Westmoreland category, Page 2
Live updates: Jury returning to courtroom in Stanko trial
The jury in the Thomas G. Stanko homicide trial is returning to the courtroom now after about four hours of deliberations. Westmoreland County Judge Michael Stewart delivered final instructions to the jurors this morning before they moved to private deliberations just after noon. The panel is considering charges of first-degree...
South Greensburg fire chief accused of $170K theft; in custody in South Carolina
The South Greensburg fire chief is accused of taking $170,000 from the department, according to Pennsylvania State Police. A felony theft charge was filed this week against Matthew Thomas White, 49, of Hempfield. He is in custody in South Carolina, according to Trooper Steve Limani. Police were notified a few...
Hempfield man sentenced in murder-for-hire plot against sister
A Hempfield man was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least eight years in prison for an attempt to have his sister killed in what prosecutors said was a scheme to secure their mother’s estate for himself. Peter John Cute, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to solicitation to commit murder....
New Palmer Regional airport exec hopes to increase airline traffic with new terminal
A longtime employee at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be the new executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which manages the airport in Unity and the Rostraver Airport. Maurice “Moe” Haas, 60, the airport authority manager, was unanimously promoted to executive director by the authority board on Tuesday,...
‘Alice never disappeared’: Home health nurses recount discovery of St. Clair woman’s death
It was unusual that Alice Robson wasn’t there when two home health nurses arrived at the St. Clair Township woman’s home to take care of her disabled grandson. It was even more unusual that J.D. Beacom was left alone, but that’s what Jennifer Fox said she encountered when arriving at...
Crews work to stabilize sinkhole in Greensburg
Crews from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County worked Monday to stabilize a sinkhole that opened between two properties along Keystone Street in Greensburg. Greensburg public works officials said a water line collapse resulted in a sinkhole in a rear yard area along the 600 block of Keystone Street about...
Snow, bitter cold pose problems for home heating oil deliveries; cost per gallon jumps higher
A confluence of soaring demand and treacherous delivery conditions is straining the home heating oil market in Westmoreland County during this month’s bitter cold. “The demand for fuel (heating oil) is extremely high for several reasons. They (furnaces) have been running nonstop,” said Kristen Zawoyski, general manager of Export Fuel...
Stanko testifies, says another person responsible for Gross’ disappearance
Thomas G. Stanko took the witness stand Tuesday and disavowed any role in the disappearance or murder of his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross. During more than three hours of testimony in Westmoreland County court, he attempted to place blame for her fate on another man and repeatedly offered to take...
Police say woman took resident cat from laundry area of KOA Campground in Sewickley Township
State police are trying to identify a woman who took a resident cat from the KOA Campground in Sewickley Township. The woman used community laundry machines in the lodge area of the Waltz Mill Road campground on Saturday. Troopers said she took the cat around 1:30 p.m. as she left...
Wrong-way driver crashes into 3 tractor-trailers on I-70 in HempfieldVideo
An SUV traveling the wrong way on Interstate 70 in Hempfield pinballed between three tractor-trailers early Tuesday morning, sending two drivers to the hospital, according to state Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. The high-speed, violent crash was reported at 12:44 a.m. around a curve in the highway between the New Stanton and...
Norwin youth sports teams oppose hiking fees for fields, gym
A group of Norwin youth sports league representatives expressed their opposition Monday to the Norwin School Board’s plans to raise rental fees for using the district’s fields and gymnasium, saying the increases could price some players out of playing. The school board on Monday night considered a policy that would...
Residents weigh in on Penn Township’s latest rezoning proposal
Penn Township resident Pati Livengood has mixed feelings about the municipality’s proposed zoning changes. The township has worked through a rezoning plan in recent years to diversify its tax base with more businesses — a goal laid out in the municipality’s 2020 comprehensive plan. About 84% of the township’s real...
Owner of Ruthie’s Diner dies nearly 3 weeks after fire destroyed longtime Ligonier Township restaurant
Doris Ruth “Ruthie” Stevens, owner of Ruthie’s Diner, died at 92 on Saturday — nearly three weeks after the Ligonier Township restaurant was destroyed in a fire. Stevens died in her home in Jenner, Somerset County, according to an obituary. She was born in Addison, also in Somerset County, in...
Homicide trial opens for 2 charged in St. Clair woman’s murderVideo
Alice Robson had been missing for more than two days in December 2023 when a dog from the Greensburg Bloodhound Team found her body stuffed in a crawl space underneath a porch at her St. Clair home. It took Lucy, the dog, 6 minutes to locate the 71-year-old woman’s body,...
Jail informants testify Stanko admitted to killing Cassandra Gross
Two jailhouse informants testified in Westmoreland County court Monday that, while they were incarcerated together, Thomas G. Stanko confessed to the 2018 killing of Cassandra Gross. The alleged jailhouse confessions highlighted the sixth day of Stanko’s homicide trial. Stanko, 55, is charged with criminal homicide and reckless burning in connection...
Westmoreland happenings: Family dinner, comedy nights, senior citizen news, more
Church News • Greensburg Church of the Brethren hosts a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St., Southwest Greensburg. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will...
‘The love is still here’: Record search reveals Greensburg couple’s 75th anniversary is their 74th
Greensburg couple Ed and Sally Wagner have been together so long they forgot the year they were married. Ed, 95, and Sally, 92, told their children they would celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary this coming Monday. However, a recent Ancestry.com search by son-in-law Mark Aitken revealed a copy of the...
Ace Bartenders owners purchase The Club at Blackthorne for $3.9M amid zoning dispute
The future of a planned restaurant within Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates hinges on an upcoming zoning meeting, as new ownership faces a formal challenge from developers over the facility’s use. Blackthorne Investors is challenging the occupancy permit issued to The Club at Blackthorne, arguing against the operation of a restaurant...
Planned Parenthood’s Greensburg clinic reopens following temporary closure
Planned Parenthood’s Greensburg Health Center, which had closed mid-January, has fully reopened. According to its website, normal in-person services at 125 Nature Park Road were restored Thursday. Planned Parenthood offers a variety of services including cancer screenings, testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as providing gender-affirming care,...
Q&A: Greensburg gallery hosts ‘work in progress’ exhibit, features local artist
The Stopwatch Gallery & Studio in Greensburg has a unique installation on display through early March — an art exhibit that is constantly in progress. “My wife Marti Haykin and I have our studio in the back of the gallery,” said Stopwatch co-owner Marc Snyder. “Typically we show other artists...
Jury hears evidence of burned belongings, power of attorney in Thomas Stanko murder trial
As the investigation into the disappearance of Cassandra Gross closed in on a suspect, the man eventually charged in her killing started to prepare for his potential arrest, according to evidence presented during the fifth day in the murder trial of Thomas G. Stanko. Stanko, 55, of Unity, is on...
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones sprints past challenges to reach Olympic dream
She crashed once, then seven more times, whipping around sharp turns in a twisting bobsled going more than 90 mph. Key people were watching. People who held the keys to unlocking her Olympic dream. People who now had doubts. Jeannette native Jasmine Jones also was a wreck emotionally. The sprinter-turned-Olympic...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Feb. 6-8
Between the Olympics and the Super Bowl, this is a big weekend for all types of sports fans. But for those who aren’t interested — or those who need a break — this is a big weekend for events in Westmoreland County, too. Here are a few options. ‘Chicago: The...
Ohiopyle State Park dotted with ice formations ahead of Winterfest
Ohiopyle State Park is dressed in its winter finest in preparation for Winterfest this weekend. Snow-related activities will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sugarloaf recreation area, 950 Sugarloaf Road. There’s 10 inches of snow near the park offices along Route 381, or Main Street, and...
Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7.3 million in the second half of last year, down from $16.3 million over the same span in...
