Westmoreland category, Page 656
Greensburg pool to remain closed for season
Veterans’ Memorial Pool in Greensburg will not open this season. The city announced the decision on Facebook Tuesday. There are several reasons for the closure, all of them related to the coronavirus pandemic. CDC guidelines suggest swimmers should maintain 6 feet of social distancing even when in the water, which...
Hempfield supervisors ask Gov. Wolf to end phased plan and reopen economy
Hempfield supervisors are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to allow the township to reopen without mandated restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter asking Wolf to lift restrictions put in place in March. Supervisor Tom Logan was not present at...
Westmoreland County man found stabbed to death in Virginia
A Westmoreland County man was found over the weekend stabbed to death on the side of a road in Virginia, authorities said. Bruce M. Ritchie, 57, of Herminie, was found near his car Saturday afternoon in Bland County, Virginia, near the exit of I-77, according to Virginia State Police. A...
Food box delivery to bring U.S. agriculture secretary to Westmoreland Fairgrounds
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will visit the Westmoreland Fairgrounds on Wednesday morning as pantry staples are delivered to area food banks in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Perdue will be on hand as part of the federal Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The program is purchasing up...
Judge rejects Scottdale man’s appeal in Mother’s Day crash
A judge on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Scottdale man convicted after severely injuring two parents and their two young children as the family drove to church on Mother’s Day in 2016. Matthew Murphy, 29, asked that his conviction on assault and other offenses be overturned. Murphy claimed there...
Westmoreland Transit gets $7M in federal money to cover pandemic losses
Westmoreland County’s Transit Authority received $7.2 million in federal bailout money, an award officials say will enable the public transportation agency to continue operating its full schedule for the next several years even as other revenues erode because of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal money comes at a time where...
Celebratory events scheduled for Hempfield seniors
Hempfield seniors might not be able to continue the tradition of donning caps and gowns and walking the hallways of their former elementary schools this year, but they will celebrate their achievements during a modified senior walk. Normally scheduled for the end of May, the annual event allows students to...
Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus case, no additional deaths
One new case of covid-19 was reported Tuesday in Westmoreland County, bringing the countywide total to 442. Deaths remained unchanged at 38, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha has not updated his county death total since May 7. The coroner’s website is reporting 32...
Shuttered Mt. Pleasant elementary school up for sale
For sale: One shuttered elementary school building on nearly 5 acres in Mt. Pleasant Township and 10 acres of surrounding land. The Mt. Pleasant Area School District is selling Lloyd F. Rumbaugh Elementary School at 2414 School St., a year after it closed as part of a realignment. The district...
Jeannette man found with drugs, gun during traffic stop in Madison
A Jeannette man is being held without bail after police said they found $1,800, a gun and 250 grams of marijuana in the car he was driving, according to court papers. El-Hajj Malik Turner, 27, was pulled over Friday at 7 p.m. after Southwest Regional police clocked him driving 42...
Motorcyclist injured in Loyalhanna crash
A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a one vehicle-crash Sunday in Loyalhanna Township, according to state police. Randy P. Yachere, 56, of Garrett, Somerset County, lost control of a Harley-Davidson on Route 981 at 3 p.m. and hit a guiderail and tree, troopers said. He was thrown from the motorcycle....
Allegheny, Westmoreland courts prepping for safe return to more normal schedules
The ornate courtroom occupied by Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani has for decades been a frequent tour stop for visitors at the century-old courthouse building in Greensburg. Ornate plaster, colorful paintings on the ceiling and dark wood moldings now have new company in the age of the coronavirus pandemic —...
In person and on the web, local Memorial Day services honor fallen warriors’ sacrificesVideo
Social distancing held in-person attendance at Monday morning’s Sutersville Memorial Day service to little more than 20. But others were able to pay their respects to the town’s service members, past and present, from afar by viewing a livestream of the annual ceremony at the honor roll next to the...
1 new coronavirus case reported in Westmoreland
Westmoreland County on Monday reported one new covid-19 case, but no new deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 441 people had tested positive for the virus as of Monday, up from the 440 reported on Sunday. More than 8,400 people have tested negative. Neither the coroner nor state officials...
Friends, colleagues mourn Delmont fire Chief Rich Balik
Rick Miller remembers former classmate Rich Balik being taken with the fire service when they were sixth graders at Nicely Elementary in Greensburg. Decades later, Balik asked Miller to join Delmont Fire Department. “He was my friend,” Miller said. “He’s just always there helping the younger firefighters out.” Balik, 47,...
3 more covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County; no new deaths
Westmoreland County on Sunday reported an increase in positive covid-19 cases, but continued to report no new deaths. State officials said 440 people have tested positive for the virus as of Sunday, an increase of three from the 437 reported on Saturday. More than 8,200 people have tested negative. Neither...
3 Western Pa. nursing care facilities fined by state
Three area nursing care facilities were fined by the state health department recently, including one in Westmoreland County that now is operating under a provisional license. Twin Lakes Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Unity was fined $8,750, and its license status was downgraded after it was found in violation of...
Briefly Speaking
Reunions The 1965 Hurst High School class reunion scheduled Aug. 8 in Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township has been canceled. Organizers of the 55th reunion said the event will be rescheduled sometime in 2021....
Vendors scramble to replace income from canceled festivals
For Tim Roth of Hempfield, selling his artwork at area fairs and festivals is a hobby. The cancellation of this summer’s events won’t break his budget. But things are different for Grace McCracken of Carnegie, who left her day job in 2016 to produce and market her charcoal drawings full-time....
1 new covid-19 case reported in Westmoreland County; death toll remains at 38
One new covid-19 case was reported Saturday in Westmoreland County, bringing the county’s total coronavirus case count to 437, state health data show. The county’s death toll remains at 38. Most of those who have died from covid-19 have been in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. The oldest...
Greensburg YMCA pitches in to help the Westmoreland County Food Bank fill greater need
Drivers lined up along South Maple Avenue in Greensburg on Saturday to donate items to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. The Greensburg YMCA’s Trunk to Truck Food Drive benefitted the food bank. “Y” employees removed bags of donated items from donor vehicles that pulled up at the gym. The food...
A summer unlike any other: Events canceled across Western Pa., but options remain for warm-weather fun
The unofficial start of summertime has arrived. The season of warm weather, sunglasses and shorts stretches out in front of us, an annual rite as the days grow longer and porch furniture reappears. But the days of filling up calendars with festivals and concerts are in the past, at least...
Salem man accused in sexual assault at birthday party
A Salem Township man is accused by state police of raping a female at a birthday party this week, according to court papers. Zachary John Saflin, 22, allegedly took alcohol to the Ligonier Township party and provided it to several people under 21, police said. He was arrested Friday on...
Hempfield man on mission to document war memorials in Pennsylvania
Rob Domenick has become a magnet for war honor rolls. He knows all the right places to look, scouring Pennsylvania communities for memorials small and large to help with a national American Legion project. “You have to look for the right kind of community,” said Domenick of Hempfield. “Little places,...
Sewickley Township pool closed for summer
Sewickley Township’s Crabapple Pool outside Herminie will be closed this summer because of the fear of covid-19, one of several municipal pools that will not be available for swimmers to beat the heat on a hot summer afternoon. The Sewickley Township Supervisors made the decision this week not to open...
