Westmoreland category, Page 366

A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, putting an end to her homicide trial during which prosecutors claimed she intentionally fired three shots, killing her cousin in 2018. Ashley Marie Croft, 38, will serve a 15- to 30-year prison sentence under terms of the plea deal. Croft did...

A former inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison is back behind bars after being accused by county detectives of participating in a Suboxone smuggling scheme with another inmate. Brad M. Rentz, 43, of Indiana, was arrested Monday by county Detective James Williams and accused of conspiring with another inmate, Jamie...

Westmoreland County residents hoping to get their hands dirty this summer while learning how to protect the state’s natural resources can participate in training to become a master naturalist volunteer. The courses — hosted by the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and Brandywine Conservancy at Penguin Court, a preserve near Laughlintown —...

The crackling sound and the odor of burning weeds were unmistakable and necessary for a training exercise for wildfire firefighters from 15 volunteer fire companies in the region Sunday in Parks Township. These firefighters train every spring to prepare for wildfires during warm weather. Extinguishing wildfires demands a lot of...

A peaceful spot at Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill’s Greensburg property was taken back to its Indigenous roots Saturday. The steady drumbeats and vocal calls transported dozens of sisters to the country’s Native American heritage. It was a way to recognize the land’s first inhabitants and, for Sister Edie...

They say fences make good neighbors — and apparently so does art. Or maybe it’s that neighbors make good art. Either way, there’s plenty of good art to be seen in “Art Neighbors,” the annual joint exhibition of the Greensburg and Latrobe art centers, which opened with a Saturday reception...

When the next group of boxers organized by Monroeville promoter Derek Gionta enters the ring on May 7, it will include first women’s fights he has organized. That makes the venue – Murrysville SportZone on William Penn Highway – all the more appropriate. “It’s great because they have a women’s...

Philadelphia-area resident Dean Malissa has stepped back from serving as Mount Vernon’s principal portrayer of George Washington to emeritus status. It’s only natural that he is semi-retired from the living history role since, at 69, he’s lived two years beyond the age Washington reached. “When I was the sole portrayer...

Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members this week awarded more than $7.4 million in contracts to build a new bus storage facility in Hempfield. Officials said the price tag for the project came in more than $3 million below estimates. “We were planning for a higher number,” said Authority Executive...

When it came time to profess her vows Saturday morning, there was no doubt Sister Hyeon Lee was ready for the lifelong commitment. “I am so resolved,” she said with emphasis, to laughter of about 100 friends, family and fellow sisters who had gathered at Caritas Christi in Greensburg to...

What’s the latest in spring fashions? About 100 guests got ideas for updating their warm-weather wardrobes during the Westmoreland Walks Passionately Pink Fashion Show, a Saturday lunchtime event in the new Westmoreland County Community College Event Center in Hempfield. From togs for trendy tots, to weekend golf wear, to gowns...

All kinds of feet in all kinds of shoes gathered Saturday in downtown Greensburg’s St. Clair Park for Westmoreland County’s 11th annual Walk a Mile in Their Her His Our Shoes, an event that raises awareness of gender-based violence. Formerly called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the event was...

Firefighters helped a Sewickley Township resident get out of a burning home Saturday morning before extinguishing the flames. Herminie Fire Chief Eric Kline said the blaze, in the 500 block of McClerge Avenue, was reported just before 11 a.m. The chief said it appeared to have started on the home’s...

The covid-19 pandemic had several unplanned lessons for U.S. educators, who were required to adapt to a wide variety of “classroom settings” that blended in-person, virtual and asynchronous instruction. For some students and parents, learning from home was a stressful, unproductive experience that showed them the value of in-person education....

Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to scale back the use of regional drop boxes for mail-in ballots in next month’s primary election. A special meeting of the county’s Election Board is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday when commissioners will vote on a proposal to place just one drop box at...

Proposed expansion of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport terminal, improvements at three industrial parks and a new facility at the Adelphoi main campus in Latrobe are among seven projects in Westmoreland County set to receive more than $14 million in combined funding through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Announced Friday,...

Joe Peroney of Latrobe has two “jobs” tomorrow — tasks to which he has devoted a lot of time and energy. While most people will take it easy Saturday morning, Peroney’s first duty of the day is to start at 6:45 a.m. running five laps, and then about a mile...

Five area female artists spread across the historic Bushy Run Battlefield on Friday, painting scenes of how the state park is today rather than what is was 259 years ago when British and colonial troops fought a decisive battle against Native Americans in what was once hilly woodlands. Patricia Dickun...

Prosecutors said a Greensburg man faces up to 372 years in prison after he was convicted Friday of the rape of a 5-year-old child and recording videos he took of a woman engaged in sex acts with the boy. Westmoreland County jurors deliberated just more than two hours before returning...

If local officials want to start the uphill fight to combat blight and begin revitalizing their communities, multiple speakers at a “blight boot camp” held Friday at Westmoreland County Community College said they’ve got to start on the ground. Multiple speakers, including Christy Bean Rowing, executive director of the Washington...

Jurors on Friday found an Allegheny Township man guilty of four rapes and the sexual assaults of two other woman in crimes prosecutors said dated back to the early 2000s. Eric Wright, 50, could receive up to 100 years in prison for the rape offenses, according to Westmoreland County District...

A longtime Yukon volunteer firefighter was laid to rest Friday in his hometown, given the traditional honor of a procession of firetrucks from several South Huntingdon departments and surrounding communities. The funeral procession for Jeffrey A. Kite, 61, who had been a member of the fire company for 45 years,...

Folks who have developed some horse sense are ready to share it with others Sunday during a season kickoff event for the Rolling Rock Hunt Pony Club. Founded in 1954, the club has about 50 members. It is one of 13 groups that helped establish the United States Pony Clubs...