Westmoreland category, Page 231

For Westmoreland Air Show attendees who caught the Air Force Thunderbirds when they last visited in 2017, the F-16 pilots have some new moves in store. “During 2020, when all of the airshows got canceled, we spent the whole year redesigning our show,” said Maj. Jake Impellizzeri of Cincinnati, who...

A Hempfield man was sentenced Tuesday to serve four to eight years in a state prison for selling drugs used in a 2020 fatal overdose of a friend. Rick Paul Petros, 54, was given credit for time served in jail since his arrest in May 2021. He pleaded no contest...

A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation and 20 months under house arrest in connection with a 2020 armed robbery. Jake Daniel Franklin, 20, was ordered to get drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations. Judge Scott Mears noted in a court order that...

Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks prior to the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee. Fundraisers • Downtown West Newton Inc. and West Newton Moose...

Re-enactors with Proctor’s Militia always bring a Westmoreland County flag with them to events, according to Capt. Scott Henry. It’s an important piece of local history and their family heritage, as many are descendants of men who were part of Col. John Proctor’s battalion, created in 1775 as one of...

The pressure to behave badly can be overwhelming if it means being accepted by the cool clique. That theme is explored in the darkly comic “Heathers,” a musical based on the cult classic 1988 film of the same name, running Thursday through Sunday at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in...

Pride Prom at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is an opportunity for “people to come and be themselves and be comfortable doing so,” said events manager Hannah Vincent. An annual event since 2019, Pride Prom is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday in the facility at 221 N....

A South Greensburg woman is charged with aiding suicide, stemming from the death of a former boyfriend whom she is accused of urging to take his own life in repeated harassing messages. Police said the messages were graphic in content and were sent using a mobile app between May 5...

Diane Mesiarik came out of the Giant Eagle supermarket in West Newton with a bag of groceries Tuesday morning and with the knowledge that she won’t have to drive several miles to a grocery store because the supermarket is remaining open, averting a planned closing on June 23. “It’s real...

Greensburg area senior citizens can take advantage of a free dental clinic Tuesday at Hempfield Towers, a residence for senior citizens. The dental clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by United Concordia Dental will consist of exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments and oral cancer screenings, according to Highmark Wholecare, which...

Unity is spending about $650,000 from its state road fund to repave portions of seven roads this summer. Derry Construction is slated to resurface Sharky’s and Beech drives — as well as Atlantis Drive, near Youngstown. The paving schedule also includes portions of Roskovensky and Cemetery roads and, at Wimmerton,...

James Goldscheitter’s prayers were answered. The rain finally arrived. Now he and other local farmers are hoping the modest amount — and a forecast with a chance of rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — is enough to boost their floundering crops. Rain that fell Sunday evening and continued into Monday...

Greensburg will be looking for a new police officer following the resignation of a former dog handler who is awaiting trial on simple assault and harassment charges. Council on Monday approved the resignation of Kenneth J. Burke, 36, of Greensburg, who had been on unpaid leave while the charges against...

Attorneys are looking into whether the speedy trial rights of a woman accused of shooting her boyfriend in Penn Township were violated. Defense attorney Ken Noga argued Monday that he believes Leah H. Gillis, 34, of North Braddock has been held at the Westmoreland County Prison for 181 days. “We’re...

An altercation between members of two motorcycle clubs Sunday left a man injured after state police said the suspect forced a motorcycle off Route 30 in Hempfield and fled the scene. Richard Lee Graham Jr., 27, of Hempfield is being held on $250,000 bail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated...

Two men with whom authorities want to talk in connection with a fatal shooting in Jeannette Friday remain at large. Westmoreland County District Attorney spokeswoman Melanie Jones said Monday that neither man had been captured and detectives and Jeannette Police were still trying to identify one of them. They are...

A Trafford man is accused of bilking a South Greensburg credit union out of more than $73,000 over a six-month period beginning in October, through a complex scheme. According to a criminal complaint filed by South Greensburg Sgt. James Garlick, Joseph D. Calisti, 38, defrauded the Pheple Federal Credit Union...

Deverin and Heather Cabbagestalk’s second venture in the restaurant business is aptly named The Sequel. The eatery in Hempfield fills the space formerly occupied by Cozumel Mexican Restaurant along Route 30. The Sequel opened May 24 and continues the menu and mission of the Cabbagestalks’ first restaurant, Will-Onita’s in the...

Crystal Billings never expected to learn life lessons from an 11-year-old when she began volunteering as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. “I hope that I can just be a positive influence in my Little’s life,” Billings said. “I can say that she has actually done a lot more...

Hempfield residents now have two new rulescovering very different topics — solar power generation and poultry. Supervisors approved the ordinances on keeping chickens and on solar energy systems at a meeting in late May. The regulations set specifics for where solar farms can be located and allow backyard chickens in...

Westmoreland County District Court Administrator Amy Mears DeMatt is the new president of the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management. “I am just absolutely delighted to be elected to this position,” DeMatt said. “It is such an honor to be recognized by my peers and fellow colleagues throughout the state.” DeMatt...

The CEO of the merged Excela Health and Butler Health systems is committed to keeping the organization’s five hospitals operating, despite currently enduring millions of dollars in losses. “We are taking a look at all the assets across the system. Every one of the five hospitals is very important to...

Rob Hamilton was a troubled young man. He struggled with homelessness and drug abuse during his formative years and, upon returning home from military service, couldn’t stay out of trouble. It wasn’t until he reunited with then-Blairsville police Officer Robert “B.J.” Shaw that Hamilton’s life changed. Shaw, rather than shuffling...

(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series marking the 250th anniversary of Westmoreland County’s founding.) Signs of one of Westmoreland County’s 18th century founding fathers still can be viewed by those who know where to look. A township in the northeastern corner of the county was named for...