Westmoreland category, Page 415
State police: Reports about Easter Bunny at Westmoreland Mall determined to be false
State police over the weekend investigated a report of inappropriate behavior involving the person playing the Easter Bunny at Westmoreland Mall and determined it to be false, according to Trooper Steve Limani. Parents of two teen girls on Saturday reported the situation to police, but the girls later said it...
Westmoreland’s clout in Harrisburg cut through redistricting
For the past decade, state Rep. George Dunbar’s 56th District local office has operated in a building just south of Clay Pike, near the Circleville Volunteer Fire Hall in North Huntingdon. For a while last week it was unclear whether the veteran state lawmaker would be able keep his office...
Chattanooga’s tourney appearance turns out to be Klimchock family affair
As Laura Klimchock left the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh Friday afternoon with her father, Rick, she told him she felt sick. The No. 13-seeded University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, coached by Laura’s longtime boyfriend, Lamont Paris, was about to take on heavily favored No. 4 seed Illinois in a first-round...
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick greets potential voters in Murrysville
David Painter pushed back from his table at North Park Lounge in Murrysville satisfied. He had just spent about an hour listening to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick as he addressed several dozen people in a private room, talking about his qualifications and what separates him from the rest...
Former Westmoreland deputy sheriff pleads guilty to sex crime; sentenced to probation
A former Westmoreland County deputy sheriff pleaded guilty Friday to charges he bribed female inmates with tobacco products in return for sexual favors. Daniel Aaron Gradischek, 34, of Unity, was charged in late 2019 with five counts alleging that over a 10-year period he used his position as a deputy...
State aid combats sexual assault, harassment by raising awareness
State-funded programs to combat sexual harassment and violence on campus through education is paying dividends, state education officials were told Friday at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. The programs are raising awareness through plays, speakers, activities, workshops and frank discussions, according to Seton Hill officials. In a 45-minute roundtable discussion,...
‘God & Cod’: Community Church of Harrison City hosts 1st Lenten fish fry in 3 years
The fully outfitted fisherman standing along Route 130 — replete with coat, boots, hat and a three-foot long artificial cod dangling from a fishing pole — was the first sign that the traditional Friday Lenten fish fry had returned to the Community Church of Harrison City after a three-year hiatus....
Former Westmoreland deputy sheriff pleads guilty to sex crime; sentenced to probation term
A former Westmoreland County deputy sheriff pleaded guilty Friday to charges he bribed female inmates with tobacco products in return for sexual favors. Daniel Aaron Gradischek, 34, of Unity, was charged in late 2019 with five criminal counts alleging that over a 10-year period he used his position as a...
Murrysville GOP organizer will challenge Silvis in 55th District
A Murrysville political organizer will challenge fellow Republican and state Rep. Jason Silvis in the May primary election for the newly shaped 55th District. Jill Cooper of Murrysville been active in local politics for more than a decade, working as part of the Murrysville Export Republican Committee and serving as...
Carla Sands returns to her roots, speaks to Hempfield students as she stumps to be GOP’s Senate candidate
Carla Sands, former President Trump’s ambassador to Denmark who is vying for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat, took her campaign to a local high school Thursday where she pitched her views to a group of seniors while digging into her Westmoreland County ties. Speaking to a class of about 100...
Murrysville teen heads to eastern regional skiing championships in Vermont
The competition generated by sibling rivalry means that following in your big brother’s or sister’s footsteps isn’t always appealing. But for Becket Pottinger of Murrysville, whose older siblings were both competitive skiers, it’s motivation. “Watching the way they ski, hearing the advice they’ve been given, plus going to almost all...
Herman’s Hermits, Buckinghams bringing something good to The PalaceVideo
Peter Noone has been into something good since he was 15 in 1963, when he became the face and voice of the British Invasion band Herman’s Hermits. For Carl Giammarese, the same thing happened in 1965, when he joined the pop group The Buckinghams at age 18. A lot has...
Bonuses approved for Westmoreland 911 call takers
Westmoreland County will use cash in an attempt bolster its roster of 911 dispatchers and call-takers. Commissioners have agreed to a $486,000 financial package to award raises to dozens of county employees in multiple departments and award bonuses to 911 staffers, as well as new hires. “This is a public...
American wagyu proves popular with Crabtree butcher, though some have beef with price
Gary Bardine isn’t into social-media commenter flame wars. The fourth-generation butcher at Bardine’s Country Smokehouse in Crabtree is into good, quality food — even if it generates a few negative comments on his Facebook page. “I brought some American wagyu in as a gift for my brother,” Bardine said. “He...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: March 18-20
Musical comedy workshop “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: A Murderous Musical Comedy” will be staged at 7 p.m. Friday and Sunday in the Johnson Rehearsal Hall of the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m. The two-evening event is a developmental workshop...
Day of Caring event at Hempfield Manor advocates for increased nursing home funding in Pa.
This story was updated March 18, 2022, to correct Hempfield Manor’s ownership information. Since March 2020, long-term health care workers have been sick more, battled stress and fought fatigue because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pennsylvania Health Care Association hosted a “Day of Caring” Thursday at Hempfield Manor to mark...
Appeal rejected in 2013 Donegal Township murder case
A Westmoreland County judge this week rejected the appeal of a Washington County man serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of his father-in-law in Donegal Township. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, in a 12-page opinion, ruled there was no evidence to support claims made by Michael Martin...
March Madness delivers on the court and at Western Pennsylvania casinos, sportsbooks
After weeks of tying up loose ends on carefully crafted brackets, Western Pennsylvanians joined millions of Americans putting their March Madness predictions to the test in a wave that will eclipse Super Bowl LVI’s record-breaking number of bettors. Predictions are that 45 million people will wager a combined $3.1 billion...
Latrobe invests $231K to repair waste compactor, looks to improve parking garage
Latrobe Council this week awarded a $231,000 bid for repairing a compactor at the city’s solid waste transfer station — and the sooner the work is done, the better. The city is seeking additional bids for improvements in and around its municipal parking garage. The aging compactor, which is used...
Report of Derry Township man shooting gun leads to drug, firearm arrest
State police investigating a Derry Township man for firing a handgun off his back porch Wednesday later arrested him after troopers said they seized 17 handguns, rifles and shotguns along with more than a half pound of suspected cocaine and $30,000 cash found inside his home. Anthony “JR” Desport, 33,...
Police allege Greensburg man burned down Hempfield house to mask coin theft
A Greensburg man jailed since January, accused of burglary and criminal trespass in the break-in of a Hempfield home to steal silver coins, was charged Thursday with burning down the house. Randy W. Bryner, 58, of Greensburg is charged with arson and reckless endangerment. State police fire marshals also charged...
Rental assistance grants lag in Westmoreland County; $28 million available to help
Westmoreland County has millions of dollars at the ready to help residents pay their back rent and bills, with much of that cash yet to be spent. The county has received another nearly $3.4 million from the state to bolster the ongoing rental assistance program authorized through federal coronavirus relief...
Debate continues about teaching ‘Persepolis’ at Franklin Regional schools
Franklin Regional School Board members, administrators and parents on Wednesday continued their discussion about the district’s decision to pause the teaching of “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel, in the ninth grade honors English class. District officials said earlier this month that the school board’s curriculum committee wanted to make...
Former Westmoreland sheriff Jon Held pleads guilty to theft charge, gets probation
Jonathan Held, the former Westmoreland County sheriff once tried by state prosecutors in a public corruption case, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor theft charge. A judge sentenced him to serve six months on probation. Held, 48, formerly of Hempfield, lives in Cape Coral, Fla. As part of his plea...
Greensburg to buy new K9 unit, 32 handguns for police department
The Greensburg Police Department is gearing up to replace several pieces of equipment over the next few months. Council members approved the purchase of a 2022 Ford Interceptor for use by the department’s K-9 unit. They also approved the purchase of 32 Glock 9 mm handguns. Both purchases will be...
