from Greensburg, and a Pennsylvania state trooper, the Diocese of Greensburg said. The annual awards recognize people or organizations in the diocese for their humanitarian and philanthropic achievements. This year’s winners...
A Route 30 mainstay, historic Penn-Irwin Motel closes as owners retireVideo
Like a scene out of the Pixar movie “Cars,” the Penn-Irwin Motel has been a haven for weary travelers on the Lincoln Highway for 73 years. It thrived as U.S. Route 30 and the westernmost terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike brought motorists from all over the country. Then the turnpike...
