Dismissal sought for man charged with Election Day assault
The lawyer for an East Huntingdon man charged five years ago with the assault of a Democratic supporter at a Westmoreland County voting precinct on Wednesday said that the long languishing criminal case should be dismissed. Zachary Lambing, 38, has been awaiting trial since the 2021 incident in which police...
Western Pa. Catholic universities react to Pope Leo XIV AI encyclical
Catholic universities across Western Pennsylvania are examining the future of artificial intelligence, guided by the newly released words of Pope Leo XIV. “Magnifica Humanitas,” a 42,300-word papal encyclical issued Monday, outlines how AI must be freed from monopolistic control and no longer leveraged for geopolitical or commercial gains. At the...
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport targets federal grant program to replace Spirit Airlines
The effort to attract a new commercial airline to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport could rely on federal funding. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Maurice Haas said Wednesday the primary option to replace Spirit Airlines at the Unity facility rests with a U.S. Department of Transportation program that offers revenue...
Hempfield Area High School to break ground on $119M renovation just days after graduation
As Hempfield Area High School’s graduating seniors walk across the field at Spartan Stadium on Friday, signs of the high school’s long-awaited renovation already will have cropped up. The district is set to break ground on the project Monday, with construction crews erecting fences to block off work zones, Superintendent...
Hempfield appoints 5 members to new development authority to target SCI Greensburg siteVideo
Five members have been appointed to Hempfield’s new development authority, which will be tasked with identifying possible opportunities for advancement in commercial areas, officials said. The group’s first job is to figure out how to best use the former SCI Greensburg state prison property the township owns. “We formed the...
St. Vincent group gifts a Terrible Towel to Pope LeoVideo
A contingent from St. Vincent College in Unity recently left behind some black and gold in Rome. During a meeting with Pope Leo, college president the Rev. Paul R. Taylor and seminary rector the Very Rev. Edward Mazich gave the head of the Catholic church a gift — a St....
Teen convicted in Fairfield detention facility riot seeks leniency, citing refugee camp past
A teenager sentenced earlier this month to up to five years in prison for rioting at a Fairfield youth detention facility is seeking leniency based on his early childhood history in a Bhutanese refugee camp. The attorney for 16-year-old Rockey Magar contends in court documents that he discovered information following...
Hempfield Area School Board approves $118.7M proposed final budget with maximum allowable tax hikeVideo
Hempfield Area homeowners could see their property tax bills increase by about $90 if the school board approves its 2026-27 budget plan next month. The board voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve a $118.7 million proposed final budget with a nearly 4-mill property tax increase — the maximum allowable. Board member...
Growing numbers of police Drug Recognition Experts make finding impaired drivers easier
Most police officers can spot a driver impaired by alcohol, but relatively few can tell what drug might be causing impairment, especially when lacking the telltale signs of marijuana use. Harrison police Officer Ryan Signorella is among a few in the state who can tell if the person behind the...
Murrysville joins other communities in microsurfacing to maintain roadsVideo
Murrysville will join several Western Pennsylvania towns this summer in trying a process called microsurfacing as part of its annual roads program. “It’s similar to the chip sealing that we’ve done throughout the community, but it uses a smaller grade of aggregate to seal cracks and restore the asphalt surface...
Hempfield schedules public open house to share Westland Drive traffic study data
A public open house is scheduled for June 16 to share information about an ongoing traffic study on Westland Drive in Hempfield. Matthew Pernelli, the township’s planning manager, said the 6 p.m. session at Wendover Middle School will provide an opportunity for residents to review the data collected and talk...
From ‘nothing’ to noteworthy: West Newton Community Band will mark its 1st anniversary this summerVideo
One day last summer, Don Green, 64, of West Newton went on his pool deck and played what he described as “a real cheesy version of the Spanish song ‘Bésame Mucho.’ ” “I took a video of it, and I posted it all over the place and asked if there...
Pittsburgh handbell choir will perform U.S.-themed show in GreensburgVideo
Jim Rossetti has been mesmerized by handbells since the mid-1970s. The Monroeville native was a young band director in the former Churchill School District when he visited two of his students’ parents, who were music directors at Beulah Presbyterian Church. “They asked my wife and I if we’d ever seen...
Mt. Pleasant community recognizes sacrifices of veterans, military on Memorial DayVideo
Thomas Dix was instantly a celebrity of sorts after Mt. Pleasant’s annual Memorial Day ceremony. Maybe it was the ball cap on his head proclaiming him a World War II veteran that drew others over. The 101-year-old Donegal Township man shook hands, hugged and smiled. “I like that they still...
Latrobe theater troupe will host ‘An Evening of Comic One-Acts’
StoryZ Studios will host “An Evening of Comic One-Acts” at 7:30 p.m. June 12 and 13 and 2 p.m. June 14 in Latrobe. In George Bernard Shaw’s “Augustus Does His Bit,” an official with an overinflated ego fails spectacularly while trying to prove his importance. In Gary Rogers’ “Lose Not...
Jeannette graduate returns to Westmoreland County, opens cafe in Penn Township
Justin Stull aims to provide a new breakfast and lunch option to residents of Penn Township’s Harrison City neighborhood. Stull, 42, of Delmont opened Cafe Somore on March 3 in a building along Walnut Street that formerly housed Hometown Pizzeria & Eatery and Aiello’s Pizzeria. He considered following in the...
Manor American Legion, Norwin Historical Society honor military veterans ahead of Memorial Day
Twenty-one rifle shots rang into the blue skies above Brush Creek Cemetery Sunday morning as a dozen Manor American Legion members paid tribute to military veterans buried at the Hempfield site. Manor American Legion Post 472 and the Norwin Historical Society operate a collective honor guard, said Carl Huszar, post...
‘So deserving’: Hempfield Area High School teacher named finalist for statewide educator awardVideo
Susan Barbe-Stas, a Hempfield Area High School teacher up for a statewide educator award, was inspired by her kindergarten teacher to pursue her career of 30 years. “She made every single child in that room feel like they mattered just because they existed,” Barbe-Stas said of her former Greensburg Salem...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority considers fare hike for Go Westmoreland
The more than 176,000 riders who annually use the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s subsidized shared-ride program could soon see higher fares. Authority board members Thursday approved a nearly $19 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that starts July 1. The spending plan includes $1 million in anticipated revenue related...
Fun times: Runners who don’t mind getting soaked and filthy relish Seven Springs’ Mud on the Mountain event
Seven Springs Mountain Resort hosted its “Mud on the Mountain” run and obstacle course Saturday morning. Participants competed in one of two courses: a 1.5-mile course featuring 18 obstacles or a 5-mile route with 30 obstacles. The 1.5-mile course, featuring a winding climb up the mountains, was open...
Ligonier Country Market vendors, organizers pleased with season debut in Latrobe, despite poor weather
Rain and brisk wind did not deter Western Pennsylvanians from flocking to the Ligonier Country Market’s season debut in Latrobe — its first event in a new location in 25 years. About 3,000 customers perused the wares of 60 vendors Saturday morning, according to market Director Kelly Svesnik. “It all...
Greensburg’s Victorian Lady of Academy Hill tea parlor seeks new owner
After 20 years of living out her lifelong dream, Latrobe resident Carol Kornides is looking to sell her Victorian Lady of Academy Hill tea parlor along Greensburg’s North Main Street. Kornides and her husband, Jeff Kornides, purchased the two-story, 1884 house in 2003 while working full time at West Penn...
Westmoreland happenings: Memorial Day events, strawberry festivals, gardening seminars, more
Camp • Jacobs Creek Watershed Association will sponsor a young naturalist camp June 8 to 10 at Laurelville Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, for children ages 10 to 14. Activities will include scat and track identification, a bird hike, flatwater kayaking, environmental stewardship, swimming and more. Cost:...
Limited-edition exhibit ‘Gilded Glamour’ is open at Westmoreland Museum of American Art
A pop-up exhibit is open to the public for a short time at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Until the end of the month, Gavin Benjamin’s “Gilded Glamour” will be on display for free at the museum in Greensburg. Visitors will find a collection of three of Benjamin’s portrait...
Jacob Maloberti seeks plea deal in 2023 killing of Westmoreland County boy
A Delmont man accused in the 2023 killing of his wife’s 5-year-old adopted son is seeking a potential plea deal to lesser charges, his attorney told a Westmoreland County judge Friday. Jacob Maloberti, 36, appeared in court for what was labeled a disposition hearing on criminal homicide and other charges...
