Westmoreland category, Page 360
Center for Hearing & Deaf Services celebrating 100 years
Last month, Mattel released a Barbie doll with hearing aids. She wears a floral dress, pink boots and has her hair in a ponytail. Two over-the-ear hearing aids are visible. The assistive devices might seem like small accessories to some people, but they speak volumes to the hard of hearing...
Bank helps Westmoreland park police purchase equipment for police dog Rico
Westmoreland County Park Police’s sole police dog, Rico, received a gift Thursday to help with his training, thanks to 1st Summit Bank. Rico, a German shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, is 1½ years old and trained to find explosives and guns, as well as in tracking and apprehension. The dog...
Export officials approve trail extension, will seal borough parking lot
After meeting with members of the Export Business Group, borough officials gave the go-ahead for Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials to extend the trail about 750 feet farther east. “The biggest thing we all agreed on was that they needed to put (trail) parking spots on the south side of the...
Parking tickets surprise SummerSounds staff, prompt Greensburg accommodation
The SummerSounds concert last Friday drew a huge crowd of about 8,900 to Greensburg’s St. Clair Park to hear an Elton John tribute band. But there was a sour note earlier that day, well before the free performance, when several people working behind the scenes to prepare for the event...
Covid recovery funding to help pay for $3M renovation of Greensburg ice arena
Kirk S. Nevin Arena is slated for an overdue $3.1 million overhaul so area ice hockey teams and other people can continue to enjoy smooth skating at the Greensburg facility. Greensburg City council is expecting to receive a $1.5 million grant for the project, available from the state Department of...
Westmoreland prison inmate planned to use wire from face masks in foiled escape plan, detectives say
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate is accused of using the small pieces of wire in the face masks used to prevent the spread of covid-19 to fashion a weapon he intended to use to help him escape from a court appearance, authorities said. The alleged escape plan by inmate Dennis...
Founder’s daughters revive Tropical Bungalow restaurant in Hempfield
Tom Papinchak said the smoothie was relatively new to Western Pennsylvania when he started selling the fruity concoction in the mid-1990s, first from a mobile thatched-roof kiosk and then at his Tropical Bungalow kiosks in Westmoreland Mall, downtown Pittsburgh and The Galleria in Johnstown. About 10 years later, he moved...
Symposium will help educators integrate Fred Rogers’ teachings into the classroom
Fred Rogers is renowned for the ways he taught and interacted with children — and this July, educators will have the opportunity to glean some of his wisdom during a virtual symposium. Saint Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Institute in Unity will host the two-day symposium on July 19 and 20....
Latrobe locals invited to learn about wards’ history during upcoming shows
Latrobe residents are invited to go back in time and learn more about the city’s six wards in the upcoming months. The Latrobe Area Historical Society will present four shows about this history between July and October. The first show, which will delve into the First Ward, will take place...
Pa. House approves Pitt funding after months of debate over fetal tissue research
The University of Pittsburgh is set to narrowly escape with its state funding after months of heated back-and-forth between Pitt and House Republicans over the university’s fetal tissue research. The state House voted Wednesday night to pass Pitt’s appropriation. Lawmakers reworded an agricultural funding bill to provide Pitt’s funding and...
1 person reported injured in ATV accident in Bell Township
One person was injured Wednesday in an all-terrain vehicle accident in Bell Township, according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher. The accident occurred about 10:23 a.m. and the person was flown by medical helicopter to an undisclosed hospital trauma center in Pittsburgh, the dispatcher reported. Bell Township firefighters were assisted...
Export mayor breaks tie in contentious vote to raise sewage ratesVideo
Export Mayor Joe Zaccagnini had to break a 3-3 vote this week as council approved a $5 increase in local sewage rates, passing along a roughly 8% rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority that goes into effect in August. “We have to pass on the cost that’s...
Vandergrift motorcyclist seriously injured after colliding with truck in Ligonier Township, police say
A Vandergrift motorcyclist was seriously injured and flown by medical helicopter to a Johnstown hospital Tuesday after colliding with a truck along Route 30 in Ligonier Township. The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. along the highway stretch of Route 30 between Laughlintown and the Laurel Mountain Summit, east of Ligonier...
Bigfoot — the truck — coming to Export Tire this weekend
You can spot Bigfoot in Murrysville this weekend. But it’s not the mythical forest ape — this Bigfoot is the kind that crushes cars, which is exactly what it will be doing July 9 at Export Tire’s customer appreciation event. “We’d done the same thing when we had our grand...
Westmoreland happenings: super bingo, community day celebration, turkey dinner
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee....
‘Home again’: New Heal Animal Rescue executive director vows to expand help for local animals
When Mary Withrow began working as Heal Animal Rescue’s new executive director last week, it felt like she was “home again.” Heal is a no-kill animal adoption center and sanctuary nonprofit, with a shelter in Youngwood and an animal sanctuary in Latrobe. Withrow, 60, of Pittsburgh has a history of...
Trafford to unveil town’s version of Wings Across Westmoreland
Trafford is getting its own version of Wings Across Westmoreland. The artwork promotes community history and encourages viewers to pose for a photo in the middle of it. Borough officials will unveil the metal wings at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Trafford Borough Municipal Center parking lot, adjacent to the...
Out & About: Ligonier museum program tracks fashion through the ages
“Petticoat” and “bodice” are familiar clothing terms, but what about “farthingale” and “stomacher”? Saint Francis University costume designer Bonnie Resinski discussed them all — and more — during the second annual fashion show and purse auction on June 25 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. Her...
Murrysville Export Emergency Management Agency provides support network for first responders
When it comes to large-scale emergencies, preparation is the key to a proper response. When something such as a ruptured gas line or a late-night power outage at a senior assisted living facility happens, first responders need to be able to do their jobs and rely on a support network...
Scholarship to help high schoolers, adults entering public service in memory of Mt. Pleasant firefighter, EMT
After EMT and firefighter Andrew Beck died suddenly in January at just 23 years old, his friend and mother wanted to carry on his legacy of service in Westmoreland County. In February, the pair co-founded the Andrew Logan Beck EMS and Fire Scholarship Fund, which will provide funding for local...
Penn Borough man accused by troopers of assaulting woman over cellphone photo
A woman told state troopers Tuesday that a Penn Borough man became so angry over a photograph he found on her cellphone that he woke her from her sleep, assaulted her and then refused to let her summon help. Shawn M. Ressler, 20, was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief,...
Delmont man accused of shooting at neighbor’s home to be reevaluated for trial
A Delmont man will be reevaluated to determine whether he is now able to help with his defense after years of delays in a 2019 attempted homicide case. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Krieger said Tuesday he will order a competency reevaluation for Terrance Kurhansky, 82. Rebecca Trout, program...
Police: Latrobe woman assaulted, choked after asking man to lower radio volume
A 32-year-old woman was punched and strangled by a man outside a Latrobe apartment complex after she asked him to lower the volume of his radio, police said. The woman was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital because of the extent of her injuries. The man, Lionel Thomas,...
Police chase from New Alexandria to Latrobe reached speeds of 90 mph
A New Alexandria man is free on unsecured bail after state police said he led them on a chase through a campground near Keystone State Park during the Fourth of July weekend. Police said they apprehended Luis A. Marsales, 26, along Loyalhanna Creek in Latrobe. He is charged with fleeing...
Students with disabilities thrive in Saint Vincent’s Bearcat BEST program
In Pennsylvania, students with intellectual or developmental disabilities are able to attend high school until they’re 21 years old — but many of these students want to move on to bigger and better things with their same-age peers. That’s where Saint Vincent College’s Bearcat BEST program comes into play. The...
