Westmoreland category, Page 426
Blighted old brewery complex in Jeannette the ‘last big piece’ to city’s rebuild
Bob and Lola Barton see the decrepit remains of the former Fort Pitt Brewery every time they leave home. The West Jeannette couple said the crumbling, red-brick complex attracts rodents and troublemaking kids who have thrown rocks from the roof. The Bartons have lived on 11th Street for about 25...
Trolleys were mass transit mainstays in Westmoreland Co. for half-century
Many Westmoreland County residents rely on public buses to get around. Electric-powered trolleys — or streetcars — previously provided that function from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. “Greensburg was one of the earliest communities to have this innovative form of mass transport,” Robert Van Atta noted in...
County, local officials set sights on blight in Greensburg, Latrobe and Monessen
Of the more than 15,000 properties across Greensburg, Latrobe and Monessen, 516 — nearly 3.5% — are blighted, an inventory conducted by county officials found. The data is the result of a partnership between each city and Westmoreland County to provide a detailed look at individual properties within each planning...
Former Westmoreland County judge David Regoli remembered as passionate, friendly, fair
David A. Regoli was in his mid-20s and fresh out of law school when he took on Frank Woiewodski as one of his first civil clients. The pair had met while lifting weights at the then-Powerhouse Gym in the Parnassus section of New Kensington. Right away, Woiewodski was struck by...
Wreaths Across America effort expands through Westmoreland County
Vietnam veteran Tim Brennan was among the few dozen volunteers who turned out on Dec. 19, 2020 — after a blizzard dumped 9 inches of snow on the region — to lay wreaths on 660 veteran grave sites in two Jeannette cemeteries in the inaugural Wreaths Across America event held...
Truck driver killed in crash on Route 22 in Salem, coroner says
A 32-year-old Fayette County man was killed Friday in a two-vehicle collision along Route 22 in Salem Township, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Ian C. Praster Sr. of Brownsville was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred just before 7 a.m. at the intersection of...
Family displaced, 1 injury reported in Jeannette blaze
One person was injured and a Jeannette family was displaced after a fire extensively damaged one side of a duplex early Saturday, according to city firefighters. Jeannette Fire Chief William Frye said the fire was reported about 2 a.m. at 317 S. Fifth St. “There was an adult resident who...
Houses planned for part of Kerber farm in Irwin
A North Huntingdon developer is preparing the Kerber farm along Guffey Road for about 60 single-family homes. Knights Landing Inc., a RWS Development company, bought 52 acres of the 65.2-acre farm from Thomas and Ellen Kerber for $1 million in late September. The Kerbers will retain the portion of land...
Shetler hearing continued; injured deputy unable to testify
A New Florence man accused of injuring a Westmoreland County deputy sheriff when he was arrested earlier this month had his court hearing continued until Jan. 7 because the deputy sheriff is recovering from “serious bodily injuries” he allegedly sustained during a fight with the suspect, a prosecutor said Friday....
Westmoreland County Transit Authority union rejects covid vaccine incentive
Leadership of the union that represents Westmoreland County Transit Authority fixed-route bus drivers and mechanics said Friday a proposal to offer additional sick leave to vaccinated employees who test positive for the coronavirus is not fair and won’t present the plan to its members. Dave Conley, president of the Amalgamated...
Greensburg tax hike to offset losses from parking garage demolition
Greensburg residents will see an additional 1-mill charge next year, and city officials will borrow $1 million as they look for ways to bolster funds dedicated to public safety that traditionally came from the J. Edward Hutchinson Parking Garage, which is slated for demolition. The charge and loan were part...
Manor man to serve up to 14 years in prison for drug sales in fatal overdoses
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said he struggled with just how much blame to assign to a man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to selling the drugs used in the fatal overdoses of two men in 2017. “This is a scourge that is destroying our society,...
Judge rejects appeal of New Stanton teen convicted in murders of mother, brother
The former New Stanton teenager who claimed he was under the influence of an alternate personality that made him kill his mother and younger brother more than five years ago told a Westmoreland County judge he hasn’t received proper mental health treatment as he serves a prison sentence of 30...
New Florence club collecting donations to help people in Kentucky impacted by tornadoes
When Susan Buckles decided to host a collection drive to help those impacted by devastating tornadoes that tore through Kentucky and the Midwest last week, she never expected such a large response. “I know we live in a great area,” said Buckles, secretary of the Squirrel Hill Hunting Club in...
‘Mr. Mt. Pleasant’ Gerald Lucia, longtime mayor and fire chief, dies unexpectedly
There wasn’t much in Mt. Pleasant that didn’t bear Jerry Lucia’s fingerprints. Some say he was the lifeblood of the small town at the foot of the Laurel Highlands. Gerald Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief, died unexpectedly Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in his home. He was...
Franklin Regional multimedia students prepare for 2nd year of ‘Holiday Showcase’ with some live aspectsVideo
Franklin Regional senior Anthony DeFilippo is looking forward to getting back behind the microphone at this year’s Holiday Showcase, which will take the place of the annual telethon for the second year in a row, albeit with a bit more creative freedom than last year. “This year, it will be...
1 person flown by medical helicopter, another taken by ambulance after Salem Township crash
One person was flown by medical helicopter to an area hospital and another taken by ambulance after a crash Friday morning in Salem Township, a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said. Crews responded to the intersection of Route 22 and East Pittsburgh Street around 7 a.m. for reports of the crash involving...
Commissioners halt reading of emailed comments during public meetings
Time is an asset Westmoreland County commissioners said they can no longer waste. Starting next year, commissioners will save some of it by no longer listening to emailed comments at the start of each public meeting. “It is time constraints, and we do have back-to-back meetings,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher...
Westmoreland commissioners trim deficit in 2022 budget, which overspends but won’t raise taxes
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a 2022 budget that increases spending but also trims a projected deficit by nearly $7 million. The property tax rate will remain unchanged at 21.49 mills. “Overall, we are financially looking solid as we move forward into the next two years,” Commissioner Sean Kertes...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Dec. 17-19
‘Does Someone Need a Hug?’ “Elf the Musical” comes to the stage of the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, courtesy of Actors and Artists of Fayette County. A Sunday matinee is sold out. Based on the 2003 movie starring...
MAWC water rates unchanged in new budget set for approval in January
Water rates for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers are expected to remain unchanged during the 2022-23 fiscal year. A preliminary budget unveiled this week calls for the authority to retain its rate structure even as inflation has raised the costs associated with routine repairs and other upgrades planned for...
Controller blasts Westmoreland commissioners over rejection of pay raise proposal
Westmoreland Controller Jeff Balzer called a vote by county commissioners Thursday to reject proposed raises for three of his office supervisors “incompetent or political.” For the second time this year, Commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher voted down a request from the controller to increase the pay of three...
New York Times honors The Westmoreland with best art book choice
The catalogue for “Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee,” currently showing in The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, has made the list of The New York Times Best Art Books of 2021. The 240-page, fully illustrated, full-color hardback catalogue includes an essay by The Westmoreland’s chief curator...
Murrysville adopts 2022 budget, enacts 1st tax increase since 2007
It wasn’t a property tax increase, but Murrysville officials adopted a $9.5 million 2022 budget this week that includes the municipality’s first tax hike of any kind since 2007. The budget includes a projected $1.6 million in additional revenue by way of a bump in the municipality’s share of the...
North Huntingdon OKs 2022 budget, holds line on taxes
North Huntingdon property owners will not pay any additional township real estate taxes next year under a final budget adopted by commissioners this week. Commissioners approved a $14.62 million general fund budget, an increase of about $720,000 from the 2021 budget, while holding the line on taxes at 11.55 mills....
