Westmoreland category, Page 520
Irwin woman charged with biting trooper, trying to push drugs down station drain
An Irwin woman is behind bars after, state police say, she bit a trooper during a drunken-driving arrest and attempted to push drugs down a drain while being processed at the station, according to court papers. Crystal D. Weimer, 43, is charged with aggravated assault, driving under the influence, resisting...
2 Westmoreland farms protected by state conservation program
Two Westmoreland County farms were among the 26 protected by the state in recent purchases of permanent conservation easements in return for owners selling the “development value” of their property. The farms involved in raising crops and livestock were protected under the state’s Farmland Preservation Program from future residential, commercial...
Pennsylvania sees rising covid cases, deaths, hospitalizations
Pennsylvania on Friday reported 5,650 new cases of covid-19, raising the seven-day average to 4,916, the highest average since early February. There have been 1,098,502 cases recorded since the pandemic began, according to data from the state Department of Health. The state added 56 new covid-related deaths, the second most...
Westmoreland Symphony season finale stars piano virtuoso Maxim LandoVideo
There’s a special energy on stage when piano virtuoso Maxim Lando sits in with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. “He’s a talented young musician and a great complement to our orchestra,” said WSO Executive Director Endy Reindl. “He’s a delight and a fun person to be around, just a ball of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: April 16-18, 2021
Music and munchies Live music and food trucks are on tap this weekend at All Saints Brewing Co., 1602 Route 119, Greensburg. The acoustic duo Two Man Martian kicks the music off at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Earth, Wheel and Fire mobile wood-fired pizza kitchen will have pies including its...
North Huntingdon: Details needed on township’s $3M share of pandemic relief money
North Huntingdon should get about $3 million from the latest $1.9 trillion covid relief bill that Congress approved last month, though specifics on how the township can spend the money have yet to be outlined. “There’s a lot of bullet points” saying what the American Rescue Plan money can be...
Jeannette-based cemetery company sold to Pittsburgh investment firm
A Pittsburgh private equity firm purchased a Jeannette-based company that is one of the largest privately owned gravesite operators in the nation, with 26 memorial parks, including four in Westmoreland County and another in Washington County. Stonewood Capital Management said this week an unnamed affiliate purchased CMS East Inc. on...
‘History, character and charm’: Hempfield home inspired by work at Penguin Court mansionVideo
The new owners of the Italian Provencal-style house at 729 Harvey Ave. in Hempfield will find plenty of reminders of the home’s past. Above the living room fireplace are carved the initials of the original occupants, building contractor Anson T. Zambano and his wife, the former Emma Seeno. Zambano built...
Hempfield Area temporarily closes middle school because of covid-19 cases
A Hempfield Area middle school is closed today due to positive covid-19 cases, according to district officials. Students at West Hempfield Middle School are attending classes remotely after the district was informed that two students contracted the virus and were at school while infectious, according to a letter from Superintendent...
Detective testifies accused Arnold shooter wrote letters to coerce and intimidate witnesses
The man on trial for the attempted homicide of a man in Arnold three years ago unsuccessfully tried to bribe his accuser into blaming another person for the shooting, a detective testified Thursday. Westmoreland County Detective James Williams also told a Westmoreland County jury that Nicholas Haynes tried to convince...
Westmoreland commissioners say $140 million borrowing plan will put off future tax hike
Westmoreland commissioners said a plan to borrow about $140 million this year to bolster the county’s pension fund could prevent a future property tax increase. Commissioners on Thursday signed off on the preliminary work to hire financial advisers, lawyers and underwriters who will finalize the plan that officials said will...
Westmoreland study calls for hiring human services director; county seeks funds for post
A new study recommends that Westmoreland County hire a human services director, and county commissioners are seeking funding to help cover the costs of the position. The study, “Improving Human Services in Westmoreland County,” also identified technology improvements, lack of services in rural areas and insufficient countywide transportation as areas...
‘Bicycle Bob’ has been located and is safe, state police in Greensburg report
Hours after posting an alert for a missing endangered person, state police in Greensburg said they have located the missing man known in the Greensburg-Latrobe areas as “Bicycle Bob.” “He has been located and is safe,” said Trooper Stephen Limani about 4:25 p.m. Thursday. “We received a tip he was...
Excela Health has more vaccine doses than appointments in Westmoreland County
Some coronavirus vaccine appointments at Excela Health’s North Huntingdon clinic have been going unfilled, causing concern that demand is dropping while new positive cases rise. An increase in supply allowed the health system to streamline its registry, making it easier for anyone interested in getting the vaccine to make an...
$7M in grants from Henry L. Hillman Foundation boost regional arts, cultural groups
The Henry L. Hillman Foundation announced $7 million in grants to regional arts and cultural organizations aimed at alleviating pandemic-related budget deficits and assisting with restarting or expanding performances and programs after a year of shutdowns and limited operations. The 57 grants range in size from $20,000 to $1 million....
Hempfield fugitive arraigned on assault, firearm charges related to shooting at apartment complex
State police this week apprehended a Hempfield man charged with the shooting of a teen at an apartment complex. Darnell Albert Dennison, 19, was arraigned Thursday on charges of aggravated assault, illegal possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, simple assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was ordered...
Greensburg Salem projected to end school year with $1M operating surplus
The covid-19 pandemic made the 2020-21 school year challenging for the Greensburg Salem School District, though not necessarily for the bottom line. A forecast of the 2020-21 budget, presented this week to the school board, shows a potential operating surplus of about $1 million and a fund balance of more...
‘Fame The Musical’ connects Hempfield students from opposite sides of the state
More than 200 miles separate Hempfield Area High School in Westmoreland County from Hempfield High School in Lancaster County. This year, however, the schools will be but a mouse click apart and students are sharing more than a name. Young thespians from both schools are rehearsing for performances of “Fame...
Covid hospitalizations continue to be a concern in Allegheny, Westmoreland
A day after a data dump by a lab in Allegheny County led to more than 1,300 additional covid cases being reported, the county saw 403 cases on Thursday. The abnormally high number of cases Wednesday was attributed to GS Lab’s delayed return of data to the state and county....
State police say Loyalhanna Township man arrested after threatening neighbors over music
A Loyalhanna man was arrested Wednesday, charged with twice threatening to harm his neighbors because he thought they were playing music too loud. Robert L. Spigler, 35, is charged wth two counts each of disorderly conduct, harassment, making terroristic threats and public drunkenness after troopers were dispatched twice to the...
Dog-loving runners needed for Westmoreland businessVideo
Somehow, Donna Highlands’ dog Max knows when it’s his day to run. The 3-year-old mixed-breed canine with lots of energy sits by the door of his Jeannette home three times a week and waits for the runner at the other end of the leash to arrive. Highlands said the canine...
Forbes Road yarn shop offers haven for fiber arts fansVideo
When Toni Ridella’s mother suggested that she open a yarn shop in the empty half of her Forbes Road duplex, she was skeptical. She liked the idea, but wasn’t sold on the location: “I thought, ‘Who’s gonna find me in Forbes Road?’” Nevertheless, the avid knitter took the plunge and...
1 dead in Jeannette shooting; no arrest so far
A 43-year-old Jeannette man was fatally shot early Thursday, and investigators are trying to identify a suspect, according to police Chief Shannon Binda. The shooting happened about 2:40 a.m. in a residential area near the intersection of Gaskill Avenue and North Seventh Street. “We received a call of shots fired...
Arnold shooting victim identifies defendant in attempted homicide trial
Malcolm Dunem didn’t hesitate when asked in court on Wednesday who shot him just yards from his Arnold home three years ago. “Nick comes out from behind a fence with a gun pointed at me,” Dunem testified in a Westmoreland County courtroom during the second day in the attempted homicide...
Jury convicts Latrobe man of attempted rape of Saint Vincent College student
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated just one hour Wednesday before finding a former Somerset County man guilty of the attempted rape of Saint Vincent College freshman in 2017. Hoover, prosecutors said, accosted his then 18-year-old victim from Kittanning as she walked in a secluded trail in the Winnie Palmer Nature...
