Westmoreland category, Page 114
Temporary Amtrak train route will stop in Pittsburgh and Connellsville on its way to Miami
Passengers on the Capitol Limited heading to Miami that stops in Pittsburgh and Connellsville will be able to remain on their train for the trip south starting Nov. 10, Amtrak said. The Capitol Limited train is being temporarily combined with the Silver Star train that goes from New York City...
Old William Penn Highway to close for bridge replacement
Contractors do not yet have a firm date, but Old William Penn Highway will close for roughly a month and a half this fall for the replacement of a bridge carrying the road over Turtle Creek in Murrysville. Murrysville council awarded a $170,000 bid last week to Kukurin Contracting in...
2 lost hikers found safe in Ligonier Township
Cellphone technology and knowledge of the area helped police and firefighters locate two hikers who had become lost Wednesday evening on Laurel Ridge, said Ligonier Valley Police Chief Mike Matrunics. The two hikers parked along Laurel Summit Road and headed onto the Wolf Rocks Trail, an approximately 5-mile trail that...
Sen. Ward partners with Western Pa. food banks to promote breast cancer screenings
It’s not enough for State Sen. Kim Ward that high-risk Pennsylvania women can benefit from legislation she crafted related to preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings. She wants to go national in requiring insurers to cover at no cost breast MRIs, breast ultrasound and genetic testing for the BRCA gene....
Westmoreland commissioners say no ballot curing allowed for November election
Westmoreland commissioners Wednesday said county voters will not be offered an opportunity to correct flaws that might cause their mail-in ballot to be disqualified. Ballot curing — or the process that allows elections officials to contact voters to correct ballot errors such as missing dates and signatures — will not...
Westmoreland County makes changes to some polling locations; addresses accessibility
Westmoreland County officials announced in September all 306 voting precincts for the Nov. 5 presidential election will be accessible to disabled voters. The county’s election board approved location changes for 10 precincts, including eight that were not in compliance with with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. “We are 100% ADA-compliant,”...
Police identify suspect in connection with East Huntingdon carjacking, missing dog
A Maryland man accused in an East Huntingdon car jacking this week — and Lucky, the dog that was inside the vehicle — could be anywhere. But there was a glimmer of hope in surveillance video from a Walmart store just outside Connellsville, said state Trooper Steve Limani. Kenneth Wilson...
Ex-Greensburg hospital employee accused of locking special needs co-worker in freezer
A former Westmoreland Hospital employee is accused of locking a female co-worker who has special needs in a walk-in freezer when they were employed in the dietary department at Westmoreland Hospital. Greensburg police said Nick V. Casper, 25, of South Greensburg admitted in an email to his supervisor that he...
Westmoreland happenings: Harvest festival, hot dog sale, seminars, more
Festival • The Southwest Greensburg Harvest Festival will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Brandon Street parklet. There will be food, games, a basket raffle and more. Children can bring a candy bucket. Bring a lawn chair. Fundraisers • Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church will sell...
County housing authority board OKs land purchase for 50-unit complex along Route 51 in Rostraver
With the population aging, Westmoreland County Housing Authority director Mike Washowich said he thinks a planned senior housing development in Rostraver will fill a need in that area. “There’s not anything else there,” he said. “We’re very excited about the location of the property.” That 6-acre location is near Willowbrook...
Tributes to doughboy, fire department part of Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival
Erik Greenawalt plans to head to Mt. Pleasant on Friday, the first day of the town’s three-day Glass & Ethnic Festival, with colored chalk in hand. It’s the third time the North Huntingdon man known as The Chalking Dad will be part of the celebration, creating a sidewalk art image...
Police: 2 former Westmoreland Hospital nurses took, shared inappropriate patient images
Two former Westmoreland Hospital nurses are accused of taking and sharing photos and making recordings of patients without their permission, including one instance where police say a suspect superimposed co-workers’ faces on a photo of a naked patient, court papers show. Greensburg police charged Peter Castellano, 36, of Pittsburgh and...
Murrysville officials, consultant look at modifying business overlay district
Murrysville officials are working with a consultant to modify the municipality’s general business overlay, part of a larger examination of the town’s zoning. Overlays are used to add extra zoning controls in a specific area, to address special community needs or objectives. An example would be Murrysville’s gas recovery overlay...
Housing authority plans solar panel installation on land adjacent to Hempfield Towers
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority is moving ahead with the purchase of 6 acres behind Hempfield Towers. Officials plan to build a solar farm on the property to provide power solely to the 202-unit affordable senior apartment building. “We don’t have a sales agreement at this point on that, but...
Dog named Lucky missing after carjacking at East Huntingdon Tractor Supply store
As they often did, Willard Martz and his 10-year-old Airedale terrier, Lucky, went for a ride Monday morning. When Martz parked outside the East Huntingdon Tractor Supply about 8:45 a.m., leaving a window open for his companion, and headed into the store, someone came up behind him, said his daughter,...
Hempfield Area votes to spend $100K to double its weapons detector devices
After purchasing six weapons detectors for its schools in advance of the academic year, the Hempfield Area School District will double up on its security measures. The district purchased six OpenGate weapons detectors for more than $111,000 in July. The devices — two parallel poles that create a gate for...
Trump pledges to create protectionist policies and deport immigrants before cheering crowd at IUP rally
Former President Donald Trump spoke to a capacity crowd at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Monday night, detailing his protectionist policies of tariffs, criticizing immigrants’ impact on Pennsylvania towns, and keeping steel production in America. “We are going to keep U.S. Steel right here in America,” Trump said. “We have...
Saint Vincent College relaunches program in aviation management
When Leo Sun of Latrobe was the tender age of 6, he wanted to fly airplanes. He was interested in watching shows about air crash investigations rather than cartoons. Now 18, the Saint Vincent College student is getting that opportunity and is working his way toward that treasured license as...
Trump courts farmers’ support in visit near Smithton
Rachelle Davanzo’s life growing up on her family’s South Huntingdon farm wasn’t a typical childhood. “When normal kids went home to watch TV, I went home to milk cows,” she said. Now a beef farm still run by her family, the bucolic rural site was the backdrop for a visit...
Hempfield man denied bond reduction in alleged murder-for-hire case
A Hempfield man accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill his sister in April in a dispute over money and property he expected to inherit will not see his $250,000 bail reduced. Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said during a hearing Monday that the charge against Peter...
Trio pleads guilty to attempted metal theft from Hamill Manufacturing
Two men were sentenced to almost a year in prison Monday after pleading guilty to the attempted theft of U.S. submarine metal from a Penn Township manufacturer. Bobby Lucci, 27, and Marcello Miguel, 22, both of Mt. Ephraim, N.J., will serve from 364 days to two years, less one day,...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority cites ridership drop, flexibility in switch to smaller buses
Westmoreland County Transit Authority plans to replace 10 large commuter buses with smaller, more nimble versions that will both better navigate small city streets and match what has been declining demand. The authority approved the purchase of 33-seat buses that are fueled by compressed natural gas from California-based manufacturer Gillig....
Natural gas sensor alert leads to brief evacuation at New Stanton vo-tech school
A natural gas sensor alert led to the evacuation of Central Westmoreland Career & Technology School in New Stanton on Monday morning, according to school officials. “Two of our teachers came in with their gas sensors to say the levels were a little higher than normal,” said CWCTC Director Jason...
‘We have to make U.S. Steel great again,’ Trump says at IUP rallyVideo
Former President Donald Trump rallied supporters for about 90 minutes Monday evening in Indiana, Pa. He covered familiar topics, namely critiques of his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, the border situation, migrants and his plan to enact tariffs on imported goods. A capacity crowd of 5,000 packed the Kovalchick Convention...
Gaming-based mental health counseling to be introduced at Greensburg event
Playing video games allows Rob Hamilton, Westmoreland County’s director of human services, to disconnect from the stress and anxiety of everyday life. “It challenges my mind differently than maybe my everyday stressors might,” he said. He and licensed professional counselor Steve Kuniak are hoping to create a pilot program for...
