Westmoreland category, Page 98
Greater Latrobe School Board divided over plans for roof, future of junior high
Some Greater Latrobe School Board members want to move forward with seeking proposals for replacing the junior high roof. Others first want to see an updated district facilities presentation from consultant SHP. It remains to be seen what opportunities the public may have to hear that presentation after it was...
Police looking for suspect in Hempfield Walmart wallet theft
State police are looking for help from the public to identify a man who they say took a woman’s wallet from the Hempfield Walmart store and lied to her that he had it. Troopers said the woman used the self checkout at 10 p.m. Nov. 13 when she forgot her...
Police: West Newton garage applied inspection stickers without examining vehicles
A West Newton auto shop is facing criminal charges after state police said employees there were putting inspection stickers on vehicles they didn’t actually inspect, according to court papers. When a state trooper visited Martinelli Auto Service in August for an audit, he reported seeing two vehicles with new inspection...
Chicago woman declines plea bargain in catalytic converter theft ring case
A Chicago woman who cooperated with Westmoreland County prosecutors in relation to charges stemming from an organized catalytic converter theft ring believed the case against her was going to be dropped, her attorney said Friday. But when Maria Padilla, 39, arrived for a hearing, she learned otherwise, said attorney Samir...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority accepts commuter bus from River Valley
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority will add another commuter bus to its lineup. The River Valley Transit Authority, based in Williamsport, reached out about transferring a 2015 commuter bus it purchased with the help of grant funding, Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said. The vehicle seats 53...
Derry Township woman killed in Route 119 collision in Salem
A Derry Township woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning on Route 119 in Salem. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Melissa S. Dustin, 37, of Torrance died of blunt force injuries in the collision. The crash was reported at 8:41 a.m. just south of the Route 22...
Westmoreland happenings: Story time with Mrs. Claus, photos with Santa, seminar, more
Christmas event • A story time with Mrs. Claus will be at 4 p.m. Nov. 30 at Keystone Railhouse Event Center, next to Gary’s Chuckwagon, 115 S Second St., West Newton. Sponsored by West Newton Public Library as part of the borough’s light up celebration. Church News • Greensburg Church...
Jay Leno visited Hempfield restaurant after fall
The show must go on. And, so too, must lunch. Celebrity talk show host Jay Leno reportedly visited Hempfield’s The Boulevard restaurant after injuring himself in a fall last week. The Boulevard owner Bobbi Lynn Frye in an email told TribLive Leno had lunch at the restaurant after his fall...
Opus 2 Orchestra marks 70th anniversary with music from its founder
Next month, Evan Reichenfeld will continue a musical tradition that began in the late 1930s, when his great-grandfather Eugene emigrated to the United States from his native Hungary. Reichenfeld, 28, a middle school music teacher in the Woodland Hills School District, took over a few years ago as conductor for...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Nov. 22-24
Before the craziness of Thanksgiving preparations and family visits, this weekend is a great time to infuse some holiday cheer — or enjoy a little calm and delay the “most wonderful time of the year” just a little longer. Here are a few things to get out and experience this...
Murrysville family revives father’s homemade haunted house tradition
Anna Moore loves Halloween. The 16-year-old Murrysville resident’s family has thrown large Halloween parties since she was small. But what really interested her were stories about the homemade haunted house her father Michael used to build when he was her age. “I’d seen the old pictures and it was really...
Greater Latrobe superintendent to step down, cites need to focus on health, family
Superintendent Mike Porembka is preparing to step away from Greater Latrobe, the school district where he has worked for more than 25 years. Porembka announced his plan to resign to school board members during an executive session after the board’s Tuesday meeting and followed that with a letter to the...
‘It wasn’t my signature,’ NAACP treasurer testifies at hearing for retired Pa. AG investigator accused in $175K theft case
For District Judge Henry Moore, it came down to one charge — forgery. He grew quiet after listening to five hours of testimony in the case against a North Versailles woman accused of stealing money from the Pennsylvania attorney general’s North Huntingdon office and the McKeesport branch of the NAACP....
Despite 8% increase in spending, 2025 Westmoreland budget avoids tax hike
Despite a projected 8% increase in spending next year, Westmoreland County commissioners aren’t planning on a tax hike in 2025. The commissioners Thursday approved a tentative budget of $412 million that keeps the tax rate the same, but uses money from its reserves to cover a nearly $32 million projected...
New York woman dies after being struck by tractor-trailer on turnpike in Donegal Township
A pedestrian was killed late Wednesday after being struck by a tractor-trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Donegal Township, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Isa Muhammad, 27, of Ozone Park, N.Y., was walking on the westbound side of the highway near mile marker 91, close to the Donegal...
Yough water level remains low after relatively dry summer, fall
The lack of rainfall statewide has created some unique circumstances. Seawater in the Delaware River. Exposure of a Fayette County bridge not seen in 30 years. And a rare opportunity to haul tires and trash from the Youghiogheny River in Westmoreland County. In April, the Youghiogheny River was 14 feet...
Strawpump’s low fire rating prompts intervention from other North Huntingdon fire departments
Two North Huntingdon fire departments will split the Strawpump fire district in the eastern end of the township because of the department’s poor insurance rating that has caused homeowners in that area to see their property insurance bills jump. The township commissioners Wednesday approved the plan devised by North Huntingdon’s...
Former Westmoreland County director of purchasing charged with theft of nearly $10K
Westmoreland County’s former director of purchasing was arrested Tuesday on felony charges accusing him of stealing $9,800 by allowing department employees to work an extra 30 minutes daily. County detectives said Kristopher R. Cardiff, 47, of Trafford, was not authorized by the county’s salary board to extend the workday for...
Online store pops up selling unlicensed Franklin Regional merchandise
The reaction to Franklin Regional School District’s announcement that school-branded merchandise would be consolidated under a single vendor was swift and harsh. Negative criticism came from groups across the district that purchase branded merch for athletes, clubs, fundraisers and more. Parents and boosters aired concerns about not being able to...
New contract includes 2.4% annual raises for Greater Latrobe teachers
Greater Latrobe teachers will receive annual pay raises under a new five-year contract approved this week by both the union and the school board. Running through July 31, 2029, the new labor agreement provides an average annual pay hike of 2.43% for teachers who are at the top rung of...
Unity seeks state funding to help replace poor-rated Monastery Drive bridge
Unity supervisors are setting their sights on a bridge on Monastery Drive as the next candidate for replacement in the township’s ongoing effort to update its infrastructure. The supervisors estimate the Monastery Drive bridge project will cost approximately $1.2 million. They’ve applied for about $1 million of that amount through...
Jay Leno injured after fall down hillside in Westmoreland County
Celebrity talk show host Jay Leno reportedly fell while trying to walk to a Hempfield restaurant last week, badly bruising his face and eye. The former “Tonight Show” host told “Inside Edition” he was staying at a Hampton Inn about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh and he fell while walking...
Westmoreland happenings: Festival of trees, Organ recital, pancake breakfast, more
Fundraisers • St. James Lutheran Church, Youngstown, will have a Festival of Trees from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 23 at the church, 4329 Route 982. More than 50 trees will be raffled. There will be a bake sale, children’s crafts, a photo booth, photos with Santa and free hot...
‘A lot for our small town’ or ‘all for it’: Penn Township residents weigh in on proposed turnpike interchange plan
As the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission continues with its design of an interchange for Penn Township, Randee Barrett isn’t sure what will happen with her family’s farm on Pleasant Valley Road. The farm falls near the proposed interchange site — the intersection of Route 130 with Nike Site, Sandy Hill and...
Need for English as Second Language education growing in Westmoreland schools
Westmoreland County’s ever-diversifying population is having an impact in public schools, where a growing number of students do not speak English as a native language and educators are facing increased demands as they to try to help bridge the language gap. “The number of English Learners (students whose native language...
