Westmoreland category, Page 714
Christmas Eve stabbing in New Stanton leads to assault charges
A couple’s fight late on Christmas Eve left a man with stab wounds and a New Stanton woman facing aggravated assault charges. State police initially responded to a 911 call from the mother of Julie L. Thomas, 21, who said she’d received text messages from Thomas that Jamel C. Miles...
Undecking the halls: How long do you leave your holiday decorations up?
When Shawn O’Mahony was growing up, it wasn’t unusual for his mother to let the Christmas tree stick around until Easter. That tradition didn’t carry over to her son. “When I decorated, the decorations were down before the new year,” said O’Mahony, a Penn Hills resident. “I like to start...
Big Shot Bob’s to open new Hempfield location
Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings is expanding once again, this time outside Westmoreland Mall. The wing joint will be located at the former Winghart’s spot in Westmoreland Crossing behind the mall. Owner Keith Wassel said he hopes to open the Hempfield location, which will serve over 100 flavors of...
Judge denies Yakopec’s request for transfer back to Westmoreland prison
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday rejected a request from the son of a Lower Burrell district judge to be transferred back to the county’s jail to finish serving out a six-month sentence for drug offenses. The attorney for Stephen Yakopec III, 29, of Lower Burrell in court documents filed this...
Fireworks companies sue North Huntingdon for more than $30,000
Two Kansas fireworks firms sued North Huntingdon for more than $30,000, saying the township’s refusal to grant a permit that would keep their store open near the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s entrance has caused a “significant” loss in sales the past two months. Fireworks Leasing LLC and Wholesale Fireworks Enterprises LLC, both...
Next Interstate 70 project will add 3 roundabouts at Madison exit
PennDOT’s ongoing Interstate 70 improvements are expected to continue next year, with revamping of the Madison and Yukon exits. Construction could begin as early as February and is expected to continue through September 2022, according to PennDOT District 12 officials. Submitting a proposal of about $92.9 million, Trumbull Corp. is...
13 Latrobe area churches band together to serve free Christmas meals to all who need themVideo
Anna Louise Castellano spent Christmas Day with her extended family. It’s a family that included many folks she didn’t even know but who gathered together Wednesday afternoon for a Christmas meal at St. John the Evangelist Church in Latrobe, in what has become a local tradition. “This is for anybody...
Murrysville webcam catches deer giving ground to wild turkeysVideo
A webcam recently captured a herd of deer relinquishing its ground to a group of invading wild turkeys in Murrysville. PixCams of Murrysville has 13 wildlife webcams, including ones monitoring the Pittsburgh bald eagles nest in Hays, elk in Benezette and wooded areas in places such as Murrysville. In the...
Cops: Man assaulted girlfriend after finding her wrapping presents for other boyfriend
A man who found his girlfriend wrapping a Christmas gift for her “other” boyfriend was arrested early Tuesday in Trafford after assaulting the woman and threatening her with a knife, police said. Daniel W. Hill, 50, of North Huntingdon was arrested at the Cavitt Avenue apartment he was sharing with...
Grapeville ball field remains in limbo as Hempfield combines fire stations
As Hempfield supervisors tie up loose ends to make the township’s 12 fire stations fall under one department, assets like a Grapeville ball field are left in limbo while fire chiefs make “hard decisions” on what to keep and what to sell. The field, at 1260 Toledo St., is utilized...
Johnstown man accused of hunting under the influence in Laurel Ridge State Park
A Johnstown man is accused by state game wardens of being under the influence of marijuana while he was hunting on Laurel Ridge State Park property this month, according to court papers. David R. Bruner, 53, set out a mineral lick on Dec. 3 in St. Clair Township, wardens said....
State prison inmate accused of making 2nd threat against Westmoreland judge
A state prison inmate serving a two- to four-year prison term for threatening to kill Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani in 2018 was charged Monday with threatening him again. Rebecca Elizabeth Gardner, 29, directed the threat at Feliciani in a letter mailed from SCI Muncy, where she is serving her...
Pa. Turnpike fully reopens in New Stanton after tractor-trailer crash, explosion
A tractor-trailer explosion closed a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in New Stanton and left drivers stuck for more than three hours early Tuesday morning, according to New Stanton Fire Chief Rob Cammarata. A 911 dispatcher said one tractor-trailer collided with another, which was stopped, around 4:45 a.m. The rear...
Murrysville window-screen company will appear on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ in JanuaryVideo
Joe Altieri was taking a huge risk when he decided to leave his job in the window industry to start up FlexScreen, a Murrysville company that provides removable, flexible window screens. Now he has a chance to have a professional investor share that risk. Altieri, a Plum resident, will appear...
Santa’s secret to success? His management philosophy, says Saint Vincent College prof
Ever wonder how Santa Claus can cover the entire world in a single night? The legend of Rudolph says the secret is the guidance system of the reindeer’s bright red nose. The movie “Elf” posits the collective belief in Santa as the power behind the sleigh. For Michael Urick, it’s...
Greensburg synagogue lights menorah to mark HanukkahVideo
The Jewish Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah, began Sunday evening and continues through Dec. 30. Greensburg’s Congregation Emanu-El Israel, which is a center for Jewish activities in central Westmoreland County, observed a festival tradition by lighting two electric candles on a menorah at sunset Monday at its North Main Street...
2 Hempfield sites named among Schools to Watch
Recognized for their high performance and willingness to improve, two Hempfield middle schools were named Schools to Watch by the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education. Awarded to Harrold and West Hempfield middle schools, Schools to Watch is a recognition program based on four main criteria: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness,...
Delay in funding change may have saved Westmoreland’s paratransit system
Westmoreland County transit officials Monday said they support the continued delay of a new funding method that could have gutted local paratransit operations for low-income, elderly and disabled residents. “We are relieved,” Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said. “There is no way we would have been able...
Grapeville residents banding together to save ball field
Community members may have thrown their last pitch last summer at a Grapeville ball field after residents say members of the fire department sold the land. The field, at 1260 Toledo St. in Hempfield, has been a staple in the community and is utilized by an adult coed team, said...
Christian Layman volunteer Wayne Clemens, 85, wins volunteer of the year awardVideo
For 15 years, Wayne Clemens has loaded trucks full of clothes and furniture, preparing to deliver the donated items to charities as far as West Virginia and Kentucky. The 85-year-old Hempfield resident has been a staple at Greensburg’s Christian Layman store, making deliveries, maintaining trucks and keeping them up-to-date on...
Troopers make surprise visit to Hempfield familyVideo
Onlookers would have thought Santa started his rounds early Monday afternoon when seven state police patrol cars and SUVs with emergency lights flashing and a siren blaring turned down Matteo Court in Hempfield and pulled into a driveway where 10-year-olds Payton and Riley Johnson and their brother, Ayden, 13, were...
Export fire destroys garage, damages home, sends firefighter for medical care
A family of four was displaced and a firefighter was transported by ambulance when a Monday afternoon blaze destroyed an Export garage and extensively damaged an adjoining home. The blaze was reported just before 1:30 p.m. on Arthur Street. The garage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to...
North Huntingdon woman accused of obstruction in case against husband
A North Huntingdon woman is accused by Westmoreland County detectives of obstructing the prosecution of child rape allegations against her husband, according to court papers. Kelley Jo Wilbanks, 40, was charged Friday with hindering prosecution, child endangerment and obstructing law enforcement. John M. Wilbanks, 38, was arrested Oct. 29 by...
Westmoreland prison inmate accused again of possessing contraband
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused earlier this month of smuggling Suboxone and synthetic marijuana through the mail was charged again Thursday after jail guards said they found him with more contraband. Hugh J. Hawkey Jr., 44, was charged by county detectives with manufacturing, possession and delivery of a controlled...
Overturned tractor-trailer blocks turnpike lane between Donegal and Somerset
All lanes are open again on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Donegal, though drivers should be cautious of crews working on the shoulder to clean up after a tractor-trailer overturned Monday morning, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Nobody was hurt in the crash, which happened between the Donegal and Somerset...
