Westmoreland category, Page 241
Trafford man arrested at Pittsburgh airport in car stolen out of Altoona
Dozens of “high-end performance vehicles” trekked to Pittsburgh International Airport to race in the dead of night Thursday — and police said they apprehended a Westmoreland County man driving a stolen car. Allegheny County police said officers saw a number of cars gathering at the airport’s public arrivals curb around...
Police: Hempfield woman stole money while working at Citizens Bank
A Hempfield woman was arrested Friday on police accusations that she stole $3,300 from a bank where she worked, according to court papers. Rachel A. Bates, 25, is free on $10,000 unsecured bail on felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property. An investigator from Citizens Bank contacted Westmoreland County...
Salem barn destroyed by fire following lightning strikeVideo
Ed Immel was getting ready for bed on Thursday night when a loud clap nearly shook him out from under the covers. “I thought it was just thunder,” he said. A few minutes later, he saw a dull orange glow out the window and knew that his barn was on...
‘Changed man’ gets probation for police standoff and parking lot attack
On Thursday, nearly two years after he barricaded himself in his Hempfield home and tried to kill himself, George Gardner claimed he was a new man. Gardner pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that stemmed from two separate incidents in 2021 in which authorities said he shot at his wife and...
South Greensburg man pleads guilty to recording sex with teen
A South Greensburg man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he recorded video of sexual encounters with a teenage girl. Police said Nicholas James Rossi, 27, had a seven month sexual relationship with a then 17-year-old girl in 2021 and 2022 in which he recorded their sex acts. Rossi pleaded...
Hempfield closes on former state prison property, bulks up security
Hempfield officially received a full box of keys to the former SCI Greensburg state prison facility after closing on the property last week. “There are a lot of keys to a prison, I found out,” township manager Aaron Siko joked at a meeting this week. The township supervisors announced the...
North Huntingdon moves step closer to residential rental registry
Landlords renting homes and apartments in North Huntingdon will have to register their buildings and tenants and pay a fee, if township commissioners approve a proposed ordinance. Commissioners on Wednesday authorized the township solicitor to write an ordinance requiring the registration of residential rental properties, despite concerns by some landlords...
Greensburg police officer pleads guilty in 2022 assault case, resigned from force
Editor’s note: Former Greensburg Kenneth Burke pleaded guilty Friday to an amended misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and summary harassment. The charges to which he pleaded guilty were incorrect in the original version of this story. A suspended Greensburg police officer has been forced to resign after pleading guilty Friday...
Independence Health announces 4 members of leadership team
Independence Health System officially has a new leadership team, composed of four longtime department heads from the system’s component parts of Butler Health System and Excela Health. On Thursday, Independence introduced Dr. Carol Fox as chief medical officer; Dr. David Rottinghaus as president of Physician and Provider Network; Karen Allen...
Murrysville man will sing national anthem at PNC Park
Joe Hnath of Murrysville is making his mother proud at a pretty rapid rate these days. Hnath, 24, is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed at age 2 with Asperger’s Syndrome. His mother, Lisa, is a volunteer education advocate with the nonprofit East Suburban Citizen Advocacy, which is dedicated...
Police try to ID suspect in East Huntingdon quick-change scam
State police are looking for a man who they said turned a water bottle purchase into a $1,000 theft at the East Huntingdon Walmart in a quick-change scam. Troopers released a surveillance image of the suspect on Thursday. They said he scammed the cashier on July 10 out of $1,000...
Local author, illustrator to host children’s book signing in Murrysville
Murrysville author Nina Damato and Kiski Area graduate and artist Rebecca Ehalt Svetina will host a book signing to mark the release of their new children’s book on July 22. “The Extraordinarily Ordinary Kittens,” released in mid-June, tells the story of Damato’s two adopted blind cats, Bocelli and Louise Braille,...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: July 21-23
Sunset soiree Experience Fort Ligonier at twilight with a sunset tour from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the historical site at routes 30 and 711 in Ligonier. Guests will enjoy a guided tour of the fort’s museum and a wine, cheese and dessert reception on the education center patio....
Murrysville crash shears utility pole on School Road
School Road in Murrysville remained closed late Thursday morning after a car sheared a utility pole just south of Nob Hill Road. Murrysville police said the call came in about 9:30 a.m. and noted the male driver was not hurt when his car left the road, struck a utility pole...
Murrysville moves injection well ordinance forward for possible vote next month
Murrysville leaders will likely vote on an ordinance to regulate fracking injection wells at next month’s council session. Injection wells accept the wastewater, brine and byproducts of unconventional drilling operations, releasing the fluid into porous underground rock formations. Similar to the fracking ordinance Murrysville put in place several years ago,...
Kecksburg UFO Festival returns with out-of-this-world activities
Many Pennsylvania towns have summer festivals that serve as a community gathering and homecoming for native sons and daughters. None of them is quite like Kecksburg’s. The tiny Mt. Pleasant Township village will have its 18th annual celebration — the Kecksburg UFO Festival — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There will...
MAWC buys Westmoreland Fayette sewer authority
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members Wednesday approved a $17.5 million deal to purchase a small sewer system that serves Scottdale, a part of East Huntingdon as well as two communities in Fayette County. MAWC will pay $2.25 million in cash for the Westmoreland Fayette Municipal Sewage Authority and...
3 dogs die in Monessen house fire
Three dogs died in a house fire Wednesday afternoon in Monessen, authorities said. No people were in the home on Summit Avenue during the fire, and no other homes were damaged because of how far back the home is on the property, Monessen fire Chief Delmar Hepple said. “There was...
Bank forecloses on Jeannette EMS building as state health department plans talks with agency
A bank wants to take possession of the Jeannette EMS station to cover a $340,000 debt. KeyBank filed the mortgage foreclosure action Wednesday in Westmoreland County court claiming the ambulance station on South Sixth Street defaulted on repayments of a $275,000 line of credit issued in 2008. The agency used...
2 sought in beating of Jeannette man
A Jeannette man was left with several facial fractures stemming from an assault last week and police are looking for two suspects. Andrew J. Eberhardt, 22, of Greensburg, and Cassie Ann Sorice, 20, of Pitcairn, are charged with conspiracy in connection with the beating at a North Seventh Street apartment...
North Huntingdon to consider property rental registration
Owners of rental properties in North Huntingdon could be required to register their buildings if the township approves an ordinance that would create a list of those rental units and contact information for the tenants. North Huntingdon commissioners on Wednesday are expected to consider drafting an ordinance that would detail...
GetGo sets opening date for downtown Greensburg store
GetGo has set Aug. 16 as the planned opening date for its new Cafe + Market convenience store and gas station that is nearing completion on Greensburg’s South Main Street. Constructed on a lot formerly occupied by the closed Family Video store, just north of Euclid Avenue, the GetGo store...
Hempfield man ordered to serve 4 years in prison for sexual assaults of teens
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for the sexual assaults of three teens. Joshua Esteban Kunkle, 21, pleaded guilty in April to a reduced set of charges in connection with attacks against three juveniles over a four-year period that ended in 2020. Westmoreland...
Free cancer screening at Allegheny Health Network facility in Hempfield
A free cancer screening event at Allegheny Health Network’s Hempfield cancer center will be held Aug. 19. The screening is open to the public and no health insurance is required. Registration for the event closes Aug. 11. Reservations can be made by calling 412-359-6665. Screenings for various types of cancer...
Westmoreland happenings: Blacksmith demonstration, parish festival, golf outing, more
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 • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from...
