Westmoreland category, Page 386
Greensburg woman testifies former boyfriend recorded video of sex acts with young child
A Greensburg woman testified Wednesday both she and her former boyfriend had sexual relations with a 5-year-old boy and recorded a video of at least one of the sessions. That testimony came during the first day in the rape trial of Charles Jason Hunter, who police claim participated in sexual...
Troopers say Donegal Township man sexually assaulted mentally challenged person
An 80-year-old Donegal Township man was arrested Tuesday by state police after he was accused of sexually assaulted a mentally challenged person on Sunday. Ronald W. Kern was ordered held in the county jail without bail after being arraigned on charges of aggravated indecent assault, aggravated indecent assault of a...
News of Steelers’ return to Saint Vincent given immaculate reception
Briana Tomack’s phone was ringing nonstop Wednesday during her workday as president of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. Many fellow Steelers fans were calling her to celebrate the good news that the NFL team will be back in town this summer. The Steelers announced they will be...
Arona man accused by troopers of DUI in fatal 2021 crash in Hempfield
State police on Wednesday arrested a 54-year-old man on charges of drunken driving and homicide by vehicle for allegedly causing a 2021 crash along Route 136 in Hempfield that killed a woman. A forensic test on Ronald A. Jaffre of Arona indicated he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14% at...
Westmoreland Museum invites young artists back to on-site summer camps
In-person children’s art camps are returning this summer to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art after a pandemic hiatus, with new offerings including one that can be enjoyed on the spur of the moment. New this year, the Greensburg facility will host Drop-In Day Camps from Aug. 10-12 for children...
Steelers announce return to Saint Vincent College for training camp after 2-year absence
Shoulder pads will be popping, footballs will be flinging and fans will be packing the hillside at Saint Vincent College again this summer. After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to the Unity campus to conduct training camp this year, the team announced Wednesday....
Hempfield Clean-Up Day set for April 23
Hempfield residents wanting to dispose of tires, household trash and scrap metal soon will have the chance to do so during a cleanup day this month. Scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon April 23, Hempfield Clean-Up Day will provide two locations across the township — the municipal building, 1132 Woodward...
Jeannette man surrenders after 11-hour standoff with police
A Jeannette man surrendered Wednesday morning after an 11-hour standoff that police said began when Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies attempted to serve him with a protection-from-abuse order. Sheriff James Albert said the order directed deputies to evict Jesse McCurdy, 49, from his home on Good Street. They were also authorized...
Hempfield recycler salvages old electronics; firm donates laptops to shelter
In a 44,000-square-foot warehouse behind a small Hempfield office are several large rooms filled with boxes and boxes containing thousands of pieces of used electronics — once the lifeblood of the modern computerized office. CyberCrunch LLC has literally tons of old laptops, desktop computers, keyboards, mice, televisions, hard drives, desk...
St. Vincent policy reins in speakers, approval process needed
Responding to the controversy over a conservative speaker’s comments about race and privilege, Saint Vincent College has unveiled a new policy requiring all speakers sponsored by its academic centers to be approved by the college president and top leadership. “The hurtful, divisive statements were a stark contrast to our mission,”...
Torrance patient pleads guilty to aggravated indecent assault, gets prison time
A longtime resident at Torrance State Hospital told police he raped a fellow patient last year as a means to leave the Derry Township facility, where he has lived since 2010. His plan succeeded, in part, this week after a Westmoreland County judge ordered Keith L. Saltonstall to serve up...
Plant sales at Penguin Court, Compass Inn feature pollinator-friendly native species
Native plants added to area gardens and flower beds tend to require minimal maintenance, and they help support pollinators such as birds, bees and butterflies. A number of varieties of these plants indigenous to Pennsylvania and surrounding states are grown each year at Laughlintown’s Penguin Court preserve and will be...
Seton Hill theater production explores ancestry and the African diaspora
Seton Hill University Theatre will present the Pittsburgh-area premiere of “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea,” a 2014 play by Nathan Alan Davis that explores what ancestry means to people of color, specifically those whose African ancestors were taken into slavery. Curtain times will be 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and...
Murrysville squirt gun ‘assassin’ game results in multiple police responses
A teen squirt gun game has resulted in several calls to Murrysville police in the past week. The “FR Assassins” game, which has its own Twitter feed, involves teens “eliminating” one another by ambushing a randomly chosen participant with a squirt gun. A video on the group’s Twitter page shows...
Tip to Westmoreland prison staff results in drug smuggling charge for inmate
County detectives arrested Westmoreland County Prison inmate suspected of smuggling Suboxone into the Hempfield lockup after someone dropped an anonymous tip in a suggestion box. Jamie Rayques Espy, 33, is charged with three felony counts of manufacturing, delivery and possession of a controlled substance, conspiracy to smuggle a controlled substance...
Westmoreland happenings: Church services, meetings, more
Art • The Greensburg Art Center will host the free exhibit “Art Neighbors,” featuring the works of members of the Latrobe and Greensburg art centers, Saturday to June 11 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. A free opening reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Gallery...
Hempfield Night Out community event to honor police, first responders this summer
Officials across Hempfield are gearing up to take part in a national campaign aimed at honoring law enforcement officers and first responders. Hempfield Night Out — a community event modeled after National Night Out, which works to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement — is scheduled for August....
Environmental group to hold meeting on proposed expansion of Yukon waste facility
An industrial waste treatment and storage company’s plans to add a million tons of capacity at its Yukon landfill will be explored during a public meeting Thursday in the South Huntingdon community. The Mountain Watershed Association wants to inform residents about Max Environmental Technologies Inc.’s plans for a new storage...
Norwin School Board approves policy that guides teaching of controversial issues
Norwin School Board on Monday approved guidelines for instructing students on controversial issues, including race relations, by employing what the district termed a balanced approach to presenting those issues, without inserting opinions or indoctrinating students to a particular viewpoint. The initiative to develop a policy on teaching controversial issues such...
Unity couple’s retrial delayed over dispute with lawyer
A retrial of a Unity couple convicted in 2018 was delayed after one of the defense lawyers withdrew from the case. Jury selection was to begin Monday in the case against Bruce Palmer, 37, and wife, Marie Ann Farabaugh Palmer, 43, whose convictions were later overturned. Prosecutors claim Bruce Palmer...
Derry Township man pleads guilty in 2018 crash that injured motorcyclist
A Derry Township man pleaded guilty Monday to being under the influence of marijuana and causing a crash that severely injured a motorcyclist more than three years ago. Orrin W. Burbank, 42, was charged last summer with aggravated assault with a vehicle and driving under the influence in connection with...
Jury seated in retrial of Allegheny Township man accused of multiple rapes
A Westmoreland County jury was seated Monday to hear evidence in the retrial of an Allegheny Township man accused of the rape and sexual assault of six women. Prosecutors claim Eric Wright, 50, was a serial rapist who committed crimes for nearly two decades. Originally charged with more than 50...
Woman accused by police of DUI in 3-vehicle crash that injured 7 in North Huntingdon
A North Versailles woman was arrested Monday by North Huntingdon police on multiple charges of DUI and aggravated assault by vehicle for causing a March 8 crash on Route 30 that sent seven people to the hospital, according to court documents. Police allege the driver of a 2017 silver Chevrolet...
Hempfield officials want to hear from residents in survey
Hempfield officials are seeking public input as they work to update their 16-year-old comprehensive plan. Township leaders have opened an online survey asking residents what issues they think are most important, what type of development they would like to see, what they think is the quality of life compared to...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed on $250K bond after accused by troopers of firing handgun at car
State police arrested a 25-year-old Mt. Pleasant man on accusations of firing a handgun at a car that drove past a friend’s home over the weekend, according to court documents. Joshua Scott Lucot was ordered held in the county prison on $250,000 bond after the incident at 2 a.m. Saturday...
