Westmoreland category, Page 885
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...
Planet Fitness to open in East Huntingdon
Residents in the Mt. Pleasant area are about to have another health and fitness option. Planet Fitness is set to open its doors this fall at the former Big Lots location along Crossroads Plaza Road next to Save-A-Lot and Tractor Supply Co. in East Huntingdon. The 10,000-square-foot gym will offer...
Tourism to be focus of new Westmoreland County visitor center on Route 119
Westmoreland County will open a visitor center next month as part of a renewed push to promote tourism. On Thursday, county commissioners are expected to approve an $81,000 contract with the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau to operate the facility in a plaza on Route 119, north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
Downed tree closes Route 30 eastbound near Derry
The eastbound lanes of Route 30 were shut down for a couple hours around 10 p.m. Tuesday night after a downed tree landed on the roadway. The eastbound side of the highway is temporarily closed between Route 217 and the causeway over Loyalhanna Creek. Emergency crews also reported downed wires...
Contractor: Water line relocation nearing end on Route 981 in LatrobeVideo
Ligonier Construction crews hope to wrap up water line relocation work on Latrobe’s Lloyd Avenue during the week of Jan. 14, weather permitting. The contractor has been working, on and off, since November — restricting daytime traffic to a single, alternating lane on a section of Lloyd south of Unity...
Rite Aid to close Irwin store in February
Rite Aid will close its pharmacy and store on Main Street in Irwin early next month, a decision made after an evaluation of its business, the Camp Hill-based pharmacy chain said. Rite Aid’s last day of normal operations in Irwin is expected to be Feb. 4, at which time the...
Warhawk fighter plane joins World War II program at Westmoreland air show
A restored Air Force P-40 Warhawk fighter plane will join the high-flying spectacle May 25-26 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. The World War II-era aircraft will be featured in the “Tora! Tora! Tora!” program during the 2019 Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow. The plane and the program...
Testimony begins in Latrobe murder case
Confronted by a gun-wielding masked man, Daniel McNerny took it upon himself to put a stop to what appeared to be an armed robbery in front of a Latrobe home nearly two years ago, an eyewitness testified Tuesday. McNerny, who had been visiting friends when he was alerted to the...
Murrysville divers recover body from Fayette pond
A Murrysville dive team recovered the body of a Confluence man who was submerged in an icy Henry Clay Township pond Monday near his pickup truck, authorities said. Patrick Keating, 30, was found in the pond along Sickle Ridge Road about 45 feet from where his truck was pulled from...
