Westmoreland category, Page 265
Westmoreland, Allegheny teachers will study how to enhance STEM programs
Educators in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are seeking out teaching practices that best prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Faculty and staff members from five school districts in Westmoreland and six in Allegheny will participate in partnership with intermediate units, the Consortium for Public Education and...
Canine flu cases crop up in Westmoreland
The canine flu is a lot like the human flu, according to Hempfield veterinarian Roman Lamberski. “You get a bunch of kids together in a day care and one has the flu, they’re going to spread it,” Lamberski said. Canine influenza virus, however, affects dogs rather than people. And it’s...
Security measures upped at Hempfield after threat concerns
Students at Hempfield Area School District will continue to be screened with metal detectors before entering school buildings. The decision was made after a student last week reported seeing a threatening message in a bathroom that referenced guns. The screening and other security measures began Friday. According to an email...
Sequel set for GOP Westmoreland Commissioner primary
Westmoreland County’s Republican primary for commissioner is a sequel. Five of the same seven candidates who sought GOP nominations four years ago are again on the ballot this spring, with incumbents Doug Chew and Sean Kertes facing challenges from Patricia Fritz, Paul Kosko and John Ventre. The Republicans are vying...
Antique farm equipment, mills on display during East Huntingdon event aimed at preservation, education
The blade of a 135-year-old shingle mill efficiently slid through a rectangular block of wood Sunday to create shingles, which were once used for roofs and siding. Meanwhile, a pair of horses were the engine pulling an old-fashioned plow through a field. They were sights that might have been common...
Irwin mosaic-maker Mitzi Hall follows beat of her own artistic drum
Mosaic artist Mitzi Hall of Irwin turned down what probably would have been the biggest commission of her career in favor of keeping her creative freedom. A restaurateur in Arizona had seen an image of one of Hall’s mosaic-inlaid guitars online and asked if she could make one for him....
Primary likely to decide supervisor seats in Unity, Hempfield
Republicans will battle it out within their own party primaries May 16 to earn a spot on the November election ballot in Unity and Hempfield township supervisor races. No Democrats have filed to contend for one open seat in Unity and two open seats in Hempfield. Unity Three Republicans —...
Westmoreland students craft metal selfie frames at parks to mark county’s 250th
Visitors to five of Westmoreland’s parks can celebrate the county’s 250th anniversary with student-created selfie photo frames that are being installed by Memorial Day. Eleven juniors at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center worked on the project for about two weeks. The metal frames are about 4 feet by 4...
Kertes top fundraiser among Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidates
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes has amassed more than $181,000 in his bid for a second term, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday. Kertes was the top fundraiser among the five Republican candidates seeking two nominations in the May 16 primary and, in the six-week period between mid-March and...
Ultra runners become more in tune with themselves by the mile
South Hills resident Timmy Morgan, 36, was introduced to the sport of ultra running the same way a character in a movie discovers a destined journey. It was a dark and stormy night. Morgan and a friend had decided to set up camp after hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail...
New Vietnamese Kitchen in Hempfield hits diners’ sweet spot
These days, Ten Fox is working seven days a week — but it’s by her own choice. Already the owner of a Unity salon bearing her name, she opened The Vietnamese Kitchen in Hempfield on Jan. 6. “I’m Vietnamese, I grew up eating Vietnamese food, and I always had this...
Westmoreland leaders hope to knock it out of the park with sporting goods donation events
Many former high school athletes have a box filled with trophies and medals from their glory days. Alongside may be piles of cleats, gloves, bats and sticks that they’ve long outgrown but saved for posterity. Now these pieces of sporting equipment have a chance to see a field again with...
4 vie for Greensburg mayor after police, community shaken by former chief’s arrest
Candidates for Greensburg mayor have cited a range of issues they say they’d like to tackle — among them supporting Greensburg’s business community, improving downtown access and restoring citizen confidence in a city police department that has been rocked by recent arrests of its officers. The field is evenly split...
2 Greensburg Council members face challenger in Democratic primary
Greensburg voters will have a choice among two incumbents, Randal Finfrock and Sheila Brumley, and challenger Gabrielle Stewart when nominating candidates for two open City Council seats in the May 16 Democratic Party primary. Finfrock, 72, is seeking his fifth term on council, where he serves as director of accounts...
Out & About: Westmoreland Chamber thanks workers at annual luncheon
Talk about work these days, and you’re likely to hear discouraging words like “quiet quitting” and “bare minimum Monday.” “It’s a tough world out there, especially post-covid,” said Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Dan DeBone. He and co-workers offered a warm welcome to upward of 230 attendees from area businesses...
Out & About: Lamp Theatre gala boogies back to the disco era
It was a boogie wonderland at Stratigos Banquet Center in North Huntingdon on April 29, as guests shook their groove things at The Lamp Theatre’s Disco Ball Gala. They took a trip back to the ’70s, clad in glitter and gold chains, polyester shirts and platform boots, miniskirts and mustaches....
Out & About: CASA of Westmoreland recognizes special advocates
Leadership is more than just talking, it’s doing. That was the message Executive Director Mitchell Samick gave to attendees at the 14th annual CASA of Westmoreland Leadership Breakfast, held April 28 at Word of Life Church in Hempfield. For CASA, that means providing court-appointed advocates to be a voice in...
Out & About: Mental health advocates honored at ‘Innovations’ dinner
Dr. Lisa Issac said she was “honored, humbled, shocked and overjoyed” to receive the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from Mental Health America of Southwestern PA, but her resume speaks for itself. A Monroeville resident and former chief of medical services at Torrance State Hospital, Issac continues to serve various organizations...
Historic Hanna’s Town opens its historic grounds for the season
A love of local history shone as bright as the sun Saturday through a couple dozen volunteers who imparted their deep knowledge to anyone who would listen at Historic Hanna’s Town. Dick Sheats of Fairfield had several stories about the authentic late 18th century Conestoga wagon. Malori Stevenson of North...
Jeff Landy, a driving force in Mt. Pleasant Borough, dies at 65
Jeff Landy brought a little piece of Disney to Mt. Pleasant Borough. As one of the driving forces behind the Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival, he was always looking toward the entertainment giant and magical amusement park for inspiration to make his town’s celebration better than the previous year’s....
Road closing in Fairfield for slide repairs
A road in Fairfield is set to close Monday for slide repairs. A PennDOT spokesperson said the work will continue through late August on Loughner Road. The sparsely populated road is off Route 259, which will be used as a detour. It is just west of Champion Lakes Golf Course...
Murrysville attorneys vie to replace Conway at Export district court
After more than two decades as a district judge in Export, Charles Conway will retire from the bench at the end of the year, and two candidates from Murrysville will compete in the May primary election to fill his shoes. Judi P. Petrush, 55, has worked as an assistant district...
Pond cleanup removes plants from Penn Township fishing spot — for a cause
The waters of the Penn Township Municipal Park pond look clearer than ever after a coalition of volunteers and public works crews came together this week to remove plants from its depths. Using a pitchfork and some of his son-in-law Jimmy Rudick’s homemade tools of wood, pool noodles and rake...
Former Pa. state trooper pleads guilty to federal child porn charges
A former Pennsylvania state police trooper has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. Sean Ryan McKenzie, 38, of Perryopolis, Fayette County, was arrested in March 2022 and charged in federal court last May. He pleaded guilty on Friday, May 5, 2023. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, McKenzie attempted to...
Westmoreland DA defends summary charges for trooper accused in fatal Salem crash
The Westmoreland County district attorney Friday defended a decision to charge a Pennsylvania State Police trooper with summary traffic offenses for his role in a fatal accident last year. Tyler Strini, 27, of Homer City pleaded guilty Friday to four traffic offenses — speeding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe...
