Westmoreland category, Page 764
WCTA’s ConnectCard system to be phased out
Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s troubled ConnectCard system, which allows riders to pay cashless fares via prepaid accounts, will be phased out over the next several months, officials announced Tuesday. After years of planning, ConnectCard was finally implemented in early 2018. Almost immediately, it was besieged with technical issues. “ConnectCard has...
Woman hurt in Sewickley Township crash involving school van
One woman was hurt in a two-vehicle crash involving a school van in Sewickley Township, according to Westmoreland County 911. A dispatcher said the van was not transporting students. The crash happened at the corner of Clopper Street and Keystone Road around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday. The woman was taken to...
Hempfield honors fire station on 75 year milestoneVideo
The Midway/St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department was recognized Monday night for 75 years in service. The department, located on Broadway Avenue, was established July 11, 1944. Officials posted on their Facebook page, “Today marks our 75th anniversary. Thank you to the current members and all the past members who have...
Elderly malnutrition focus of Westmoreland awareness weekVideo
No matter what meal Sue Floder makes for the Norwin Meals on Wheels program, she knows one thing to be true — the sweet treat goes first. “I think most of them (seniors) go for the goody first because you lose a lot of your taste buds when you’re older,...
Police: Woman urinated on state agent searching her during Jeannette drug arrest
A Johnstown woman is charged with aggravated assault after she urinated on an agent from the state attorney general’s office who was searching her Monday at the Jeannette police station, according to court papers. Ashley Evon Sanders, 33, vomited as she was being placed in a holding cell at the...
Fallen Rostraver firefighter will be honored at national memorial
Michael Godzak joined the Rostraver Township Volunteer Fire Department as a junior member at 12 years old. For the next 47 years, the Belle Vernon native rose through its ranks, serving a stint as chief for nine years in the 1980s and early ’90s. On April 29, 2018, Godzak was...
Westmoreland County sued over requirement that union workers complete major projects
Westmoreland County’s agreement with a Pittsburgh trades council has been challenged in federal court, claiming the deal excludes nonunion businesses from securing county construction contracts. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, seeks to invalidate the county’s project labor agreement approved in 2016 by Commissioners Gina Cerilli and...
Police: Monessen woman was drunk when she hit parked cars, person in North Belle Vernon
A Monessen woman allegedly was intoxicated Monday when she hit several parked cars, lost a wheel on her SUV and hit a woman who tried to get her to stop driving through North Belle Vernon, according to police. Sarah Elizabeth Kolenc, 27, is charged with aggravated assault, driving under the...
Pair arrested in North Huntingdon vehicle theft, break-ins
Two Allegheny County residents were being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after police said they were involved in a vehicle theft and break-ins at a North Huntingdon neighborhood during the weekend. Dylan Keith Walklin, 26, of Whitaker, and Celeste Anabelle Hartle, 18, of West View, are jailed on $50,000...
Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce announces 2019 honorees
Four local community members, including a nonprofit, a business, a woman leader and a chamber member, will be honored during the annual Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce awards luncheon next month. On Oct. 10, Westmoreland Children First will be named nonprofit of the year, Blue Sky Sign Co., located in Greensburg,...
Latrobe eyes addition of stormwater management fee
Latrobe property owners can expect next year to begin paying a proposed stormwater management fee, but city officials have yet to pinpoint how much they will be charged. Council is expected in November to act on the proposed fee, which would be added to existing quarterly billing for other city...
Addiction recovery film, panel discussion planned at The Westmoreland
A free public screening of a documentary about people living in recovery from an addiction will be held Thursday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The film — “The Anonymous People” — will be followed by a panel discussion. The event is being sponsored by the Westmoreland...
4 Yough students treated for possible contagious skin infection
Four students in the Yough School District have been treated for possible impetigo since the beginning of the school year, Superintendent Janet Sardon said Tuesday. “The Yough School District takes the health and safety of our students as a top priority,” Sardon said in a statement. Impetigo is a common...
State study: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport boosts economy by $226M
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport boosts the local economy by $226 million annually, according to a state study. The 2019 state Bureau of Aviation update of its similar 2011 report shows the Unity airport’s impact has more than doubled since 2010 — when it pumped $97.5 million into the area, a...
Jeannette native to speak at veterans dinner about life lessons learned as POW in Vietnam
Vietnam veteran Dave Carey endured 51⁄2 years as a prisoner of war by talking. Under the stress of torture, the Jeannette High School and Naval Academy graduate talked to his captors in Hanoi, feeding them invented information to end their interrogation and the physical punishment that accompanied it. “At times,...
Warrants, other documents remain sealed in Cassandra Gross disappearance, judge rules
A Westmoreland County judge has continued to keep private details of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of a Unity woman who police said was likely killed last year. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger signed court orders on Sept. 19 that sealed for another 30 days search warrants and...
Jeannette murder trial date set; Attorney says accused has alibi
An Allegheny County man charged with murder in a fatal shooting two years ago in Jeannette was ruled competent to stand trial. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said Monday a mental health examination of Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee found that he was able to assist his defense and cleared...
North Huntingdon arrests could crack cases in West Deer, Indiana townships
Police say the arrests of a man and woman in North Huntingdon Sunday night could help solve a rash of car break-ins in West Deer and Indiana townships earlier this month. Dylan Keith Walklin, 26, of Munhall and Celeste Annabelle Hartle, 18, of Pittsburgh were arrested late Sunday by North...
Jeannette outreach feeds body, soul of dinersVideo
Those who visit the First Baptist Church along North Second Street in Jeannette for a free dinner on Thursdays can expect to leave nourished, both body and soul. “This is a place for people in need, and there is fellowship here,” said Gerri Coulson of Delmont, a Jeannette native who...
Westmoreland transit authority to seek bids for bus and shared ride operatorVideo
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority will not renew its contract with the operator of its bus and shared ride system in 2020 because the authority could not reach an agreement with that company on the rates for next year. National Express LLC wanted to charge rates the transit authority considered...
Murrysville voters at Newlonsburg and Sardis could get new precincts under new planVideo
Westmoreland County elections officials on Monday approved a revised redistricting plan for Murrysville that will split its two largest precincts. The amended plan, to be presented for approval next week to Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Scherer, will separate the Sardis voting district nearly in half. That precinct was originally...
Blackburn Center reschedules final Red Sand project in Mt. PleasantVideo
Because of inclement weather, the Blackburn Center rescheduled its final Red Sand Project event for 5 p.m.Wednesday at Excela Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant. The art installation was previously set for Monday, said Karen Evans, the center’s advocacy program manager. Earlier installations were held this month at the Westmoreland County...
Good luck charm from daughter helps Rocco Mediate to latest win
Greensburg’s Rocco Mediate credits his lucky hat — the one decorated by his 4-year-old daughter — for having at least something to do with his latest victory on the PGA Tour Champions. Mediate this weekend won the Sanford International, his first win on the 50-and-older circuit in three years. His...
Help needed with annual Crick Falls Cleanup effort
A spot popular with ATV-riders and partiers seeking seclusion leads to a mammoth cleanup effort from the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association each year. The association needs both volunteers and operators of off-road vehicles, says Annie Quinn, executive director. “The majority of trash is beer cans,” Quinn says. The association will...
Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez moved to Westmoreland prison on child sex charges
Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was booked into the Westmoreland County Prison on Monday. Sheriff’s deputies transported Vazquez from the Allegheny County Jail, where he has been held for nearly a week after his arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting a former Scottdale teenage girl. The 28-year-old relief pitcher is...
