Westmoreland category, Page 548
North Huntingdon-Irwin area covid cases continue to slow
The spread of covid cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin area slowed to a trickle over the past week, with only 43 additional confirmed cases being reported from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8, according to state Department of Health data. The state reported Monday there was only a 1.6% increase in...
Trout group to study Westmoreland County’s Linn Run
A fishing organization plans an extensive two-year study of the wild trout in Linn Run and the impacts on their habitat, from the stream’s headwaters atop Laurel Summit, down through Linn Run State Park in Cook Township to where it empties into Loyalhanna Creek in Rector. The Forbes Trail Chapter...
Westmoreland prosecutors claim anti-bullying advocate threatened police
A Derry man who calls himself the “Bully Monster” was placed on house arrest Monday after Westmoreland County prosecutors say he threatened a police officer. Justin Juan De La Cruz Martinez, 41, originally was charged with trespassing, criminal mischief and resisting arrest in November 2019 after he refused to comply...
Veteran sheriff’s department officer from Youngwood seeks Hempfield district judge post
A veteran Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department officer, currently assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive task force, will run for an open district judge’s seat in Hempfield. Irvin Shipley, 44, of Youngwood, said he will cross-file and run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries May 18 for the seat...
Murrysville recreation planning ‘Egg My Yard’ event for Easter
Vaccination rates may be ramping up across Pennsylvania, but when it comes to Easter, there’s no concrete way to know what the situation will be, especially for larger social events such as egg hunts. With that in mind, Murrysville Recreation Department officials are bringing the hunt to families with “Egg...
Police say Ruffs Dale man assaulted own grandmother for prescription pills
A Ruffs Dale man was arrested on assault and robbery charges after police say he entered his 73-year-old grandmother’s home early Sunday and hit her with a cane after she refused to let him take her prescription pills. John S. Accipiter, 25, was arraigned on charges of harassment, resisting arrest,...
Rescue 14 EMS in Adamsburg to close, merge with Greensburg-based Mutual Aid
Rescue 14 EMS in Adamsburg will close this year as part of the station’s merger with Greensburg-based Mutual Aid Ambulance Service. According to a joint release from both entities, Rescue 14, which covers the western side of Hempfield as well as Adamsburg and Arona boroughs, will cease operations no later...
Hempfield man accused of impersonating police, threatening staff at driver licensing center
A Hempfield man is behind bars after investigators said he claimed to be a policeman and threatened to shoot workers at a Jeannette driver licensing center, according to court papers. William D. Faltz IV, 31, is charged with terroristic threats, impersonating a public servant, simple assault and disorderly conduct. City...
Covid cases temporarily close 2 Hempfield elementary schools
Two Hempfield Area elementary schools are closed Monday because of positive covid-19 cases, district officials said. Fort Allen and West Hempfield elementary schools shuttered after cases were reported among staff and students, according to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. District leaders announced Fort Allen’s closure Friday after an additional student tested positive...
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art reopens with new exhibits, precautions in place
Voices and inquisitive eyes are filling the galleries once again at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art after a two-month closure. With timed tickets and plenty of space, it’s like visitors have the Greensburg museum all to themselves, said Barbara Jones, chief curator. “It’s a great opportunity to come inside...
New Westmoreland-Fayette Boy Scout executive faces challengesVideo
The new leader of the Westmoreland-Fayette Council Boy Scouts of America is taking over during unprecedented times — in the midst of a pandemic, the national organization’s bankruptcy resulting from costly lawsuits over allegations of boys being abused, and the Girls Scouts claiming in a federal court the Boy Scouts...
West Newton Lions Club partners with faith-based organizations for food giveaway
The Lions Club in West Newton will give out boxes of food to anyone who asks while supplies last Tuesday, part of a regional initiative that will see thousands of pounds of food distributed weekly across Westmoreland County. “People are hungry, and we’re trying to fill the gap,” said the...
Westmoreland Museum gets grant for 2022 exhibition ‘Stephen Towns: Declaration and Resistance’
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has received an $8,000 grant to help support an exhibition opening next January that explores American history and the experiences of Black Americans over the past 300 years. The Homestead-based Rivers of Steel grant will help the Greensburg museum present Stephen Towns’ solo exhibition,...
2 Good Samaritans hurt in I-70 crash on Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge
Two Good Samaritans attempting to help a motorist whose vehicle had become disabled on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge Saturday were hit by another vehicle and hospitalized, according to Trooper Robert Broadwater. Neither suffered life threatening injuries in the 6:45 a.m. crash on Interstate 70, he said. One of them was...
Westmoreland prosecutor makes 2nd bid for Derry district judge seat
A two-decade veteran of the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office has announced a second campaign for the district judge seat in Derry. Kelly Tua Hammers, 49, a Democrat from Derry Township, said she will run to replace retiring District Judge Mark Bilik. He announced last month his planned retirement in...
Property tax assessment cut of 28% eyed in proposed Unity Plaza settlement
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering a settlement that would reduce the property tax assessment for Unity Plaza. The settlement would cut the proposed tax assessment for the retail center by 28%, from $600,000 to $432,000, for 2020 and 2021. The plaza, located at routes 30 and 981 in Unity,...
Volunteer ‘snugglers’ sought as Latrobe-based organization emerges from pandemicVideo
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Angel Arms, a free Westmoreland County family support service, provided short-term care for infants and young children for 25 to 30 guardians and parents on a regular basis so they could attend counseling or court-ordered addiction recovery programs. The small, Latrobe-based human service program is seeking...
Unity teens 1st area females to attain Eagle Scout rank
Two members of a Ligonier-based Boy Scout troop have just become Eagle Scouts, continuing a family tradition that started with their brother, who achieved the honor in 2018. What makes these two so different from others who have earned the highest rank in Scouting is that these 18-year-old college freshmen...
Export distiller partners with Penn Township company for ’boutique bourbon’ run
There is a lot of alliteration involving the letter “B” flying around White Valley Distilling in Export: things like “boutique bourbon” and “bloody butcher.” One is the special bourbon order that owners Jim Battaglia and Will Ramaley are making in partnership with Ventana Windows in nearby Penn Township. The other...
Ligonier councilwoman selected as Democratic nominee for 59th District seat
A Ligonier councilwoman has been nominated by the Westmoreland County Democratic Party to fill an open seat in the state House of Representatives, according to an announcement. Mariah Fisher was elected in 2017 to borough council. She is set to be the party’s nominee for the 59th Legislative District in...
Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, parkVideo
The cold weather didn’t stop a group of adventure seekers from taking to a snow-covered wooded trail Saturday in Murrysville. Maybe it was the promise of hot chocolate at the end of the nearly 3-mile hike or a desire to get outdoors with others during a time when indoor activities...
Helltown, Ohio nonprofit beer collaboration to pour proceeds to county food banks
Buy a beer and help the local food bank. Win, win. For folks in Westmoreland and Washington counties, that soon will be a reality when Helltown Brewing and Ohio nonprofit Helping Hops partner to release “Hellping Hops.” A portion of sales from the 6.5% ABV New England-style India pale ale...
Westmoreland County reports 72 new covid-19 cases, 6 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 72 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 25,202, which is an increase of about 540 cases from the preceding week’s 24,661. The week before had...
I-70 reopens at Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge after ‘serious’ crash
A few people were hurt in a Saturday morning crash that closed a portion of Interstate 70 on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge at the border of Westmoreland and Washington counties, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported around 6:45 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-70. The...
Death row inmate seeks new lawyer for appeal in Greensburg torture killing case
A death row inmate convicted in the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg wants a new lawyer after waiting more than three years for his court-appointed counsel to file an appeal. Ricky Smyrnes, 34, formerly of North Huntingdon, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced...
