Westmoreland category, Page 791

Greensburg will pay almost $9,000 in grant money to transform a vacant building into apartments and expand a Maple Street spa. The city will pay $7,500 to City Cribs, a company converting a long-vacant building at 136 S. Pennsylvania Ave. into 10 apartments and a first-floor boutique. The second grant...

Westmoreland County’s director of Veterans Affairs is reminding veterans that applying for benefits should never come with a fee. “Veterans’ benefits are something that really aren’t supposed to be monetized,” said Matt Zamosky, one of 200 accredited veteran service officers working in Pennsylvania. Zamosky said the issue of military veterans...

Taxes would go up next year in the Greater Latrobe School District if the school board passes a tentative 2019-20 budget that cleared a first hurdle this week. The board is considering a tax hike to 82.25 mills — one mill higher than this year — to help pay for...

A Donora man was convicted of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend last year. Following a three-day trial that ended Wednesday, a Westmoreland County jury found Travis Magash, 33, guilty of aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault for his role in a violent attack against his girlfriend. Danielle Rose Thompson, 25, told...

Hempfield is kicking off its Summer Concert Series with the grand opening of its new amphitheater this weekend. Normally filled with kids playing sports and families enjoying the walking trail and pavilions, Hempfield Park will be home to bands, food trucks and lawn chairs. Work on the Hempfield Smail Auto...

Eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking can attend the prom Friday night, a state appeals court ruled. The state’s Commonwealth Court issued that order late Thursday afternoon as school district lawyers challenged a county judge’s ruling from earlier this week that halted the...

North Huntingdon officials have approved Sheetz Inc.’s plans to expand its store along Route 30 so that it can meet state liquor laws in order to sell alcohol at the site. Township commissioners Brian Blasko, Zachary Haigis, David Herold and Tony Martino voted to approve the site plans to expand...

North Huntingdon is taking its township zoning board to court over its decision to allow a cell phone tower to be built on property bordering Manor borough. Township commissioners this week authorized an appeal to Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court. The zoning board on April 2 granted TowerCo 2013 of...

Tom Seefeld started a Community Response Team when he was police chief in New Kensington 20 years ago, with the goal of having some officers specially trained for high-risk events such as active shooters or barricaded gunmen and serving drug warrants. Now chief in Murrysville, Seefeld is about to be...

A controversial building project, questions about assessment appeals and a long-stalled teachers’ contract are among the issues driving public engagement in heated school board races in Tuesday’s primary. It’s not unusual for school board ballots to draw few candidates and scarce attention from voters. Given that candidates in such races...

Following a five-month investigation, state police in Greensburg said they arrested a Mt. Pleasant Township man Thursday for illegal possession of multiple firearms including a AR-15 rifle and grinding off the serial numbers so they could not be traced. Michael C. Lint, 33, was arrested by state police following the...

A thin, rectangular box collects dust in Harry and Velma Smith’s closet. It’s inscribed with the date May 17, 1944. Inside are the delicate lace remains of the dress and veil Velma Smith scrambled to find for her wedding amid World War II. There also is a message written by...

The Hempfield Township Parks and Recreation department was nationally recognized by the United States Air Force. According to Aaron Siko, parks and recreation director, the Air Force is allowed to use township facilities at no charge, including fields, pavilions and the athletic complex. The Air Force uses the facilities for...

Georgia M. Zowacki’s 55th birthday was not what she expected, according to court papers. The West Newton woman was unhappy and turned violent Wednesday because she didn’t get a birthday present, card or cake, police said. She drank vodka throughout the day to celebrate, but by 3 p.m. started threatening...

Several Westmoreland and Allegheny county schools were awarded grants recently as part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s School Breakfast Initiative. The initiative, which is providing more than 150 schools with grants up to $5,000 this year, is aimed at giving students a healthy breakfast. About $592,000 in grants were given to...

A Hempfield businesswoman is in the running to be Entrepreneur of the Year for the East Central Region of the United States. Mona Pappafava-Ray, president and CEO of General Carbide Corp., is a finalist in the competition that recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who excel in areas such...

North Huntingdon police stopped a car for driving erratically on Route 30 and arrested two Allegheny County men after finding about $15,000 worth of a powerful marijuana extract known as “Shatter” and a smaller quantity of cocaine, according to court documents. Dwayne M. Jefferson of Munhall and Darius L. Auston,...

People who visit at least 25 Westmoreland County historic and cultural sites, art centers, theatres and community festivals this year can not only learn about the county’s history and heritage but get some prizes in return. A passport program offered by Westmoreland Heritage, in conjunction with the Laurel Highlands Visitors...

Several Penn-Trafford School District alumni are up in arms over a perceived racist video of an active shooter drill at the high school. The video, posted on Twitter, shows a man — who some believe was serving as the active shooter — wearing what appears to be a keffiyeh, or...

Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Wednesday hired an architect to design a new administrative and storage facility for the utility’s sewer operation, a move criticized by a former county controller for not seeking alternate proposals. The $225,000 contract was awarded to DLA+ Architecture to design and develop...

A Greensburg man will serve up to 10 years in prison for the armed robbery of a Jeannette convenience store. Clinton Young III, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of robbery and other related offenses in connection with the June 30 heist at a CoGo’s store on Harrison Avenue....

With their K’NEX pieces in tow, four Hempfield elementary school students are set to build a functioning crane during Friday’s statewide competition in Harrisburg. The K’NEX State Competition, a yearly event that uses the toy construction system, requires students to build a crane that can move three objects at least...

What police say was a fatal dose of heroin sold to a Latrobe man in July came with a warning: “be careful,” according to a state grand jury presentment. That disclaimer was made by Kyle Douglas Clem, 28, of Derry Township, and Michael Lilliock, 34, of West Newton, both of...

The Greater Latrobe School District invites the community to attend a focus group discussion Monday as part of its superintendent search. The meeting is set for 6-8:30 p.m. in the Senior High School Center for Student Creativity. It will be led by Tom Templeton of Templeton Advantage, a Perry County-based...