Westmoreland category, Page 377
Police: 17-year-old Unity girl returned home to mother
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...
Former manager of Salem discount store charged in theft of $18K
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...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to homicide charge in 2019 shooting outside McKee Stadium
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....
Summer workshop to teach art, tech skills to Westmoreland high schoolers
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...
Man hurt in Derry Township shooting; suspect arrested
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 board debates whether to hike taxes or cut spending in proposed budget
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...
Giant gas pump, Packard replica on Route 30 reminders of bygone days
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...
Teen injured, houses damaged in North Huntingdon after lightning strike, officials say
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...
Hempfield man pleads guilty in woman’s shooting
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...
Ex-inmate’s lawsuit claims Westmoreland County violated settlement terms, wants $150K
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...
North Huntingdon Army veteran receives Quilt of Valor for service in Germany
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...
Greensburg YWCA panel to discuss messages in Amanda Gorman poetry
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...
Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township will host ‘Paws for Prevention Walk’ for dogs, owners
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...
Hempfield man jailed, accused by police of beating, choking woman
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...
Murrysville man designs ‘Monopoly’-themed road rally course
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...
Primary voter turnout expectations low across Pittsburgh region
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...
New conservation easement protects Loyalhanna headwaters in Cook
A new conservation easement obtained by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has added close to 300 acres in Cook Township to nearly 27,000 acres the nonprofit conservation organization has protected in the Ligonier Valley. The easement covers 289 acres of privately owned forested property along Chestnut Ridge. The property includes more...
Export officials want more communication with nonprofit social-service site
Export officials are hoping to have a clearer line of communication with a nonprofit that operates a house in the borough for individuals with disabilities. Community Living And Support Services (CLASS), a nonprofit whose mission is to “support people with disabilities as they explore options, participate in the community and...
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum pairs food, drink with ‘Artful Evening’
Taking food or drink into a museum gallery is a major taboo. Imagine sticky fingerprints left on a priceless piece of art. Rules were broken Saturday during An Artful Evening at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The event underscored that artwork comes in many forms — whether...
Out & About: Ex-Steeler Craig Wolfley helps Westmoreland Food Bank mark 40 years
Guests at the Westmoreland Food Bank 40th Anniversary Gala expected some good hockey talk from former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Bourque. Instead they got football commentary complete with live replay from Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst and former offensive lineman Craig Wolfley. “You were expecting the Old Two-Niner, you got the fat...
What would a college voucher program mean for students in Pennsylvania?
“Heated budget battles” were raging in Harrisburg last year when state Rep. Eric Nelson stopped by the Hempfield Home Depot. Unexpectedly, he ran into a young man whom he coached in youth football. As Nelson and the former player chatted, the man explained he worked at the home improvement store...
Unity Township renames Lakeside Park after beloved maintenance man Bob Evancho
When Unity Township tax collector Mark Burkardt takes his grandchildren to the newly renamed Bob Evancho Lakeside Park, he hopes his grandchildren will ask who Bob Evancho was. “I’ll be happy to tell them that he was my friend,” Burkardt said. On Saturday, the township supervisors officially dedicated Lakeside Park...
Derry Township man accused of assaulting child
A Derry Township man is charged with assaulting a child. Jordache R. Larrabee, 32, of the village of Torrance, was arrested on multiple charges this week including aggravated assault of a child after state police troopers discovered multiple bruises on a child, according to Trooper Gregory Frank. The child was...
More than 100 volunteers create West Newton Avenue of Flags in preparation for Memorial Day
Volunteers gathered Saturday to raise the West Newton Avenue of Flags at West Newton Cemetery for the Memorial Day holiday. In its 28th year, the Avenue of Flags features 365 full-sized flags, each given by a family member in honor of one or more local veterans who have died. Members...
Level Green cleanup slated for Saturday
The Level Green Lions spring cleanup event, postponed last week because of rain, will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the Penn Township community. Registration will be from 8:30 to 9 a.m. at the Level Green Community Building, Murrysville Road. Roadside cleanup sites will be assigned at...
