Westmoreland category, Page 601
While Fort Ligonier Days goes virtual, events still planned around town
Like many other fairs and festivals, Fort Ligonier Days was canceled this year due to the pandemic — though it will be available in virtual form at fortligonierdays.com. But that doesn’t mean the streets of the picturesque borough will be empty and quiet this weekend. The Ligonier Valley Chamber of...
New charges filed against Latrobe woman jailed on sex assault allegations
A Latrobe woman accused of sexually assaulting two teen boys was arraigned Monday on new charges that she repeatedly groped a fellow inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Shanda Rae Hitchcock, 34, is charged with five counts of indecent assault in the new case. County detectives...
Fort Allen Elementary School closes after 2 positive coronavirus cases
Fort Allen Elementary School is closed until Oct. 13 after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Hempfield Area School District Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The district learned Monday about the positive cases. State department of education guidelines say that if between two and four staff members in...
North Huntingdon planners recommend approval for Huntingdon Marketplace buildings
Two multi-tenant buildings planned for the Huntingdon Marketplace mixed-use retail complex in North Huntingdon got a stamp of approval Monday from the township planning commission. The group recommended for approval two 6,887-square-foot buildings along Mills Drive that Colony Holding Co. intends to build across the road from the Walmart store....
United Way volunteers rein in chores at Donegal Township riding centerVideo
Amy Ranker rolled up her sleeves and got in her Tom Sawyer mode Monday morning to apply white paint to some fence posts bordering a Donegal Township field. By the afternoon, the Hempfield resident was inside an adjoining barn, dusting down the stall of Bria, a 21-year-old Norwegian Fjord mare....
Franklin Regional school director Gary English resigns
Franklin Regional school board member Gary English, who took office in January, submitted a letter of resignation on Monday prior to the board’s committee-of-the-whole meeting. English has clashed with board President Herb Yingling and other board members on a range of issues including procedure at meetings, the way public comment...
Community spread blamed for spiking covid-19 cases in Westmoreland County
Coronavirus infections in Westmoreland County jumped by nearly 600 cases over the past month, a statistic that county and state officials said Monday was attributed to a general community spread of the virus. The Pennsylvania Department of Health disclosed that more than 100 cases were identified in the county over...
Westmoreland Manor sees administrative changes as coronavirus cases creep higher
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to rock Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield, leaders on Monday announced a change to the facility’s administration. According to a news release, county commissioners said Assistant Administrator Abby Testa was named the Manor’s acting interim administrator, effective Oct. 2. “At this time,...
Salem man pleads guilty to 3 sex assaults
A Salem man will serve up to 23 months in jail and four additional years on probation for sexual assaults against two adult women and a juvenile. Dylan Thomas McRoberts, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges after prosecutors agreed to dismiss more serious rape counts after his victims objected...
New assault charges filed against East Huntingdon woman accused of killing boyfriend
An East Huntingdon woman charged with killing her former boyfriend last month now is accused of attacking a different man at her home earlier in the day of the fatal shooting. Megan J. West, 24, was arraigned Monday on charges of theft, simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment, according to...
Coronavirus uptick delays full time return to classrooms for Penn-Trafford high school
Penn-Trafford School District will delay its vote on whether to resume fully in-person instruction for high school students after coronavirus cases were reported at two of the district’s elementary schools. The school board had planned to discuss the matter Monday. “With the recent cases reported at Level Green Elementary, Sunrise...
Sex assault trial for former Mt. Pleasant cop to start this week
The trial of a former Mt. Pleasant part-time police officer charged with the sexual assaults of six women will begin Tuesday in Westmoreland County. Jurors were selected Monday to hear the cases against John Andrew Brown of Mt. Lebanon, who first was arrested in 2016 in connection with an accusation...
Troopers: Alleged abuse victim hid in Bradenville streets after assault
A Derry Township woman told state police she fled multiple beatings by her boyfriend by hiding in alleys and streets throughout the village of Bradenville near her home late Friday into Saturday. Troopers arrested a Ligonier Township man, Richard P. Miller, 34, on two counts of simple assault and harassment...
Westmoreland County Prison guard accused of assaulting handcuffed, shackled inmate
For the second time this year, a Westmoreland County prison guard has been charged after allegedly assaulting a handcuffed and shackled prisoner in the Hempfield lockup. Rodney Walters, 53, was arraigned Friday on charges of official oppression and simple assault filed by county detectives after a two-month investigation into the...
Westmoreland has added over 200 covid cases in past week
Westmoreland County added 45 new covid-19 cases Monday, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county had the third highest new case count in the state Monday, coming in behind Philadelphia (76) and Allegheny (46). In the past seven days, Westmoreland County has had 215 new...
Volunteers sought for Yough River tire cleanup
It was clear to Tom Yoder last week that the work of 65 volunteers on canoes in 2019 to remove 300 tires from the Youghiogheny River had a positive impact. A recent trip on the river showed him the waterway was back to its natural state in some spots. “It...
Final antiques sale of abbreviated season coming up at Historic Hanna’s Town
The season’s final antiques and collectibles sale is Sunday at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield. Pandemic notwithstanding, it’s been a pretty good summer for the sales, said Lisa Hays, executive director of Westmoreland Historical Society, which manages the site for Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation. While attendance by both vendors...
Loyalhanna Watershed Association plans 2-day Oktoberfest
Area craft breweries and distilleries will join a mix of food offerings and live music Friday and Saturday for the Loyalhanna Watershed Association’s first Oktoberfest. Based at the Watershed Farm, on the western outskirts of Ligonier, the event is taking the place of the organization’s Brewfest, introduced last summer but...
Spruce Flats Bog plant species include 2 insect-eaters
The soil in a bog consists largely of slowly decaying plant matter. Along with being acidic, it is oxygen- and nutrient-poor, limiting the types of plants that will thrive there. Sphagnum moss provides the living plant layer atop the waterlogged environment. Other common bog plants include reeds, sedges, cranberries, blueberries...
Westmoreland County adds 63 new coronavirus cases for 2 days
Westmoreland County saw 63 new cases of covid-19 added to its total Sunday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The new cases are for the past two days. The state Department of Health said a technical issue caused a delay in Saturday’s reporting and the need to report a two-day...
Child advocate, horse rescue ranch partner to promote healingVideo
As a survivor of child sexual abuse, Nicole Cermak of Murrysville found herself making an instant connection with Sunday, a 15-year-old mare she fed and worked with as a volunteer at the Pleasant Valley Rescue Ranch. Sunday was about to be sold to a slaughterhouse in the spring of 2017...
Firefighters bring youth prevention message to the streets of GreensburgVideo
Greensburg children got a special visit from firefighters Sunday and a lesson in fire prevention brought right to their doorstep. Volunteers with the city’s fire department delivered plastic fire hats, coloring books and other items to help children learn how to stop fires before they even start. It’s a lesson...
Derry Township man accused of attempted homicide after trip wire found at top of basement steps
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of installing a trip wire at the top of his basement steps this weekend in hopes that a woman there would fall down the wooden staircase, according to court papers. William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 60, was jailed Sunday morning on charges...
1 resident, 1 staff coronavirus case added at Westmoreland Manor
One more resident and a staff member at Westmoreland Manor tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, according to county Commissioner Doug Chew. That brings the total number of affected residents to 83, about a quarter of the population. The Pennsylvania National Guard was brought in last month to take...
Level Green Elementary closes for 14 days after 2 more coronavirus cases
Two more staff members at Level Green Elementary School have tested positive for the coronavirus and the building will be closed for 14 days, according to Penn-Trafford School District Superintendent Matt Harris. In a message sent to parents Saturday, Harris said the new cases bring the total count at the...
