Westmoreland category, Page 195
‘At the right place, at the right time’: Go Laurel Highlands recognizes 9 photo contest winners
For Connie Weyant, the photograph that placed her in the top nine of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest took years of patient waiting. Weyant, of Somerset, has been observing Somerset Lake for about eight years in search of a bald eagle. She’s received countless calls from friends, pointing her...
Toys for Tots requests up more than 40% over last year
Toys for Tots groups in some areas are seeing a more than 40% increase is requests over last year, a situation they say stems from a number of economic factors. “There’s a higher need for gifts for families in need,” said Jennifer Neilen, Allegheny Valley chapter Toys for Tots coordinator....
Holiday market returns to Westmoreland Museum for 2023 season
Anyone looking for unique, homemade gifts will find plenty at the Holiday Mart in the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg this weekend. The annual event brings local artisans together to show off and sell their creations. Booths spill out into the lobby and first level of the museum,...
Westmoreland happenings: Cookie walks, holiday concert, Christmas bingos, more
Church news • Greensburg Church of the Brethren will host a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will...
Power outage closes Rostraver Elementary
A power outage caused Rostraver Elementary School to close on Wednesday, Belle Vernon Area School District officials announced. According to an alert on the district website, the outage occurred at 6:30 a.m. and affected multiple systems in the building, including HVAC, security, phones and internet access. “This is not a...
Greensburg Luminary Night offers holiday festivities, music on streets, at library, museum
Seasonal music and festivities will highlight downtown Greensburg’s 54th Luminary Night, set for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Activities for all ages will await visitors along the luminary-lined streets of the city’s business district. “Everything is set for a fun-filled evening in the city, continuing the tradition of streets lined...
Greensburg pays nearly $87K to correct Medicare tax withholdings
Greensburg paid nearly $87,000 to the Internal Revenue Service as a result of an audit that determined the city and its police officers had not been paying Medicare taxes. City administrator Kelsye Hantz said the audit looked at 2021 and the payment, which covers the amount owed by the city...
Pittsburgh Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir bring Handel’s ‘Messiah’ to Saint Vincent in Unity
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Manfred Honeck, performed George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. First performed on April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland, “Messiah” didn’t have its premier in London until nearly a year later....
Prosecutors contend Unity man used bogus check scheme to pay for daughter’s wedding
Westmoreland prosecutors said a Unity man used a home computer to forge checks written on a bogus account to pay vendors hired for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. “Embrace the mess,” Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors as she outlined the four cases against Joseph Malago, 51, who faces multiple...
Jury views surveillance video that shows New Kensington slayingVideo
A group of armed men and teens gathered in the lobby of a New Kensington apartment building and tussled just minutes before 39-year-old Jason Raiford staggered outside and was gunned down, according to video shown to jurors Tuesday. During the first day of the murder trial of three men charged...
Greensburg Salem superintendent addresses incident involving elementary school child
Police are investigating an incident in a Greensburg Salem elementary classroom that was reported in October, Superintendent Ken Bissell told school board members Monday. Few details about what’s being investigated have been released. A letter Bissell sent to parents last week notified them of an incident that came to the...
Greensburg Salem hires retiring principal as interim athletic director
David Zilli was hired as Greensburg Salem School District’s interim athletic director and transitional administrator, a position that will run from Jan. 1 until March 8. Zilli is set to retire as the district’s high school principal on Dec. 31, which was going to be the end of his 35-year...
Padlocks cut on 7 units, items stolen from Hempfield storage site
Numerous items valued at $4,800 were taken from or damaged in four storage units in Hempfield last month, according to state police. Sometime between Nov. 19 and 20, two people cut padlocks on seven units at Larch’s Self Storage on Willow Crossing Road and took valuable items from three of...
Probe continues after hunter, mistaken for coyote, is shot in South Huntingdon
A man wrapping up a day of hunting Friday in South Huntingdon was shot by another hunter, according to Travis Lau, communications director at the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Lau said the hunter was at his vehicle when he heard a gunshot and walked to an area off State Hill Road,...
50th anniversary: Latrobe historical society searches for next generation
The Latrobe Area Historical Society has evolved and expanded throughout the past 50 years — but its continued service to the local community is reliant on the work of numerous dedicated volunteers. President Mary Lou Townsend said the society is seeking younger volunteers to spearhead future growth of the organization....
Delay in state subsidy release puts local libraries, district network in budget bind
When Melinda Tanner calls vendors who supply support services for the Westmoreland Library Network, they know she’s going to ask for an extension of a bill payment deadline. “The word spreads,” said Tanner, district consultant librarian for the network, which is holding payments while waiting for a little more than...
Unity man on trial, accused of bilking vendors for daughter’s wedding
A Unity man is on trial this week, accused of bilking vendors hired for his daughter’s wedding reception. Testimony is expected to begin Tuesday in the trial of Joseph A. Malago, 51. He’s accused in four separate cases, including three incidents in which he is accused of forging bogus checks...
Greensburg courthouse restaurant opens for business
Jurors called to the Westmoreland County Courthouse looking for some grub Monday didn’t have to brave the weather to get a meal. Caffe Market Express, a new restaurant on the Upper Park level of the courthouse, welcomed more than 170 jurors and hundreds of Westmoreland employees on its first day...
Police seek hit-and-run driver who injured bicyclist in Derry Township
State police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck and injured a bicyclist Friday night on Route 982 in Derry Township. The crash was reported shortly after 9 p.m. near the Derry Township municipal building, east of Greenfield Road. Daemian Keener, 23, of Derry was riding south along the...
Water authority: Upgrades to affect part of Delmont
System upgrades by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will affect water service in several areas of Delmont on Tuesday, authority officials said. Between six and eight hours of work will take place Dec. 5 affecting Greensburg Street, Manor Road, Abbe Place, West Pine Street, Stotler Road, Crest Drive, Suncrest...
Officials investigate fire at abandoned Sewickley house, scene of fatal March blaze
A state police fire marshal is investigating a blaze that further damaged an abandoned Sewickley Township house that was the scene of a fatal fire March 16. Firefighters were called to the house at 1048 Yukon Road about 7:15 p.m. Sunday. The house was engulfed in flames when crews arrived,...
Rain fails to ease concerns over falling water level at Beaver Run Reservoir
Heavy rains over the past two weeks have had little impact on water levels at the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s Beaver Run Reservoir. Officials in mid-November issued a mandatory call for water conservation for nearly half of the agency’s water customers amid drought-like conditions near the reservoir in Bell...
State police charge Latrobe woman with endangerment after boy, 2, tests positive for marijuana
A Latrobe woman was arrested Friday on child endangerment charges after state police said a 2-year-old boy ingested marijuana. Shelby L. Bosworth, 21, is free on $15,000 unsecured bail. Troopers said in a news release that Bosworth reported taking the child to Independence Health Latrobe Hospital on Nov. 1 when...
Face-to-face connection of Greensburg Holiday Market gives artisans a boost
As soon as the Greensburg Holiday Market started Sunday, Allison Mullen had customers. They fawned over her laser-etched coasters and handmade wooden decorative pieces before settling on a purchase. Meeting customers and learning about what products they want is one of the best aspects of participating in the market, she...
2 Westmoreland teens competing this week in rodeo’s Junior World Finals in Las Vegas
Two Westmoreland County teens will be competing in the Junior World Finals this month in hopes that their homegrown rodeo skills will land them a top prize. Aubrie Loughner, 18, is set to compete in barrel racing and breakaway roping while Jack Brentzel, 14, qualified to participate in the bull...
