Westmoreland category, Page 368
Commissioners approve settlement of federal lawsuit filed by former inmate
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $2,500 payment to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former prison inmate who claimed he was mistreated at the Hempfield facility. Christopher Batch, 33, of Pittsburgh contended that while incarcerated in 2019 guards and other staff at the county prison mishandled his...
Downtown Greensburg Citizens Bank closed for remodeling
Downtown Greensburg’s Citizens Bank branch is closed for remodeling through mid-September. Spokeswoman Eleni Garbis said the location at 400 S. Main St., next to City Hall, is expected to reopen with a new look on Sept. 15. The branch has been closed since Aug. 10. As part of the makeover,...
Youngstown man jailed on rape charges
A Youngstown man is charged with raping a female repeatedly during a nine-year period from 2012 to 2021. Lee Bowser, 59, was arrested this week on charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and related offenses, according to court papers. State police troopers said the accuser told them...
Acme man already in jail after one police chase accused of fleeing stop in New Stanton as well
State police believe they’ve identified a man who fled a New Stanton traffic stop in June and he is accused of leading troopers on two separate chases on Interstate 70 within 24 hours, according to court papers. Seth G. Klingensmith, 26, of Acme, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of fleeing...
Westmoreland County receives first payment of opioid settlement
Westmoreland County and its 11 largest municipalities will split nearly $3 million this year as part of the first installments paid out from a $26 billion national settlement of a federal lawsuit with drug manufacturers implicated in the opioid epidemic. Commissioners on Thursday approved a resolution to receive the county’s...
Veterans picnic on Sept. 2 set at White Oak Park
A veterans appreciation picnic for area veterans and their families will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Magnolia Pavilion at White Oak Park along Carpenter Lane from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 2. Food at the picnic will be a boxed meal catered by Mission...
Firefighters called to blaze in East Huntingdon
Firefighters were called to the scene of a mobile home fire Thursday afternoon in East Huntingdon. The blaze was reported at 12:30 p.m. on Mt. Nebo Church Road, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. The home is in a rural area between Scottdale and Alverton and not far from...
Pitcairn man involved in Salem crash died at hospital
A Pitcairn man died Thursday, a day after his car was rear-ended at the interchange of routes 66 and 22 in Salem, according to state police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. John Farally, 56, of Pitcairn was waiting at a stop light on Route 66 north at 6:30...
Westmoreland Fair gears up for 2022 — from rides to rabbit agility shows
With contest entry numbers back to pre-pandemic averages, the Westmoreland Fair will offer nine days of food, animals, amusement rides, grandstand arena events and more. The fair will kick off at 4 p.m. Friday and conclude Aug. 27. Some attraction highlights include a square dance social, rabbit agility show, pork...
Banana split celebration returns to Latrobe this weekend
There is a bunch of appeeling fun in store for Latrobe this weekend. Beginning Friday, the city will kick off the 2022 Great American Banana Split Celebration to commemorate the invention of the dairy delight. Latrobe pharmacist David Strickler created the fruity treat in 1904 at Tassell Pharmacy on Ligonier...
Norwin band debuts halftime show
The Norwin High School Band offered a public preview of their halftime show, “Upward Trajectory,” on Wednesday at the stadium. The show started about 15 minutes ahead of its scheduled 7 p.m. start in an effort to avoid the rain. Several food trucks were stationed in the parking lot during...
Former Westmoreland County probation officer not guilty of official oppression
A former Westmoreland County probation officer was acquitted Wednesday for an alleged threat to jail a man she supervised on house arrest if he broke off their sexual relationship. The seven woman, five man jury deliberated less than one hour before they returned the not guilty verdict to a misdemeanor...
Floral mural created by Export native, touts borough’s historyVideo
There is little doubt that the Westmoreland Heritage Trail has helped reinvigorate downtown Export. Shops along Washington Avenue that once were shuttered have sprung back to life, and projects large and small signal changes to come. Where the trail ends, walkers and cyclists will be treated to the work of...
Greensburg’s Lynch Field site for 2nd annual Back 2 School Jam
Greater Parkview Church’s Back 2 School Jam promises games, food and music for those attending the second annual event this Saturday in Greensburg. With the help of partners and sponsors, the church also plans to distribute more than 260 book bags to local students. That’s double the number of bags...
Greensburg woman charged with ethnic intimidation says 3 men were ‘acting up’
A Greensburg woman is facing charges after authorities said she sprayed three men with a pressure washer Sunday and then referred to them using a racial slur when she called police to report they were “acting up,” according to court papers. Brenda L. Wagner, 53, is charged with ethnic intimidation,...
Westmoreland happenings: Poker run, handbag bingo, reunions
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at 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...
East Huntingdon auto parts stores just one example of clustering effect
Jill Dechicchis knows how convenient it is for Reliable Auto Repair to have a slew of auto parts stores to choose from as mechanics tackle the bustle of their day-to-day business. Located on North Urania Avenue in Greensburg, Reliable is close to several stores, such as O’Reilly, AutoZone and Advance...
Greensburg wants to raze vacant house listed for county tax bureau sale
A dilapidated house on Harrison Avenue in Greensburg might be razed with help from Westmoreland County’s demolition program. The county already has an interest in the property at 447 Harrison, as it is among those listed by the county Tax Claim Bureau for inclusion in a Sept. 12 upset sale...
Franklin Regional to renovate libraries with donation, foundation grantVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School librarian Wade Burtch wants his library to be anything but a static space. “A high school building is already a pretty rigid environment, and one of the things (high school Principal) Ron Suvak and I talked about was making the library a place where students...
Penn Township family to host final clothing drive to benefit K-12 students in Western Pa.
In 2011, Denise Capoccioni gave birth to a stillborn daughter. From something traumatic came a positive, though: Denise and her husband, Greg Capoccioni, an assistant principal at Penn-Trafford High School, began organizing a clothing drive to benefit Western Pa. children in need of back-to-school clothes. The Capoccionis, Penn Township residents,...
1 seriously hurt in crash at interchange of routes 22, 66 in Salem
One person was critically injured in a crash Wednesday morning in Salem that snarled traffic for hours at the interchange of routes 66 and 22. The two-vehicle crash was reported at 6:30 a.m. on Route 66 under the bridge that carries Route 22 over the highway, Forbes Road Fire Chief...
Rostraver landfill owner files plan to evaporate liquid runoff
A Rostraver landfill operator’s plans to heat and evaporate 45,000 gallons of liquid runoff at the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill will be discussed at two public hearings being held by state environmental regulators. The Department of Environmental Protection will take comments about the proposed leachate evaporation system at the landfill off...
Mustached cat from Hunker takes the cake in Meow Mix ads, international cat shows
Smudge the cat might have a mustache and goatee, but don’t be fooled — she’s a girl. The black and white cat from Hunker is well-known in Western Pa. and beyond. She has won titles in international cat shows hosted by the Cat Fanciers’ Association and most recently appeared in...
Pennsylvania Turnpike extends New Stanton ramp repair, overnight traffic stoppages
Westbound motorists planning to exit the Pennsylvania Turnpike at New Stanton can expect delays early on Thursday. Turnpike officials said crews making repairs at the westbound off-ramp will require traffic to halt for two 20-minute periods between 12:01 and 3 a.m. Thursday. Crews began the overnight work early on Wednesday,...
Sewickley Township man guilty of sex assault of teen
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated one hour Tuesday afternoon before convicting a Sewickley Township man of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Steven K. Stemmler, 39, was found guilty of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of a minor after the two-day trial....
