Westmoreland category, Page 304
Latrobe Police Department plans to use $152K grant
Latrobe police department’s computer system will be getting $152,000 upgrade this year. The department is planning to buy 17 Dell desktop computers including a computer for the evidence room to use for organizing and inventory, and a computer for the department’s Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network. The network runs criminal...
Resident, firefighter hospitalized in Greensburg house fire
The sole resident of a Greensburg home and a responding firefighter were hospitalized following a Friday night blaze that severely damaged the dwelling. Crews were called to the home in the 600 block of Jack Street at about 11:30 p.m. and found that the resident was trapped inside, according to...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail extension completed in Export
Those wishing for a brisk winter walk in Export can now make it go a bit farther, as borough officials announced the completion of a short extension of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail this week. The roughly 750-foot extension brings the trail through downtown Export. The final phase, which will connect...
Feedback form for Route 30 Bridge Preservation Project now accessible online
PennDOT is seeking the public’s input on the Route 30 Bridge Preservation Project that will replace worn and damaged expansion dams on two Hempfield bridges along Route 30. The project, which is slated to begin in September, aims to extend the life of the structures. One bridge, near Hempfield’s Target...
Death penalty sought against father of slain New Kensington child
Westmoreland County prosecutors have filed court documents that indicate they will seek the death penalty against the father of a young boy who was killed last spring in New Kensington. Jean J. Charles, 40, of Brackenridge was charged in September, about four months after the body of his 9-year-old son,...
Westmoreland DA: Crash involving county vehicle was ‘minor’
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli on Friday said a crash involving her government take-home vehicle was “minor” and caused by weather conditions. Ziccarelli, the first-term Republican from Lower Burrell, was driving the SUV on a snow- and sleet-covered road in Murrysville shortly after 3:30 a.m. Dec. 18 on Cherry...
Price reduced for village of Reduction
The cost of buying Reduction — a little-known 76-acre South Huntingdon village where trainloads of Pittsburgh’s garbage was incinerated a century ago — has been reduced. For a bargain price of $999,900, about $500,000 less than the initial asking price six years ago, you can own the cluster of 19...
State police program for teens: Training the troopers of tomorrow
Fifteen teenagers from Westmoreland and Fayette counties spent 15 weeks in a state police training program last year getting a taste of what life would be like if they opt for a career in law enforcement. They were cautioned that they would work long hours for low pay, likely face...
Sutersville woman pleads guilty to sex offense
A Sutersville woman pleaded guilty to sexual assault and corruption offenses after she was charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy she was helping with schoolwork. Ashley Sherry, 23, was accused of sexually assaulting the teen and using marijuana with the juvenile while working with him on remote school assignments when...
Aubrey Burchell gets slot in ‘America’s Got Talent’ Las Vegas showVideo
It turns out that Aubrey Burchell’s association with “America’s Got Talent” didn’t end in the September semifinals of the NBC show’s Season 17. The 23-year-old singer from North Huntingdon has been invited to perform in “America’s Got Talent Presents Super Stars Live” at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 6-8
Friday family fun The monthly Family Fun Night is planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Smithton Public Library, 615 Center St. The free event will feature stories, games, crafts and more all-ages activities with a moon theme. Visitors will have a chance to steer a BeeBot moon rover...
Work begins to raze shuttered Greensburg video store, clears way for downtown GetGo
Development of a GetGo gas station and convenience store in downtown Greensburg is moving forward as work has begun to demolish a vacant building at 531 S. Main St. A subcontractor was on hand this week working to remove floor tiles and abate asbestos at the shuttered Family Video store....
On track: Rail line plans improvements at Greensburg, Latrobe stations
Greensburg Amtrak station caretaker Mark Kuhns follows a strict daily routine. Every day at 7:30 a.m., Kuhns unlocks the doors of the station and waits for the passengers catching the 8:08 a.m. eastbound Pennsylvanian. He sits in his familiar “cage,” waiting to assist anyone who needs it. He helps travelers...
Ligonier-based Bethlen Communities to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Ligonier-based senior care organization Bethlen Communities signed a letter of intent to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a senior health care network with in-home care and inpatient locations in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country. Both organizations “will work … toward an expected affiliation date in the spring,” officials said....
Jeannette man pleads guilty to sexual assault of unconscious woman
A Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to eight years in prison for a sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Asa Duane Busato, 23, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of aggravated indecent assault in connection with an incident police said took place at the woman’s Hempfield home...
Stolen Youngwood catering company van crashed in New Stanton
A Southwest Greensburg man who state police said stole a van of a Youngwood business, crashed it in New Stanton and then led troopers on a foot chase Wednesday appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine, according to court papers. Police said when they first looked in the van...
Derry Area Middle School briefly evacuated after heating unit overheats
Students at Derry Area Middle School were briefly evacuated from their classrooms Thursday after an overheated part of the school’s heating system started smoking, spurring fears the building was on fire. Firefighters were called shortly before 11 a.m. “We ventilated (the classroom) and checked the ceiling to make sure no...
Damaged eye removed from cat abandoned at Greensburg apartment complex last spring
A cat had an eye surgically removed after Greensburg police said a woman left it behind when she moved out of a city apartment in May, according to a criminal complaint. Shelly Ann Kemerer, 52, of Jeannette, was arrested Tuesday on animal cruelty charges. Police were notified June 3 after...
Police arrest Derry man after purse-snatching incident in Scottdale
A Derry man is accused of stealing a purse from a woman in Scottdale Wednesday before police apprehended him after a foot pursuit, according to investigators. Jason M. Thomas, 33, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail on charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and...
Westmoreland targets 2024 for shelter construction
Construction of a new shelter expected to increase the county’s ability to care for and assist the homeless could begin in 2024, Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday. Officials outlined the plan to seek proposals for private providers to acquire land and build what could be a 12-unit shelter that would...
Woman escapes house fire in village of Claridge in Penn Township
A historic home in Claridge was destroyed Thursday morning in a fire and a woman who lived there escaped with minor injuries, according to first responders. Claridge Fire Chief Ron Supancic Jr. said he believed the blaze started on the first floor. Part of the second floor collapsed. “When we...
Feliciani elected president judge in Westmoreland County
Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani on Wednesday was elected as Westmoreland County’s 30th president judge. The county’s 11 judges unanimously elected Feliciani to serve as the lead administrator in charge of the civil, criminal and family court divisions. “It’s humbling,” Feliciani said. “I am honored to have the support of...
Willie’s Random Acts of Kindness Day honors memory of Greensburg infant
Though William David “Willie” Fennell lived only a few hours after his birth Jan. 6, 2020, his brief life continues to have an impact on others. His parents, Will and Lindsay Fennell of Greensburg, in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, are inviting people to perform...
Grassroots nonprofits feed those in need each week at Greensburg, Jeannette churches
A special service takes place Thursday evenings at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg. People who drive or walk to the church are collectively served with more than 200 free meals to go — through the efforts of a local nonprofit, with support from businesses, volunteers and donors. “We do...
Coop costs jump: Chicken feed 1 culprit behind rise in price of eggs
When Adam Mason, owner of HEAL Farms in Apollo thinks about buying his next order of chicken feed, he gets a pit in his stomach. “I’m a little worried because we have to get feed soon, and I don’t know the feed price, but every time I’ve gotten feed, it...
