Westmoreland category, Page 24
Ex-landlord hopes justice is served as man accused of trying to kill him has court appearanceVideo
Seeing the man accused of trying to kill him for the first time in months on Monday, Dave Martin had mixed emotions. Rage was one. Pity was another. “I’ve prayed for the guy and I’ve also been very upset with the guy,” he said. Martin will have at least two...
Murrysville neighbors concerned with lack of progress at multi-phase development
Diane Daugherty of Murrysville has been looking out her back window at a construction site for the past three years. She doesn’t think the developers should be starting a new project until they finish the current one. Daugherty voiced her objection at Murrysville Council’s recent public meeting, speaking against a...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County sets fee for lead line replacements
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will charge property owners in eight northern communities $3,200 to voluntarily replace lead water lines in their homes and businesses. Authority board members approved a plan last week they said caps charges and subsidizes water line replacements as part of what is expected to...
Trendy Town Play Cafe and new Dairy Queen planned in Hempfield
Hempfield supervisors are set to vote Monday on two site plans, at the Dairy Queen across from Lynch Field and a neighboring building proposed to transform into The Trendy Town Play Cafe. The Dairy Queen restaurant will be demolished and rebuilt under the proposal, Township Manager Aaron Siko said. There...
Ligonier Valley officer joins few in local law enforcement able to draw blood of DUI suspects
When Ligonier Valley police Officer Shawn Knepper makes a traffic stop, he may end up taking the driver’s blood as well as his or her name, age and license number. Knepper recently became one of 19 municipal law enforcement officers in the state who have gained certification as a phlebotomist...
Military veterans gather at Lamp Theatre to commemorate the end of WWII
Three words always come to mind for the Rev. Dan Lawrence of Murrysville Alliance Church when he speaks to his flock as well as at military funerals and commemorations. They are God, family and country. Those values were present Sunday afternoon in Irwin as the pastor delivered the opening and...
Explosion and fatal fire investigation continues in East Huntingdon
The Greensburg-based fire marshal for the Pennsylvania State Police continues to investigate what caused an East Huntingdon mobile home to explode Saturday, killing an elderly man on his porch. Firefighters from multiple communities responded to the incident about 4:15 p.m. in the 100 block of Round Top Court. The mobile...
Westmoreland happenings: Wine and chocolate gala, autumn festival, bingo bash, more
Festival • The Southwest Greensburg Autumn Festival will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Civic Society building, 424 Brandon St. There will be music, a bounce house, children’s games and crafts, food, a basket raffle and more. Bring a lawn chair and bag or bucket for...
Hempfield to pilot Lego-based therapy program at 2 elementaries
Two Hempfield Area elementary schools will pilot a Lego-based therapy program this school year. Carnegie Mellon University partnered with a Western Pennsylvania nonprofit called Matt’s Maker Space to bring the Brick Club program to the region’s schools. The concept comes from Play Included, a company based in Cambridge, England, that...
1 killed in trailer explosion near ScottdaleVideo
One person was killed when a trailer exploded Saturday afternoon in East Huntingdon, said Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Resident Sam Riggs said she had not heard or felt anything like it before. She lives a few houses away on Round Top Court, where the trailer exploded then burned about...
Jumonville cross to mark 75 years, funds sought for restoration
At 60 feet tall and 75 years old, Jumonville’s Great Cross of Christ is starting to show its age. As the Jumonville Camp and Retreat Center welcomes visitors to the North Union site for the landmark’s anniversary celebration today, leaders also are seeking donations to help restore and preserve the...
Teamwork saved girl’s life in Penn Township blaze, fire chief says
Teamwork helped avert a tragedy last month at a Penn Township house fire. Firefighters and paramedics worked together to get a young girl out of the burning building to safety, the Harrison City fire chief said Friday. “It was teamwork. There were so many people who played an integral role,”...
Westmoreland looks to finalize job cut plan as state budget talks lag
Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires will repay his October salary to the county so furloughs in his office can be prevented, he said Friday. “They (commissioners) wanted me to furlough at least one person, so I thought the sacrifice needs to come from leadership first,” Squires said. Commissioners this week...
Westmoreland students get hands-on environmental lesson at Lowber’s mine treatment center
Greater Latrobe High School senior Anderson Schafer peered into the viewing panels of a small colorimeter Friday. The device measures the iron content in a test tube of clear water, first collected from an abandoned mine and then cleaned as it passed through seven settling ponds at a treatment system...
Prostitution alleged in Murrysville massage parlor
A Murrysville massage parlor was raided by police Thursday and one woman arrested on prostitution charges, according to court papers. Municipal police had been investigating Asian Garden Spa on Route 22 since May after reading several online reviews of the establishment that indicated sexual acts were being performed by employees....
Pavement work triggers I-70 ramp closure, lane restriction in Rostraver, North Belle Vernon
Eastbound motorists on Interstate 70 in Rostraver and North Belle Vernon will encounter a ramp closure and detour as well as a single-lane restriction from 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 through 6 a.m. Monday. During closure of the eastbound on-ramp from Route 906, motorists headed north on Route 906 will...
CNX pursues new permits for 2 Penn Township gas wells, Protect PT prepares for response
Environmental nonprofit Protect PT may have to start over in its decade-long effort to shut down a Marcellus shale gas well development along First Street in Penn Township. The state Environmental Hearing Board ruled in June against Protect PT, which two years ago appealed permit renewals for unconventional natural gas...
Irwin man pleads guilty to possession of child porn, sentenced to at least 4 years in prison
An Irwin man was ordered to serve at least 4 years in prison for possession of child pornography. Joshua David Ward, 34, pleaded guilty this week to three felony counts in connection with allegations he distributed and possessed more than 100 images that depicted child sexual assaults, police said. According...
Is Bigfoot on Chestnut Ridge? Derry’s Railroad Days offers sightings tour
Bill Rigby believes he had a face-to-face encounter with Bigfoot several years ago in Ohio. On Saturday, he’ll guide passengers on a Derry bus tour of sightings of the legendary creature closer to home — on portions of Chestnut Ridge overlooking the town. Offered five times throughout the day, the...
Realtors, experts weigh in on Pittsburgh housing market for median income earners
Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series on real estate market trends in Western Pennsylvania. Ashlea Lee was tired of hunting for pet-friendly rental apartments for Reese, her 5-year-old golden retriever. The Westmoreland County native and Greensburg Central Catholic alumna knew what she wanted: a modest ranch,...
Franklin Regional community remembers creativity of senior found dead outside schoolVideo
Schoolmates and friends said Tayson Foltz always left them smiling. About 300 candles were lit Thursday evening in memory of the Franklin Regional student, who was found dead outside the school last weekend. Those who shared memories of the high school senior at the vigil at Murrysville’s Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church...
Westmoreland County to furlough staff, partially close parks as Pa. budget impasse continues
Westmoreland commissioners said employees will be furloughed in two weeks and the county parks will partially close in early October as a result of the ongoing state budget impasse. Commissioners on Thursday instructed department heads to make recommendations for a temporary job reduction plan as part of continued cost-savings efforts....
Artists think big, paint small at ’24 Minis’ exhibit in Tarentum
Even if you’re painting a life-size depiction of baby birds, you don’t need a huge canvas. That’s part of the reason why Murrysville artist Betty Trout decided to focus on multiple families of robins in her backyard as the subject of her entry in the “24 Minis” exhibit at the...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Sept. 19-21
The last official weekend of summer is upon us. Fall is coming Monday, so plan your next few days around these events to enjoy the last moments of the season. Rod Stewart tribute Singer Rod Stewart has enjoyed a decades-long music career, performing rock to adult contemporary and beyond. This...
‘A beacon of hope:’ Sewickley Township unveils plans for new library
Sewickley Township Public Library unveiled plans Wednesday for a new facility next to the H.W. Good Elementary School near Herminie — a $1.9 million project that will give the library a home of its own. “It’s been a dream of the board and director for many years. We’ve been talking...
