Westmoreland category, Page 227
Judge says Rialto gunfight ‘terrorized the entire community’ as he gives shooters prison sentences
A gunfight after a confrontation outside a Greensburg bar could have been averted if either man would have just left the area, a judge said Thursday. “This conduct is the kind of thing that terrorized the entire community,” Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said. He sentenced the men involved in...
‘I love these people’ Santa says during another Westmoreland Mall visit from New Jersey
It may be the final time Michael Collins dons his red and white Santa Claus suit at the Westmoreland Mall. The New Jersey resident, who portrays a beloved version of the Christmas character, said his health is declining. “For the people, I’ll make the trip every year that I can,”...
Labor union members picket outside several Westmoreland County facilities, call for bargainings
Members of Westmoreland County’s largest labor union on Thursday continued to pressure county commissioners to return to the bargaining table. Members of the Service Employees International Union and HealthCare Pennsylvania conducted informational picketing in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse as well as other county facilities including Area Agency on...
Hempfield man charged with rape of mentally disabled person, false imprisonment
A Hempfield man was charged Thursday in connection with state police accusations that he raped a woman who has an intellectual disability, according to court papers. Dennis M. Hertzog, 56, is free on $125,000 bail in two cases. Troopers said the accuser reported being sexually assaulted by Hertzog multiple times...
2 injured after pickup, tractor trailer collide on Route 22 in Derry Township
The driver and a passenger in a pickup truck were injured Thursday afternoon when the truck collided with a tractor trailer traveling westbound on Route 22 in Derry Township. The crash was reported at 1:50 p.m. near the Rushwood Road intersection, east of New Alexandria. According to fire Capt. Justin...
Applications sought for introduction to policing program
Applications are being accepted for the Pennsylvania State Police’s upcoming Hill Impact Program in Westmoreland County. The 14-week program is for 15- to 18-year-olds. It will be held Monday evenings 5:30-8 p.m. between Jan. 15 to April 8 at the state police Southwest Training Center in Unity, outside of Greensburg....
New Stanton Volunteer Fire Department hosts 3rd winter clothing giveaway
Hundreds of winter clothing items are available for those in need this weekend at the New Stanton Volunteer Fire Department. Located on South Main Street, the department will host its third annual winter clothing giveaway from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday — donating coats, sweatshirts, gloves, ear muffs and...
Pitt-Greensburg Veterans Week celebrates women ‘breaking barriers’ in military
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg will highlight area women who saw military service in conflicts spanning three-quarters of a century during Veterans Week activities planned Saturday through Nov. 10 at the Hempfield campus. The theme for the week is “75 years of breaking barriers.” It marks the time that...
Irwin at the center of proposed bike, walking trails
Irwin could be the hub of three recreational trails — from the borough’s downtown to the Norwin Public Library as well as trails to the villages of Larimer and Hahntown in North Huntingdon. Dan Korhnak, a co-founder of the nonprofit Friends of Norwin Trails, told Irwin officials Wednesday the organization...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Playoff win would mean a lot to Greensburg Central Catholic
Greensburg Central Catholic versus West Greene. Truth be told, there isn’t very much green to this WPIAL Class A first-round playoff matchup. GCC (7-3) defeated West Greene (8-2) earlier in the season 48-30 and will look to make it back-to-back wins over the Pioneers when the teams play at 7...
Ligonier Valley Police seek witness to ‘traumatic crash’ on Route 271
A male driver was seriously injured after crashing head on into a cement mixer truck on Saturday, according to Ligonier Valley Police. Sgt. James Friscarella said authorities believe a Subaru Outback was speeding south on Route 271 in Ligonier Township around 9 a.m. when it came upon a black pickup...
Westmoreland happenings: Vendor show, pancake breakfast, blood drive, more
Fundraisers • St. Barbara Parish will host bingo at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 8 at the church, 111 Raymaley Road, Harrison City. Doors open at 5 p.m. Admission starts at $27; extra packages, $5. There will be free coffee, early birds, quickies, an all-nighter, 50-50 and games of chance. The...
6 candidates compete for 5 seats on Greater Latrobe school board
On the heels of Greater Latrobe school board’s passage of a multi-million dollar revitalization plan that will raise taxes through 2039 is the Nov. 7 general election. Six candidates are vying for five, four-year seats on the board. The incumbents include: Susan Mains, who is seeking a ninth term, Michael...
Hempfield Area School Board approves temporary superintendent who will hold the reins until January
The Hempfield Area School District will have a temporary top official for the next two months while Superintendent Tammy Wolicki takes a leave of absence. Kimberlie Rieffannacht, assistant superintendent for elementary education, will fill the superintendent’s role until Wolicki’s scheduled return on Jan. 5. The board made the move 7-0...
2 tractor-trailers crash on Turnpike, block eastbound lane near New Stanton
No injuries were reported when two tractor-trailers crashed Wednesday evening in the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of New Stanton. The crash was reported at about 8:45 p.m. near mile marker 77. Eastbound traffic remained restricted to a single lane at about 10 p.m., according to turnpike spokesperson...
Trial for 6 charged in New Kensington man’s fatal shooting set for December
Jury selection for six defendants charged with homicide in connection with the July 2022 shooting death in New Kensington will begin Dec. 4. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said all of the men and teens accused in the alleged murder of 39-year-old Jason Raiford at Valley Royal Court...
Westmoreland County students tour Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, prepare for design challenge
Madison Labuda likes to learn how things work. When Mt. Pleasant Area High School’s gifted program announced an opportunity to tour Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity and participate in a design challenge, she could not pass it up. “To be here and tour (the airport) and learn how all...
Protesters call for Westmoreland DA to reopen probe into Derry police dog’s death
A handful of Derry residents protested Wednesday in front of the county courthouse in Greensburg, demanding Westmoreland District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli reopen an investigation into the death of the borough’s police dog. Protest organizer Yvonne Earhart claimed the district attorney’s probe into the August death of Smoke, a 4-year-old Malinois,...
Cold weather shelters open in Westmoreland
Cold weather shelters have opened for the season in Westmoreland County. The shelters provide emergency lodging for people or families who are homeless or don’t have heat through a partnership among the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Welcome Home Shelter and Union Mission. When nighttime temperatures fall below 25...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Derry borough, township
(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...
Operation Santa Claus will provide holiday dinners to local families for 40th year
Operation Santa Claus is back for its 40th year — with the goal of feeding 2,500 families in eight counties. The campaign is an annual cooperative effort by Trib Total Media, Shop ’n Save and the Salvation Army to provide holiday dinners to local families. This year, the campaign had...
Contractors needed for Westmoreland home repair program
Westmoreland County has the money and low-income homeowners lined up for a house repair program. But officials can’t find anyone to do the work. “We’ve put out 400 emails and sent out 325 direct mailings and have gotten zero response,” said Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Brian Lawrence of the county’s...
Charges filed against Pa. trooper accused of domestic violence in Derry Township are subject of probe
State police are reviewing why a domestic violence allegation against a state trooper based in Greensburg initially resulted in a summary harassment charge. The harassment citation was not the charge recommended by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office based on its review of the case which was investigated by state...
Hempfield Area board to vote on temporary superintendent
Hempfield Area School Board members are expected to vote Wednesday to name a temporary superintendent for the district. An agenda posted Tuesday for a special board meeting on Wednesday indicated the board may name the district’s current assistant superintendent for elementary education, Kimberlie Rieffannacht, to the position. Bob Reger, the...
Updated suicide watch policy enacted at Westmoreland prison
A revised suicide watch policy is in place at the Westmoreland County Prison, a move officials said will offer better oversight of inmates suspected to be in danger of self-harm. The change adopted by the prison board Monday was based on recommendations from the jail’s medical provider. They asked that...
