Westmoreland category, Page 172
‘Like treasure hunting’: Greensburg native pursues love of secondhand shopping, opens vintage clothing store downtown
For as long as he can remember, Greensburg native Zach Butler has appreciated vintage clothes. As a kid, he watched antique picker shows such as “Storage Wars” and borrowed clothing from his dad’s closet. “People used to be like ‘You look weird, but it looks good,’” joked Butler, 24, of...
Attempted homicide, assault charges filed after Murrysville woman is stabbed during dispute
A Murrysville man was awaiting arraignment Wednesday morning after police said he stabbed a woman twice with a knife. Murrysville police Chief Thomas Seefeld said Andrew James Farbarik, 32, was charged with attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated assault. Authorities were called to Hills Church Road at 9:30 p.m....
Family objects to plea deal for uncle’s role in overdose death
Roseanne DeBruyn’s call for a Westmoreland County judge to reject the terms in a proposed plea bargain for her former brother-in-law went unheeded on Tuesday. Jeffrey R. Carlson, 58, of Glassport, Allegheny County, was charged in connection with the death of DeBruyn’s son in 2022. Carlson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor...
Westmoreland DA convenes grand jury for unsolved homicides
Westmoreland County’s first investigating grand jury in more than three decades was seated Tuesday to hear evidence in unsolved homicides and major crimes. District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced last fall the creation of the grand jury. It is intended to be a tool to compel witnesses to produce evidence and...
Police arrest Hempfield man wanted after fleeing, prompting Seton Hill lockdown
A man who fled from state police earlier this month, prompting a lockdown at Seton Hill University, was arrested last week at a junkyard hiding underneath a trap door, according to Chief Deputy Jennifer Shipley of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office. Troopers have been searching for Joseph Alan Pees, 31,...
Hempfield supervisors delay vote to advertise part-time fire department driver position
Hempfield supervisors are holding on hiring a paid, part-time driver for the fire department. The township set aside $81,000 in its budget this year to potentially hire four part-time drivers for the fire department, primarily to assist during daylight hours. Candidates for the position must be able to perform fire...
Mt. Pleasant School District honors bus driver Denise Fontanazza for decades of service
As Denise Fontanazza followed her familiar school bus route around Mt. Pleasant Township Tuesday morning, she wondered why so many students were missing from their stops. She found out why when she pulled bus No. 15 up to Norvelt Elementary. Fontanazza was honored Tuesday by district officials for a rewards...
Employers at job fair face hurdles to fill slots — fewer workers and low unemployment rate
About four dozen businesses and organizations seeking workers at a job fair this week in Hempfield are facing a double whammy as they attempt to woo prospective employees: The jobless rate is at a record low, and there are fewer people in the workforce since the covid pandemic upended the...
Bail set at $250,000 after drug bust in North Huntingdon
A West Mifflin man is behind bars after police said he sold $520 worth of suspected heroin/fentanyl on Monday to an undercover officer and confidential informant in North Huntingdon. Investigators from North Huntingdon, the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and the state attorney general’s office worked together in the bust...
Former Franklin Regional superintendent tapped as consultant to find new leader at Hempfield Area
Hempfield Area School District’s superintendent search is officially on. The district board tapped education consultant Peter Emery D’Arcangelo to begin its search for a new district leader to replace Tammy Wolicki. Wolicki announced her retirement Jan. 22, following an extended leave of absence. Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Kimberlie Rieffannacht...
Everson man receives 2 years probation for assault of Lyft driver
A former Hempfield man was ordered Monday to spend two years on probation for assaulting a Lyft driver who took him home from a gentlemen’s club in 2022. Carl L. Beltz, 43, of Everson, pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault, resisting arrest and theft. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of...
Woman pleads guilty in catalytic converter theft ring targeting Westmoreland, Indiana counties
An Indiana County woman pleaded guilty Monday to involvement in a catalytic converter theft ring, and attorneys indicated another suspect may do the same. Debbra Lynn McAdams, 56, of Homer City entered a general plea to theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief and criminal use of a communication facility. Two...
Murrysville OKs Olympus fracking pipeline work, pickleball business parking
Murrysville officials approved maintenance agreements last week with driller Olympus Energy to build temporary infrastructure connecting its fracking operations in Westmoreland County. The agreements cover the use of a small section of Thompson Road, as well as a little over a mile of Logan Ferry, Hankey Church and Beighley roads,...
American Legion plans expansion of banner display for veterans
Members of the Jeannette American Legion Post 344 are looking to expand a popular program honoring the city’s military veterans. First vice commander Jim Henderson said there are 100 more veterans set to be recognized, adding to the 100 service members who have already been memorialized through banners being affixed...
Morning Roundup: Tractor-trailer overturns in Washington County
Here are a few morning news items for Monday, Feb. 26, 2024: Tractor-trailer overturns on I-70 A tractor-trailer crashed and turned over on its side Sunday evening, splaying across Interstate 70 in Washington County. The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. in the eastbound lanes on I-70 near the 13.5 mile...
Families, survivors mark 1991 missile attack that killed reservists based near Greensburg
For more than three decades, Norman Madison Sr. has made the trip on Feb. 25 from his Monessen home to the Hempfield community of Carbon to honor his son. A memorial there honors Anthony Madison along with 12 other members of the 14th Quartermaster unit based near Greensburg who were...
Home improvement: Residential owners get assist as Latrobe looks to check blight
Mark Durkay put a new front porch and steps on his Latrobe home a few years ago, but his family wasn’t able to fit a replacement for their weathered front door and broken storm door into their budget. “We had a new porch made with bricks, but the door was...
Bushy Run to host open house, celebration for Pennsylvania’s birthday
Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township is hosting an open house with free tours of the park and admission to its museum in honor of Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday. Charter Day is celebrated annually at the historical site, which played host to the 1763 clash between the British and Native Americans...
Derry Borough eyes addition of pool pavilion, slide
Winter isn’t over yet, but Derry Borough officials are looking ahead to summer and proposed upgrades at the community swimming pool. The borough is planning to add a second pavilion at the East Third Street recreational facility. It also hopes to replace a water slide that was no longer in...
Game savers: Seton Hill trainers honored for reviving heart attack victim
John Palumbo is a regular at Seton Hill men’s basketball games, but he didn’t get to see the Griffins’ last home game two weeks ago. That’s when he was stretchered out of the gym after suffering what officials described as a “widow maker” heart attack but was revived by Seton...
Greensburg hires new planning and development director, code enforcement officer
When Director Jeff Raykes resigned in November to focus on his private planning firm, it left a void in Greensburg’s planning and development department, Alec Italiano said. Greensburg council hired Italiano last week to fill the gap as the city’s new planning and development director, with a starting salary of...
Saint Vincent students give younger counterparts a boost at Greensburg Salem
Saint Vincent College junior Gabriel Graham knows what it’s like to struggle in school. “I definitely didn’t have a normal upbringing,” Graham said. “Because of that, my education definitely was impacted in a negative way. Pretty much all through high school and all of my schooling, I was very much...
Audit: Jeannette underpaid pension funds nearly $190K; city manager says issue has been resolved
Jeannette underpaid its three pension funds by $189,356 in 2021, and the state auditor general’s office said turnover in the fiscal office in 2020 and 2021 contributed to the error. The compliance audit of the city’s fire, police and nonuniformed pension plans recommended that Jeannette add the amount, plus interest,...
Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center sets open house for prospective students
Students at Derry Area, Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley school districts who are considering enrolling in career-oriented programs will have the chance to check out local offerings Monday at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center. Students currently in grades 8-11 at any of the three member districts are invited to...
Interstate 70 lane restrictions extended for work on Rostraver interchange project
Lane restrictions in both directions on Interstate 70 in Rostraver that were to have ended this week are being extended through March 1, according to PennDOT. Both eastbound and westbound traffic is limited to a single lane each day between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The eastbound restriction is in...
