Westmoreland category, Page 852
Mail truck driver in North Huntingdon crash dies
A U.S. Postal Service truck driver whose vehicle crashed into a North Huntingdon house Thursday morning died at Excela Westmoreland Hospital, the Westmoreland County coroner said. The victim, Ronald Sopko, 47, of Murrysville, apparently died as a result of a medical event, said Coroner Kenneth Bacha. The coroner’s office was...
Cops: Hempfield man inappropriately touched young girl
State police arrested an elderly Hempfield man on Wednesday on allegations that he molested a girl over five years, starting in 2008. Charles Donald Howard, 84, is charged with aggravated indecent assault. Troopers said in court papers that they received a ChildLine report about the allegations, which the accuser said...
Developer plans to transform vacant Greensburg bank into startup hub
A New Jersey developer envisions a long-vacant bank building in downtown Greensburg as a hub for startups. Ramesh Reddy Ammana bought the Barclay-Westmoreland Trust Co. bank building at auction for $140,000 last month. He said the 12,000-square-foot building has water damage and other issues from its many years of disuse,...
County honors Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies for arrest
Westmoreland deputy sheriffs were honored this week by county commissioners for their role in the arrest of a suspected drug dealer following a three-mile vehicle chase last month in North Huntingdon. Deputies John Dixon, Rob Orbin and Frank Neal; Sgt. Irvin Shipley and Lt. Jesse Salandro assisted police during a...
Boosters pay for Norwin baseball field improvements
Norwin’s high school baseball facilities will get a new scoreboard, flag pole and storage shed through money raised by the baseball team’s booster group. The school board authorized administrators to buy the $20,000 scoreboard from OES Inc. of London, Ontario. Het Construction Corp. of Irwin will install it free of...
Norwin School District to hire coordinator to plan Chinese student visitsVideo
After 16 Chinese elementary and middle school students attended classes throughout Norwin School District last year, officials want to hire an ambassador who can keep the program going. School board members have approved hiring a Chinese Youth Ambassador Program Coordinator who will plan Chinese student’s visits to Norwin and create...
General Carbide expanding, adding new jobs
General Carbide Corp. in Hempfield is a step closer to adding more jobs. The second-generation, family-owned precision tooling company this week received approval for technical review by the Hempfield Township Planning Commission to add 12,500-square-feet to its facility at 1172 Garden St., making room for 20 new manufacturing positions. Company...
Greensburg Central Catholic to honor retired principal and outstanding alum
Greensburg Central Catholic alum Timothy Dugan of McMurray and former teacher, coach and principal James Farrell will be honored at the school’s annual auction, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” at 6 p.m. Friday at Stratigos Banquet Centre, North Huntingdon. Dugan, a 1979 GCC graduate, will receive the Distinguished Centurion Award...
Greensburg man found guilty of sex assault
A Greensburg man was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and could face up to 23 years in prison when he is sentenced this year. Westmoreland County jurors convicted Daniel DeAugustine, 38, of five counts, including felony offenses of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault,...
Greensburg police warn of Social Security scam
Greensburg Police warned residents to beware of identity theft scammers pretending to be from the Social Security Administration. Several residents called the police recently regarding these scam calls, the department posted on Facebook. The scammers ask their targets for personal information like dates of birth and Social Security numbers, threatening...
Man injured in alleged assault involving group of juveniles in Jeannette
Jeannette police are investigating an alleged assault by numerous juveniles who injured a man on South Sixth Street Sunday night. Investigators have several people of interest, and are reviewing security footage of the incident, according to Police Chief Shannon Binda. Police will not release more details about the alleged assault...
Mt. Pleasant officials fire police chief
Mt. Pleasant fired its police chief this week after four years on the job. The tenure of Chief Douglas Sam ended Tuesday, borough solicitor Deanna Istik confirmed. Borough council voted 6-3 on Monday to fire Sam. Istik declined to comment on the reasons for the termination, saying the personnel matter...
Youngwood man convicted of disorderly conduct for yelling at sheriff’s deputiesVideo
A Youngwood man was found guilty of a summary disorderly conduct offense Wednesday for yelling at Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies who were near his home in October. Fredrick G. Brandt, 61, was acquitted of a harassment accusation during a summary trial. He has three days to appeal the ruling. Brandt...
Greensburg hopes to stop utility pole crashes with alley traffic change
Greensburg City Council hopes to stop drivers from crashing into a downtown utility pole by changing the direction of traffic on one block of a narrow alley. Cars have struck a West Penn Power utility pole as drivers attempt to turn from Third Street to travel north on Bononi Way,...
Residents asked to check surveillance cameras after vehicle break-ins in Murrysville
Murrysville police are asking residents in and around Heritage Estates who have surveillance cameras to check them after several reported thefts and attempted thefts from vehicles. Police said in a Facebook post that Tuesday footage should be checked from midnight to 3:45 a.m. The incidents were reported on Harvest Drive...
Police: Derry Township man raped, choked Ligonier Township woman
A Derry Township man allegedly choked a Ligonier Township woman while raping her in September, according to court papers. Khachek Alexan Hamerski, 26, was arrested Wednesday on charges of rape, sexual assault, strangulation and related offenses. Police said Hamerski went to his accuser’s home on Sept. 7 at 4:30 a.m....
Irwin postpones amusement tax, will work with Lamp Theatre officials on issueVideo
After a heated discussion that at times turned into a shouting match, Irwin officials this week decided to table a controversial proposed amusement tax that would slap a 5 percent charge on tickets sold at entertainment venues such as The Lamp Theatre. Instead of potentially voting on the tax at...
Mister Green: Saint Vincent professors working on book about Fred Rogers, the environmentalist
Even when it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Fred Rogers knew that wasn’t always the case in the world outside. In April 1990, on the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, he devoted a week of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” episodes to environmental themes and ways that his viewers —...
Westmoreland president judge, husband sue Delmont storage company over damaged furniture
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway and her husband George Hathaway on Tuesday sued a Delmont self-storage facility for damage to furniture kept in a unit at the business. According to the three-count lawsuit, Hathaway said she leased a unit at the StoreExpress indoor facility on Route...
Westmoreland County could borrow $44M for voting machines, parks, Manor, other projects
Westmoreland commissioners this week are expected to finalize plans to borrow $43.9 million to buy new voting machines, refurbish the county-owned nursing home, improve local parks, upgrade emergency response communications and provide additional budget flexibility. The financial package, which could be approved Thursday, will provide about $26.9 million to pay...
Westmoreland happenings: Feb. 9 and beyond
Special events • The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra announces the Tribune-Review Young Artists Competition Winners’ recital will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave. Admission is free. Details: 724-837-1850 or joy@westmoreland symphony.org. Classes/programs • Saint Vincent Camerata will present “Music Was My Refuge,”...
Amphitheater being built in downtown Jeannette
Three years after a fire destroyed a vacant three-story building in the heart of downtown Jeannette, the now-empty lot will rise again as an amphitheater. Construction on the project should be completed this summer, said Tay Waltenbaugh, director of Westmoreland Community Action. “I think that’s a great attraction for the...
Utica shale gas well in Washington Township contained
CNX Resources contained a Utica shale gas well that experienced a significant drop in pressure last week, the company said Tuesday. Well “killing” operations on Shaw 1G well in Washington Township began at about 5 p.m. Monday and were completed by 11 p.m., said Lauren Fraley, spokeswoman for the state...
Seton Hill takes MLK Day across Westmoreland
OK, the official remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King was Jan. 21, but the impact of King’s teaching will continue to unfold in Westmoreland County this weekend. About 200 students, faculty and staff from Seton Hill University will mark King’s legacy Saturday when they spread out across 20 different nonprofit...
Cops: Unity man subdued by Taser also accused of drug possession
State police used a Taser early Tuesday to subdue a Unity man who became combative with four state troopers during a traffic stop. Patrick A. Smith, 35, was arraigned on charges of resisting arrest, manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug...
