Westmoreland category, Page 358

One of the last appeals for Pennsylvania’s longest-serving death row inmate has been denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday rejected 64-year-old John Lesko’s request for a new trial and sentencing hearing. He was convicted in the 1980 murder of Apollo police Officer Leonard Miller,...

A 33-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy in 2020-2021. Brandon J. Hoffer of Acme was arrested and ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $250,000 bond after he was charged with 26 felony and misdemeanor criminal counts filed...

Builder Joseph Minyon said the idea for the 12,000-square-foot, chateau-inspired home he built in Ligonier Township came to him in a dream. “I saw a bird in flight with wings outstretched — I’m not sure what kind of bird it was, but I’ll say it was an eagle,” he said....

A judge on Wednesday refused to remove the attorney for a Unity man suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross from his representation in an unrelated gun case. Instead, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak ordered that Komron Jon Maknoon continue working with Thomas G. Stanko, 51, in...

Anne Kraybill will step down as the Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art on July 22 to become director/chief executive officer of the Wichita (Kan.) Art Museum. “This is a bittersweet moment for me because the past four years at The Westmoreland have been some...

A North Belle Vernon man is facing a preliminary hearing next month after humane officers reported finding his dog with several open wounds and a large tumor. Dan Karbowsky, whose age was not provided in court papers, was charged Tuesday with aggravated animal cruelty and neglect of animals. Officers with...

At least one person was reported seriously injured Wednesday in a two-vehicle crash along Route 22 in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The crash occurred at 11:08 a.m. at the highway intersection with Harrison City Road, the dispatcher reported. The highway stretch was temporarily closed. It re-opened...

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Former Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairwoman Jill Cooper unseated first-term incumbent Rep. Jason Silvis in the GOP primary for the redrawn 55th state House district. Two years ago, Silvis, 47, defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Petrarca in 2020 to win the legislative seat that was previously based in Derry. A redistricting...

A 17-year-old Unity girl who left home with her boyfriend last month and had not been seen since has returned home to her mother, according to state police in Greensburg. State police had put out an alert Tuesday about the missing teen, Kylie Madison Germello, 17, of Crabtree, after the...

A man accused of stealing $18,097 earlier this month from a Dollar General store where he worked in Salem apologized for the thefts to other employees in the store, according to state police. Austin M. Rider, 23, of Jeannette, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft in connection with...

A Jeannette man entered a guilty plea Tuesday to third-degree homicide in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting outside McKee Stadium during the fourth quarter of a high school football game. Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey said entering the general plea was a difficult decision for Greg Harper, 43, to make....

A summer workshop will aim to broaden the STEM-related knowledge of creative high school students in Westmoreland County and parts of Fayette. From June to August, ArtTEK will offer classes focusing on videography, 3D printing and more at 462 W. Main St. in Mt. Pleasant. In its inaugural year, the...

A man shot outside a Derry Township home early Tuesday is expected to survive and the person accused of pulling the trigger was jailed, according to state police. Troopers said the suspect — Edward B. Hart, 57 — fired about a dozen rounds at the man at 2:30 a.m. after...

Norwin School Board members have yet to reach a consensus on how they will deal with a projected $4.1 million shortfall in the district’s proposed 2022-23 budget. Board members and residents this week debated whether the district should increase taxes, dip into its reserves or make spending cuts to balance...

Gas was an average of 22 cents per gallon when gas pumps resembling the 21-foot-tall replica along Route 30 east between Latrobe and Ligonier were used in the 1940s. Now, tack on an additional $4 to that price and the 4,900-pound supersized structure is a reminder of bygone days. It...

A 15-year-old girl was hurt and a house has a gaping hole in its roof after a lightning strike Monday night that impacted six North Huntingdon homes. Crews responded to the strike on the 12000 block of Sedona Drive at around 8:10 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the...

A Hempfield man was paroled Monday after he pleaded guilty to charges related to an incident last year in which a woman sustained a gunshot wound to her ring finger. Police said Timothy John Luchon, 40, had a physical altercation with a woman at a home near New Stanton on...

A New Mexico man who received a $150,000 payment to settle a federal lawsuit against Westmoreland County claims public officials violated terms of a confidentiality agreement and wants an additional payment from taxpayers. Westmoreland commissioners, at a public meeting in February, approved the settlement with James Mapp, 34, to end...

A North Huntingdon man was elated but humble Monday after receiving a Quilt of Valor recognizing his military service. “I just think there’s a lot more people that are deserving,” said Ron Ickes, 81, of Biddle. Sally Strait, a member of Norwin Quilters, presented Ickes, an Army veteran, with the...

The poetry anthology of Amanda Gorman will be discussed by a local NAACP official, a college professor and three young adults at 6:30 p.m. May 25 at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main St. The panel discussion of “Call Us What We Carry” will feature Ruth Tolbert, president of the...

There will be plenty of fun for four-legged family members at a fundraiser Saturday at Mammoth Park. Organizer Sarah Opalinski said activities for dogs will be mixed in with community resources at Paws for Prevention Walk at the Mt. Pleasant Township park. The proceeds will benefit the Council on Substance...

A 31-year-old Hempfield man is in the county prison after state troopers say he severely beat and choked a woman with a television cable and threatened her with a shotgun. Cody J. Mattei was arrested Sunday after the woman was able to escape a residence in the 100 block of...

They won’t see Park Place or Boardwalk, but drivers in a Saturday, May 21 Monopoly-themed road rally through Westmoreland County might pass over some old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. “The course will head out on a winding route to the Bells Mills covered bridge in (Sewickley and South Huntingdon),” said Bruce...

Voters at Harold Zion Lutheran Church in Hempfield will receive one of four different ballots on Tuesday as Westmoreland election officials navigate the first Election Day that features a splitting of Hempfield’s Middletown precinct into two Congressional districts. Hempfield Middletown, with its 668 registered voters, was split in half as...