Westmoreland category, Page 671
Excela retiree answers the call for personal protective equipment
When covid-19 began spreading across the United States, Excela Health officials looked to someone who had helped in the past to plan for the future. “Our Quality and Safety Departments asked Dave Byers, who retired last year as Excela Health’s director of safety, if he would be willing to join...
Judge denies Crystal Belle’s murder appeal for Jeannette killing
The third-degree murder conviction of a Jeannette woman serving up to 30 years in prison for the beating death of her live-in boyfriend nearly four years ago will stand. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani this week denied the appeal of Crystal Belle, who contended evidence presented against...
Broadband internet survey deadline extended for Westmoreland, other regional counties
Westmoreland County planners have extended the deadline for residents to participate in a study of local broadband internet needs until the end of April. The online survey is part of an eight-county assessment of infrastructure needs for the service that has become increasingly relevant as more residents have been routed...
Cause of Jeannette fire believed to be accidental
Jeannette Fire Chief Bill Frye believes a fire that damaged three homes this month was accidental. Frye said Thursday that he believes the April 9 blaze was electrical and started in the space behind a wall on the first floor of the Gaskill Avenue home. No one was there at...
Cops: Man charged with assault for intentionally coughing on workers in Unity medical office
A man accused of intentionally coughing on two medical staffers at an outpatient care center in Unity this month was charged with reckless endangerment and simple assault , state police said. Robert M. Williams, 53, of Cherry Tree, Indiana County, was also charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and reckless endangerment...
Murrysville to reduce number of monthly planning meetings
Murrysville officials are hoping that reducing planning commission meetings from two to one per month will make it easier for the commission to achieve a consistent quorum to conduct business. The seven-member commission was only able to hold one monthly meeting during at least six months of 2019, according to...
Murrysville will likely delay construction of park amphitheater
With live concerts an unlikely scenario in the near future, and a group of consultant proposals that missed the mark, Murrysville officials are likely to hold off on plans to build an amphitheater at Murrysville Community Park. “We received five (consultant) proposals, and to say the least, I think we’re...
Westmoreland Transit bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus driver has tested positive for the coronavirus. Transit officials learned about the positive test result on Wednesday. They said the driver last worked Saturday and determined the worker had little in-person interaction with other authority employees or riders that day. The bus operated by...
19th coronavirus death reported in Westmoreland
Officials said Thursday that a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 19. Ten men and nine women in the county have died as a result of the virus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. His office is being notified of the deaths sooner than...
Irwin restaurant delivering meals to seniorsVideo
Caroline Leppert got lunch delivered this week to the North Huntingdon residence where she has been living with her friend for the past month under a self-imposed quarantine to avoid getting sick with covid-19. Leppert and her friend were getting a meal of ready-to-heat pasta with a meatball, courtesy of...
Youngwood boy gets his own personal parade thanks to borough’s volunteer firefighters
On a cold and gray afternoon in Youngwood, one little boy’s birthday turned out to be a heartwarming, bright-blue celebration. On a day normally highlighted with a school celebration and then dinner at Hoss’s, Garrett Hamilton’s seventh birthday was looking to be a little less than thrilling this year, thanks...
1 person transported after motorcycle crash in Ligonier
One person was transported to the hospital after a motorcycle crash in Ligonier Township, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash, which happened shortly before 6:50 p.m., closed Route 711 between Peters Street and Route 30 until around 9 p.m. Further information on the driver’s condition or number of...
Westmoreland jail inmates asking court for release over coronavirus fears; Allegheny has released nearly 1,000
The population at the Westmoreland County Prison has dropped 22% since March 1 as inmates seek release to protect themselves should the coronavirus get inside the jail. Warden John Walton said officials there have identified 67 inmates between ages 22 and 80 who have chronic medical conditions that could make...
Online map provides zoning info for Greensburg developers
A new online map provides at-a-glance zoning information for developers and property owners in Greensburg. The tool is the latest effort in the city’s ongoing campaign to reduce confusion and red tape in development. It allows people to search for specific properties and see zoning districts at a glance. It...
Franklin Regional board opts not to add ‘sunset clause’ for Sloan bond payments
Franklin Regional school board director Ed Mittereder compares the district’s construction-related bond debt to a series of car payments. “We all look forward to the day when we pull that last coupon and make that last payment,” Mittereder said. “That sigh of relief comes the following month, when the money...
Greensburg Diocese to broadcast, stream Divine Mercy service
Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Greensburg Diocese will lead a Divine Mercy service that will be broadcast and streamed Sunday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Faith During Crisis: Lord, Have Mercy!” will be aired at 2 p.m. on WTAE-TV and will be available immediately afterward on the diocese’s...
‘Unwritten billboards’: Mt. Pleasant Township residents remember past messages on rock
Down the winding Kecksburg Road in Mt. Pleasant Township sits a rock that for years has been a point of encouraging — and sometimes profane — messages. Protruding next to the road, the gray rock is stained blue, with white letters reading “Stay healthy,” referencing the coronavirus pandemic. Other colors...
3 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two women and a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, upping the death toll to 18, officials said Wednesday. The deaths were added to a total provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who is being notified of deaths related to the virus sooner than the state Department of Health....
Parking tickets irk Greensburg workers during pandemic
Coronavirus has changed almost everything, but some people who work in Greensburg say they’re still facing one all-too-familiar scenario: parking tickets. “I think it’s ridiculous that we’re being ticketed during a pandemic,” said Tracy Scott, who works at the Welcome Home shelter on South Maple Avenue. She’s been given several...
Franklin Regional board votes to restart Sloan construction project
The Franklin Regional School District will restart the Sloan “elementary campus” project later this month despite concerns by four of its nine school board members. “There’s really no certainty when a good time to move forward is,” said board member Gary English. “I think we should err on the side...
Pitt-Greensburg seeks input for planned New Kensington mural
Community members are being invited to share their ideas for a mural planned for the side of the Walt’s Deli building in New Kensington. The mural is a project of the Community Arts and Reintegration Project (CARP), administered by the Center For Applied Research at the University of Pittsburgh at...
Charges filed in fatal Greensburg fentanyl overdose
Two Greensburg women are accused by police of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with a February fatal overdose, according to court papers. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 34, is accused of supplying a fatal dose that killed Justine Baker, 32, on Feb. 11, city police said. Baker’s spouse, Mary Elizabeth...
15 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two more people died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the current death toll to 15, officials reported Tuesday. The majority of the county’s fatalities are linked to senior living communities, said Coroner Ken Bacha. The two most recent deaths occurred at hospitals, but were people who had been...
Latrobe OKs new stormwater fee, but delays collection
Latrobe property owners will be asked to pay a new stormwater management fee, but not just yet. City council this week voted to create a new department to take charge of state-mandated stormwater management efforts, including reducing the flow of sediments into Loyalhanna Creek. It also established an annual supporting...
Arnold Palmer runway widening begins, despite rain
Rainy weather didn’t stop contractors from starting work Monday on a project that will give pilots a bigger target when they land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. General contractor Golden Triangle Construction began stockpiling stone that will be used this year as it widens the runway from 100 feet to...
