Westmoreland category, Page 97
Staff welcome challenge of serving ‘fully booked’ restaurants on Thanksgiving
While the runway of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport was quiet Thursday, the DeNunzio’s Italian Restaurant above the empty terminal was bustling with activity. Red and white poinsettias and soft yellow Christmas lights greeted customers as they shed their umbrellas and winter jackets. Wait staff weaved through the diners to resupply...
Runners, walkers turn out in Greensburg for Turkey Trot on rainy, cold morning
Runners and walkers lined downtown Greensburg’s Main Street on Thursday morning for the city’s 33rd annual Turkey Trot. The 5K run and walk typically sees 2,000 participants and Carol Palcic, who has been race director for 29 years, said about 1,800 came out on the cold and rainy morning. Race...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Nov. 29-Dec. 1
The Thanksgiving leftovers may be in the fridge, but your out-of-town family may still be here and want to get out of the house. There’s a little something for everyone going on in Westmoreland County this weekend. Here are a few ideas: Candle and wreath workshop Wicks and Wax Studio...
Comfort food: East Huntingdon man provides meals for fellow patients at Unity cancer center
Nina Wilson gave thanks at the end of her four-hour chemotherapy session this week. Thanks to the efforts of fellow cancer patient Corey Rhodes, the 84-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township woman was able to end her long morning enjoying a Buffalo chicken salad — or at least part of the dish....
Vandergrift sisters make National Adoption Day a family affair
It was a family affair Wednesday for Vandergrift sisters Kelly and Nicole Dunmire, who created new families on National Adoption Day in Westmoreland County, giving two children a loving home and stability in their lives. “I prayed for what was best for Katerina. I prayed for what was in her...
2 accused of theft from coin laundry machines that caused $10K in damage
Two Westmoreland County residents are accused of breaking into coin laundry machines in four counties and stealing $2,210, according to court papers. Lauren M. Roth, 33, of Mt. Pleasant Borough, and Bryan E. Deiterich, 35, of Mt. Pleasant Township, caused about $10,000 worth of damages at four locations, state police...
Hempfield Walmart customer hit in face with gun inside store, police say
A Greensburg man is accused of hitting a Walmart customer in the face with a gun on Tuesday evening, according to court papers. State police said Ahseim S. Pestano, 29, was seen on surveillance video at the Hempfield store pulling a pistol from his front pocket and aiming it at...
Westmoreland happenings: Kolachi sale, bingos, wreath class, more
Fundraisers • Jeannette American Legion will host bingo at 1 p.m. Dec. 1 at the post, 109 S. Fifth St. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Cost: $25 per packet, includes regular and special games. There will be a $750 jackpot game, magic number, door prizes and 50-50. The kitchen will...
Westmoreland gets $2M financial boost for Hempfield prison demolition plan
The demolition project at the former SCI Greensburg state prison got a $2 million boost from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Now, officials are hoping it will be enough to do the entire demolition. “We feel that $2 million is enough to be able to proceed with bidding the...
Norwin High School girls play football for fun fundraiser
Girls from Norwin’s four high school classes squared off Tuesday in two flag football games that pitted freshmen against sophomores and juniors against seniors. Teams competed for bragging rights and for fun, all in the name of raising money for gifts for needy children. What was the third annual Norwin...
8-story tower of former Fort Pitt Brewery set to come down in Jeannette
One major section is all that is left of the former Fort Pitt Brewery site in West Jeannette — an eight-story brick tower. Brian Lawrence, executive director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank, wants residents and passersby to stay away from the site next week when the...
Westmoreland chamber looking along Route 30 for potential convention center location
The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce plans to study the potential for a convention center and hotel in the county. “As we look at regrowing Westmoreland County, this is just one of many items where we’re looking to spur new economic growth,” said chamber President and CEO Dan DeBone. “We’re...
Judge to decide if ex-girlfriend’s texts are bullying or free speech in Hempfield man’s suicide
A Westmoreland County judge will determine if text messages sent by a woman were a criminal attempt to bully her boyfriend into killing himself, or a form of free speech. Defense attorneys for Mandie Reusch, 36, of South Greensburg, claim charges of aiding suicide and involuntary manslaughter should be dismissed,...
Western Pa. communities use Facebook as integral tool to connect with residents
Tom Bell starts his shift at 4:30 a.m. each day as Greensburg’s streets superintendent. While most people take the same route to work, Bell takes a different way almost daily. Instead of listening to music or the morning news, he logs onto the public works department’s Facebook page to record...
Westmoreland County expands, refocuses veterans affairs office
Westmoreland County’s veterans affairs department will be expanding to provide additional access to services for former military members and their families. The five-person office will be renamed the Division of Veterans Affairs and Services and is expected to enhance service coordination, improve transportation to clinics in the Pittsburgh region and...
Drought to blame for murky Latrobe water, authority says. It remains safe to drink
Many Latrobe Municipal Authority customers are coping with discolored water while authority officials try to compensate for elevated sediment levels resulting from drought conditions in the region. Authority chairperson Ellen Keefe said Monday the yellow- or brown-tinged water may not be appealing but remains drinkable. “The water is still potable,”...
John McCain, Tom Hanks and Taylor Swift get votes for president in Westmoreland County’s official election results
The Westmoreland County Election Board on Monday unanimously approved the final certification of the Nov. 5 election results. “It’s a wrap,” Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said. The certification included all races that appeared on the ballot, including the closely contested election that saw Republican Dave McCormick oust three-term incumbent...
Defense says police ruse invalidates confession in sex assault case
The lawyer for an Erie man accused of sex offenses claimed his client’s confession should be barred from evidence at an upcoming trial because police lied about the circumstances of the interrogation. Timothy Colcombe, 37, was charged in January with felony counts in connection to allegations that he attempted to...
More than 100 veterans receive Thanksgiving meal through Norwin Elks program
Duane Myers of Hempfield was beaming Monday morning as he held pumpkin pies as part of the distribution of a Thanksgiving meal for veterans. Myers was among those who received the food at the Norwin Elks in Manor. The 94-year-old Myers was a Navy frogman during the Korean War. He...
Southwest Greensburg fire department gives college students free housing in exchange for service
Some of Michael Meyer’s fondest memories of his time at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg were spent at the Southwest Greensburg Volunteer Fire Station. Meyer, 28, grew up in Green Tree, just outside of Pittsburgh, and started serving the Green Tree Volunteer Fire Company in 2014. He joined the...
Downtown Greensburg stores to offer incentives to shoppers on Small Business Saturday
Elsie Lampl wants to see crowded sidewalks in downtown Greensburg on Saturday, filled with residents ready to support small businesses. Created 15 years ago by American Express, Small Business Saturday is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving to generate support for locally owned stores. Downtown Greensburg shoppers will receive parking discounts...
Westmoreland park pavilion rental rates set to rise in January
Fees for reserving pavilions at Westmoreland County parks are slated for a hefty increase Jan. 1 to help support costs of operating the recreational sites. The rental fees will go up anywhere from $25 to $100, according to Dante DeCario, assistant director of county public works. He said the fee...
Penn Township swears in new police dog, named after longtime resident, business owner
The name of Penn Township’s new police dog may sound familiar to residents. That’s no coincidence. The canine shares the last name of resident and business owner Janet Whirlow, who donated $15,000 to help the police department purchase its next police dog. Officer Blake Danowski led Whirlow into the municipal...
‘I’m not going to continue what I’m doing forever’: Penn borough, township consider merger
When residents stumble upon a tree blocking a roadway in Penn Borough, Randy Dreistadt is the first person they call. He’s also the person who handles parking issues, clogged storm drains and rentals of the town’s park pavilion. When snow coats the borough’s roads in the winter, chances are Dreistadt...
Filling the void: major mine subsidence project set for Belle Vernon area
When Tom Wilson was growing up in North Belle Vernon some 60 years ago, he and his friends would sometimes sneak into the opening of an abandoned mine, searching for fossils or some buried treasure. Fast forward six decades, and Wilson has signed up for a state project to fill...
