Westmoreland category, Page 481
Irwin cops take turn as baristas
The owner of a boutique bakery in Irwin and borough police participated in a fundraiser with a caffeinated kick on Thursday. Caroline Lewis, owner of the Cheesecake Caffe on Main Street, sponsored a cleverly-named “Lattes With Law Enforcement” three-hour event, where officers donned aprons over their police uniforms to make...
Latrobe police say neighbors’ complaints led to drug arrests
Multiple complaints this month over an influx of pedestrian and vehicle traffic at a Latrobe home resulted in the arrests of a couple Thursday by city police on charges of trafficking cocaine and heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. William E. Schall, 34, and Bobbi Rae Ragazzini, 26, who live...
Norwin GOP fills vacancy on school board ticket
Norwin area Republican committee members selected a replacement for the candidate who withdrew from the GOP ticket for the school board election in November, snubbing the school board president who also sought the nomination. Shawna Ilagan of North Huntingdon beat fellow Republicans Dorey Stabile McCarron and Norwin School Board president...
Former Excela nurse accused of stealing pain pills from patients
A former nurse at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg was arrested this week by the state Attorney General’s office on accusations of stealing prescription painkillers from patients over a five-month period in 2020, according to court papers. Joel M. Gazal, 34, of North Versailles, was arraigned on two counts...
9-year-old ‘America’s Got Talent’ opera singer from Unity honored by Westmoreland commissionersVideo
Unity’s Victory Brinker might have been on a bigger stage last week when she wowed the judges during her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” But her smile was nearly as wide this week during an appearance at the Westmoreland County Courthouse when she was honored for her performance, which pushed...
Greensburg church members walk streets to pray for city’s needsVideo
At LifeSpring Christian Church in downtown Greensburg, Pastor Dale Adams and his congregation are on a journey to develop deeper prayer lives — and to bless the city in the process. The journey is not just spiritual, it’s also physical. Since May, they’ve taken to the streets of their neighborhoods...
Excela Health plans coronavirus vaccine clinic in Greensburg
Excela Health is having a coronavirus vaccine clinic July 31 for anyone 12 and older at a Greensburg church. The Pfizer vaccine will be available by appointment from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Greater Parkview Church, located at 103 Westminster Ave. Second doses for those attending the clinic will...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 16-18
A good laugh Latrobe Elks will offer its first-ever comedy show at 8 p.m. Friday at the Elks golf club, off Route 981 in Derry Township. “Sips N Giggles Comedy Night” will feature Pittsburgh-based comedians Mike Travers and Derrick Knopsnyder, who have been performing their show across the country since...
Construction complete at Elliott’s new facility in Jeannette
The property that once served as a source of pride for Jeannette is ready to return to those roots. Construction at Elliott Group’s $60 million cryogenic pump test stand has been completed, returning the parcel once used by Jeannette Glass in the city’s downtown area to an industrial use. Spokeswoman...
Mt. Pleasant massage parlor owner facing deportation seeks withdrawal of human trafficking plea
A former Mt. Pleasant massage parlor owner who served more than a year in jail for human trafficking told a Westmoreland County judge Thursday she did not understand English well enough to plead guilty in late 2019. Hui Xu, 46, testifying through a translator, claimed she did not fully comprehend...
Westmoreland commissioners said mistakes led to election bureau director firing
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday said the recent firing of the county’s election bureau director was necessary in response to a series of errors that plagued the May primary. Speaking publicly for the first time about the decision to oust JoAnn Sebastiani, commissioners said the county conducted “administrative inquires” that initially...
Westmoreland controller blasts commissioner for failure to meet campaign pledge
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew on Thursday defended his decision to withhold a promised donation to fund the county’s drug court program. During his campaign for county commissioner in 2019, Chew, a first-term Republican, pledged to donate 60% of his salary to help fund drug court. After questioned by county Controller...
Apple’n Arts organizers discuss 2021 festival options with Delmont council
Apple’n Arts Festival organizers will present a scaled-down version of the annual fall event after being asked by Delmont council members to offer a proposal for 2021. “We haven’t yet sent out applications for vendors,” organizing committee member Brandy Walters said. “What we’re hearing is that a lot of craft...
Suicide prevention resource center opens in IrwinVideo
A resource center has opened in Irwin to provide support and suicide prevention information to those in emotional distress who may be contemplating suicide or have been impacted by it. Come, Talk Inc., a nonprofit resource center inside the Norwin Chamber of Commerce offices at 321 Main St., is “for...
Guffey Road in North Huntingdon to close for slide repairs
A section of Guffey Road in North Huntingdon road will be closed beginning July 19 to allow crews to repair a slide, PennDOT said. Guffey Road, which is Route 3049, will be closed until Aug. 31 between Route 3047, known as Turner Valley Road, and Mickanin Road, PennDOT said. A...
Greensburg Salem’s potential hybrid learning model includes more time in classrooms
Greensburg Salem School District has every intention of offering students in-person instruction five days per week when classes resume Sept. 1. But, in the event covid-19 pandemic concerns force a return to a hybrid instructional model, the district has a plan that will provide slightly more time in the classroom...
Apple Hill Playhouse property sold to Washington County developer
The Apple Hill Playhouse property at 275 Manor Road in Salem has been sold to a Washington County corporation. Westmoreland County deed records from June 25 show the property, which previously belonged to the theater’s executive artistic director Pat Beyer, was sold for $150,000 to Manning Properties LLC, based in...
Irwin OKs Sunoco station owner’s request for liquor license transfer
Irwin officials approved a Sunoco gas station and convenience store owner’s request to transfer a liquor license so that beer and wine could be sold at the site along Route 30 sometime next year. Borough council this week approved the request from S&D Oil Co. of Upper St. Clair to...
Westmoreland County housing director defends senior project for Irwin
Irwin will benefit financially from a proposed $14 million, 50-unit apartment building for low-income senior citizens, according to the county’s housing director. “We’re really heavily invested in Westmoreland County. We’re really heavily invested in Irwin Borough,” Michael Washowich, executive director of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, told borough officials. Washowich...
Greensburg Salem hires music teacher, OKs in-house superintendent search
Greensburg Salem School Board will rely on district staff to search for a new superintendent rather than spend $15,000 for a search service offered by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The board also hired a new instructor for the district’s music department, as provided for in the 2021-22 budget. With...
Senior housing for about 130 planned along Frye Farm Road in Unity
Thirty-five acres of former farmland in Unity soon may provide homes for the area’s growing senior population. Latrobe-area homebuilder and developer Jim Thomas is planning to construct 131 patio homes, known as Frye Farm Estates, on an L-shaped piece of ground with entrances off both Frye Farm and Beatty County...
Nominations open for Westmoreland Historical Society preservation awards
The Westmoreland Historical Society is seeking nominations for the 2021 Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Award. The award is presented annually to individuals, organizations, businesses or educational institutions that have made “a significant and sustainable contribution to the preservation of our historic places, documents, records, or stories, and by doing...
Farmers market kicks off return of public events at Bushy Run Battlefield
The Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society’s monthly farmers market returns July 24, from 8 a.m. to noon. Market dates are the fourth Saturday of the month, and will also take place Aug. 28 and Sept. 25. There is no pre-registration required, nor any set-up fees for vendors. However, no animals,...
Jeannette woman accused of hitting officer in face with mug, trying to grab 2 guns
A Jeannette police officer was hurt Wednesday when a woman who had been lying in the street hit him in the face with a mug, according to court papers. Amanda L. Harris, 33, tried to grab the guns of two officers during her arrest, according to court papers. She is...
3 children escape Manor house fireVideo
Three children were treated and released from an area hospital after escaping a house fire in Manor Thursday morning, according to a relative. Scott Staudt said a neighbor rescued a 10-year-old boy from the basement of the burning home at 45 Blaine Avenue around 9:45 a.m. A teen boy and...
