Westmoreland category, Page 737
Westmoreland Register of Wills race pits office holder against longtime office worker
The race for Westmoreland County register of wills pits the incumbent against one of the office’s longtime staff members. Democrat Katie Pecarchik, 51, is challenging Sherry Magretti Hamilton, 42, a Republican who is in her first four-year term. Pecarchik, a Hempfield resident, questions how much time Magretti Hamilton spends at...
Judge allows defense to get expert for appeal in Loyalhanna murder case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday authorized defense attorneys for an Indiana man on death row for the shooting deaths of his mother, sister and aunt to use up to $2,500 of taxpayer money to help formulate another appeal of his murder convictions. Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio approved...
Westmoreland among 8 counties in $100K study of broadband internet service
Westmoreland County will participate in a study expected to clarify the status of local broadband internet service and what might be needed to improve coverage in the region. The Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission was awarded a $50,000 grant to map out broadband needs in Westmoreland along with Bedford,...
North Huntingdon man accused of rape being held in county jail on $150K bail
North Huntingdon police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old township man on multiple charges of raping and sexually abusing a girl. In addition to rape, John M. Wilbanks was arraigned before District Judge Wayne Gongaware on charges including rape, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children....
School director, restaurant owner vie for Unity supervisor post
Michael O’Barto has spent two years on the Greater Latrobe School Board, but he hopes Unity voters will return him to his previous longtime role of township supervisor. Doug Murphy, who fell short in a 2017 bid to join the three-member board of supervisors, is vying again for the position....
Westmoreland County cold weather shelter program begins on Friday
Westmoreland County cold weather shelters will open on Friday, offering emergency lodging to residents who are homeless or without heat on cold winter nights. They will remain in service through March 31. Welcome Home Shelter in Greensburg and Union Mission in Latrobe will be open from 8 p.m. to 8...
State legislation would expand first-responder tax credit to the county level
This April, state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, donated $16,000 of his state salary to fire departments in his 54th District. Brooks wants to continue helping first responders with House Bill 1839, which would authorize counties to issue a property tax credit to active firefighters or emergency medical responders. The bill...
Cops: Pair arrested for selling fake methamphetamine in Latrobe
A man and woman who attempted to pass Epsom salt as crystal methamphetamine in Latrobe last week were sent to Westmoreland County Prison, city police said. Austin L. Kimmick, 19, of Ligonier and Christina Kennedy, 32, of New Derry were arrested by city police on drug-related charges after attempting the...
Jeannette man identified as victim of fatal shooting
An aspiring rapper who was a father of two died Monday night in a shooting in Jeannette that left two people wounded. Mariell McGowan, 29, of Jeannette was fatally shot about 5:30 p.m. on Cuyler Avenue, just a few doors down from his mother’s home and a block from the city...
Greensburg physician pleads guilty to unlawful prescribing, money laundering
A Greensburg physician pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to unlawfully dispensing buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone or Subutex. Nabil Jabbour, 68, of Hempfield, also pleaded guilty to health care fraud and money laundering, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Jabbour operated clinics on Harvey Avenue in Greensburg and East...
Concrete damage limits access to Latrobe parking garage while city looks for fix
The Weldon Street entrance to Latrobe’s municipal parking garage is temporarily closed while city officials and consultants weigh options for solving concrete problems that likely will add to the cost of ongoing repairs to the structure. Pullman Services has been working for several weeks on the first major repairs to...
WVU prof to speak at Saint Vincent College on stadium subsidies
The controversy over whether taxpayers in the region should provide funding for the arenas, stadiums and ballparks for Pittsburgh’s professional teams was played out in the 1990s, but a West Virginia University professor is revisiting the controversial topic in a speech at Saint Vincent College near Latrobe. WVU economics professor...
1 dead, 2 injured in Jeannette shootingVideo
One person is dead and two are injured after a shooting at a Jeannette home Monday evening, according to police. Officers, who were in the parking lot of the police station a block away, responded to Cuyler Avenue shortly after 5:30 p.m. Monday after 14 or 15 shots rang out,...
Westmoreland prison population surge expected to be temporary
Warden John Walton said the inmate population at the county prison spiked during the last month, but the numbers of those incarcerated are expected to dip before year’s end. Walton told members of the prison board the Hempfield facility housed 677 inmates on Monday, bringing its population closer to capacity...
Ex-Monessen school bus driver pleads guilty to possessing child porn
A former Monessen school bus driver arrested in August on charges of possession of child pornography pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh to possessing materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Jack Brian Laforte, 55, pleaded guilty to one count...
Family offers $50,000 to match donations for new Delmont library
Delmont resident Bill Lendl and his family value their local public library and want to see it thrive. That’s why Lendl announced a matching fundraising challenge, where he agreed to match community donations up to $50,000, which will be put toward the building fund for the new Delmont Public Library....
Westmoreland commissioner hopefuls spent more than $600K on campaigns this year
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli is the top spender so far among four candidates seeking election next week. Cerilli listed more than $126,000 in new expenses, bringing the total cash she’s used for her reelection since the start of this year to more than $275,000, according to finance reports that...
Deputy recognizes suspect from 7-year-old warrant, new drug charges follow
A New Stanton man made the mistake of leaving his hotel room last week just as a county sheriff’s deputy with a long memory happened to drive past. The deputy, Robby Orbin, said in court documents filed Monday that he quickly recognized Edward C. Ferrari, 50, as the former Unity...
3 charged in shooting death of Brutus, a pit bull mix found dead in North HuntingdonVideo
Three people were arrested Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of a dog that was found over the summer muzzled and tied to a North Huntingdon railroad post. Ashley Nichole Kunkle, 30, her mother Sandra D. Cancino, 55, both of Yukon, and her boyfriend Anthony Keith Harper, 28, of...
YouTube video leads to criminal mischief charges at Murrysville golf course
Murrysville police arrested six men after a video surfaced online showing damage to golf carts and turf at the Rolling Fields Golf Club in Murrysville. The men have been charged with criminal mischief and conspiracy. Video posted to a YouTube channel called WTR, which police said stands for “White Trash...
Excela Westmoreland ranked among top regional facilities in U.S. News & World Report
Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital won honors as Best Regional Hospital-Pittsburgh, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Greensburg hospital was one of 569 hospitals of the nearly 4,500 reviewed to rank among the Best Regional Hospitals in a state or metro area based on their performance in delivering complex...
Cops: Delmont man choked woman, threatened family during argument
Police arrested a 44-year-old Delmont man after he allegedly choked a woman and threatened to harm her family over the weekend. Thomas A. Patterson was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, simple assault, strangulation and making terroristic threats by police after the 2:30 p.m. Saturday incident. Officer Dylan Keffer reported in...
Police seek suspect accused of breaking into 2 Westmoreland Mall stores
State police are looking for a man who they said broke into two stores at Westmoreland Mall. The suspect pried open the back doors of Leggings Park and Icy Roll 2.0 at the Hempfield mall just before 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to troopers. The man unplugged security cameras and stole...
Sewing a place in history, one stitch at a timeVideo
Jessica Young can laugh now, but it was not funny when a client once asked if an article of clothing she had ordered for a re-enactor costume was indeed hand sewn. The stitches, the client believed, were too perfect. “I said, ‘thank you,’” recalls Young, 34, of Trafford. Young is...
With numbers growing, women-owned businesses find their niche
Kathleen Hendrickson has run a small business for decades, but she hasn’t grown complacent. There are certifications to update, trends to follow, finances to watch and phone and online orders to fill. She regularly travels to training classes and New York City to buy merchandise for her Wigs ’N More...
