Westmoreland category, Page 641
North Huntingdon man accused of coughing on police gets up to 2 years in jail on theft charges
A North Huntingdon man accused of trying to infect police with coronavirus by coughing on them will serve up to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to other offenses. Joseph R. Good Jr., 35, was arrested in April and, according to police, claimed he had coronavirus and...
Diocese of Greensburg Catholic schools receives largest recorded donation, offering $4.1 million in tuition assistanceVideo
Diocese of Greensburg Catholic schools could see an uptick of about 250 students in the coming year thanks to $4.1 million in tuition assistance now available. The funds were made possible after the diocese received the single largest donation by a family, amounting to $2.4 million, along with smaller donations...
Westmoreland County logs double-digit covid-19 cases for 3rd time this week
For the third time in four days, Westmoreland County experienced a double-digit increase in the number of new covid-19 cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. On Wednesday, the department reported 29 new cases and no additional deaths for the county. Sunday had 13 new cases, Monday had 20...
Unity man charged with assaulting, choking woman
Editor’s note: Simple assault and related charges filed in July 2019 against Aaron M. Klingensmith of Unity have been withdrawn. According to court dockets, the district attorney’s office on Jan. 4, 2021, withdrew the charges before District Judge Michael Mahady. Klingensmith had denied the allegations. State police say a woman...
Greater Latrobe aims for in-person classes to resume this fallVideo
Greater Latrobe School District is planning for students in grades K-12 to return full-time to classrooms when the fall semester begins. In case unpredictable pandemic conditions thwart that goal, district officials developed a hybrid plan that would see students alternating between classroom attendance and online instruction at home. Students completed...
Greater Latrobe OKs 2% tax hike, realigns administrators
Property owners in the Greater Latrobe School District will see a 2% hike in real estate taxes for the coming school year as the district balances a $57 million budget in the face of revenues that have taken a hit during the covid-19 pandemic. The school board on Tuesday approved...
Briefly speaking: July 1, 2020
Reunions The Mausville School reunion will be held Aug. 22 at the Pleasant Grove School House in Cook Township. It will begin at 1 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish. Chicken and beverages will be provided. Details: 724-593-2023 or 724-694-2046 Church news The Community Church of Hecla...
Bolivar man must repay $8,600 for falsifying time sheets
A Bolivar man admitted Tuesday that he faked time sheets to showing he was working as a home health care assistant for nearly four years when, instead, he was working at a local business. Clark Michael Baird, 61, was sentenced Tuesday by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio...
Man to be held in Westmoreland prison while awaiting extradition on attempted murder charge
A South Carolina man charged with the attempted murder of a police officer there will remain in the Westmoreland County Prison while he awaits trial for unrelated theft charges. Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears last week set a $50,000 straight bond in the case against Brian Joseph Stoltie, who was...
New Delmont library building on schedule for December completionVideo
Delmont Library Board member Dave Weber is hoping to have quite a Christmas present for patrons, shooting for Dec. 23 as the move-in date for the new library building off School Street. “It’s going very well,” said Weber on Tuesday as crews from Kacin Companies in Murrysville worked on the...
Hempfield Area lays out preliminary reopening plans
Hempfield Area School District has released plans for reopening schools this fall. The phased approach would welcome students back to physical locations starting Aug. 27, with staggered schedules dictated by grade level, a letter written by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki reads. Under the initial plans, kindergarten students will attend school on...
6 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 6 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County on Tuesday. This brings the case total to 646 and death total to 38 in the county. Of the total cases, 620 are confirmed and 26 are probable. In Westmoreland County, 17,411 people...
Coronavirus case reported at Belle Vernon Area graduation ceremonyVideo
A person who was at Belle Vernon Area High School’s graduation ceremony last week has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to district officials. In a letter to parents, Superintendent Michele Dowell said those in attendance Wednesday wore masks and maintained social distance from each other. Graduation for the Class...
Hempfield facing up to $1.4M budgetary deficit for 2020
Hempfield could see up to $1.4 million in lost revenues for 2020 and face an additional loss of $1 million in 2021 following economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. With more than $15 million in obligations due over the next 18 months, as well as an additional $8 million needed...
Police: Man held Jeannette woman’s phone, keys for 42 hours after break-in
A Swissvale man is accused of breaking into a Jeannette home and holding a woman’s keys and cell phone for nearly two days last week, according to police. Steve Gilbert Pierce, 32, is charged with burglary, unlawful restraint, stalking, simple assault and harassment. Jeannette police were called to the North...
Environmental survey underway for Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement ProjectVideo
Initial phases of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project are underway in Mt. Pleasant Township, marked by an environmental survey. Located at the intersection of Route 819 and Route 981, four archaeologists in hardhats and yellow safety vests dug two holes this week, sifting through soil in search of natural...
Lawsuit alleges sex abuse by priest in Greensburg diocese in 1990s
The Diocese of Greensburg and Bishop Edward Malesic are being sued by a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest who has since died. The lawsuit, filed June 22, claims the Rev. Joseph L. Sredzinski began abusing the victim in 1991 when he was 11 years old...
Greensburg Salem keeps taxes flat, cuts librarians and band teacher
Parents, students and alumni who advocated for the preservation of programs at Greensburg Salem School District say they’re disappointed by the district’s decision to keep property taxes flat while cutting library and band positions. “A one-mill tax increase could have fixed so much,” said Sara Deegan, a parent of two...
Hempfield school board approves 2020-21 budget with no tax hike
Hempfield school board members voted unanimously last week to pass the 2020-21 budget that does not raise property taxes. The $97.3 million budget passed 9-0, holding property taxes at 83.46 mills. This is the second year board members have not raised taxes following five years of gradual increases. Originally set...
Jeannette woman allegedly sold drugs to buy football cleats
A Jeanette woman accused of having a golf ball-sized chunk of crack cocaine allegedly told state police she was selling drugs to raise money to buy football cleats for her son. State police say they found the crack cocaine in a car driven by Nivek Aneece Jackson, 39, when they...
Man who caused fatal 2018 Salem wreck is paroled
A West Virginia man was paroled Monday after pleading guilty to causing a crash on Route 22 in Salem that killed a man and injured his wife and young daughter nearly two years ago. Brian Keith Clemons, 43, formerly of New Alexandria, pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular homicide, aggravated...
Westmoreland juvenile center to require masks
Juveniles held in Westmoreland County’s Regional Youth Services Center will be required to wear masks to deter the spread of the coronavirus. The facility’s oversight board on Monday said the new requirement is a precaution at the Hempfield facility, which serves as a juvenile detention center and shelter for troubled...
Westmoreland considers coronavirus tests for all new county jail inmates
Westmoreland officials will consider testing all new inmates at the county lockup to help guard against coronavirus at the facility. Warden John Walton, during a meeting of the county’s prison board Monday, said although no case of covid-19 has breached the facility, the existing screening method to prevent spread of...
Goose, shot with arrow, on its way to recovery at Youngwood-based Wildlife Works
Crews with the nonprofit organization Wildlife in Need earlier this month rescued a goose that had an arrow lodged in its body. The goose was captured at a pond near the Unity Township Municipal Building. The practice arrow was lodged millimeters from the goose’s spine, said Beth Shoaf, executive director...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Monday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 640, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in the county since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
