Westmoreland category, Page 444
Six candidates compete for 4 open seats on Murrysville council
The six candidates competing for four open seats on Murrysville council in the Nov. 2 election have a wide range of goals if elected and concerns about current council officials potentially raising taxes for the first time since 2007. “The biggest issue facing Murrysville is its ability to effectively balance...
Latrobe police locate missing man
Latrobe police have canceled a missing person alert issued early Wednesday. Daniel Jacobs, 69, has been located, police posted to social media. He is safe and in good health, police said. Officers thanked the public for its help. Jacobs had last been seen walking in the city on Oct. 14....
Exotic dancer sues 2 Westmoreland adult clubs, claiming employment law violations
A North Huntingdon exotic dancer wants a local adult night club to pay her more than $58,000 in back wages and damages she says she is owed because the club misclassified her employment status. Deanna Betras, 41, alleges the owners of the former The Filly Corral in South Huntingdon —...
Greensburg woman’s appeal rejected in drug delivery resulting in death case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Greensburg woman who was sentenced to serve a 14-year prison term for the sale of heroin that caused the fatal overdose of a woman last year. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 35, sought to rescind her guilty plea and contended she...
Lawsuit: FedEx truck driver’s headphones may have contributed to deadly 2020 Pa. Turnpike crash involving tour bus
If a FedEx truck driver hadn’t been wearing noise-canceling headphones, he might have avoided crashing into an overturned tour bus in January 2020 as part of a Pennsylvania Turnpike wreck that killed five people and injured 14 in Westmoreland County, according to a civil lawsuit. The complaint, filed in Philadelphia...
Appearing on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show a dream for chef at Hempfield’s IronRock Tap HouseVideo
Arnold Ivey’s decadeslong dream of competing on a culinary television show will come to fruition this week when “Guy’s Grocery Games” airs on Food Network. The 42-year-old executive chef at IronRock Tap House in Hempfield will appear alongside two other chefs on Wednesday’s episode “ABC Mania,” considered one of the...
Police: Youngwood man ‘forgot’ cocaine baggies in sock when booked into county jail
A Youngwood man told police he forgot he had two baggies of cocaine in his sock as he was being processed this month at Westmoreland County Prison, police said. When George R. Weightman III, 43, was picked up Oct. 9 on an arrest warrant for theft, a jail guard found...
Where have all the students gone?: Western Pa. colleges struggle with declining enrollment
Colleges across the region, ranging from the University of Pittsburgh to local community colleges, are mirroring troubling national trends in enrollment. In a development experts say could lead to gaps in the workforce and affect the nation’s economic health for years to come, college enrollment is down overall for the...
Latrobe fire department study suggests closing stations, changing chief selection process
Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department could find itself with two fewer companies, dropping from five to three, if city officials implement recommendations of a new study. The reduction is necessary to eliminate redundant equipment and help the department become “sustainable for as long as possible,” said Nick Sohyda, chief of the...
Hempfield Supervisor John Silvis appointed to 2-year term on board
A vacant seat on the Hempfield Board of Supervisors will be filled by John Silvis, a current board member whose term was set to expire in December. Supervisors during Monday’s meeting unanimously voted to appoint Silvis to the two-year position that was left vacant after former Supervisor Rob Ritson resigned...
82-year-old man killed in South Huntingdon crash
An 82-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening in South Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha. John W. Labasky Jr., of Sewickley Township, was pronounced dead at Excela Health Frick Hospital, Bacha said. According to a coroner’s report, Labasky was driving west on Stants Road...
Pa. Rep. Nelson, parents file suit against 4 Westmoreland school districts over mask mandate
A group of parents, along with state Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, filed a lawsuit against several local school districts alleging the state-issued mask mandate is unconstitutional. The suit was filed in Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas against Hempfield Area, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area school districts by a group of...
What can be done about police officer shortage?
Continued difficulty in hiring police officers is driving conversations among police chiefs and departments across the region in hopes of a solution to their staffing problems. A roundtable discussion Monday in Latrobe broached using state money for sign-up bonuses and to pay for training and certification courses, Latrobe police Chief...
Westmoreland jail moves to in-house covid-19 shots
Covid-19 vaccinations will soon be administered in-house to inmates at Westmoreland County Prison. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday that the jail’s medical provider has been granted permission to administer shots, a move local officials hope will increase the vaccination rate at the Hempfield lockup. “Vaccinations will be offered to all...
Tablets for all at Westmoreland County Prison
Every inmate at Westmoreland County Prison will have access to new tablets on which they can conduct video visits, make calls or watch movies. Westmoreland Commissioners on Monday approved a new contract extension with the private company that provides communication services to the jail that officials said will generate more...
Former Jeannette man returns to court to appeal conviction for house fire that killed wife, sons
A former Jeannette man serving three consecutive life sentences in connection with the 1993 deaths of his wife and two young children in a house fire appeared Monday in a Westmoreland County courtroom as part of his ongoing appeal. James C. Young, 54, has maintained since his 1995 trial that...
Minor crash landing temporarily closes runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
The main runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity was closed for over an hour Monday after a small airplane crash landed after its landing gear failed to deploy. The accident occurred at 1 p.m. Airport emergency vehicles and area fire vehicles were still on the scene at 2:20...
Fayette priest pleads no contest to sexually assaulting altar boy; Greensburg bishop working to remove him from priesthood
A Fayette County priest pleaded no contest Monday to charges of repeatedly assaulting an altar boy over three years at a parish in Fairchance, according to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Rev. Andrew M. Kawecki, 66, entered his plea to one count of indecent assault. Judge Linda Cordova is expected...
Driver hurt after pickup slams into New Stanton chiropractic center porch
A man was taken to the hospital Monday after crashing into the New Stanton Chiropractic Center. New Stanton Fire Second Lt. Craig Bromke said the driver of a pickup truck was taken from the scene by ambulance. The truck slammed into the front of the building on West Pennsylvania Avenue...
Penn Township Ambulance offers free car seat safety inspections
Penn Township Ambulance will offer free car seat safety inspections Monday. The event will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the station, 1030 Sandy Hill Road, Irwin. Parents/caregivers can have their car seat reviewed to make sure it is the safest selection for a child’s age and weight and...
Jeannette officials ink agreement with MAWC to address flooding issues
Jeannette officials have approved agreements with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, permitting work to dig up a sports field in exchange for addressing flooding issues in about a dozen homes. The $11 million project, approved in 2019, is expected to start sometime in 2022 and last about a year....
Peck seeks to fight off Ziccarelli challenge in Westmoreland district attorney race
For the first time in a quarter century, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck has a race on his hands. Republican Nicole Ziccarelli, fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid for state Senate last fall, insists it’s time to change leadership in the county prosecutor’s office. “I respect the...
After one-year hiatus, ‘witches’ return to Ligonier
Bicycles, buses and maybe even brooms were the preferred mode of transportation Sunday in Ligonier, as more than 1,200 “witches” from the region gathered for the town’s fifth annual Witches Bike Brigade event. Since it was created as a pre-Halloween event for women in 2016, the daylong festival offers a...
Westmoreland County sheriff takes dispute over inmate medical transports to court
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert is taking a dispute with the county’s prison board to common pleas court. The sheriff and the prison board are sparring over a requirement that sheriff’s deputies transport sick inmates to and from the county jail for medical treatment. In a lawsuit filed Friday, Albert...
Hempfield looking to staffing and incentive programs for fire department
In an effort to avoid actually hiring a firefighter, Hempfield officials want to offer money to spur volunteers to respond to emergencies and regularly report to fire stations. The goal of the staffing and incentive programs is to bolster responses from volunteers and avoid a potential morale sting of bringing...
