Westmoreland category, Page 414
Visitation and inmate transfers halted as covid-19 surges through Westmoreland County Prison
Westmoreland County Prison brass on Thursday suspended inmate visits as another surge of covid-19 cases has erupted at the lockup in Hempfield. Warden Bryan Kline said more than 100 inmates have the coronavirus and additional cases are expected once pending test results are reported. The outbreak involves about 20% of...
Norwin library to hold book sale
The Friends of the Norwin Public Library will hold a sale of “gently used materials” from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 2. The proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Norwin Public Library, especially the children’s summer reading program. No electronic scanning devices will be permitted by patrons....
What’s that? John Irwin House holds history of borough
For some who grew up in the Irwin area, the yellow house at the corner of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Irwin may simply be known as the teddy bear shop. While it hosted Ye Olde Teddy Bear Shoppe for 25 years, drawing in children with an easily...
Saint Vincent College exhibits explore art, spirituality, stereotypes
Part of the mission of the Verostko Center for the Arts at Saint Vincent College is to feature work that exists at the nexus of art and spirituality, according to curator Andrew Julo. Two new exhibits, “People of the Book & the Storyboard” and “The Hoods Series,” explore that connection...
Wily ‘coyote’ — or maybe dog — on lam after clawing out of Mt. Pleasant Township shelter
An animal that was undergoing testing to determine whether it is a dog or coyote escaped from the Mt. Pleasant Township wildlife rehabilitation center where it was being treated for mange. Rescuers were searching for the creature Thursday, said wildlife rehabilitator Morgan Barron. Wildlife Works founder, director and senior rehabilitator...
Judge rules that Greensburg police illegally searched sleeping man’s car
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled that police illegally searched a sleeping man’s parked car outside of a Greensburg convenience store. City police had no legal authority to search the vehicle, in which they found drugs, cash and a loaded weapon, without a warrant, Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani...
Schramm’s Penn Township farming equipment to be sold at auction
The Schramm family in Penn Township, which has been farming in Western Pennsylvania for four generations, will not be plowing fields or planting crops this spring for the first time since the nation was torn apart by the Civil War in 1864. While their 300-some acres of land is not...
North Huntingdon official wants to revisit rec center idea
More than 10 years after North Huntingdon voters rejected taking on debt to build a proposed $18 million community recreation center, a township official wants to take another look at the concept. With the change in dynamics and demographics in the township over the past decade, Commissioner Jason Atwood said...
Hempfield boy’s ‘voice’ shows the difference charity Variety is making in children’s lives
Five years ago, Tyler Winfield received a gift that led to the gift of all gifts: his own voice. On Wednesday, the 10-year-old Hempfield boy was on hand at PNC Park to exemplify the life-changing differences being made by Variety, the Children’s Charity. The Pine-based nonprofit in 2017 provided Tyler...
Greensburg man not guilty in shooting at New Kensington police
A Greensburg man was acquitted Wednesday of the attempted murder and assaults of three New Kensington police officers who were shot at as they rode in an unmarked surveillance van during a search for a suspect in an unrelated criminal case two years ago. After nearly three hours of deliberations,...
Dr. Mehmet Oz stumps in Westmoreland County in quest for U.S. SenateVideo
Dr. Mehmet Oz enthralled a room full of potential Westmoreland County voters Wednesday as he works to make his mark in a crowded field of candidates vying to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. The meet-and-greet event, held in a small room at Giannilli’s II in Unity where few attendees...
Medical marijuana dispensary opens near Westmoreland Mall
A new medical marijuana dispensary opened last week in Hempfield and is expected to bring more than 30 jobs to the area, according to the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce. Curaleaf Greensburg is located at 5133 Route 30 in the former Pep Boys location near Westmoreland Mall. “The location was...
Troopers: Fayette County man admitted abandoning SUV, running from scene of 3-vehicle crash in Youngwood
State police allege a Fayette County man abandoned his SUV after a three-vehicle crash on Route 119 that sent one driver to the hospital, according to court documents. Michael J. Norris, 56, of Uniontown, told troopers in a recent interview that he “panicked” after the 10:14 p.m. crash Jan. 4...
Hempfield fugitive found in laundry basket remanded to jail on firearm, drug charges
A Hempfield fugitive who was taken into custody last week after he was discovered hiding in a laundry basket by county sheriff’s deputies was arraigned Thursday on charges of illegal possession of a .44-caliber handgun and drug offenses. Sheriff’s deputies were trying to find William Rettinger, 27, at his home...
Police searching for man suspected in Derry Township hit and run, woman remains hospitalized
State troopers are urging a man to surrender after they charged him Tuesday in connection with a hit-and-run in Derry Township that left a Latrobe woman seriously injured. Trooper Steve Limani said authorities had not been successful Wednesday in locating Bobby Paul Bryer, 30, who might be driving the same...
Newly elected Franklin Regional school board member resigns
The Franklin Regional school board this week unanimously accepted the resignation of recently-seated school director Michael Corcetti, who was not present. He is resigning for personal and family reasons. The board also appointed Vince Azzolina to fill Corcetti’s seat, voting 5-3. Both Azzolina and George App submitted letters of interest....
Westmoreland happenings: bingo, soup sale, cash bash
Fundraisers • St. Barbara Parish, Penn Township, will host its monthly bingo at 6:45 p.m. Feb. 2 at the church, 111 Raymaley Road. Doors open at 5 p.m. Paper packages start at $27. There will be a must-go jackpot and free coffee. The kitchen will be open and the building...
Zoning panel clears way for 2nd group home in Unity
Community Options’ plan to open a second group home for special needs residents in Unity has won approval from the township zoning hearing board. The board voted 3-2 Tuesday to grant a special exception for the home designated for up to two residents on McClellan Drive in the Charter Oak...
Restaurant owner, longtime educator and coach Joseph Jioio dies
Growing up in Latrobe in the 1930s and 1940s, Joseph F. Jioio was immersed in the restaurant business because his parents operated an old-style Italian cafe, according to his daughter, Cheryl Ann Jioio Hollin. So, when he became an adult and worked as a teacher, it was not much of...
Dog or coyote? Animal rescued in Fairfield Township perplexes volunteers
An animal that has perplexed rescuers is being cared for at a Mt. Pleasant Township wildlife rehabilitation center while waiting on DNA results to determine exactly what it is. The four-legged, 37-pound creature is being treated for mange after a Fairfield woman spotted it last week, said Wildlife Works volunteer...
Former student in Jeannette sues school district over sexual abuse
A former student is suing the Jeannette City School District alleging that administrators there were aware that he was being sexually abused by a teacher. The teacher, Maria Chappell, was charged by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office in 2016 with having sex with a student. She pleaded guilty on...
Jury split in verdicts for Norwin teacher, husband in middle school musical case
A Westmoreland County jury acquitted a Norwin Middle School teacher of failure to comply with child protective service laws but found her husband guilty of a similar charge. The jury deliberated more than five hours Tuesday before it rendered its mixed verdict to clear English teacher Tobitha Sasso, 42, of...
Police: Unity brothers’ brawl during morning alcohol run ends in injury, arrest
Two Unity brothers’ early morning run for alcohol led to a brawl during the trip, landing one in a hospital with severe facial injuries and the other in the Westmoreland County Prison charged with aggravated assault and DUI. Steven R. Clem, 29, was arrested just after 3 a.m. Tuesday by...
Latrobe woman accused of taking $28K from Hempfield employer
County detectives arrested a Latrobe woman on Tuesday in connection with a $28,000 theft from the Hempfield trucking and glass recycling firm where she worked last year, according to court papers. Robin M. Poole, 60, paid her personal bills and made checks out to herself by forging the names of...
Hempfield nixes mask requirement, changes school’s covid-19 tracker
Students in Hempfield Area School District identified as close contacts who do not test positive for covid-19 or show symptoms will be permitted to attend in-person classes rather than quarantine, the school board said. The vote Monday was one of several made in a meeting during which board members nixed...
