Westmoreland category, Page 10
Don’t blame this Franklin Regional grad for hoping the Steelers lose Monday. It’s his job
Nate Leopold used to sit in the yellow seats at Heinz Field — before it became Acrisure Stadium — twirling a Terrible Towel and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers. When they played “Renegade,” he stood up and yelled like the 68,000-plus going crazy around him. “The first year I remember...
New year means jump in tax rates for multiple communities in Western Pa.
For a number of communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania, 2026 is arriving with higher property tax bills. Those cities, boroughs and townships have hiked their millage rates for the new year to contend with rising infrastructure costs, inflation and the exhaustion of pandemic-era federal subsidies. In Westmoreland County, many municipalities are...
‘Long overdue’: Tenaska power plant faces hearing on emissions, monitoring
From his Mendon Road horse farm, Eric Metz watches white clouds billow daily from the 940-megawatt natural gas power plant looming over South Huntingdon. “It’s really not a problem,” Metz said of the emissions drifting from the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station over his property. The health of the 23 horses...
Westmoreland happenings: Turkey dinner, bingo, safe driving course, more
Church news Saint Vincent Basilica Parish, Unity, will offer the Discovering Christ course from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays Jan. 20 to March 3 in the parish assembly room, 300 Fraser Purchase Road. The free series for those 18 and older will address the meaning of life and basics of...
Fire kills 6 dogs at North Huntingdon kennel
Six dogs were killed Wednesday night in a fire that destroyed a wood-frame kennel in North Huntingdon, a fire chief said Thursday. The kennel at Bowser’s Dog Services was in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene at 3031 Baker School Road, Larimer fire Chief William Hardy said. A neighbor...
Westmoreland jury convicts defendant of drug offenses who refused to attend his trial
A Westmoreland County jury took just nine minutes to convict a Philadelphia man of three drug offenses after he refused to appear in court for his trial. Rysheid Malik Baldwin, 44, was to serve as his own lawyer in what was expected to be a three-day trial on charges that...
Jury expected to begin deliberations in child endangerment trial for Monessen parents
One of two Monessen parents charged with endangering their 2-year-old twins told a jury Wednesday he had not seen his children on the day they were found by police. The children were trapped in an upstairs bedroom surrounded in squalor, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Jerimiah Roberts, 32, testified he...
Police seek man who ran from officers serving arrest warrant in Latrobe
A man accused of kidnapping his wife to Kentucky fled from police Tuesday night as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant in a new case filed by Rostraver police. Latrobe police Lt. Michael Wigand said officers were helping their counterparts from Rostraver serve an arrest warrant on Shawn Michael...
Traffic signal replacement begins at Main and Clopper streets in Greensburg after windstorm
Motorists will have to obey stop signs for the foreseeable future on Greensburg’s Main Street after a traffic light blew over in high winds last month. Superintendent of streets Tom Bell said the mast arm that held up the traffic light at the three-way intersection with Clopper Street was damaged...
Rising utility costs cause record demand for assistance
A record number of requests has been made this winter to a Pittsburgh nonprofit that doles out funds to help people pay their rising utility bills. As of late December, Dollar Energy Fund had processed $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October — a 131% increase over the same...
Here’s how to shop for lower utility costs
For Western Pennsylvania consumers worried about the costs of heating their homes this winter, there are options. Customers could find some relief on the marketplace, but it’s not entirely without risk. Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence said shopping for better rates on the Pennsylvania Utility Commission’s PaGasSwitch and PaPowerSwitch web...
Judge OKs prosecution alleging woman’s messages led to boyfriend’s suicide
Prosecution of a South Greensburg woman on allegations that she bullied her former boyfriend to kill himself in 2021 can continue. In a 20-page opinion, Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said a series of demeaning messages sent by Mandie Rose Reusch provided sufficient evidence to allow a jury to consider...
Prosecutors: Monessen parents left 2-year-old twins in squalor
Two Monessen parents broke the law when they left their 2-year-old twins trapped in a bedroom strewn with feces and infested with insects, a Westmoreland County prosecutor told jurors Tuesday. Felicia Dugan, 31, and Jerimiah Roberts, 32, are on trial, accused of felony child endangerment. Prosecutors allege the children were...
Weekend could bring record-high temperatures
It’s supposed to be the dead of winter, but the Pittsburgh region could be on pace to break a record high temperature this weekend. “We’ll be above average on Wednesday with highs forecast in the mid-40s, and this weekend we’ll be approaching some record highs,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist...
Volunteers place wreaths to honor generations of Jeannette veterans
David Holtz and his 7-year-old daughter, Nyla, saluted as they laid a wreath before the headstone of World War II Army veteran Richard H. Irwin at Jeannette Memorial Park. It was the Jeannette girl’s first year as a Cub Scout and her first time taking part in an annual December...
Central Pa. man charged in Trafford power substation explosions
A Central Pennsylvania man was jailed Tuesday in connection with two explosions in 2025 at a Duquesne Light substation in Trafford. Derrick W. McCarty, 32, of McVeytown is accused by borough police of trying to cut high-voltage lines Feb. 1 at the substation near the Trafford Commerce Center, according to...
Jeannette accepting applications for vacant council seat
Letters of interest are being accepted by Jeannette for an open seat on council. The deadline is Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. The open seat was created when one candidate won two seats on Jeannette city government during November’s election. Michelle Langdon was sworn in Monday as mayor, which created...
Greensburg questions traffic flow for proposed Sheetz site on East Pittsburgh Street
Greensburg Mayor Robb Bell and Councilman Randy Finfrock have traffic-related safety concerns about an updated plan for a long-awaited Sheetz gas station and convenience store on the eastern edge of the city. Those concerns center around traffic going in and out of the proposed location at East Pittsburgh Street and...
Delmont will accept letters of interest for mayor’s seat
Borough reorganization meetings — where the council swears in new members and handles a few appointments — don’t generally draw much of a crowd. But it was nearly standing-room-only at Delmont’s reorganization meeting Monday night, as a sizable number of residents came out to see what would happen with the...
Steelers fans revel in ‘nail-biter’ victory over Ravens, berth in NFL playoffs
Knicky Nelson was dressed head to toe in Pittsburgh Steelers gear, but that didn’t stop her from perusing the merchandise at Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Waterworks on Monday in search of a deal. Nelson was still smiling from the Steelers’ improbable, heart-stopping 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on...
Westmoreland slashes benefits for retired workers
Westmoreland County’s salary board on Monday rescinded a policy that allowed nonunion employees to receive health benefits after retirement, a move officials said could save taxpayers up to $3.5 million annually. The three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer voted unanimously to eliminate the program, which allowed retirees to buy into...
North Huntingdon police cruiser rammed head on during pursuit of stolen vehicle
A North Huntingdon police cruiser was damaged in a pursuit Saturday after authorities said a fleeing suspect rammed it head on, according to court papers. Police attempted to stop a stolen Hyundai Elantra they said was driven by Julian Jamar Johnson, 39, of Pittsburgh, on Route 30 in the township...
Westmoreland developments: Manor restaurant revived, Hempfield welcomes secondhand clothing store
It’s safe to say Julia Gutkowski was born into the restaurant industry. The 19-year-old Irwin resident made her debut in the food business as an eighth grade student in the Penn-Trafford School District while waitressing at Manor Grille — the restaurant her parents, Derek and Megan Gutkowski, operated for more...
Derry plans to spotlight Bigfoot at proposed new borough park
Derry is planning to make a new home for its resident Bigfoot before the tall creature gets too attached to its setting at the town’s Mossback Park. The carved-wood rendering celebrates the legendary hairy biped said to frequent nearby Chestnut Ridge. It made its debut in September 2024 as a...
Latrobe nonprofit makes bid for former movie house as theater company undergoes bankruptcy
The fate of Latrobe’s former Manos Theatre building has been in limbo for years. It could enter a new chapter as a result of an ongoing bankruptcy proceeding and a purchase offer from the nonprofit Latrobe Community Revitalization Program. The one-time movie house at 227 Main St. most recently was...
