Westmoreland category, Page 446
Tricky displays offer treat for those who enjoy the Halloween season
They don’t call it spooky season for nothing. From skeletons to ghosts, and vampires to goblins, front yards across Westmoreland County are filled with creepy-crawlies this time of year. But some folks can’t help but go over the top when it comes to seasonal decorations. The National Retail Federation estimates...
Activists continue to protest gas wells in Penn TownshipVideo
A yearslong battle against fracking in Penn Township continued Thursday when a local environmental group asked the state to deny permits for two unconventional gas wells. Fifteen members of Protect PT protested outside the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s southwest regional office on Washington’s Landing in Pittsburgh. They expressed concerns...
North Huntingdon names acting manager, effective Nov. 1
North Huntingdon commissioners have promoted assistant manager Mike Turley to interim manager when Jeff Silka leaves the job Nov. 1. Turley will also serve as secretary, treasurer and right-to-know officer. Silka’s resignation was approved Wednesday. He submitted his resignation in late September to take a similar position in Cumberland, Md....
Youngwood man accused of taking $50K worth of guns, other items from 2 abandoned houses
A Youngwood man was charged Thursday after state police said he took $50,000 worth of guns, tools, coins and military collectibles from two abandoned houses, according to court papers. George Raymond Weightman III, 43, told investigators he broke into the houses in Adamsburg and Hempfield to fund a drug addiction....
North Huntingdon votes to condemn former Rivertowne Pub building
North Huntingdon officials voted this week to condemn the former Rivertowne Pub & Grille building on Route 30 so it can be demolished, though the saga might not be over. Commissioners voted 6-1 on Wednesday to condemn the closed tavern, following a hearing Oct. 14. The property is owned by...
Ballot in North Irwin remains empty
Serving on North Irwin’s government is a job that apparently none of the small borough’s voters want. Just like in the primary, no one is on the ballot for one of four two-year terms on borough council. Mayor John McIntyre is running for reelection on both the Democratic and Republican...
Poll workers needed in Westmoreland County for Nov. 2 election
Poll workers are needed for the Nov. 2 election in Westmoreland County. Officials said at least three judges of elections and 10 poll worker vacancies remain less than two weeks before the general election. Judges are needed to oversee polling locations in Arnold, Derry and New Kensington, while poll workers...
Greater Latrobe: Note from chiropractor won’t suffice for student mask exemption
Greater Latrobe students who seek a medical exemption from the state mandate requiring masks in schools must provide a valid doctor’s note. District officials told parents this week that an exemption request backed by another type of medical professional, such as a chiropractor, isn’t sufficient. “We’re being consistent with what...
Operation Safe Stop puts spotlight on stopping for school buses
The only misbehavior on the road Wednesday morning during a state police ride-along on a Greater Latrobe school bus was from a deer and three raccoons. No motorists broke the law while Trooper Brandon Boyd was on board, but many of the youngsters catching a ride to school were thrilled...
Incumbent Republican, Libertarian seeking Delmont mayor’s seat
A long-serving mayor will face off against a college student running a third-party candidacy in the November election to decide Delmont’s next mayor. Republican Alyce Urban, 74, a former councilwoman who initially was appointed mayor in 2014 after the departure of former mayor Gill Sanchez, will vie for votes against...
2 square off for Mt. Pleasant Township supervisor
With the retirement of Jack Rutkowski, Mt. Pleasant Township voters will be sending a new face to the three-member board of supervisors this fall for the first time in years. Two longtime township residents, Republican Alyn Hutter and Democrat Bill Pinskey, will square off on the Nov. 2 ballot for...
Westmoreland covid funds sought for proposed $20M Arnold Palmer terminal expansion
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority is seeking a $7 million share of covid relief funding the county has received in order to help with a proposed major expansion of the terminal at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. County officials have said federal restrictions on use of the covid-19 pandemic relief dollars...
Job fair scheduled for open positions at Live! Casino Pittsburgh
Officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall are hosting a job fair next week as they work to fill several open positions. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. Monday at the casino’s recruitment center, located on the first floor of...
Derry man arrested after 15-mile pursuit, troopers say
A Derry man was arrested early Wednesday, accused of leading state troopers on a 15-mile pursuit that went through three municipalities in central Westmoreland County. Robert Z. Kastal, 22, was taken into custody when he pulled into the parking lot at Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High School and surrendered, according...
Westmoreland happenings: kolache sale, card party and marching band championship
Church news • Christ Bearers Unite will sponsor a free online retreat at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 in honor of Judy Huber. There will be a slide show of Judy and pictures of past special needs retreats. The Rev. Larry Kiniry will be the speaker. Access information: Irene Perry, greenthumb103@gmail.com...
New Stanton gives conditional OK for large warehouse project
Ground could be broken next spring on a 1-million-square-foot warehouse project in New Stanton. Borough council this week gave the conditional approval to the land development plan that SunCap Property Group of Charlotte, N.C., had reached with the borough. Among the conditions that SunCap must meet is to obtain all...
Former Greensburg chiropractor sentenced to probation for open lewdness
A former Greensburg chiropractor was ordered Tuesday to serve three years on probation and barred from seeking restoration of his professional license after he pleaded no contest to charges in connection with claims that he had improper contact with four females. Westmoreland County prosecutors amended the criminal charges against Moses...
Children’s bureau caseworker accused of providing privileged information to relative in child welfare probe
A Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau caseworker is charged with illegally accessing privileged information from the state’s anonymous child abuse hotline and providing the identity of a tipster to one of her relatives in Indiana County. County Detective Ray Dupilka on Tuesday obtained an arrest warrant for the worker Rebecca D....
Greensburg Civic Theatre’s ‘Over the Tavern’ digs deep into family, faith
During the idealized Eisenhower era of the 1950s, 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski starts to question his family’s values and the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church to which they belong. That’s the set-up for “Over the Tavern,” the Tom Dudzick play that opens Greensburg Civic Theatre’s 70th season. The production will...
Norwin resident seeks racial sensitivity, diversity training for school staff after students wore Confederate flag clothing
A Norwin resident upset over two high school students wearing Confederate flag clothing last week wants the district to consider instituting training programs for racial sensitivity and diversity inclusion. LaSchalle Armstrong of North Huntingdon asked school officials Monday to consider having the racial sensitivity training for the staff, who are...
Another person sues Westmoreland County, claiming injuries from Giant Slide in Mammoth Park
A woman claims she broke her nose and multiple ribs as well as suffered a concussion along with multiple abrasions and bruises more than a year ago when she became airborne and wiped out after hurtling down a metal racing slide in Mammoth Park. Michelle D. Lynch, who only lists...
Out & About: YWCA Westmoreland fashion show touts ‘Amaizeing’ thrift shop looks
The YWCA Westmoreland County’s annual Girls in Pearls fashion show was subtitled “An Amaizeing Gala.” The name was a nod to the harvest season and to the looks that graced the runway. Held Monday at Rizzo’s Banquet Hall in Crabtree, the 18th annual show featured trendy fashions to be had...
Greater Latrobe drama club preps for in-person performances of ‘Radium Girls’
Student thespians at Greater Latrobe Senior High will take audiences back a century to explore a historic struggle over workplace safety that grabbed headlines in its time but is less well-known today. After last fall’s pandemic-triggered virtual play presentation, the school’s Drama Club is back with an in-person production of...
Hempfield school board member balks at mask scofflaws as opposition to mandate continues
A Hempfield Area School Board member left last week’s in-person meeting and joined virtually after several people in the audience were asked to wear their masks correctly. “I’m not putting up with this,” Jeanne Smith said as she left the Oct. 18 session. She later joined the meeting online. Her...
Shapiro makes campaign stop in Greensburg on ‘Big Fights’ bus tour
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro made a stop in Westmoreland County on Monday evening, the 15th of 18 counties he’ll visit during a six-day bus tour after his announcement last week he is running for governor. Shapiro is calling it the “Big Fights” bus tour, promoting his work exposing decades...
