Westmoreland category, Page 117

Church News • St. James Church, 306 St. James Lane, New Alexandria, will have all-day Eucharistic Adoration Aug. 6 for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m., adoration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and benediction will be at 6 p.m. Drop in...

The simple act of untangling a human chain can teach a lot about trust and teamwork. On Tuesday, participants in the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission’s Strengthening Families program mashed together, crossed their arms and grabbed hands. Next, they worked together to undo the knot they had formed. Jessica Anderson,...

Westmoreland County prosecutors said a Dominican Republic national faces deportation for the second time after he serves an eight-year prison sentence for selling fentanyl to an undercover state trooper two years ago in New Stanton. Leonardo Antonio Ramirez was convicted in May by a Westmoreland County jury of three drug-related...

PennDOT road work is set to trigger a detour beginning Wednesday on Route 119 in New Stanton and traffic interruptions on Thursday on Route 51 in Rostraver. Motorists heading south on Route 119, from Youngwood toward Connellsville, will be diverted along a detour because the southbound ramp they normally use...

The Jeannette Public Library was closed Tuesday after a bomb threat was called into city hall, according to library board members. The threat was called in on Monday and indicated a bomb would be present at the library Tuesday, said board president Joann Billheimer and board member Chad Krawtz. Police...

A Sewickley Township man is behind bars after state police said he charged at his neighbor over the weekend with a knife, according to court papers. Kurtis C. Baker, 33, was arrested after the neighbor grabbed the knife and held the suspect down until troopers arrived. Baker is charged with...

Angie Burd and members of her family will lead the way Saturday as a group of motorcycle riders takes a patriotic road trip from Hempfield to Derry Borough. They’ll be at the forefront of the sixth annual Fallen Hero Ride — an event that will honor her uncle, Derry native...

Ryan Reitz is used to having difficult conversations. For the past seven years, Reitz has facilitated the Coaching Boys Into Men program with male athletes in locker rooms across Westmoreland County — diving into topics such as consent, respect and dating violence. Sometimes, encouraging athletes to participate in the conversations...

Amazon’s efforts to attract 600 workers for its new warehouse in New Stanton is like a double-edged sword for Westmoreland’s economy — great for job creation but potentially tough on small businesses that must compete for talent with the multibillion-dollar behemoth. “It’s great that they have selected New Stanton,” but...

Westmoreland officials are bracing for what could be a substantial cut in revenue generated through phone and video calls made by county prison inmates. A new rule issued earlier this month by the Federal Communications Commission limits the amount private companies can charge inmates for calling services. Those new rules...

A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Nasai Minon Parker-Hill, 19, will be sentenced later this year to three to seven years in prison under terms of a plea deal reached with prosecutors in which the most serious allegations — rape and...

A Monessen man is accused by state police of connecting a Youngwood woman to a dose of drugs last year that proved to be fatal. Troopers said James M. Cillo Jr., 31, met with Jennifer Vukovich on March 3, 2023, and the pair went to a location in Monessen where...

A man is behind bars after, state police said, he repeatedly beat a dog in South Huntingdon and recorded videos of the abuse. Zachary Robert Hixson, 30, is charged with neglect and two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Troopers were called Friday to a home just outside West Newton...

Hunter Wilford’s eyes were barely visible when he pulled a reproduction of a World War II U.S. Army airborne unit helmet down over his head. But there were plenty of other military artifacts and displays for the 8-year-old Derry Township boy to explore Sunday when his family stopped at an...

A ban on burning is in effect until further notice in Unity. Township supervisors and the Township Fire Bureau issued the ban late last week, citing recent dry conditions and the heightened risk of a potential fire. Open burning, recreational fires and fireworks are prohibited during the ban. The Pittsburgh...

Farmers market • Independence Health System Westmoreland will host a farmers market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 31 at the employee shuttle lot at Frick Hospital, 508 S. Church St., Mt. Pleasant. Everything sold will be locally sourced and produced by the vendor. Fundraisers • E C Cruisers...

Mark Brown’s family has lived in Westmoreland County for six generations. He’s been running Hemlock Lane Designs for 24 years. Brown, 59, of Jones Mills said that a tourism grant funded through a 5% county lodging tax has allowed he and his son, Shawn Hresko, to promote their furniture business....

Pieces of red-hot steel were shaped into close to 200 useful or decorative items Saturday as area blacksmiths gathered for the annual Hammer-In event at Laughlintown’s Compass Inn Museum. Visitors watched in the museum’s forge as about 20 members of the Pittsburgh Area Artist Blacksmiths Association hammered out a variety...

Michael Gendek had a sense of relief Saturday as volunteers updated the smoke detectors in his family’s second-story Jeannette apartment. Since the family moved into the Harrison Avenue rental dwelling in October, he said, the state of the detectors “has just always been a concern. We just wanted to make...

The Benedum family no longer has any heirs to carry on the family name, or to own and operate the family residence near Ligonier. Butterfly Farm, owned by the late philanthropist Paul G. Benedum, known by most as “Benny,” died from a heart attack while visiting Florida in May 2023....

A 7% increase included in the recently passed Pennsylvania budget for nursing home residents on Medicaid — upping the total to $120 million — will help facilities caring for the elderly but won’t cover the gap between cost of the care and the state’s Medicaid reimbursement, a nursing home official...

State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, pledged to try to avoid becoming Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor — something that would happen should Gov. Josh Shapiro leave office before his term ends. “I’m going to fight as hard as I can to make sure I don’t become lieutenant governor … that it never...

An Indiana County man is suing a Jeannette plastic lumber manufacturer, claiming company officials violated state employment laws when they rescinded a job based on the results of his drug test. Michael Howard claims in a two-count lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County that he was improperly rejected for...