Westmoreland category, Page 726
Norwin’s sensory hallways give students calming effectVideo
Kolton Kamauf walked through Norwin’s Hahntown Elementary School in North Huntingdon, where paintings and stickers on the hall floors and walls prompt him and other students to crab walk, touch images and do wall push-ups. ”I like it because it gives my brain a break and it relaxes me,” said...
Choose-and-cut growers attract traditionalists on quest for ideal Christmas tree
Artificial or real? It’s the classic debate at the start of the Christmas season, pitting those who want the convenience of a tree in a box against those who prefer the authenticity and scent of an actual evergreen. Dedicated traditionalists go even further, seeking a place where they can pick...
Garbage truck, car collide in Penn Township
No injuries were reported in connection with a crash involving a garbage truck and a car. Westmoreland County dispatchers said the wreck occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at College Avenue and Oak Hill Drive in Penn Township. Traffic was rerouted around the scene....
Coroner called to ATV-Jeep crash in Donegal Township
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office was called to a section of Route 130 in Donegal Township where an ATV collided with a Jeep on Wednesday evening. Rescuers reported a male patient was unresponsive at the scene of the crash near the intersection of Donegal Lake Road, a Westmoreland County 911...
Westmoreland board certifies county election results; Kopas shut-out official
The Westmoreland County Board of Elections on Wednesday certified results of Nov. 5 state, county and school races, with no change in winners from initial, unofficial returns. In the county commissioners’ race, each of the four candidates was credited with some additional votes, but incumbent Democrat Ted Kopas remained shut...
‘Miracle’ reunion leads to adoption for thankful Greensburg family, teen
Amanda Ferree reached forward and squeezed the girl’s shoulder as they walked, both dressed in plaid button-down shirts, into a Westmoreland County courtroom. Her husband, Ian, wiped tears from his face on the witness stand as he recounted the fateful steps that brought the girl into their lives. And Leesa...
Jeannette ready to ring in the holiday season
The holiday spirit will officially arrive in Jeannette on Saturday. The second annual Sparkle of Christmas parade starts at 6 p.m. on Clay Avenue, but festivities kick off on Fifth Street and inside the Jeannette American Legion at 4:30 p.m. “We turned it into an event,” said Laura Smith, organizing...
Greensburg’s Used Furniture Outlet to close by end of year
Some Like it Olde, the antique store better known to Greensburg residents as the Used Furniture Outlet, will close by the end of the year. Owners Frank and Marian Ernhart sold their three-story South Pennsylvania Avenue building for $155,000 to Southpaw Properties, a company based in Pittsburgh and Columbus. “We’re...
In Jeannette, taxes to drop but fees to increase
There will not be a property tax increase in Jeannette next year and residents will pay less in earned-income taxes under the city’s proposed 2020 budget. But, garbage service will cost a little more and the city plans to add fees for two services that currently are free. The proposed...
Suspects in Ligonier business break-ins arrested on more burglary charges
Eight days after being released for their alleged involvement in a series of break-ins at Ligonier businesses, two men were arrested again Tuesday and accused in another series of burglaries, including one at a church office. On Nov. 18, police arrested Hunter M. Fitchko, 26, at his apartment on the...
Mt. Pleasant Township farm’s desserts popular on many area Thanksgiving tablesVideo
While turkey usually grabs the most attention at the Thanksgiving table, the dessert pie isn’t far behind. For 23 years, pies from Sand Hill Berries farm off Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant Township have been stealing the show. The work for owners Susan and Richard Lynn begins several weeks ahead...
Ohio man accused in bizarre North Huntingdon bank heist attempt headed to trialVideo
The family of an Ohio man arrested in a bizarre Westmoreland County bank robbery scheme involving a mask and claim of bombs at two area high schools said Wednesday they still can’t understand his actions. Luke J. Dell, 35, of Beavercreek, Ohio, made his first court appearance Wednesday since his...
Rostraver man gets house arrest in drunken-driving crash that injured girl
The most serious charges against a Rostraver man were dropped Wednesday in exchange for a guilty plea in connection with a November 2018 crash that left a 12-year-old girl injured. Anzalone Jones, 63, was sentenced to six months of intermediate punishment and 90 days of home electronic monitoring on charges...
Irwin holds the line on taxes, plans sewage rate hike
Irwin property owners will not pay higher property taxes in 2020, but will pay slightly more in their sewage bills. Council recently adopted a tentative general fund budget of $3.9 million, holding the line on real estate taxes at 20 mills. The borough anticipates starting the new year with a...
PennDOT needs more snow plow drivers in Westmoreland County
PennDOT needs to hire another 25 seasonal snow plow operators in Westmoreland County, with early winter weather on the horizon. It currently has 13 on the roster. About 100 seasonal plow drivers normally are hired to help treat and clear roads throughout District 12 — including Westmoreland, Fayette, Greene and...
Hempfield residents evacuated after crash damages natural gas line
About 20 residents in a Hempfield neighborhood were evacuated from their homes late Tuesday night as a precaution after a natural gas line was damaged during a car crash. The crash happened after 11 p.m. in the area of Swede Hill Road and Brownfield Drive, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV,...
Greensburg Fire Department delivers Thanksgiving dinner to those in needVideo
Dozens of Greensburg-area families will have a Thanksgiving dinner this week thanks to the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department and donations from the community. Firefighters packed 50 boxes Tuesday. Each held a Thanksgiving dinner with the works: turkey, veggies, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls and pumpkin pie. They loaded the boxes...
Kiski School announces new scholarship
A Westmoreland County boarding school announced Tuesday that it will begin offering a full scholarship for one student every year, beginning in the 2020-21 school year. Officials at the Kiski School, an all-boys boarding school with about 190 students in grades 9-12 in Loyalhanna Township, said a new $1.15 million...
Fayette County woman charged with stealing McDonald’s night bank deposit
State police arrested a Fayette County woman on charges she took a night bank deposit bag containing more than $1,000 from a Westmoreland County McDonald’s restaurant where she used to work, according to court papers. Lisa A. Leasure, 42, of Champion, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft before...
Scottdale, Smithton on radar for improved transportation plan
A Westmoreland County group has money to explore new ways of connecting Smithton and Scottdale. Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County will use a $25,000 grant to develop a transportation plan that envisions new or improved pedestrian, bicycle and public transit systems between and within the two communities. Known as...
Father of New Kensington cop killer denied house arrest while awaiting trial
Gregory Baucum Jr. won’t have his bond lowered or be released from jail on house arrest while he awaits trial. Baucum, 49, is the father of convicted New Kensington cop killer Rahmael Sol Holt. Baucum is in the Westmoreland County Prison, awaiting trial on charges of threatening or intimidating witnesses...
Franklin Regional senior earns $20,000 Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award
Franklin Regional senior Emma Martin is the recipient of the Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award, given annually to a band marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to one of its members. But to keep it a surprise for Martin, her own mother had to essentially become a covert...
Christmas events planned in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Apollo The Apollo Christmas Parade and Party will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Apollo Plaza. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue and North Second street into the plaza. The Apollo-Ridge High School Chorus will sing and the Christmas tree...
Scottdale man charged with DUI, leading police on chase through Unity
A Scottdale man found himself in the county jail on drunken driving and other charges after state police said they chased his pickup truck through farm fields and along miles of rural roads. The pursuit involving Joseph T. Demase, 37, began around 5 p.m. Monday along Route 981 near the...
Murrysville council works through conditions for town’s first fracking well
If Murrysville approves its first unconventional gas well, expect “some push-back” to several of the roughly 25 conditions officials want to impose, Chief Administrator Jim Morrison warned council members. Among the conditions is one that no water will be transported by truck to the proposed Titan well pad off of...
