Westmoreland category, Page 636
Salem man pleads guilty to dozens of theft charges, gets probation
A Salem man who police said used bogus checks to purchase electronics, power tools and music equipment in three states and throughout southwestern Pennsylvania pleaded guilty Tuesday to dozens of theft and conspiracy charges. Paul E. Chonko. 42, was sentenced to serve five years on probation and ordered to repay...
Free covid-19 testing available in Greensburg next week
Greensburg residents wanting to be tested for covid-19 will soon have another option available to them. The Community Health Clinic at 218 South Maple Ave. is offering free covid-19 testing beginning the week of July 20. The testing will be available to all community members. People with and without symptoms...
Westmoreland to seek applications for first $5M in virus grants for small businesses, nonprofits
Westmoreland County will soon start the process to award $31.5 million in federal funds earmarked for grants to small businesses and nonprofit agencies impacted by the coronavirus. Commissioners said an initial round of funding will allocate $5 million each to small businesses and nonprofits that have yet to see any...
Nightly turnpike ramp closures to begin in New Stanton
The ramp for motorists heading from southbound Route 119 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange at New Stanton will be subject to nighttime closures for repairs beginning Wednesday. The nightly closures will be from 7 p.m. to about 6 a.m. and are expected to continue through July 25, depending on weather...
Cops: Man tried to hide over 4 bricks of heroin in toilet in North Huntingdon
A Greensburg man accused of selling drugs out of a North Huntingdon home attempted to hide more than four bricks of heroin from police inside a toilet tank by wrapping it in plastic and attaching it to a shoe string, police said. Troy V. Jackson, 53, was arrested on multiple...
Covid-19 distancing guidelines prompt 2-day graduation ceremony at Yough
Yough School District will hold a staggered graduation ceremony on Aug. 1 and 2 because of social distancing guidelines during the covid-19 pandemic, according to Superintendent Janet Sardon. Sardon said the 178 members of the Yough Senior High Class of 2020 still will be able to ascend a stage at...
North Huntingdon sewage authority raises tap-in fee, moves offices
The North Huntingdon Municipal Authority has approved a $200 increase for tapping into its sewage system, but the sewage rates will remain the same for the fiscal year that began May 1. The tap-in fees were raised from $4,500 to $4,700 as of July 1 for each equivalent dwelling unit...
Former W.Va. nursing assistant pleads guilty in 7 veteran deaths, including former Westmoreland man
A former nursing assistant at a West Virginia veterans hospital pleaded guilty Tuesday to causing the deaths of seven veterans, including a former Westmoreland County man. Reta Mays, 45, worked the night shift at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., when federal investigators said she...
Police: South Greensburg councilman cited in fireworks incident
State police investigating a weekend fireworks complaint in South Greensburg found a borough councilman was present while numerous children set off explosives, according to a investigators. Troopers said multiple neighbors reported the fireworks were being set off on Oak Street at 11 p.m. Saturday. Police asked those present, including George...
Black Lives Matter march will wind through Jeannette
A peaceful march Thursday in Jeannette will bring speakers and activists together to shine light on struggles that members of the Black community face locally and around the country. Co-organizer Marissa McGowan hopes the event will change perceptions about her hometown and create opportunities for children. “My thing was to...
23 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Tuesday that there were 23 new covid-19 cases in Westmoreland County, bringing its total to 1,033 cases since March 20. No new deaths were reported in the county. The county’s coronavirus death counts remains at 39, according to the department. Tuesday’s new case count...
Murrysville likely to need new revenue sources by 2022 to maintain current service levels
About a year ago, Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim Morrison said that while he did not see the need for a tax increase in the next five years, “creating a balanced budget without one is posing a bigger challenge each year.” The municipality has gone 13 years without a hike in...
Summer in Ligonier Arts and Crafts set for this weekend
Summer in Ligonier Arts and Crafts is planned for Friday and Saturday in downtown Ligonier. The event, running from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days, will feature vendor sales in Diamond Park, along with merchant sidewalk sales. Vendors will offer wares including handcrafted jewelry, carved and painted gourds, pen and ink...
North Huntingdon boy battles cancer, community rallies behind him
When Casey Watson took her then-13-year-old son to Forbes Hospital’s emergency room in October, she never imagined some of her worst fears would be coming true. On Oct. 28, Tristan Watson, a Norwin student, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer that occurs in and around bones. Doctors found a...
Westmoreland County rescue divers train for dangerous searchesVideo
Divers from the Greensburg Fire Department and Murrysville Medic One were honing their rescue skills Sunday in the murky waters of a Ligonier Township lake, training for that time when they will be asked to find a body or recover criminal evidence tossed to the bottom of a reservoir. “This...
Railroad, Walnut among streets included in $80K Latrobe paving project
Railroad Street and portions of Walnut and Washington streets are among areas slated to get attention in Latrobe’s annual paving program. Council on Monday awarded the project to Derry Construction, which submitted a low bid of $80,865. City Manager Michael Gray said the work is to be completed this year...
Westmoreland County officials confirm 3rd courthouse worker tests positive for covid-19
Westmoreland County officials on Monday confirmed that a third courthouse worker has tested positive for coronavirus. The latest staffer to test positive was reported to county officials on Saturday. Two other cases involving courthouse staff were disclosed last week. “The cases are unrelated, and we do not have any concern...
Judge denies bond for Mt. Pleasant man accused of attempted murder
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday ruled the only way to protect the community from a Mt. Pleasant man accused of attempting to murder his girlfriend was for him to remain in jail. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request to release Charles Etling on nominal bond, saying...
Irwin to hold ‘picnic food’ festival
How does a community hold a celebration of picnic food — hot dogs, hamburgers, kielbasa, tacos and nachos — when the state’s covid-19 requirements prohibit large gatherings of people? Since people can meet virtually, but not eat virtually, the All American Picnic Food Fest in Irwin will feature food from...
4 men sentenced for roles in gambling ring prosecutors say spanned Western Pa.
Three members of a Western Pennsylvania numbers-running and sports-betting network pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County to their roles in what state prosecutors contend was a major gambling ring with ties to organized crime that generated millions of dollars. Deputy Attorney General Mark Serge said the men were “low-level” operators...
Pet Adoption League founder arrested after struggle at Yukon shelter
South Huntingdon resident Barbara Flanigan has been arrested again after yet another confrontation with the animal rescue organization she founded, days before the organization was set to move out of her life. Flanigan, 71, allegedly trespassed in the headquarters of Pet Adoption League and threw a punch at league Director...
Family pleads to lesser charges in illegal video poker operation in White Oak, North Huntingdon
The patriarch of a White Oak family and his three children were sentenced Monday for charges they oversaw more than 100 illegal video poker machines in North Huntingdon and the surrounding area. Robert Biros, 85, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of operating a corrupt organization while his two...
Westmoreland County passes 1,000 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County had 16 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total case count to 1,010, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Monday. The count includes 982 confirmed cases and 28 probable cases. There were no new deaths Monday. The county’s coronavirus death counts remains at 39, according to the department. Monday...
Luminaria night at WCCC to replace annual Relay for Life walks
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life will host a drive-thru luminaria event to take the place of annual walks that have been canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic. Luminaria night is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. July 30 at the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus. The Greensburg, Mt. Pleasant,...
Bill Mazeroski’s former Hempfield house sells for $150,000
A lineman for West Penn Power Co. in Greensburg bought the home of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski, fitting because the house was once featured in an advertisement for the electric supplier. Nathaniel Smirga picked up the home and nearly 20 acres along Walton Tea Room Road in...
