Westmoreland category, Page 573
Man arrested in connection with 3 dogs found dead in East Huntingdon home after eviction
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly left five dogs and two cats at an East Huntingdon home after he was evicted last month, according to court papers. A dog and two puppies were found dead and partially decomposed inside the Reservoir...
Westmoreland County records 15 new covid deaths, tying a record
Westmoreland County added 15 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, tying a previous record from last week for most reported deaths on a single day. The additional deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 265. There have been 61 deaths attributed to the disease this...
Get a pair of rare, collectible sneakers in newly opened Neecs Sneaks in GreensburgVideo
Silver and gold, stocks and bonds, are all tried-and-true investments. But Nico Giannilli of Unity is betting his financial success on another hot commodity — sneakers. Not the worn-down, smelly footwear you schlep around in, but the pricey, celebrity-endorsed kicks that go for big bucks. Giannilli, 24, has been amassing...
Westmoreland events include cookie walk, meetings
Fundraiser • First Church of God, West Newton, will have a cookie walk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 12 in the downstairs church dining rooms, 157 N. Second St., where there is room for social distancing. Cookies are homemade and will be sold by the pound. Face masks...
Sewickley Township library’s ‘Polar Express Pajama Party’ draws RSVPs from across North America
A small town library serving 6,000 people in rural Westmoreland County reached more than 81,000 Facebook users across the United States and Canada when it publicized an upcoming children’s program. Through Facebook, the Sewickley Township Public Library in Herminie promoted a virtual “Polar Express Pajama Party” planned for 10 a.m....
Murrysville holds off on public hearing to add senior housing options
Murrysville officials want to tighten their language adding senior housing options to the municipality’s zoning code before inviting public comment on it. After citing a lack of options for developments like high-rises and planned senior communities, Murrysville Council is considering updating its zoning ordinance to allow senior high-rises in its...
Norwin sees more covid cases; 57 since Thanksgiving
Norwin continues to a see a surge in covid cases, as another five students and staff reported being infected with the virus, pushing the post-Thanksgiving count to 57, the district said Tuesday. The school district said it learned Tuesday that two high school students, one Hillcrest Intermediate School student and...
Export Council passes 2021 budget with no tax hike
Export Council approved a 2021 budget Tuesday night that does not call for a tax increase. Council has not raised taxes for more than a decade, and its last tax-related move was to lower taxes about a decade ago, from 16 to the current 14 mills. The budget’s $668,100 in...
Delmont, nonprofit Share the Joy will bring Santa to town on Dec. 19
Delmont Borough and nonprofit Share the Joy will host a Dec. 19 holiday parade to bring Santa Claus to town. The parade will start at 5 p.m., Dec. 19 at Faith United Methodist Church on Freeport Street. It will head to Athena Drive, down to Park Drive, circle back to...
Penn Township, Penn Hills will use state grants to update key traffic signals
State grants will help to upgrade traffic signals at intersections in Penn Township and in Penn Hills. PennDOT’s Automated Red Light Enforcement program has awarded $325,000 to Penn Township, to replace an obsolete traffic light at Route 130 and Route 993 (Walnut Street). Penn Hills will use its grant of...
As covid surges, Westmoreland County suspends criminal trials until February
Westmoreland County criminal and civil trials — suspended this month because of the surging number of coronavirus cases — will be halted until February. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway signed a court order Tuesday to delay all trials until Feb. 1. Two weeks of civil trials and one...
Seven Springs Mountain Resort opening Saturday
Area skiers can rejoice. Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County will open for skiing and snowboarding this weekend. “Recent snowmaking success has made it possible for Seven Springs Mountain Resort to open for skiing and snowboarding this Saturday and Sunday,” resort marketing director Alex Moser said. Since Dec. 1,...
Westmoreland County retirees awarded small raises in 2021
Westmoreland County government retirees will receive small cost-of-living raises in 2021. The county’s retirement board, which includes the three county commissioners along with Treasurer Jared Squires and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, on Tuesday unanimously approved a 0.4% benefit increase for about 1,300 retired government workers. Annual cost-of-living raises are determined using...
Central Westmoreland vo-tech goes remote for remainder of week
The Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center is moving to remote learning this week to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. The New Stanton facility is closed through Friday. Students are required to log into their program via Google Classroom each day during their assigned session for instruction and assignments. An...
Car rentals relocated, new parking system on the way at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
For the first time, paid parking will be introduced at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport — although plenty of free spaces will remain. A new ticketing system for a preferred parking lot closest to the terminal at the Unity airport could be in place early next year, said Gabe Monzo, executive...
Irwin plans 3-mill tax hike for 2021 with 1 mill for fire department
Irwin is proposing a 15% property tax hike for 2021, a third of which will go to the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department as it considers building a new fire hall. The proposed tax increase, which was in the tentative $3.98 million general fund budget adopted last month, would raise property...
Westmoreland County reaches 250 covid deaths; 80% have come since September
With new covid-19 deaths reported, Westmoreland County reached a milestone Tuesday. The eight new coronavirus-related deaths reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health bring the county’s total to 250 deaths. To put deaths in Westmoreland County in perspective, it took from March 19 (when the county’s first cases were reported)...
Greensburg man cited after outburst in store over mask, social distancing
A Greensburg man who became enraged after being told to leave a store for failing to wear a mask and social distance is accused by city police of making threats against employees and knocking over merchandise as he departed. Police on Tuesday charged Derek P. Hart Jr., 21, with multiple...
Hempfield sports postponed as coronavirus cases rise
Winter sports in the Hempfield Area School District are on hold as coronavirus cases rise across the region. The decision, made by school administrators at Monday’s board meeting, was attributed largely to the number of coronavirus cases within the athletic department. Administrators decided to mirror academics, which moved to remote...
Santa Claus to ride through Greensburg on a fire truck this weekend
Coronavirus kept Santa and Mrs. Claus from making their traditional appearance in the Greensburg Holiday Parade this year, but they’ll make up for it this weekend by touring the city in a fire truck. “With everything going on, we really wanted to bring some Christmas cheer to residents in the...
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline test positive for coronavirus
Two Westmoreland County elected officials said Tuesday they tested positive for coronavirus. Sean Kertes, chairman of the county commissioners, and Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline both said they are experiencing symptoms of the virus and both are at their respective homes in isolation. “I had a 100-, 101-degree temperature and,...
Fayette man charged in East Huntingdon drug overdose death
A 31-year-old Everson man is in Westmoreland County Prison on charges of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl to an East Huntingdon man last summer, according to state police. Stephen T. Shively was jailed after failing to post $100,000 bond Friday on charges of drug delivery resulting in death and...
Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Reese tests positive for coronavirus
State Rep. Mike Reese, who represents parts of Westmoreland and Somerset counties, is the latest Pennsylvania lawmaker to announce a positive coronavirus test. “I recently learned I have tested positive for covid-19,” Reese said in a statement. “I have been quarantining for the last week awaiting my test results, and...
Norwin increases pay for substitute teachers, paraprofessionals
After failing to get enough substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, Norwin upped the pay for those positions beginning next month to be more competitive with neighboring districts. The higher pay is important because Norwin has had a hard time attracting substitute teachers and paraprofessionals in the past 10 to 11 months,...
‘Health tops education’: Hempfield Area school officials explain remote learning call during virus surge
More than 350 people tuned in to a virtual Hempfield Area School Board meeting on Monday to hear the rationale for why the administration chose to move students to remote learning until after the holidays — a decision made days after the board reaffirmed students would return to the hybrid...
