Westmoreland category, Page 715
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...
Christmas tree recycling sites opening soon in Westmoreland
Live Christmas trees can be recycled starting Thursday at several locations around Westmoreland County. Trees that are recycled will be chipped into mulch and spread at community parks, rather than taking up space at a landfill if they are thrown out with the trash, according to Westmoreland Cleanways. One tree...
Amtrak: Latrobe station upgrade could begin in 2020
Latrobe appears to be on track for some major improvements to its Amtrak passenger station, with construction eyed for a possible 2020 start date. Amtrak discussed the proposed improvements, meant to better serve passengers with disabilities, in an interview with the Tribune-Review nearly two years ago. Latrobe officials were encouraged...
Westmoreland 911: Car flees from crash scene on Route 22 in Delmont
One person was injured Sunday evening in a hit-and-run collision on Route 22 in Delmont. A Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said the mishap happened at around 7 p.m. at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard. A bicycle fell from one of the cars in the wake of the collision, leading bystanders...
Judge Rita Hathaway shifts to Westmoreland civil court as part of bench reorganization
Westmoreland County’s longest-serving judge, and one of its most experienced on the criminal court bench, will take on a new assignment in January. Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway, who for the past 16 years has presided over criminal cases, will shift to the civil division as part of a reorganization...
Transit authority on track to start running Westmoreland bus service in January
Staff at the Westmoreland County Transit Authority has grown by more than 600% over the last month as the agency continues to gear up for its takeover of bus and paratransit services on Jan. 2. What was once primarily an administrative organization with 18 employees, the authority has transitioned to...
Staycation: Hikers, hunters, campers can enjoy wild times at Forbes State ForestVideo
Forbes State Forest provides some of the best spots for enjoying the Laurel Highlands’ wild flora, fauna and scenery. Boasting plenty of highlights for visitors, the forest covers roughly 60,000 acres spread across more than a dozen tracts of land in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties. Forbes State Forest annually...
Vo-tech schools serving Westmoreland, A-K Valley districts get nearly $82K in grants
Three vo-tech schools that serve 11 school districts in Westmoreland County and the Alle-Kiski Valley have received close to $82,000 in grants from the state Education Department. Lenape Technical School received $40,675, Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $49,999, and Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center received $16,930. The...
Irwin native pushed for early prosecution of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
Fallout from the teen sex trafficking scandal of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted pedophile who hanged himself in a New York City jail cell, continues to plow a path of destruction. Manhattan jail guards face federal criminal charges related to Epstein’s death and an alleged subsequent...
Jeannette school closet helps students in need
Rather than being filled with desks, chairs and books, a second-floor room at Jeannette McKee Elementary School has shelves of pants, racks of shirts and skirts, boxes of new tennis shoes, hats, gloves and some toiletries. The former classroom was converted this year into the Jeannette McKee School Closet, where...
Super Saturday brings holiday shoppers out in droves at Westmoreland Mall
The last Saturday before Christmas, typically the biggest shopping day of the year, was expected to attract nearly 148 million consumers online and at brick-and-mortar stores this year. The National Retail Federation projected that increase over last year’s Super Saturday turnout of about 134 million because of this year’s abbreviated...
Hempfield man suffers burns in fire that destroyed garage
A Hempfield man suffered minor burns to his hands while attempting to remove equipment from his burning garage Saturday morning, firefighters said. The block building, which contained woodworking equipment, was a total loss, according to Midway-St. Clair Fire Chief Rich Kepple. A township fire investigator will look into the cause...
Theft of payroll documents left 1,800 Excela employees’ data at risk
A stolen briefcase containing payroll documents from an Excela Health employee this fall left the personal data of 1,800 workers at risk, hospital system officials confirmed. Authorities said they were notified around 6 a.m. Oct. 8 of the theft of a briefcase from an unlocked car parked outside a home...
Unity Township road reopens after car crash
A car crash closed Union Cemetery Road in Unity Township Friday night, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The road, which closed between McCullough Road and Auction Barn Road before 10 p.m., was reopened before 12 a.m. One person was freed from a vehicle and was in the care of...
Officials: Driver flees after crashing into Hempfield parts storeVideo
A driver fled the scene after crashing into an AutoZone along Route 30 on Friday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Officers responded shortly before 5:45 p.m. to the parts store, at 6499 Route 30 in Hempfield, where they found a white pickup that had crashed into the corner...
