Westmoreland category, Page 371
Westmoreland Democrats to select new party leaders
Amid voter registration declines and defeats at the polls, Westmoreland County Democrats will pick new leaders this weekend with an eye toward reinvigorating the political party that, two decades ago, held a dominant position in local politics. Current committee chairwoman Tara Yokopenic was elevated to the job in early 2020...
Latrobe-area leaders upbeat about proposed merger of Excela, Butler health systems
Leaders in the Latrobe area expressed optimism about the future of health care in their community after an announcement that the local system of medical providers, Excela Health, is planning to merge with a similar organization in Butler and Clarion counties. Officials with Westmoreland County-based Excela have said the move...
Westmoreland County on pace to finish recount in GOP Senate race on Friday
Westmoreland County election officials said the state-ordered recount of ballots cast in last month’s Republican U.S. Senate primary is on pace to be completed Friday. About 15 county staffers worked 12-hour shifts Wednesday and Thursday to scan the more than 87,000 ballots cast this spring. “The worst-case scenario is we...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials prepare for annual herbicide application
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials will delay applying herbicide to the woods along the trail until after a festival this weekend. “We posted signs last Friday to perhaps do the spraying this week,” said trail president Stan Rudge. “But our maintenance chairman had forgotten about the Trail Towns Festival happening, so...
Westmoreland County doctor trades in his scrubs for potter’s wheel
It’s not that Dr. Francis DeFabo didn’t love medicine — it’s just that he loved making pottery more. The Unity resident retired in November from his gynecology practice with Athena Women’s Care in South Greensburg. On May 26, he opened fdp studio shop in Pleasant Unity. The shop at 2082...
Latrobe’s 1st Humble Rumble to feature vendor show, car cruise bike run
Cars, bikes and more than 80 vendors will crowd Latrobe this Sunday. The city’s first “Humble Rumble” event will kick off at 8 a.m. in the Memorial Stadium parking lot. Hosted by the Westmoreland chapter of Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, the daylong occasion will raise money for the...
Inclusive playground at Hempfield Park to open this weekend
Hempfield officials are debuting their $454,000 inclusive playground this weekend, a milestone that marks the end of the first two phases of the Hempfield Park rehabilitation project. The grand opening is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Hempfield Park, where attendees can get a first look at the playground, which...
Troopers: Maryland woman ran with toddler from 2-vehicle crash on Route 30
A 39-year-old woman ran away from a two-vehicle crash early Wednesday on Route 30 in Unity carrying her toddler, state police said. The woman, Amy M. Bernstein of Hagerstown, Md., was later located and arrested on charges of aggravated assault while drunken driving, child endangerment, hit and run, fleeing the...
Crabtree church social hall temporarily turned into sheriff’s deputy training center
St. Bartholomew Parish’s Marian Hall in the tiny village of Crabtree has been turned into a temporary law enforcement training center through Friday. Some 74 Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department deputies are using the hall for special scenario training by a security expert from Golden Seal Enterprises in Winchester, Va. Karl...
Teen in hot dog costume, another in gas mask prompt lockdown at Hempfield schools
State police suspect the last day of school in Hempfield Area School District may have been the impetus for two bizarre, unrelated incidents that prompted a lockdown of three schools Thursday. Police said a 14-year-old wearing a hot dog costume with his face painted as the Joker, a DC Comics...
Murrysville promotes new police captain, detective-sergeantVideo
Tom Kusinsky has averaged about seven years between promotions at the Murrysville Police Department since joining it in the spring of 2005, working his way up the ranks from a patrolman to his promotion this week as captain and second-in-command of the department. “And now I’ve got about seven years...
Ex-Aquinas Academy teacher claims he was fired over same-sex relationship
A former teacher at Aquinas Academy in Greensburg claimed in a federal lawsuit Wednesday he was fired from his job last year because he is in a same-sex relationship. Kenneth Ference of Unity alleged in his lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg that Maureen Marsteller, the diocese’s superintendent...
Hempfield lawmaker’s bill targets Pitt, Penn State funding
Tuition funding for Pennsylvania students could be turned on its head in the coming years. On Wednesday, State Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, introduced a bill that aims to redirect funds from Pitt, Penn State and Temple University to in-state students at all universities, private colleges, community colleges and technical schools...
Timeline details events surrounding Victor Steban’s crime spree, double homicide
Victor Steban of North Huntingdon on Wednesday admitted to killing a Penn Township couple in May 2021 after shooting at several area homes as part of what investigators say was a retaliation crime spree. The following is a timeline of events. Monday, May 15 • Multiple fire departments respond to...
Irwin: $800,000 needed for major road repairs for housing authority project
Irwin officials were told this week it could cost about $800,000 — money the borough does not have — to repair a section of a road connecting the site of a proposed senior citizen housing project with Route 30. Gibson-Thomas Engineering of Latrobe, the borough’s engineer, prepared the estimate for...
Out & About: Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary hosts scholarship luncheon
Members of the Excela Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary welcomed guests to lunch on Wednesday at the Greensburg Country Club. Seated around tables decorated with gerbera daisies, attendees opted for a meal of chicken Romano, chicken salad or vegetable lasagna. But the event was not just an opportunity to enjoy a good...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to killing Penn Township couple
The man who was brazen enough to gun down their brother and his girlfriend last year refused to even make eye contact with Seth and Zack Erdeljac as they sat in court for his sentencing Wednesday. “Evil does exist in this world, and it is sitting here in the courtroom...
Excela, Butler health systems announce merger, creating region’s 3rd hospital giant
A third Southwestern Pennsylvania health care conglomerate is in the works, as Excela Health and Butler Health System on Wednesday announced an intent to merge. “We believe strongly that our new partnership will extend our intellectual and financial capital,” John Sphon, Excela Health chief executive officer, said in a prepared...
Westmoreland happenings: Strawberry festivals, rummage sale and hat luncheon
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....
New Stanton charity event will benefit Jamie’s Dream Team wish program
When Jamie Ward was in the hospital as a child, she made a point to give gifts brought by family and friends to other patients. Today, she continues this practice through a nonprofit called Jamie’s Dream Team. Ward, 34, of Trafford, was diagnosed with a rare condition called VATER syndrome...
Photo challenge focuses on busy bees and other Pennsylvania pollinators
Like bees to blossoms, photographers who like to focus on details of the natural world were drawn in large numbers to last year’s inaugural Pollinator Photo Challenge. Presented by Laughlintown’s Penguin Court nature preserve and the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, the photo contest that is centered on images of bees, butterflies...
Natalie Carbone Mangini was trailblazing scientist, restaurateur
Natalie Carbone Mangini spent her life as a trailblazer, continually opening new doors for women in science while wearing the hats of mother and restaurateur. In 93 years, Mangini shattered the glass ceiling when she became the first woman scientist employed at the Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Division, raised four...
Write-in candidate wins Democratic primary to run for 55th District state House seat
A retired corporate executive has won the Democratic primary to run for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives seat in the 55th District. Westmoreland County elections officials Tuesday issued a precertification of results from the May primary that included more than 600 write-in votes for Scott Gauss of Murrysville in...
Greensburg woman resentenced for 2010 torture killing of mentally disabled victim
The youngest member of a group of six Greensburg roommates convicted for the 2010 torture slaying of a mentally disabled woman will be eligible for parole at the age of 78 under a new sentence imposed Tuesday. Angela Marinucci, now 29, was resentenced to a term of 60 years to...
TSA catches 2 guns at Pittsburgh International over holiday weekend, 1 carried by employee
An employee at Pittsburgh International Airport is charged with carrying a firearm without a license after security officials found him with a loaded handgun, according to Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. Court records identified the man as Damien Wright, of Wellsville, Ohio. Farbstein said he is an airplane cabin...
