Westmoreland category, Page 221
Westmoreland police dogs lauded in wake of Philly area’s fugitive arrest
It’s dark, and Westmoreland County Park Police Officer Bill Meyers is looking for a suspect. His police dog, Rico, can sense the right spot to find the person and end the search. “The dog knows he’s there, but I don’t,” Meyers said. Or if someone has rigged up a bomb...
Greensburg OKs $140K in additional repairs to Maple Avenue garage
It will cost Greensburg less than it expected to complete repairs to the Dr. Robert W. Queale parking garage on Maple Avenue. Council last week awarded the project to Allegheny Restoration, which submitted a total bid of about $140,000 for the two-phase project. That was well below the costs cited...
Hometown Hero: Export man survived military parachuting accident, left Scouting legacy
(Editor’s note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities.) Robert Harouse Export 1934-1969 Robert Harouse didn’t talk much about his military service during...
Saint Vincent graduate fellows pursue advanced degrees, support local school districts
There are two additional students in the classrooms of Franklin Regional School District this year: two graduate students from Saint Vincent College. The Saint Vincent College Fellowship program brings two students enrolled in Saint Vincent’s master’s of education program to Franklin Regional for the next two academic years. “It’s a...
Behind the art: New Deal murals on view at Jeannette post office
(Editor’s note: Behind the Art is a recurring series highlighting artistic works throughout the county.) Two pieces of canvas artwork hang high from a lobby wall at the Jeannette post office. The one on the left, titled “Glass Industry,” depicts the city’s history as a glass-making juggernaut and the piece...
Ligonier Highland Games showcases music, sports with Scottish flair
Palmer Shonk felt right at home Saturday as he joined fellow pipers to play skirling march tunes on the main field of the Ligonier Highland Games. Shonk, of Avalon, led an ad hoc band of 12 bagpipe players and six drummers in competition in the 64th games at Idlewild and...
5 Jeannette property owners offer vacant lots to city
Jeannette council accepted the donations of two properties Thursday and are considering options for three more after a rush of property owners recently expressed interest in turning over their land to the city. The donations of 308 and 310 Clay Ave., which is one parcel, and 113 N. Third St....
Saltsburg man killed in Avonmore motorcycle crash
A Saltsburg man was fatally injured when his motorcycle crashed early Saturday in Avonmore. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Tate Matthew Kaleda, 27, was riding east on Route 56 when he failed to negotiate a right-hand curve in the road at about 2:15 a.m. The motorcycle crossed into the...
Jeannette man charged with fleeing Greensburg traffic stop, narrowly missing state trooper
A Jeannette man is charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after leading troopers on a high-speed chase Friday night in Greensburg and Hempfield, state police said. During the chase that began shortly before 10 p.m., suspect Paul Raymond Good IV, 41, crashed his Chevy Silverado pickup truck into a...
Blackthorne golf course, clubhouse will not close, township states
The owners of the golf course and clubhouse in Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates housing community could be forced to sell their properties. The township commissioners voted at a meeting Wednesday to release a “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law” document regarding the Blackthorne Estates golf course community. The document...
Live Casino Pittsburgh to host job fair
Live Casino Pittsburgh is looking to hire 35 to 40 employees during a job fair. The job fair will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Hempfield casino’s event space, the Venue Live. The casino currently employs more than 500 people, said Sean Sullivan, executive vice president...
Students get education in environmental cleanup, career opportunities at Lowber mine drainage treatment
Mt. Pleasant Area High School senior Kelsey Davis was testing clear water Friday that had just discharged from the abandoned Marchand Mine in Lowber to see how much invisible iron was in that liquid. Davis was among the 150 students from five high schools in the region — Kiski Area,...
Westmoreland increases pay in move to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland County’s shuttered juvenile detention center could reopen as early as next month, officials said Thursday. The 16-bed detention program at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield has been closed since early June amid staffing shortages and multiple state investigations. New hires, along with an elevated pay scale approved...
Keystone State Park honored as top fall foliage destination in U.S.
Western Pennsylvania residents have a colorful fall season ahead of them. According to a fall foliage prediction map created by smokymountains.com, a promotional site for the Smoky Mountains region, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties should begin to see slight foliage changes the week of Sept. 25, with the peak autumn colors...
Walk to End Alzheimer’s seeks to raise awareness, recognize Unity woman participating in medical trials
In 2018, Sara Belt was told she’d have just five years of cognition remaining after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She’s beaten the odds by about six months. After participating in four medical trials, Sara, 59, of Unity, has been able to maintain her cognition for the last three...
Westmoreland Food Bank unveils new wheels, hopes to expand Mobile Market
The Westmoreland Food Bank averages 13 trips a month with its Mobile Market, a program started last October to deliver free fresh produce to community members in need. With the help of a $100,000 state grant and additional federal funding, the food bank hopes to double the number of trips...
Donors sought to sponsor markers for unmarked graves at North Huntingdon cemetery
A Harrison City man who has spearheaded efforts to locate unmarked graves at a North Huntingdon cemetery is seeking donors to sponsor markers to be placed at those burial sites. The $60 markers will be on display at the Trafford American Legion Post 331 booth at the Penn Township Fall...
Hempfield man accused of trying to steal tote packed with guns
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of breaking into a township home Thursday and dragging away a plastic tote full of guns before being confronted by the homeowners and running off, according to court papers. Timothy John Luchon, 41, was being held without bail at the Westmoreland County...
Community outreach, strong roots mark First Baptist Church of Greensburg’s 150 years
Bill Hodge, a member of First Baptist Church of Greensburg for 93 years, has a reserved seat at every service. It’s on a raised platform in a rear corner of the church sanctuary, where Hodge operates the camera that streams the sermons of his pastor, the Rev. Scott Jones, and...
Murrysville underpass mural on hold as PennDOT officials develop formal policy for working with artists
Christina Donahoe was excited to be painting another mural where she grew up. After creating a floral mural in Export in 2022, she has been preparing to start a mural project to cover unsightly graffiti on a Route 22 underpass in Murrysville. She was in the process of lining up...
Westmoreland sheriff brings back gun safety class geared toward women
A popular gun safety class geared toward women held by the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department is returning for one day only. Sheriff James Albert said because of less available funding, the free Women Take Aim class will only be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Giannilli’s II...
Clairton man chased by North Huntingdon police convicted of fentanyl possession
An Allegheny County man was found guilty of possession of fentanyl after police claimed he tossed out as he ran from police during a traffic stop. Anthony Martin Jamison, 34, of Clairton, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday of one felony charge and three misdemeanors. The investigation began...
Music is center stage at Hempfield Area Band Festival
Three high school marching bands will take the field at Spartan Stadium together during the Hempfield Area Band Festival this Saturday. The three ensembles — a step down in number from the annual festival’s usual total of eight to 10 bands — will combine into one “mass band” after an...
‘I’m trying to link those little stories’: Trafford Historical Society gathers stories, unlocks community memories through map project
In the last days of her life, Nancy Woodall was flooded with memories of her childhood — all because of a yearbook and the Trafford Historical Society’s quest to identify the 250 oldest buildings in the borough. Woodall’s daughter, Lia, began searching years ago for a copy of her mother’s...
Grant application for Norwin library expansion will need to wait
Norwin Public Library officials will wait until next year to apply for a $400,000 state grant to cover half the cost of planned improvements to the library. “It’s not going to be possible,” to complete an application for the grant by the Oct. 13 deadline for applications, said Diana Falk,...
