Westmoreland category, Page 213
Hempfield chooses owner’s rep to navigate stalled high school project
Hempfield Area School District hired McKinley Architecture and Engineering this week to work as an owner’s representative in the preconstruction phase of the district’s high school renovation project, which has been on pause since bids came back millions of dollars over budget. The firm, which has locations in Pittsburgh and...
Westmoreland County to distribute opioid settlement funds
Westmoreland County Commissioners are expected to award grants to three municipalities this week with money from the national opioid abuse settlements. North Huntingdon is slated to receive nearly $105,000, while Rostraver and Lower Burrell each will receive $62,832 to operate drug prevention and education programs through municipal police departments. The...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Mt. Pleasant area
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Derry council disbands police dog program as residents vent anger over K-9 incident
Derry Borough residents had a lot of questions but didn’t get any answers from council members Tuesday night after they met for the first time since the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office announced evidence does not support a criminal charge in the death of the borough’s police dog, Smoke. Several...
Court hearing set for Hempfield students in school gun case
Three Hempfield Area High School students charged last week with possessing guns on school property are scheduled to appear in court this month. They are being prosecuted in the juvenile court system and are scheduled to appear for adjudication hearings Oct. 26 before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi....
Manor invites residents to free Halloween dance party
The Manor recreation department is planning a Halloween dance party that is free for borough residents. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Manor Community Room at 44 Main St. The registration deadline is Oct. 20. Costumes are welcome, and there will be...
Hempfield Area parents question school’s response to gun incident
Several Hempfield Area residents and student leaders shared their concerns at Monday’s school board meeting about the district’s response to an incident last week involving guns at the high school. Resident Lindsay Stevens expressed frustration that much of the discussion about school security has been behind the scenes in executive...
Nursing interest spurs Greensburg Salem senior to organize wellness workshop for school staff
Greensburg Salem senior Kaitlyn Mankins’ senior project has done more than just fulfill a high school graduation requirement. It’s also provided a boost to the well-being of the entire district staff. District teachers and staff took a break from their in-service workday Monday to attend a workshop organized by Mankins,...
Semper Fi camp teaches Greensburg Salem educators to control stress, emphasize goals
Kristin Dinkel, a first grade teacher at Greensburg Salem’s Nicely Elementary School, jumped from atop a platform 30 feet above the floor of a tall outbuilding, launched herself across a 5-foot gap and used both hands to grab hold of a bar suspended in midair. Before attempting that Leap of...
Norwin foundation raising money for scholarships, programs
The Norwin School District Community Foundation is seeking donations in hopes of raising $15,000 for student scholarships and programs. The fundraising push for tax-deductible donations — the foundation’s Annual Days of Giving campaign — is held during Norwin’s homecoming week, Oct. 16 to 22. The money raised will be used...
Breast cancer fundraiser, 5K planned in Mt. Pleasant
The Mt. Pleasant Business District Authority is gearing up to host a day of awareness and support for a local breast cancer research organization. The cheekily-named “Breast Saturday Ever” event will return this year for its second iteration as a day to “stroll, shop, and support” in honor of breast...
Mysteries will haunt the museum at Westmoreland Museum’s October Art on Tap
Museumgoers, beware — at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s upcoming October Art on Tap event, an eclectic cast of spooky characters will wander the galleries. They’re not ghosts or ghouls, but Halloween-themed roles that will be played by actors from Greensburg theater company Stage Right. Through a “Mystic Museum...
Knights of Columbus groups serve local communities despite controversial namesake
The legacy of 15th-century Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus has sparked controversy in recent years, but there remain about 100 Knights of Columbus councils in Western Pennsylvania. “When you join the Knights of Columbus, you swear to do charitable works,” said Albert Borgony, grand knight for a Westmoreland council....
Westmoreland Coroner: Salem man killed in Route 22 crash
A Salem man was killed in a crash on Route 22 in Murrysville on Saturday evening after a suspected impaired driver ran a red light and hit his car broadside, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office and municipal police. Michael D. Poholsky, 65, was driving a Chrysler Concorde on...
Seton Hill students target Greensburg’s empty storefronts as part of regional initiative
If Greensburg eventually finds a way to fill vacant storefronts in downtown, the city may have three Seton Hill students to thank. Jake Starek, 20, of Harrison City is one of the trio at Seton Hill University participating in an initiative designed to study the potential for a health care...
Greensburg Salem considers revised fees for use of school, athletic facilities
Some fees will be going up, at least one will be going down. All are meant to be more consistent, as the Greensburg Salem School Board considers a revamped, simplified schedule of charges for using district facilities. The board is expected to vote Wednesday on the single-page fee breakdown that...
Unsustainable funding model, shrinking workforce leave ambulance services in critical condition
Emergency medical services across Western Pennsylvania have found themselves on life support, despite being in the business of saving lives. Minimal state and municipal funding, combined with sluggish private donations, has leaders scraping by and some services on the brink of folding. “It costs us $150 an hour to operate...
Visitors to Pitt-Greensburg’s Lynch Hall report otherworldly encounters
In the basement of Lynch Hall, a Tudor-style mansion housing administrative offices on the Pitt-Greensburg campus, paranormal investigators may have made contact with a spirit in need of help. That was just the beginning of an otherworldly conversation on a late September evening as a group of about a dozen...
New southern gateway sign welcomes motorists to downtown Greensburg
A new gateway sign, installed in late September, greets northbound motorists as they head into downtown Greensburg on South Main Street. Located at the intersection of Euclid Avenue, next to the new GetGo convenience store, the sign conveys the message “The City Of Greensburg Welcomes You” and automatically lights up...
Firefighters honored with lifesaver awards in Unity
Russell Withrow Jr. said his adrenaline was pumping when he jumped into flood waters — saving a local citizen who was swept away. Withrow Jr., assistant fire chief at Mutual Volunteer Fire Department, was pulling his car into Dryridge Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot during a major flooding event on...
Go Laurel Highlands honors tourism champions, awards scholarships
Officials at Go Laurel Highlands recognized some of the region’s leaders in creating memorable tourism experiences at their annual dinner Sept. 28. The group named Nina and Bob Basile their Trailblazers of the Year. The husband and wife team designed and built the Luxury Treehouse in 2021, and this year...
Coroner identifies drag racer who died during event at Derry track
A man who died while competing in an event Saturday afternoon at Keystone Raceway in Derry has been identified by authorities. The victim was identified as Ronnie John Ruggiero, 37, of Irwin, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Ruggiero was drag racing a pickup when he failed to stop...
Lots to fall for during Delmont Apple ’n Arts Festival, which benefits local organizations
It’ll be a good memory one day for Ashley Cramer to tell her son. She will recall how they dressed in color-coordinating outfits and how 4-month-old Rodney stood on stage, with help from mom, with a banana-shaped teething ring clutched in his teeny hand. It didn’t matter that he didn’t...
Hobgoblin Hikes returns to Westmoreland for 46th year
Cedar Creek and Twin Lakes parks will play host to witches, zombies, monsters and more Halloween scares in late October for Westmoreland County’s annual Hobgoblin Hikes. The free hikes, hosted by the county Parks and Recreation Department, have been held since 1977. The first hike will take place Oct. 21...
Single-lane traffic restriction set to begin on I-70 in Rostraver
Daytime single-lane restrictions will affect both eastbound and westbound traffic beginning Monday on Interstate 70 in Rostraver. The restrictions are expected to be in effect between the Smithton and Route 51 exits, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, through Thursday, according to PennDOT. The work schedule could be affected...
