Westmoreland category, Page 504

Two Jeannette neighbors were charged Tuesday with neglect of animals after five pit bulls were found without water last year and infected with parasites, according to court papers. Investigators said the animals belonged to Dale A. Shaw, 65, and Elaine Decker, no age available, was their caretaker. Both live on...

Proponents of raising backyard chickens in Unity got no help this week from the township planning commission, which recommended against easing restrictions on the practice. Solicitor Gary Falatovich said the recommendation will be presented to township supervisors at their regular meeting on Thursday. The commission voted 5-1 to recommend retaining...

Westmoreland County became the 12th county in Pennsylvania to pass 30,000 coronavirus cases. The 119 additional cases — 37 confirmed and 82 probable — reported Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health put Westmoreland County’s total at 30,005. Westmoreland reached 20,000 cases on Jan. 4; 10,000 cases on Dec. 3;...

Classes/programs • The 12th annual The Learning Lamp Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown will use a web-based format featuring custom-recorded, video-based storytelling, age-appropriate writing and drawing workshops for children of all ages. The festival will continue through April 30. To access the festival, visit The Learning Lamp’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CBFJohnstown,...

The new Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township is expected to reopen in late spring. The complex featuring two 100-foot slides was shut down a month after it was unveiled last July when reports of injured children and adults surfaced. Westmoreland County officials said is targeted to...

A 17-year-old boy was injured in a shooting at Hempfield Heights Apartment Complex Tuesday during a drug deal and state police are looking for the suspect, according to court papers. An arrest warrant has been issued for Darnell Albert Dennison, 19, of Hempfield. He is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful...

Prosecutors plan a full review of the homicide case as a third year passes without an arrest in the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. District Attorney John Peck said the original prosecutor involved with the case has left his office, and Peck plans to examine the evidence state police have gathered...

Export officials are looking to re-evaluate and possibly revamp their annual summer playground program after participation declined the past few years. “Last year we had only about three kids for three volunteers by the end of the year,” Councilwoman Melanie Litz said. “Participation has been waning the past two or...

Getting shots into the arms of the state’s most vulnerable elderly and minority residents remains a challenge, even as vaccine begins a steady flow into Pennsylvania, state officials said Tuesday. It took the combined efforts of three managed care giants tasked with reaching out to the marginalized and those most...

A former Washington County man who most recently lived in a tent near Lynch Field in Greensburg will serve up to five years in prison for attacking his girlfriend. Chad T. Abbott, 26, who authorities said was homeless when charged in 2019, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of strangulation, terroristic...

The state House transportation committee approved a bill to name a 3½-mile section of Route 981 from the intersection of Route 819 to Route 2021 south of Norvelt after the late state Rep. Mike Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township. Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Connellsville, the prime sponsor of the bill, said...

The Route 136 on-ramp to the Route 66 Turnpike Extension in Hempfield has reopened following a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon, county emergency officials said. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m., for a report of a two-vehicle crash with possible entrapment. One person involved in the crash was flown...

Westmoreland County officials announced Tuesday the county will open a coronavirus vaccine clinic this week at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. The clinic, with vaccines provided by Walmart, is set to vaccinate up to 1,400 residents over three days, starting Friday, according to Public Safety Director Roland Mertz. “We’re trying...

A 26-year-old Bolivar man is accused of holding a Fairfield woman against her will for 13 hours Sunday and Monday, state police said. Zackery A. Collier was arrested by state troopers and charged with harassment, terroristic threats, simple assault, unlawful restraint and illegal possession of Ecstacy pills. He is being...

It was a frightening night for a Mt. Pleasant Township pastor who fended off a black bear that had the family dog clutched in its teeth. The Rev. Tim Stradling said Tuesday that Peyton Manning, a 9-year-old Maltese/silky terrier mix, is recovering at a Monroeville animal hospital. The dog has...

A man was jailed Tuesday because state police say he used scissors and a glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners and cash them in at a Hempfield convenience store, according to court papers. Craig Marshall Stout, 45, who has addresses in Mt. Pleasant Borough and Jeannette, is charged...

An Ohio truck driver was driving 62 mph Oct. 21 when he slammed into stopped traffic along Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon, killing a popular West Penn Power worker from New Stanton and seriously injuring two people, state police reported in court documents. Charles C. Walker, 58, of Columbus, Ohio,...

Recent covid hospitalizations continue to be a story in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania and Allegheny County hospitalization levels have consistently gone up since late March, and hospitalization totals now rival counts seen in February. Hospitalizations For the 17th consecutive day, the number of people hospitalized for covid-19 in Pennsylvania has increased,...

While students largely agree spending more time in school is extremely important, the majority of older Hempfield Area students reported feeling comfortable with remote learning this school year, district leaders said. According to a survey sent to sixth through 12th graders, 13% of the 800 students who responded reported feeling...

April 30 is the deadline for college students to apply to the Loyalhanna Watershed Association for a spot in the local Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) internship program. YCC interns are needed more than ever this summer, to help the staff at Forbes State Forest keep up with improvements and maintenance...

While The Lamp Theatre in Irwin remains closed for concerts and shows because of coronavirus restrictions, supporters are continuing their fundraising efforts for the venue. Volunteers are being asked to donate household goods for a flea market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the patio adjacent...

A Connellsville mother pleaded guilty Monday to charges she smoked marijuana with her teenage daughter and a friend at a New Stanton home in 2017. Dawni Monholland, 39, according to court records, was charged with four criminal counts after police received a Child Line tip from a mandated reporter about...

Two additional inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, but the number of infections decreased at the facility over the last week. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday there were 20 active cases among the 495 inmates lodged in the Hempfield lockup, down about 47%,...