Westmoreland category, Page 170
‘Burning’ millions of dollars, Mutual Aid ambulance looks to communities it serves to boost revenue
Mutual Aid ambulance is hoping to match the success of other emergency medical services in the region as it turns to the communities it serves to boost revenue. Ken Bacha, director of community outreach, hasn’t seen any checkbooks open yet, but he hopes that providing the municipalities that Mutual Aid...
Trib honors employees who embody company values
Trib Total Media has recognized six employees with its inaugural Core Values Awards. The awards honor employees who exemplify the Trib’s six core values of accountability, collaboration, evolution, integrity, ownership and respect. “These employees are our all-stars,” Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. “Their values make sure...
Former nursing home aide acquitted of attempted sex assault charge involving co-worker
A McKeesport man was found not guilty of an attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing home. Daniel Odu, 36, a former nursing aide at the Grove at Irwin, was charged with having improper sexual contact with a 19-year-old fellow employee in a resident’s bathroom on...
Firsthand experience takes the boredom out of Western Pa. civics classes
It isn’t ego that makes Hal Biehl think his civics class at Riverview High School is so valuable for students. “I tell the kids on the first day of class, ‘This is the most important class you’ll have in high school no matter what field you go into because government...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared county’s election board on Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Westmoreland County exits drought watch; conservation continues for Beaver Run water users
State officials on Tuesday lifted a drought watch for Westmoreland County that had been in place since early December. Still, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is continuing a voluntary water conservation directive for more than 56,000 of its customers who are served from the Beaver Run Reservoir. The state...
East Huntingdon man accused of shooting at troopers now charged with attempted homicide
A number of new charges, including attempted homicide, were filed Wednesday against an East Huntingdon man who was wounded in an encounter with state troopers. James R. Miller Jr., 61, sat in a wheelchair during his arraignment on the new complaint in district court. State police withdrew the original, less...
Magnolia Network’s ‘Barnwood Builders’ to appear at Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show
Mark Bowe’s ancestor Edward Keenan built Union, W. Va.’s, oldest church west of the Allegheny Mountains in the 1700s. It is currently the Rehoboth Church and Museum. “My seven-time grandfather was a cabin builder,” said Bowe, co-owner of Barnwood Living, a company that salvages antique log cabins, barns and timber...
Westmoreland happenings: Lenten lunch series, egg hunts, pancake breakfast, more
Church News • St. James Church, 306 St. James Lane, New Alexandria, will have all-day Eucharistic Adoration today for the memorial of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity. 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 anytime during...
Property owners get sticker shock from Westmoreland County tax hike
John Proffitt said he was shocked when he opened his Westmoreland County property tax bill this month. The 91-year-old North Huntingdon resident’s county tax increased to $592, more than 25% over last year’s $471. “It’s ridiculous for it to (go) up that much in one year,” said Proffitt, who owns...
Tractor-trailer collides with car in Pleasant Unity, man being evaluated
A man was being evaluated by emergency medical personnel for injuries he sustained when a tractor-trailer collided with his car in Unity late Tuesday night, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The crash along Pleasant Unity Road near the intersection with Schmucker Road was reported at about 9:20 p.m....
Hunker man acquitted of animal cruelty in dog shooting, found guilty of other charges
A Hunker man told a Westmoreland County jury he had no alternative but to kill his neighbor’s dog as it lay wounded in his driveway after being shot by another neighbor. “The dog was growling, showing it’s teeth. I was intimidated. It stood up on its front legs but couldn’t...
Former WCCC student not guilty of screwdriver assault of instructor
It took a Westmoreland County jury just 20 minutes on Tuesday to find a former Westmoreland County Community College student not guilty of assaulting his instructor. Jurors acquitted David Ross, 26, of Unity, of a felony charge of aggravated assault and a simple assault offense. Prosecutors claimed Ross used a...
Split invention, festival garner Latrobe inaugural spot in Dole Banana Hall of Fame
The City of Latrobe is no second banana — particularly when it comes to the yellow fruit that is the main ingredient in the town’s original frozen treat. The city on Monday was named one of three inaugural inductees in the Dole Banana Hall of Fame. Dole officials said they...
Mt. Pleasant council wants better communication with local Little League
Mt. Pleasant officials asked for improved communication from the Mt. Pleasant Area Little League at their council meeting Monday night. Council voted unanimously to approve Silvis Landscaping to mow the baseball fields at Willows Park twice monthly at a cost of $260 per visit. Borough officials also asked that the...
Mainline Pharmacy closure leaves community, staff mourning loss of local pillar
When Barbie Fordyce of Greensburg pulled up to the drive-thru window to get her medications at Mainline Pharmacy in Harrison City on Monday, it was for the last time. “It’s a crying shame,” Fordyce said. “I’ve been coming here forever.” The business has been a community staple for decades. But...
Jury conduct questioned in appeal of Apollo man’s conviction for wife’s murder
The lawyer for an Apollo man sentenced last month to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife claims improper conduct by jurors should have warranted a mistrial. In court documents filed Monday, defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky claimed one juror improperly contacted an assistant district attorney during...
Trial begins for Hunker man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog
Two dogs who were shot to death were killed by neighbors in retaliation for a dead peacock, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said in court Monday. Jason Beal, 37, of Hunker is accused of shooting one dog and other crimes in an attempt to cover up the incident. He is facing...
Former East Huntingdon firm must pay $40K in employee medical bills after health insurance lapses
An East Huntingdon metalworking company will be required to pay about $40,000 to employees who racked up medical bills in 2019 when the company let its health insurance lapse — even though it deducted money from workers’ pay, a federal judge ruled. Robert H. Kendi, president of Ken-Co. Fabricating Co.,...
MacDonald exits Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, seeks GOP write-in
The Pittsburgh area’s most contentious congressional race narrowed Monday as Laurie MacDonald dropped out of the Democratic primary in the face of a challenge to her nominating petition signatures. Her departure leaves a two-person race in the April 23 contest between incumbent U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and Edgewood Councilwoman...
Police accuse Penn Township nurse practitioner of illegally ‘prescribing pills by the thousands’
The arrest of a nurse practitioner accused of writing fake prescriptions culminated from months of police work, including examining trash put out at the suspect’s Penn Township home, executing search warrants at 19 locations and surveillance, court filings show. Penn Township police Chief John Otto said his department received a...
HVAC, lighting upgrades could cost Latrobe $425K
It could cost $425,000 for Latrobe to replace outdated HVAC equipment at city hall and its solid waste transfer station while also installing updated LED lighting at the transfer station and the city parking garage. City officials expect this month to learn the fate of their application for a share...
Scrapped merger of Spirit, JetBlue good news for Westmoreland airport, official says
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s top official welcomed Monday’s announcement that Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways are grounding plans for a proposed $3.8 billion merger. “It is a great opportunity for us to know what we are facing. I think it holds nothing but good news for us,” said Gabe Monzo,...
Jeannette officials seek answers for restoring dilapidated properties
It sounded like William Gaines had a pretty good plan. He wanted to buy a property on North Fourth Street in Jeannette from the Westmoreland County repository. But first, he had to get approval from city council. Gaines told council members in December that he intended to rehabilitate the home...
Here’s why pharmacies are on a financial precipice
Every time pharmacist DJ Kiesel of Salem Crossroads Apothecary in Delmont fills a prescription for blood thinner Eliquis or diabetes medication Ozempic, his pharmacy loses money. He pays a wholesaler to get the medicines in stock, but the reimbursements he gets from pharmacy benefit managers — intermediaries between drug manufacturers...
