Westmoreland category, Page 502
Greater Latrobe plan to shift French, German instruction online draws protest
Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a proposed $57.7 million budget for the 2021-22 school year with a recommended 1-mill tax hike. But it was a plan for 2022-23 — the beginning of a gradual phase-out of in-person French and German language instruction at district secondary schools — that...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit wants to spread students’ kindness via videoVideo
Students from around Pennsylvania have a chance to share their message of kindness at this year’s Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units’ annual conference at Seven Springs. The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit is collecting short video messages and plans to play them at the conference Sept. 20-22. Curriculum services director Tim Hammill...
Allegheny County reports 5th straight day of covid cases under 100
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported its fifth straight day of double-digit covid cases — a streak the county hasn’t seen since October. According to the Allegheny County Health Department, there were 72 additional cases reported to raise the county’s total to 101,056. Totals for the previous four days were 62,...
Westmoreland happenings include Memorial Day events, bereavement group, strawberry festival
Memorial Day events • Irwin: A parade sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at Immaculate Conception Church, follow Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, then proceed eastward to Irwin Union Cemetery for a ceremony. Army veteran David Mahlstedt, a supervisor at Snyder Funeral Home,...
Antiques on the Diamond returning to Ligonier after pandemic hiatus
Everything old will be new to someone, as Antiques on the Diamond returns to Ligonier on June 5 for a 34th season. The outdoor show and sale was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., about 30 vendors will be present, setting up around...
Defense attorney says prosecution inaction warrants dismissal of Unity man’s criminal charges
The lawyer for a Unity man police said is linked to the 2018 disappearance of his former girlfriend said inaction by Westmoreland County prosecutors violated the state’s speedy trial rules. As a result, he wants a judge to dismiss three pending criminal cases. Defense attorney Dante Bertani in court documents...
Franklin Regional begins making plans for return to normalcy in 2021-2022 school year
Franklin Regional School Board members were briefed Monday night on what Superintendent Gennaro Piraino hopes will be a return to some semblance of normalcy, after more than a full school year completed under covid-related restrictions. Piraino said the strategy will be to keep options open for district families. “Right now,...
Man charged in Penn Township double homicide accused of trying to steal truck to flee
North Huntingdon police say the suspect in a May 16 double homicide in Penn Township tried to carjack a pickup truck to flee, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Victor F. Steban, 53, was arraigned on charges of vehicle theft and illegal possession of firearms in connection with his failed...
Monessen man blames addiction to porn for rape of teen
A Monessen man on Tuesday said his addiction to pornography ultimately led to what he called an improper relationship with a 17-year-old girl. Daniel Powell, 37, formerly of North Versailles, told a Westmoreland County judge during his sentencing hearing for rape and other offenses he was sorry for his actions...
Photos, ‘resource wall’ highlight region’s attractions at Arnold Palmer airport near Latrobe
No matter when travelers arrive at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, the terminal’s new decor always will be in season. On Tuesday, airport officials and staff of GO Laurel Highlands, the destination marketing organization for Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties, unveiled more than 40 large-scale photographic prints installed inside...
Irwin’s Lamp Theatre reschedules pandemic-postponed concerts
Beginning in August, the Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin will be rockin’ and rollin’ again. Shows that were postponed due to the pandemic have been rescheduled, starting Aug. 6 with the 1980’s music tribute band, Mullet. “Everything listed on the calendar right now is just those postponed shows,” said general...
Norwin wants state OK to replace snow days with remote learning
When the weather outside is frightful next winter, Norwin officials want students to snuggle up to their iPads and study instead of sled riding and playing in the snow during normal school time. The school board granted permission for the district administration to apply to the state Department of Education...
Fireworks over New Stanton returning for 2nd yearVideo
Fireworks over New Stanton is returning after the event was first implemented as a way to boost moral during the covid-19 pandemic. This year’s event, scheduled for Saturday, is a way to welcome summer while also celebrating what borough leaders hope is the start to the end of the pandemic....
Coronavirus outbreak closes Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department until June 1
Due to a outbreak of coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert’s office, the sheriff said Tuesday the office will be closed until June 1. “It’s mostly in our clerical staff impacted,” Albert said. “It’s more than 10 people right now.” Albert said the outbreak began May 17 when...
Latrobe officials suspect arson in trash fires
Latrobe fire officials are concerned about a recent string of suspicious blazes. City police are investigating as an arson a fire in the early morning of April 19 that destroyed a shed used by the Latrobe Little League organization at Legion Keener Park and about $4,000 worth of league equipment...
Latrobe eyes study to boost fire department funding, cut costs
Latrobe may hire a consultant to recommend ways the city fire department can increase revenue while cutting costs. Council at its June 14 meeting is expected to consider a study proposal for the department from Fast Attack, a consulting firm headed by Mt. Lebanon Fire Chief Nicholas Sohyda. The firm...
Pa. has 3rd day with new covid cases under 1,000, figures not seen since September
Pennsylvania had another record day in terms of covid cases Tuesday. With the amount of new cases reported this week, the state amassed a three-day case total not seen since late September. Cases The state saw its third consecutive day of less than 1,000 new covid cases, according to state...
Greensburg Night Market opens for the season with new, returning vendors
Organizer Jessica Hickey is expecting a crowd Thursday for the season-opening Greensburg Night Market. The weather forecast is good and people are eager to get out, said the founder of the Downtown Greensburg Project, which hosts the event. About 45 vendors will set up from 5:30 to 9 p.m. along...
Traffic control device for Route 30 intersection in North Huntingdon likely a moot point
Some residents living along a lane intersecting Route 30 in North Huntingdon want a sensor installed on a pole to detect oncoming traffic on the busy highway to make it safer for drivers to avoid an accident. Commissioner Eric Gass said residents are requesting a study of the Cherry Lane...
Penn Middle Drama Club will stream spring musical, ‘Annie Jr.’
Students in Penn Middle School’s Drama Club are preparing to stream two weekends of “Annie Jr.,” and it’s been a sprint from the start, according to club sponsor Sharon Wiant. “We started very late,” Wiant said. “Normally, we start in January and we usually need every bit of that time....
Greensburg woman charged with arson after neighbors say she set mattress on fire
A 54-year-old Greensburg woman accused by neighbors of setting fire to a mattress just outside a three-unit apartment house late Sunday was charged by city police with arson and reckless endangerment. Gina M. Albertelli also is charged with dangerous burning, disorderly conduct, reckless burning and possessing incendiary materials after the...
DUI checkpoint planned for Belle Vernon area
State troopers from the Belle Vernon station in Rostraver are planning a sobriety checkpoint for Memorial Day weekend somewhere in their coverage area. That includes parts of Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties, according to a news release. Troopers said they’ve identified primary and alternate locations for the checkpoint based on...
New bereavement support group meeting in Penn Township
After an Irwin area bereavement support group stopped meeting during the coronavirus pandemic, Harrison City resident Nancy Lohr and members of the New Life Presbyterian Church sought to create their own. The new bereavement support group will have its first gathering from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on June 8 at...
Hempfield to lift emergency declaration next month
After more than a year under an emergency declaration put in place in response to the covid-19 pandemic, Hempfield supervisors voted to lift the order starting next month. The declaration first went into effect March 16, 2020, as some of the first coronavirus cases were being reported in the state....
Unity’s return to regional rec board will reduce costs for Latrobe, other members
Latrobe will recognize a cost savings after welcoming neighboring Unity back as a partner in a regional recreation organization. City council this week approved an intergovernmental cooperation agreement that reinstates Unity as a member of the Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation organization after an absence of six years. Township supervisors signed...
