Westmoreland category, Page 729
Unity rings in holiday season with senior luncheon, tree-lighting
Unity Township will kick off the holiday season Dec. 6 with a luncheon for seniors and an evening tree-lighting ceremony. The luncheon, open to area residents age 50 or older and their guests, will be served at noon at Giannilli’s II restaurant on Route 30 westbound, just west of the...
Members sought for Westmoreland solar co-opVideo
A nonprofit that organized solar power co-ops in neighboring counties is looking to do the same in Westmoreland County. Solar United Neighbors initiated more than 200 solar co-ops across the country, including two in Allegheny County, one in Indiana County and another that operates in both Beaver and Butler counties....
Westmoreland County union workers reject proposed new contract
Members of Westmoreland County’s largest bargaining unit rejected the terms of a new labor contract for more than 600 government workers. The county’s existing four-year contract with the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania expires at the end of December. Negotiations on a new labor pact...
Former Jeannette doctor sentenced to house arrest for patient overdose deaths
A North Huntingdon doctor will serve two years on house arrest and five years on probation for over-prescribing drugs used by two patients who died of overdoses. Dr. Michel Toret, 73, of Jeannette, told a Westmoreland County judge that the practice of medicine has changed during his four decades as...
Jeannette hemp plant reopens, but employee pay issue remains
A hemp-drying facility in Jeannette reopened over the weekend after ventilation was added. Current and former employees, however, still say they have not been paid for weeks of work. Patriot Shield Security was permitted to reopen on a temporary basis after an inspection late Friday, said Bill Whetzel, the city’s...
Thousands of hats, gloves distributed around Greensburg to help homeless, those in need
Volunteers dispersed thousands of bags filled with hats, coats and gloves around Greensburg in an annual rite ahead of months of winter cold. The gear — affixed to telephone poles, fences and trees or left out in the open — won’t hang around long. In past years, most bags were...
Tube City Writers look to spin ‘Stories from the Mon Valley’
The Mon Valley is rich with stories to tell, and storytellers will share their personal tales at “Tube City Writers Live: An Evening of Stories from the Mon Valley.” The program will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Tube City Center, 409 Walnut St., McKeesport. A multi-use, co-working...
Cops: Ligonier drug bust leads to second arrest for burglaries
Undercover police officers watching a Ligonier apartment after complaints of suspected drug activity not only arrested a resident for allegedly selling Suboxone, but also solved two weekend break-ins. The resident, Hunter M. Fitchko, 26, was arrested inside his apartment on the 200 block of East Church Street by Ligonier Valley...
American Legion oratorical, essay contests open to high school students
Westmoreland County high school students looking for college scholarships might want to sharpen their public speaking and essay skills for the 2020 Pennsylvania American Legion oratorical and essay contests. The contests are open to all county students in grades 9-12, including home school and charter and private school pupils. Applications...
Voting open for PennDOT ‘Paint the Plow’ contest
Voting opened Monday for the best student-created design on PennDOT snowplow blades this winter. Eight finalists from high schools in the department’s four-county District 12 area are vying for votes in the Paint the Plow contest. The theme this year is “Don’t Rush in Ice and Slush.” Students from the...
2 people reported injured in head-on collision in Ligonier Township
Two people were reported injured in a head-on collision Sunday at the intersection of Routes 711 and 271 in Ligonier Township, according to a Westmoreland County dispatch supervisor. The accident occurred about 3:15 p.m. in the village of Waterford, the dispatcher said. The two people injured were expected to be...
Political signs waning in mid-November
From Labor Day through early November, most busy roadsides and intersections are awash in political campaign signs. The small placards emblazoned with a candidate’s name appear by the thousands as office seekers fight for name recognition and public awareness of their campaign efforts for the hundreds of political offices up...
Greensburg Salem grad commanding region’s Naval operations support center
When Christine Komoroski was an outside hitter on Greensburg Salem’s volleyball team in the mid-1990s, she was so good she received a recruitment letter from the Naval Academy to attend its elite volleyball camp. It was an invitation that set her on a different career path and a journey in...
Hempfield volunteer fair recruits quite the hype man: Andrew McCutchenVideo
When you’re trying to get your first-ever student volunteer fair off the ground, it’s always helpful to have good collaborators, people who can get others excited for the event. Landing former Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen as a spokesman, for example, is a pretty good way to draw attention to Hempfield...
Church sanctuary in Ligonier transforms into skiing ‘swap shop’ one Saturday each fallVideo
Nearby Laurel Mountain Ski Resort has not opened for the season, but as temperatures dipped into the 20s early Saturday plenty of Ligonier-area skiers were prepping to hit the slopes. As many skiers have for the past 20 years, they flocked Saturday to the sanctuary at Ligonier Valley Heritage United...
Winghart’s owners miss North Huntingdon hearing for liquor license tranfer
A planned public hearing this week in North Huntingdon turned out to be a five-minute affair after two business owners missed their window to request permission to transfer an expired liquor license from Hempfield into the township. Prasad Margabandhu and Sivram Bandhu, who own the liquor license under Bandhu Brothers...
Jeannette: Hemp drying facility could reopen under certain conditions
If Patriot Shield Security addresses odor complaints at their hemp drying facility in Jeannette, the company will be permitted to resume operations on a temporary basis, said city solicitor Tim Witt. “That needs to immediately be brought into compliance before anyone operates in that building again,” he said. The company...
Unity holds tax line for 2020, looks to increase reward in arson investigation
Unity supervisors said they intend to hold the line on township taxes under a $7 million budget proposed for next year. The township’s general real estate tax, which is set to remain at 2.2 mills, is expected to generate about $630,000 in revenue. A separate 2-mill tax that supports local...
Hempfield man pleads guilty but mentally ill in elderly father’s beating deathVideo
A Hempfield man pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Friday for the murder of his elderly father last December. Douglas F. Novak, 41, told a Westmoreland County judge he has suffered from mental illness for more than two decades. After a five-month stay in treatment facility following his arrest, he...
Irwin church to serve as warming shelter
Irwin area residents whose power goes out during the winter can use a warming shelter at the First United Methodist Church of Irwin at 310 Oak St. Those whose power goes out can contact Pastor Ron Slavin at 724-691-7113 or Pastor Bruce Judy at 724-747-6098. Tea, hot chocolate and soup...
Police: Latrobe woman sexually assaulted 2 teen boys
A Latrobe woman is accused of sexually assaulting two teenage boys — the first starting in 2004 and the second in 2016, according to state police. Shanda Rae Hitchcock, 33, was arrested Thursday on charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and related offenses....
The Westmoreland opens shopping season with holiday martVideo
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art launches the holiday shopping season this weekend, with discounts, complimentary refreshments and gift wrapping. Dwi Bartlebaugh, shop manager since June, notes several local artists and makers have items for sale. She also is adding more items for children and jewelry and ornaments featuring nearby...
1 hospitalized after crash involving school bus, SUV in West Newton
One person was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital Friday after a two-vehicle crash involving a school bus and an SUV in West Newton, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Firefighters freed a person from the SUV in the crash just before 9 a.m. on East Main Street, the...
Penn-Trafford students prepare to air ‘Wishes for Warriors’ telethonVideo
Penn-Trafford High School’s third annual Make-a-Wish telethon has already granted one child’s wish, even though it won’t be broadcast until Dec. 19. “We have already raised more than $5,000 in less than two weeks,” said Steve Vinton, high school video production teacher. “Last year we raised $60,000 and granted 13...
Jeannette man sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for online drug purchase
A Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in a federal prison for ordering drugs online to distribute locally along with weapons violations, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. James Robert Czachowski, 22, was ordered to spend three years on supervision after being released from prison. He pleaded guilty...
