Westmoreland category, Page 60

Westmoreland commissioners last week ratified a new labor deal for the county’s largest municipal police force and issued the temporary halt of a hiring policy that officials claim has skewed hiring and pay scales throughout the government. The commissioners approved a five-year contract with the Park Police Association of Westmoreland...

Pitt-Greensburg students may have won the competition against faculty and staff on the gym floor, but a local homeless shelter was the ultimate victor when it received a donation of $1,250 from the school’s annual Charity Basketball Game. The event, now in its 18th year, was organized by the Student...

Five years ago this month, Pennsylvania’s chief executive scrambled to manage a global health crisis for which no one in the world was prepared. As leader of the nation’s fifth most-populous state, then-Gov. Tom Wolf found himself winging it like everyone else. He had no playbook for covid-19. “It looked...

Creating an “inviting environment” was the theme at Hempfield Township’s second annual fire forum Saturday morning. The first forum took place last year to smooth over concerns, answer uncertainties about the state of the fire department and clarify the “nonchartered” process, where a fire station goes under the direct management...

Greensburg Salem held its Seventh annual “Mr. GS” competition Friday evening, raising money for student activities at the high school. Audience members paid for tickets to choose who they wanted to win the event. Nine seniors competed in various events: Cooper Dann, Logan Dunkerley, Wesley Heverly, Logan Lewis, Ethan Miller,...

Teams from 16 schools applied their knowledge and creativity in a series of challenges Friday during an annual STEAM competition hosted by Shaler Area High School. The competition, which began several years ago with just six schools, features a daylong sequence of science, technology, engineering, art and math trials in...

A former Jeannette man serving three life prison sentences for the first-degree murders of his wife and two young children in 1993 is entitled to a new trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani vacated the convictions and sentences of James Young, 57, who...

State police arrested a Cook Township man Friday on a shoplifting charge and found him in possession of a gun they say was stolen and 63 collectible coins they believe could be linked to a local theft. Police said they found the coins and a silver bar in 26-year-old Alexander...

Hidden behind the glitz and glam of dresses, suits, pictures, flowers and all things that makes prom night magical is the realization of how quickly the expenses can add up. For the students and families worried about the cost as prom season approaches, there are groups in the area that...

Direct flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will resume in May, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority announced Friday. Spirit Airlines will initially operate two weekly flights to the south Florida city, a move officials said will return profitability and jobs to Westmoreland County’s lone commuter airport....

Rene Davis was remembered Friday for the dedication and care she demonstrated as a school bus driver serving the Greensburg Salem School District. Davis, 60, of Hempfield was killed Friday morning when her school bus van was struck by a tractor-trailer that ran through a red light on Route 22...

After being slapped with the worst possible fire insurance score in July, the Strawpump fire department in North Huntingdon has added members and continues to respond to calls as it works to regain an acceptable rating, the department’s new chief said. Township commissioners in November approved a plan from the...

Thirty-five weapons were intercepted before they could be used to commit acts of violence in Pennsylvania schools last school year, as officials credited the anonymous safety reporting system Safe2Say Something for preventing catastrophes. Since the program’s inception six years ago, at least 123 weapons — including guns and knives —...

Ready to spring forward? Even if this weekend is an hour shorter than last weekend, you can still have just as much fun with these events. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Fall down the rabbit hole and join Keystone Contemporary Ballet on the adventure of a lifetime with “Alice in Wonderland” this...

A gazebo at the St. Xavier Nature Preserve in Unity no longer has a roof covered in moss and filled with gaping holes. That’s thanks to the work of Greensburg teen Ty Schlesman, who gathered materials and recruited helpers to renovate the structure as his Eagle Scout project. The gazebo...

It’s not every day that a person gets to give a work of art to a former U.S. president and first lady who also were fellow trout anglers, but that is what happened to a member of the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited. With the death of 100-year-old former...

A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday convicted a Greensburg man of the sexual assault of a young child. James A. Swanson, 48, was found guilty of two felony offenses, rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, in connection with allegations of improper conduct with a 3-year-old boy in 2019 and 2020....

Republican Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday replaced longtime Westmoreland County Transit Authority board member Frank Tosto Jr., saying it was time for change on the board that oversees public transportation. “Nobody is to be on a board forever. Yes, he has knowledge and experience, but the board, as a recommendation,...

The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday tabbed the county’s head of information technology to serve as the new election bureau director. Scott Ross of Youngwood was formally appointed to run the courthouse office that oversees elections as part of a newly created position that combines election functions with the job...

A forum for firefighters Saturday will provide updates on the progress of fire stations in Hempfield coming under the township’s control, as well as what officials see as successes over the past year as they prepare for the future. The forum is planned for 9 a.m. at the Hempfield municipal...

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, authorities are reminding drivers to not get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking. They also are reminding motorists to be aware of how prescription medication, which includes medical marijuana, can interact with alcohol. “More than half of our DUI arrests now are...

A man who was hit by a pickup truck that was clearing snow in Hempfield died Sunday in a Pittsburgh hospital. Paul Tucci, 73, of Southwest Greensburg, died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and torso, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. State police said...

A new season for the Ligonier Valley Historical Society and Compass Inn Museum kicks off with the “Fireside Chats” lecture series at the historic inn and tavern located on Route 30 in Laughlintown. “I am excited to be a part of the ‘Fireside Chats’ lecture series this year,” says Kacey...

Betty Pusateri has taken just one shower in her home since Jan. 20. Melanie Leggens has been able to take three. “My sister lives in Delmont, but I’m not driving out there every day to take a shower,” Leggens said. “I have a bucket of water and a bar of...

Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that marks the start of the six weeks of penitence before Easter, known as Lent. For many Christians, its start is noted by receiving cross-shaped ashes on their forehead. That was the case Wednesday at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in...