Westmoreland category, Page 227
Retrial set for Unity couple accused in sexual assault case
After years of delays, a Westmoreland County judge ordered a married Unity couple to go to trial in early 2024 on allegations they were responsible for the sexual assault of a teenage girl a decade ago. “This needs to go to trial. It’s been eight years now,” said Common Pleas...
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Rhapsody Gala features jazz, live auction
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra is offering up a gourmet dinner and an evening of auction items and jazz sounds at its Rhapsody Gala on Sept. 15. The event begins with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail hour followed by a sit-down dinner at the Westmoreland Country Club — accompanied by the music...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Sept. 1-3
Celebration of labor The annual Labor United Celebration is planned for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at Northmoreland Park, 280 Markle Road, Allegheny Township. The event features carnival rides, live music, food and beverages, bingo, arts and crafts marketplace, flea market, activities...
Murrysville property owner accused of using bad check for tax payment
The owner of a five-bedroom home in Murrysville is accused of giving Westmoreland County authorities a bad $25,000 check in an effort to halt a tax sale of the property, according to court papers. Prasad Margabandhu, 47, of Mt. Lebanon, was charged this week with misdemeanor bad checks. County detectives...
Sentencing date set in Indiana County head-on crash that killed Jeannette man
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2 in connection with a wrong-way crash on Route 119 in Indiana County that killed a Jeannette man. Elias Jimenez, 29, of Indiana, pleaded guilty earlier in August to homicide by vehicle and accidents involving death in the Jan. 26 crash near Homer City. District...
Labor Day holiday road signs urge motorists to drive sober
Last year, there were nearly 10,300 crashes on Pennsylvania roads that involved an impaired driver, 452 of them resulting in fatalities. That included 315 impaired-driver crashes and 19 fatalities in Westmoreland County. That’s why PennDOT District 12 is taking part in a National Crackdown Impaired Driving Campaign during the Labor...
Mural adorns wall overlooking amphitheater in Jeannette
Earthy tones and a Bible verse have replaced a blank brick wall on the side of the J&J Jewelers building in Jeannette. The mural was completed last week by about 15 Cornerstone Ministries volunteers as part of the Murrysville church’s “Uncommon” community service weekend, Pastor Brandon Vieth said. The volunteers...
Hempfield lifts probation for West Point Volunteer Fire Department
The West Point Volunteer Fire Department will be taken off probation for the first time in more than two years following a unanimous vote by the Hempfield supervisors this week. Hempfield fire Chief Anthony Kovacic recommended the move. Kovacic said the department missed five calls over the last seven months....
Road work to close sections of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township, Route 271 in Fairfield
Drainage work will close a section of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township beginning Thursday, according to PennDOT. In Fairfield Township, work on a cross pipe is slated to close a portion of Route 271 starting Tuesday. The Route 981 closure will go into effect at noon, between Mt. Pleasant...
Mt. Pleasant Township man gets ‘best birthday present’ with $1.06 million lottery win
Donald Goulding Sr. purchased a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket in July at the local corner market — like he does every evening — and wound up with a $1.06 million birthday present. Goulding Sr., 68, of Mammoth, Mt. Pleasant Township, lives about 200 yards from the S&S Corner Market and stopped...
Hempfield seeks items for 250th anniversary time capsule
A signed Bill Mazeroski jersey, fire department patches and a host of other items unique to Hempfield will be preserved for future generations in a time capsule as part of the township’s 250th anniversary celebration this year. The plan is to open the box 50 years from 2023, for the...
Questions surface over East Huntingdon candidates’ eligibility to serve in office
Two candidates for public office in East Huntingdon who have prior felony convictions may not be able to serve if elected. Jonathan Newill Perkey, a Republican candidate for township supervisor, and Tina Curry-Bashioum, a Republican who is running for a seat on East Huntingdon’s board of auditors face potential legal...
Greensburg bishop strengthens spiritual and ancestral ties with faith-filled trip to Slovakia
It was a European trip filled with faith, family, friends — and a first. Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick combined exploring his Slovak heritage with official duties during a trip this summer to numerous towns in Slovakia, including his ancestral village of Nova Bystrica. While there, he experienced a vocational...
5th car wash proposed for North Huntingdon area
The North Huntingdon area could become the unofficial car wash capital of the county. A fifth car wash in the area is being proposed by Boing US Holdco Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., at the site of a former medical office at 12279 Route 30, located just west of the Norwin...
AARP recruiting volunteers for Westmoreland tax-preparation sites
Despite clearly having five letters, “taxes” is a four-letter word for a lot of people. Many would prefer to have nothing whatsoever to do with them. That’s where Bob Schumacher of Penn Township comes in. He can’t make your taxes go away, but he hook you up with someone to...
Paws in the Park invites dogs, owners to Bushy Run
Dog owners and their four-legged companions will feel right at home during Bushy Run’s Paws in the Park event in September. Paws in the Park, which first took place in 2019, will host a variety of pet-oriented vendors, adoption agencies and activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 9...
Sage’s Army plans balloon release at Penn-Trafford on Drug Overdose Awareness Day
Sage’s Army will release balloons at Penn-Trafford High School this week in honor of Westmoreland County residents who have died from a drug overdose. The balloons will be released at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday — Drug Overdose Awareness Day — at Warrior Stadium in between Penn-Trafford’s junior varsity and varsity...
Westmoreland happenings: Peach festival, coin show, house tour, more
Fundraisers • A peach festival will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday by West Newton First Church of God at the Lions Field House, Pittsburgh Street, West Newton. There will be sandwiches, salads, peach desserts and drinks. • A super bingo will be Friday at Marian Hall at St....
North Huntingdon restaurateur not slowing down, despite being on kidney transplant list
As Sam Murray makes tacos in the kitchen of his North Huntingdon restaurant and talks of a plan to ride his bicycle across the country, it’s hard to image he undergoes kidney dialysis before work three days week. Or that he’s awaiting a kidney transplant. “I am not surrendering to...
Manor mayor seeks to ‘unite the community’ in 1st Labor Day celebration in over 20 years
For the first time in 21 years, Manor will host its Labor Day carnival. The event used to be hosted by the borough’s fire department, said Mayor Ed Malinoski, but it ceased in 2002. For the past year, Malinoski has spearheaded efforts to revive the event, which he has dubbed...
Westmoreland Commissioner Kopas calls for cap on raises for elected county officials
Westmoreland Commissioner Ted Kopas on Tuesday proposed capping annual raises awarded to county elected officials. Kopas, a Democrat who took office at the beginning of August, pitched a revision to a county ordinance approved nearly two decades ago that guarantees yearly cost-of-living pay hikes to commissioners and row officers based...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Penn Township 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...
Trafford’s Theatre Factory to debut play this weekend at Pittsburgh New Works FestivalVideo
When Josette Kurey realized she would be directing actors Ron and Mary Ferrara of Vandergrift as part the world premiere of a new play about a married Italian-American couple from Queens, N.Y., she knew things were on the right track. “They’re almost playing themselves, married Italian grandparents. It’s very funny,...
2 events commemorate Drug Overdose Awareness Day
Two Westmoreland County organizations are holding events to commemorate Drug Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday. Both events will recognize those who have died from a drug overdose. Family members and friends are asked to submit the names of individuals who might be included in the ceremony. The Westmoreland Drug and...
2 charged with drug offenses in Yukon after several months of neighborhood disruption
The constant traffic that disrupted a Yukon neighborhood for months is now gone, a day after state police arrested two men and confiscated seven marijuana plants they said were growing in an empty swimming pool. Two neighbors, declined to provide their names to a reporter because of safety concerns, said...
