Westmoreland category, Page 709
Lack of passenger seat belts on bus a concern in deadly Pa. Turnpike crash
The lack of safety belts in a passenger bus involved in a deadly crash Sunday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike could be a critical factor as civil liability issues unfold, a transportation lawyer said. Three people — the bus driver and two passengers — died when they were ejected from the...
North Huntingdon man accused of assaulting daughter gets probation
A North Huntingdon man was ordered this week to serve one year of probation for an assault against his 11-year-old daughter. Samuel Farrier, 46, following a two-day jury trial in October, was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of simple assault in connection with an altercation with his children and...
Trial delayed for Greensburg man charged in Vandergrift woman’s death
The trial for a Greensburg man charged with the beating and strangulation death of a Vandergrift woman two years ago will begin in April. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger on Tuesday granted a defense request to delay the trial for Walter W. Cable by two months. The...
$1.2 million Norwin pool project to more forward
Norwin is eyeing a Zelienople firm to serve as construction manager for an estimated $1.2 million project to repair and modernize the high school swimming pool. The board is scheduled to vote on hiring The Foreman Group at its Jan. 13 meeting. The Foreman Group and two other firms were...
Greensburg man sentenced for Hempfield police chase
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault of a police officer following a car chase last year. William J. Binnall, 39, was trying to avoid arrest after police stopped his vehicle near Locust Valley Drive in Hempfield on May 22 because of an expired registration. Police said Binnall,...
Former Penn Township man sentenced on child porn charges
A former Penn Township man will serve at least nine months in jail after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography. Prosecutors said 22 images of child pornography were found on computers owned by Raymond Patrick Younger, 40, now of Blacklick, Indiana County. The images were of children,...
March 17 special election set to fill Justin Walsh’s former state House seat
A special election will be held March 17 to fill the remaining term of former state Rep. Justin Walsh, and it could require Westmoreland County to borrow money to pay for the early balloting, officials said. Walsh, a Republican, resigned at the end of December after serving a year of...
Greensburg pavilion reservations starting soon, will be cheaper for some
It’s almost time to sign up for pavilion rentals in Greensburg, and some people living near the city will see a discount compared to years past. As always, rentals are cheaper for residents. But, this year, officials expanded the definition to mean anyone living within the Greensburg Salem School District,...
Cops: Hempfield woman threw hot coffee on trooper at Youngwood restaurant
A Hempfield woman is in the county prison because she threw a cup of hot coffee on a state trooper, according to police. Sonya R. Connors, 52, was arraigned before District Judge Tony Bompiani on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, harassment, resisting arrest, retail theft and simple assault after...
Trash hauling changes hit North Huntingdon residents
North Huntingdon residents whose garbage collection was delayed after a new hauler was hired can take their garbage to a Dumpster at the township’s public works building off Route 30, officials said. The township’s trash hauler, Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill LLC/County Hauling Corp. of Rostraver, placed the Dumpster at the public...
Packages in Pa. Turnpike crash remain on delivery route
UPS packages that were being hauled by tractor-trailers involved in the fatal Pennsylvania Turnpike crash will reach their intended destinations if they were not damaged, a company spokesman said Tuesday. “If a package is damaged, we contact the shipper for replacement or reimbursement of that delivery,” said Matthew O’Connor, senior...
Mayor: Grant documentation concerns triggered Latrobe fire company suspensionsVideo
Seven members of Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company 1, who were suspended in December, reportedly have been reinstated. But members of the company still had questions this week for city officials, who told them that the fire department — not Latrobe Council — needs to solve its internal...
Police: Uniontown man accused in baby’s death charged with injuring another child
A Uniontown man accused in the 2019 death of an East Huntingdon baby was charged Tuesday in connection with injuries to his 14-month-old son, according to court papers. Derrick A. Bass, 29, was watching the boy in Monessen in October 2018 when police said the child was hurt. Bass is...
Funeral services announced for Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70
A Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services paramedic supervisor who was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer along Interstate 70will be laid to rest Friday in Monongahela Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were announced for Matthew C. Smelser, 43, of Carroll Township, by Marshall Marra Funeral Home, 216 Chess St., Monongahela, where visitation...
Latrobe man hurt in vehicle-pedestrian crash
A Latrobe man was hospitalized Sunday after police said he was hit by a vehicle. Steven Fleischer, 62, was hurt at the intersection of Main Street and Truman Avenue just after 6 p.m., said Beth Straka, community service officer. He was taken to Excela Health Latrobe Hospital and transported by...
Contractor reports $4,800 theft at Hempfield job site
An electrical contractor working at a Hempfield plant reported that $4,800 worth of tools and copper wire were stolen from its job site, state police from Greensburg said. J.W. Peters Co. of Bethel Park reported the tools and wire were stolen from the General Carbide Corp. plant on Garden Drive...
Historical society receives $10K gift to help relocate military monumentVideo
The Export Historical Society has a good jump on relocating Export’s veteran monument, thanks to a $10,000 gift from former borough resident Gary Wuslich. “He noticed that the memorial was a little bit hard to see or recognize unless you knew where it was,” said borough councilwoman and historical society...
Norwin to cap tax hike at 3.4%
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see their school taxes increase more than 3.4% — the maximum allowed without state or voter approval. The Norwin School Board unanimously voted at its meeting this week to limit any tax hike to the state maximum, which is about 2.8...
Unity OKs 3% wage hike, seeks emergency coordinator
Unity Township supervisors approved a 3% wage hike for most township workers and are searching for a new emergency management coordinator. At their reorganization meeting this week, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union employees. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work...
Jeannette woman gets 15 to 30 years in prison for boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman convicted last year in the fatal bludgeoning of her teen-aged boyfriend insisted in court on Monday she did not intend for him to die. Crystal Belle, 40, said during her sentencing hearing she cared deeply for her 19-year-old boyfriend, Khalil Parker, even as she used the wooden...
New Westmoreland County commissioners say they’ll reopen the county’s budgetVideo
Westmoreland County commissioners Monday afternoon elected Republican Sean Kertes to serve as the new board chairman. Kertes, 33, of Greensburg, and Commissioner Doug Chew formed a new Republican majority on the board, which for the previous four years had been controlled by Democrats. The board’s lone returning member, Commissioner Gina...
$1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket sold in Salem
Someone who shopped at a Salem convenience store wanted to be a millionaire, apparently. Now they are, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. A winning $1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket was sold at the GetGo store on State Route 22. The ticket matched one of four numbers picked in...
2 Pennsylvanians among the 5 people killed in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash
Two of the five people killed in Sunday’s deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash in Westmoreland County were from Pennsylvania. Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, a driver for UPS for 28 years, leaves behind his wife, Kathleen, a daughter and two stepchildren. “He was one of the most generous men I’ve ever...
Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70 remembered as dedicated, compassionateVideo
A 14-year-old Matthew Smelser showed up three decades ago for a youth emergency medical explorer program in Connellsville. Greg Cominsky, a longtime area paramedic, knew right away that he was destined for a career helping people. “Oh, Matt took an immediate interest in it. He was so eager, so dedicated...
New Westmoreland County sheriff finds offices trashed
Newly installed Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert found a surprise when he arrived at work Monday morning. Stacks of boxes filled with old arrest warrants blocked the door to his administrative suite of offices, trash was strewn on floors and desks, and the former sheriff’s dirty uniforms were piled beneath...
