Westmoreland category, Page 870
Jeannette to add more surveillance cameras current ones already pay off for police
Jeannette police plan to add more surveillance cameras to Clay Avenue after the ones recently installed assisted in a stolen vehicle investigation last month. City council approved buying six more cameras that will be affixed to utility poles at intersections along the street, said police Chief Shannon Binda. “Our intersections...
Cops: Man leaves marijuana in Uber, arrested when he tries to get it back
Instead of recovering around two pounds of marijuana he left behind in an Uber, an Allegheny County man found himself under arrest in North Huntingdon when an undercover state trooper posed as the driver of the ride-sharing service. State police on Wednesday arrested Malik Rasaan Mollett, 21, of Wilkinsburg, after...
Westmoreland seeks grant for drug court
Westmoreland County will seek a $30,000 state grant to help pay for the drug court program. Commissioners announced Thursday they will apply for the funds from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. “It will help out and reimburse our general fund for the program,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli said. The grant...
State to recognize centennial of Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township
Sandra Ewing Robertson is a third-generation resident of Torrance, a village in Derry Township, and was raised in the shadow of Torrance State Hospital — which this year marks 100 years of caring for and treating patients with mental illness. “I think it’s a good thing the state is recognizing...
Latrobe man sentenced for hospital assault
A Latrobe man will serve up to three years in prison for assaulting security guards in the behavioral health unit of Excela Heath Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Christopher Daykon, 33, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of aggravated assault in connection with two incidents in September 2017. Police said Daykon, a...
Penn Township grant will help absorb costs of stormwater improvements
A new state grant will help Penn Township in its ongoing struggle to overcome the effects of stormwater on the storm sewers of the Harrison Park neighborhood. The Growing Greener grant of $70,000, awarded by the state Department of Environmental Protection, will go toward the design, permitting, surveying and management...
Jury finds Latrobe man guilty of second-degree murder in 2016 fatal robbery
It took a Westmoreland County jury just one hour Thursday afternoon to convict a Latrobe man of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his friend. The jury of eight men and four women found Zachary McGrath guilty in the Jan. 20, 2016, shooting death of Daniel McNerny in front...
Hempfield man, formerly state director of UFO group, enters Westmoreland commissioner race
A Hempfield man accused in a national magazine article of making racially insensitive statements on social media announced Thursday he will seek a position on the Westmoreland County board of commissioners. John Ventre, 61, a Republican, said his candidacy will focus on improving the county’s finances and criticized the current...
4 women testify Greensburg chiropractor assaulted, harassed them
When a teenage girl started going to a Greensburg gym in 2015, she looked up to the chiropractor who was training her in power lifting. But as the weeks and months went on, Moses Jevicky, 36, of Greensburg, started to get progressively inappropriate, making comments about her body parts and...
Mt. Pleasant Twp. store owner to fight corruption chargesVideo
A Mt. Pleasant Township grocery store owner, accused of racking up millions of dollars in illegal profits by selling stolen items, waived his preliminary hearing Thursday and opted to proceed to trial. But don’t read too much into the decision, his lawyer warned. “There is no plea agreement,” said Francis...
Officials visit Hempfield to announce grant to promote school-business ties
As state and local officials toured Hempfield Area High School on Thursday, they saw students working with high-tech manufacturing machinery and discussing detailed business plans they’d designed and enacted themselves. State Labor and Industry Secretary W. Gerard Oleksiak said he was impressed, and that he hopes a $126,050 grant to...
Woman, cat safe after fire breaks out at Greensburg apartmentVideo
Linda Erickson wasn’t sure what the loud noise was that she heard Thursday morning from inside her Greensburg apartment. But when a neighbor started banging on her door on Park Street around 9 a.m., she raced down the steps of her second-floor unit amid heavy smoke, leaving behind her 5-year-old...
WCCC nursing professor honored as outstanding teacher
There is no question that longtime Westmoreland County Community College nursing professor Rebecca Gediminskas has the respect of her students and her peers. For the third time in 20 years, they honored her as WCCC’s Outstanding Teacher of the year. Gediminskas, of Irwin, previously received the award, which faculty present...
Jeannette police start using electronic ticketing system for traffic violations
Lead-footed drivers and other traffic scofflaws are getting a speedy response from Jeannette police, who are now using an electronic ticketing system that cuts down on the time needed to complete traffic stops. For the last month, officers have used a new system that improves their safety and lessens downtime...
County leaders see comprehensive plan as key to bringing young blood into a graying Westmoreland
More millennials could soon call Westmoreland County home if things called for in a new comprehensive plan adopted by county commissioners come to fruition. The plan, presented during Thursday’s 2019 State of the County luncheon, aims at making Westmoreland more attractive to young professionals by upgrading downtown areas and creating...
5 people displaced by Thursday morning fire that spread to attic of Greensburg home
Five people were displaced by a fire that damaged the second-floor bedroom and attic of a house in the 500 block of Mt. Pleasant Street, Greensburg fire Chief Tom Bell said. Firefighters from multiple companies battled the blaze into early Thursday morning as it spread from the bedroom to the...
Staffer for Westmoreland Commissioner Charles Anderson seeking boss’ post
Sean Kertes, chief of staff to Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson, said Wednesday he wants his boss’ job. Kertes, 32, of Greensburg formally announced he will be a candidate for county commissioner, seeking to replace Anderson who will retire at year’s end after more than 11 years in office. “Having...
Westmoreland County businesses, groups awarded $475,000 in tourism grants
Living Treasures Wild Animal Park is doing something different with this year’s $15,000 in tourism grant money — they’re bringing in rare, popcorn-scented animals known as binturongs. Owner Tom Guiher was prepared to pick up the three Southeast Asian animals Wednesday after nearly $475,000 was awarded to local tourism-based businesses...
Witnesses testify Latrobe murder suspect admitted to firing fatal shots
A Latrobe man, while on the run for more than a day after a deadly shooting and robbery two years ago, repeatedly confessed to friends that he fired the fatal shots, witnesses testified Wednesday during the second day of Zachary McGrath’s murder trial. A series of friends testified that McGrath...
Municipal Authority water rates to remain steady in 2019-20 budget
Water rates for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will remain steady for the first time in four years. Authority board members on Wednesday unanimously approved a new $110 million budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which will start in April, retains the current water rate structure for the utility’s 120,000...
Scottdale robbery suspect doesn’t mind judge’s decision to increase bail to $250K
A district judge sternly told a Scottdale-area man already in Westmoreland County Prison on robbery charges that he had no choice but to increase his bond since he was accused of committing two more pre-Christmas holdups. Clyde C. Mensch, 42, and two alleged accomplices were arraigned Wednesday before East Huntingdon...
Penn Township man found not guilty of dog law citations in UPS driver mauling
A district judge found a Penn Township man not guilty of three summary citations connected to a dog attack last year that seriously injured a UPS driver from Hempfield. Matthew Zavarella had been accused of failing to keep his three German shepherds under control in the Aug. 28 mauling at...
Wider runway, 2 millionth passenger eyed at Arnold Palmer airport in 2019
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport expects to reach a milestone in 2019: serving its two millionth passenger since February 2011, when Spirit Airlines became the facility’s sole commercial carrier. Officials at the Unity airport also plan to widen the runway as preparations proceed for installing a second passenger boarding bridge. The...
North Huntingdon man accused of speeding in December crash that seriously injured driver
A North Huntingdon man was arraigned Tuesday on accusations that he was speeding before a violent crash in December that seriously injured another driver. Chad William Brutout, 24, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and summary vehicle code violations. A westbound BMW 300xi T-boned a Honda Accord around 8:30...
State police seek woman who used stolen bank card at North Huntingdon store
State police are looking for a woman who they say used a Blairsville woman’s debit card information to make a purchase at the Target store in North Huntingdon. Investigators said the suspect stole the victim’s bank information and bought $110.23 worth of merchandise on Dec. 24. Troopers released a surveillance...
