Westmoreland category, Page 260

Accidental drug overdose deaths decreased significantly in 2022 with 118, but the number of deaths by suicide — 62 — set a record, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s annual report. Officials involved in drug abuse prevention hope the decrease is a good sign for the harm reduction efforts they’ve...

A recreational trails group in North Huntingdon wants to develop a route to connect the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage. Robert Morgan and Daniel Korhnak, two of the four founders of the Friends of Norwin Trails, presented an outline to the North Huntingdon commissioners for creating a...

Suspects in three separate shootings over the past two years will be prosecuted as adults after judges Tuesday rejected requests to transfer their cases to juvenile court. Khalil Lamont Myers of Export was 16 when he was charged as an adult with shooting two men in Jeannette on Oct. 21,...

A coffee shop set for a grand opening in Jeannette on Saturday is focusing on veterans in reviving an old building on Clay Avenue. Glass City Cafe owner Jeremy Mock, a Marine veteran who is in the Navy Reserve, and co-owner Denise Ward are seeking out veteran-owned companies for supplies,...

Delmont officials will move ahead with the creation of a stormwater authority board, which would be authorized to charge residents a fee based on the amount of stormwater runoff they contribute to the borough’s collection system. Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to create the five-member authority, as borough officials work...

Westmoreland prosecutors said a Jeannette man accused of setting a fire in 2018 that killed an elderly woman confessed his guilt in telephone calls he made from the county jail. Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ranger told a judge Wednesday that prosecutors this week obtained 400 calls made by Brian Rendon...

A fire destroyed a home in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County, late Wednesday night. Calls about the fire, located in a rural area on Orchard Drive near Herminie, came in at 11:08 p.m., according to Westmoreland County Public Safety. The house was fully engulfed shortly after 11 p.m., Tribune-Review news partner...

Veteran Greensburg Councilman Randy Finfrock is seeking another term on the board in this year’s municipal election. Finfrock, 72, is completing his fourth term on council, all but one of which have been consecutive. He has served for 14 years as council’s director of accounts and finance. He said the...

Several candidates for contested races in the May primary are facing challenges to be removed from the ballot because of perceived flaws in their nominating petitions. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Jim Silvis will hear the challenges at 11 a.m. Friday in the cases. Silvis is hearing the cases because...

The newly combined Excela and Butler health systems laid off a total of 13 manager-level staff members on Wednesday, according to spokesperson Tom Chakurda. The positions were eliminated “from across both sides of the new system,” Chakurda confirmed, and were from support functions that did not involve direct care personnel....

Emergency responders were called to a rollover crash in Westmoreland County early Wednesday. The crash happened at about 1:45 a.m. near the intersection of Route 30 and Cherry Lane in North Huntingdon. Westmoreland County 911 said it was unclear if there were any injuries. Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported a...

Warm fronts and sap can make for a sticky situation during maple season. With an early start to sap harvesting season in Western Pennsylvania, the Lynch family at Baer Brothers Maple Camp has been working overtime to produce their fresh syrup. “There’s no such thing as free time during maple...

Church news • First Presbyterian Church of Belle Vernon, 501 Fayette Ave., will have a program, “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” to discuss the church, its mission and goals at 9 a.m. Sunday at the church. A coffee hour will be provided. The church will offer free food and fellowship...

Two Westmoreland County vape shops were raided Wednesday morning by police. One of the shops, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said, was targeting children with illegal marijuana products. The police work continued through the day as authorities photographed and collected evidence at PA Vapor on Route 22 in Murrysville and Keepin’...

A Ligonier man died at a hospital after a crash in Salem Tuesday evening, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. James W. Graham Sr., 56, was pronounced dead at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. The crash was reported after 6 p.m. on Route 119, just north of Crabtree....

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 15, 2023: Person injured in crash in North Huntington An overnight car crash in North Huntington injured one person and caused a power outage in the area. The crash occurred around 11:45 p.m. at Turner Valley Road...

The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department bloodhound team saw its ranks dwindle to five dogs Tuesday with the death of 9-year-old Sadie. Sadie was pulled from field duties nearly a year ago, when she became lame, and then she developed an aggressive form of cancer that spread, according to Lou Battistella,...

Greensburg officials are enlisting outside help as the city looks for a new police chief. Its former chief, Shawn Denning, 41, of Delmont, resigned Jan. 24 when he was arrested on drug charges. “We were all blindsided by this,” Mayor Robb Bell said of Denning’s arrest on federal charges of...

Westmoreland County is expected to receive another $26 million as part of a national settlement of opioid lawsuits, officials said Tuesday. Pennsylvania so far has secured about $2.2 billion in payments that resolved litigation against drug manufacturers and distributors accused of spreading opioid abuse throughout the United States. The county,...

A St. Clair man was serving probation on a child endangerment charge when state police said he sexually assaulted a child, according to court papers. Shawn L. Waulk, 35, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. He was arrested last week on charges of aggravated indecent assault,...

Westmoreland Airshow guests and staff will miss a familiar voice this year. Howard “Howdy” Jackson McCann, Jr., 71, died March 9, 2023 at his home in Fallston, Md. As an internationally recognized airshow announcer, he played host to more 500 airshows through nearly 40 years. McCann worked with David Schultz...

Ligonier Valley Writers’ 32nd annual Student Poetry Contest has extended its deadline to Friday. Students in fourth through 12th grade throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania are able to enter their best poems for a chance to win cash prizes. In each of nine categories, first prize earns $25, second prize $20 and...

Latrobe City officials are closing in on a new police chief. Mayor Eric Bartles told city council this week that city officials have interviewed seven candidates for the available police chief position. The candidates were all “extremely qualified” and city officials will soon be hosting a second round of interviews,...

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Harry Smail Jr. has recused himself from presiding over election challenges this spring. Smail, in a court order signed Monday, said his candidacy for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Superior Court created an appearance of potential impropriety and withdrew from hearing a lawsuit...