Westmoreland category, Page 545
Party at The Palace Theatre reimagined as livestream event
There’s no need to dress up and head to downtown Greensburg to enjoy this year’s Party at The Palace. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s signature fundraising event, held in the historic Greensburg theater, will be virtual this year. The event will stream live at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 from the theater...
Derry Township man jailed on charges of child assault
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of giving a child a bloody nose and bruises in a beating before school last week, according to court papers. Christopher Dominic Hilty Sr., 33, is being held without bond at the Westmoreland County Prison. He is charged with strangulation, harassment,...
North Huntingdon set to vote on backyard chicken rules
The debate over what to do with backyard chickens could come to a head Wednesday when North Huntingdon officials are expected to vote on a proposal to allow hens, but not roosters, to be raised in certain neighborhoods. The seven commissioners, who have been split over how to regulate backyard...
Franklin Regional entrepreneurship students aid local nonprofits
A group such as the Export Historical Society has plenty of experience sifting through boxes of dusty photographs and organizing them into a proud display of the borough’s past. But what about creating and boosting an Instagram post that promotes an event where people can actually come out and see...
Norwin seniors to return to school 4 days a week
Norwin’s seniors can go back to school four days a week, beginning Feb. 22, as long as the covid transmission rates remain in the moderate level, the district said. Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the school board that surveys were distributed to parents of seniors this week to determine how many...
Christine Oldham set to retire as Ligonier Valley superintendent
The Ligonier Valley School Board has less than five months to select someone to succeed Christine Oldham as superintendent. The board, at its February meeting, approved Oldham’s retirement, effective June 30. Oldham said her decision to end her stint at Ligonier Valley was a bittersweet one. “I’m excited about what...
Ligonier Valley classrooms to see part-time return of remaining students
All Ligonier Valley students in grades 7-12 will be able to return to a hybrid instructional model, beginning Tuesday. District officials decided to make the move — to a weekly mix of in-classroom and at-home lessons — following two consecutive weeks when covid-19 transmission rates in Westmoreland County were at...
Westmoreland County sees over 60% drop in covid cases in past month
Westmoreland County’s coronavirus situation continues to improve — and dramatically when compared to just one month ago. Another 129 cases of coronavirus were reported over the past two days in the county, according to data released Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That total is 6% lower than a...
Former court clerk Amy Altman McChesney to run for Derry district judge
A Derry Township woman said her work as a clerk with the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts and in a district judge’s office provides with the experience and knowledge to succeed retiring Mark Bilik as district judge. Amy Altman McChesney, 42, has announced her candidacy for the seat that includes...
South Greensburg police chief to run for Hempfield district judge post
South Greensburg’s police chief believes his 27 years in law enforcement best qualifies him to fill the vacant district judge seat in Hempfield. Scott Fanchalsky, 49, said he will cross-file and run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries May 18 for the position formerly held by District Judge Anthony...
North Huntingdon sewage authority says $30M upgrade won’t require rate hikes
North Huntingdon’s sewage authority is planning to spend $30 million to upgrade its plant near the Youghiogheny River. The project will allow the facility to treat more sewage, but it will not cause a rise in rates, the authority’s executive said. The authority is designing the upgrades to the Turner...
Police: Bronze emblems stolen from veterans’ graves in New Florence
Four metal emblems were stolen from veterans’ grave markers at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Florence, according to state police. Three bronze World War II emblems were taken, along with a World War I emblem made of an unspecified metal. Police believe the theft happened within the last week. They...
4 dead in Route 30 head-on collision in North Huntingdon
Three members of the Vietnamese community in Westmoreland County who were returning home from a Lunar New Year Mass at a church in Pittsburgh were killed Sunday in a head-on collision along Route 30 in North Huntingdon, a friend of the victims said. The three women died after their eastbound...
Greensburg mom is among those who shortened hospital stay after giving birth because of pandemic
Francis Regis Johns IV was born at 8:50 a.m. Jan. 10. By 8 p.m. on Jan. 11, he was comfortably at his Greensburg home. “He was good, and I was feeling good, so the best option was to come home,” said Francis’ mother Sarah Johns. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland...
Emergency officials: Icy roads causing accidents across Pittsburgh region
Valentine’s Day is off to a slippery start, with freezing rain overnight creating dangerous road conditions and causing crashes and stranded vehicles across southwestern Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh emergency officials are urging residents to avoid driving in the city of Pittsburgh on Sunday morning due to icy conditions and a large number...
Greater Latrobe, Deer Lakes among area schools lauded for computer science diversity
Several area schools are among a little more than 1,100 nationwide being recognized for helping to promote interest in computer science among female students. Greater Latrobe, Deer Lakes and East Allegheny high schools and Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy are among 22 public schools in Pennsylvania that have received the...
ATV/snowmobile fever: Westmoreland, Allegheny lead Pennsylvania in registrations
As the U.S. Forest Service has opened up ATV and off-road vehicle permits for the Allegheny National Forest, the state reports that its licenses for these sports vehicles continue to trend upwards. The U.S. Forest Service offers permits for off-road vehicles to use federal forests, including the region’s closest federal...
With covid cases dropping, more Westmoreland school districts opt to reopen classrooms
As new covid cases continue to drop in Westmoreland County and it appears a post-holiday coronavirus spike has been dodged, several area school districts have brought students back to classrooms — with more planning such a return. Students at Greater Latrobe, Jeannette and Yough have returned to school after using...
Groups ramping up for covid-style fish fry fundraisersVideo
As the pandemic closed in last year, fish fry organizers at St. Agnes Church in North Huntingdon scrambled to establish a drive-thru plan for an expected large crowd of hungry patrons. Volunteers set up traffic cones to direct drivers and gave the drive-thru a shot in addition to the regular...
‘Couplehood’: North Huntingdon couple celebrates 70 years of marriage
Family had planned to gather in December to celebrate Henry and Patricia Heer, a North Huntingdon couple who have been married 70 years. The event never happened, another casualty of the covid-19 pandemic. “Not being able to celebrate this memorable anniversary due to covid was not what they would have...
Westmoreland County adds 98 covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 98 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 25,766, which is an increase of about 560 cases from the preceding week’s 25,202. The week before had...
Western Pa. EMS companies hold cold-water rescue trainingVideo
Twenty-nine degrees with a chance of snow is no one’s idea of good swimming weather, unless you’re a polar bear (the literal kind, not the plunging-for-charity kind). But for three regional EMS companies, Saturday morning was the ideal time to practice several rescue scenarios at Indian Lake in North Huntingdon,...
Here’s where you can find fish fries in Westmoreland County this Lenten season
Adamsburg Adamsburg Volunteer Fire Department, 495 Edna Road, takeout, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays through Good Friday. Details: 724-527-2180 or 724-523-2797 East Huntingdon Volunteer Fire Department, 120 Fire Department Road, Tarrs, dine in with social distancing or takeout, 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays through Good Friday. Menu: whaler sandwich...
Westmoreland County divorces decline during coronavirus pandemic
Captain & Tennille, the soft rock duo of the 1970s, once crooned that “Love Will Keep Us Together.” So, apparently, does the covid-19 pandemic. Divorces overall are on the decline throughout the United States. The divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in...
Murrysville paramedics adapt to changes throughout pandemicVideo
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Over the past year, there have been days when Serena Seltzer’s ambulance was transporting nothing but covid-19 patients. Some days, there are none. “I always wear the proper protective...
