Westmoreland category, Page 469
Penn-Trafford, support staff union divided over contract terms, fact-finder’s recommendations
Penn-Trafford School District and a union representing 83 support staffers remain at odds over contract terms after the district rejected recommendations in a fact-finding report. Wages are among the issues where the two sides differ. The Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ contends that its members who are charged with...
Penn-Trafford makes masks optional inside district schoolsVideo
Wearing face masks will be optional this school year for Penn-Trafford students, staff and visitors inside district buildings. The school board adopted its policy Monday after hearing from residents on opposing sides of the issue. Assistant Superintendent Scott Inglese said the district will look into the possibility of seating students...
CDC: Allegheny, Westmoreland counties now considered to have high spread of covid-19
Allegheny, Westmoreland and several surrounding counties now have a high level of covid-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC defines a “high” covid-19 transmission level as more than 100 cases per 100,000 people or a 10% positivity rate in a particular county over seven...
Irwin hires cop, code enforcement officer
Irwin officials recently hired a new police officer, a new code enforcement officer and a new planning and zoning manager. Charles Hume was hired at council’s Aug. 11 meeting as the fulltime planning and zoning manager at a rate of $20.69 an hour, replacing Justin Kachmarek, who left the borough...
Former Unity group home resident pleads guilty in scissors attack
A former resident at a Latrobe-area juvenile group home pleaded guilty Monday to a charge that he slashed a fellow inmate six times with a scissors during a violent confrontation. Omar Hernandez-Vallejo, 18, told a Westmoreland County judge he was defending himself during the Feb. 20 confrontation. “I feel that...
Former Westmoreland deputy sheriff seeks dismissal of sex charges
A former Westmoreland County deputy sheriff wants a judge to dismiss criminal charges alleging that he solicited sex from female inmates during routine prisoner transfers, claiming there is not enough evidence to support the claims. In court documents filed Monday, the lawyer for Daniel Gradischek, 34, of Unity argued that...
Norwin cafeteria workers say proposed pay raise ‘an insult’Video
Norwin School District’s food service workers are upset over the school district’s offer of annual raises of 20-cents per hour during negotiations on a new two-year contract, the union said. “We deserve more than a 2o-cent-an hour rise. That offer is an insult,” cafeteria worker Loni Davis told the Norwin...
Report of Fairfield couple donning stolen ATV gear results in burglary arrests, troopers say
A Fairfield couple recently spotted aboard an all-terrain vehicle while wearing a particular brand of ATV gear that was reported stolen last spring, were questioned and subsequently arrested for burglarizing two area homes. Aaron J. Wisner, 33, and Kayla M. Hritz, 29, were arraigned on two counts each of burglary,...
Jeannette police arrest man clad only in underwear after several block chase
It took under a half an hour and a chase through multiple yards and several city blocks, but Jeannette police finally got their man late Saturday — a partially clad prowler. Joseph D. Lawrence, 27, who is listed as homeless in court documents, was in the county jail after failing...
Turnpike construction worker not hurt in Hempfield hit-and-run
A construction worker was not hurt after a hit-and-run on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Thursday in Hempfield, according to state police. A vehicle traveling west at 4 a.m. at mile marker 76.5 drove into the left lane that was closed for construction, hitting an arrow board directing motorists away from...
Unity’s Victory Brinker, 9, ready to sing in ‘America’s Got Talent’ quarterfinal roundVideo
Victory Brinker could see the iconic “Hollywood” sign from her hotel window. The 9-year-old singing sensation from Westmoreland County was in California prepping for her appearance in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Victory was taking the sights and the situation in stride, said her mother, Christine, in...
Ancestry Day celebrated at Baltzer Meyer Historical SocietyVideo
Members of the Baltzer Meyer Historical Society opened their doors Sunday afternoon for the organization’s Ancestry Day. From noon to 4 p.m. attendees had the opportunity to search the library for free, tour the Harrold No. 8 schoolhouse, view a demonstration of twining rugs and tour the historical society, which...
Greensburg Hose Company’s car cruise draws a crowdVideo
For Brian Hixson, attending the Greensburg Hose Company No. 1’s first car and bike cruise Sunday afternoon had ties back to his father. “My father, he introduced me to the hobby, and I’ve been going to car shows every since,” Hixson said. Hixson was displaying his 1972 Morgan at the...
Bus needs appear set for Westmoreland County school districts — for now
Unlike Pittsburgh Public Schools pumping the brakes on the beginning of the academic year because of a lack of bus drivers, districts across Westmoreland County are full throttle on the transportation front. The Franklin Regional School Board is slated to approve 92 bus drivers from AJ Myers & Sons at...
Jeannette Salvation Army hosts Back-to-School BashVideo
Lola Barton is grateful the Jeannette Salvation Army offers a Back-to-School Bash where families can come and collect items necessary for their children to start the school year. “It’s great because there are so many kids that need stuff and they don’t have it,” said Barton, of Jeannette. “And to...
Butterflies are free: Greensburg Garden Center holds its annual release
There were 200 butterflies released Saturday at the Greensburg Garden Center’s Lefevre Butterfly Garden. The annual butterfly release was free this year, thanks to funding from the Second Chance Fund of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. The event included a marketplace of butterfly-related items and displays of books and...
No injuries reported in Latrobe industry fire that prompted hazmat responseVideo
Employees were evacuated from Carpenter Technology early Saturday morning after a fire broke out in a lab within the Latrobe facility, according to Latrobe fire Chief John Brasile. No injuries were reported during the incident. Firefighters and hazmat teams responded to 2626 Ligonier St. shortly before 9:30 a.m. for reports...
Norwin moves Monday board meeting
The Norwin School Board has changed its meeting site for 6:30 p.m. Monday from the administration board room to the high school auditorium on McMahon Drive. It is anticipated that a number of parents will be at the meeting to debate whether Norwin’s health and safety plan should require students...
Blackburn Center advocates to end sexual, domestic violence through ‘A Call to Men’ athlete program
Through a new partnership with the Greensburg-based Blackburn Center, Rickie Houston is set to speak with athletes at local colleges this fall regarding sexual and domestic violence, as well as mental health. Houston is the director of training for A Call to Men, a national organization that works with men...
Interest in covid rent aid up in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties as eviction ban limps onVideo
The Monday after a nationwide eviction moratorium expired, there were 1,200 voicemails to sift through at Action Housing , the nonprofit administering $80 million in emergency rent relief for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Workers fielded another 1,000 phone calls that day, Aug. 2, said Action’s general counsel, Kyle Webster. They...
Westmoreland hires private company to train new staff in depleted elections office
Westmoreland County will pay a private company $112,000 over the next 18 months to help oversee the next three elections as officials continue efforts to hire a new director and two middle managers in the aftermath of the problem-plagued May primary. Officials said personnel turnover, which included the June firing...
Former Latrobe wrestling coach not guilty in alleged hazing case
Former Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School wrestling coach Cary Lydic was acquitted Friday of charges alleging that he endangered students and failed to report potential child abuse in connection with suspected hazing incidents last year. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger issued the verdict without explanation after...
Jeannette-based gun marketplace website sues Facebook, Instagram over removal
The owner of a Jeannette-based weapons marketing internet site contends he and his company were improperly removed from two social media platforms and suggested his conservative, pro-gun politics were the cause, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County. Armslist LLC and owner Jonathan Gibbon of Jeannette said...
‘Down, not out’: Latrobe’s Dainty Pastry Shoppe looks to rebound from fire likely sparked by lightningVideo
Authorities are speculating a fire Thursday night that gutted much of the Dainty Pastry Shoppe in Latrobe may have resulted from a lightning strike. “We won’t know for sure until we get in there. The State Police Fire Marshal is coming back Monday, but it looks as though the fire...
Greensburg Music Fest plans 20-plus acts on 4 downtown stages
Downtown Greensburg will resound with music of all kinds on Saturday, as more than 20 acts take to four stages during the daylong Greensburg Music Fest. Take it from musician Chris Fafalios, it will be “the best thing to do within hours of Greensburg.” Fafalios and his band, Another Cheetah,...
