Westmoreland category, Page 797
Norwin board members at odds over school budget
Norwin School Board will meet Monday to vote on a 2019-20 budget that would include raising taxes by 3% for most of the district’s property owners and transfer $1.1 million from the fund balance to cover a shortfall. Five votes are needed to approve the budget. But during a meeting...
Latrobe parking garage to get summer repairs
It’s been seven years since Latrobe’s municipal parking garage received any major attention, but that’s set to change this summer under a contract council approved Monday for repairs to the structure. Pullman-Services submitted a low bid of $68,692 to address deteriorating items in the garage situated between Weldon and Spring...
Latrobe, Derry Township pursue study of flooding along Sulphur Run
Latrobe and Derry Township are jointly pursuing a federally-funded hydraulic study that could help identify the best methods for controlling flooding in the Sulphur Run watershed that crosses through the neighboring municipalities. Heavy rainfall last June 20 triggered flooding of the stream that damaged businesses at the Lincoln Road Plaza...
Latrobe looks for new finance director, promotes veteran mechanic
Holly Peton attended her last Latrobe Council meeting Monday in the roles of city secretary and director of finance and administration. Peton, who joined the office staff in December 2017, ends her work for the city on Tuesday as she moves on to other employment. “I’m moving on to another...
Driver sentenced up to 40 years in prison for fatal Christmas Eve crash in East Huntingdon
Jolene Cummins said Christmas was always a joyful day for her family. That changed on Christmas Eve 2016, when her husband of 25 years was killed as he ran that afternoon with his dog near the family’s home in East Huntingdon. Police say the man driving the car that hit...
Third man convicted of 2016 Latrobe murder gets 10 to 20 years in prison
The third of three men convicted in the January 2016 murder of Daniel McNerny was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she would not overrule a jury verdict that found Colin Gearhart guilty of third-degree murder. Prosecutors sought a...
Forbes State Forest tour will focus on management of Fayette division
Tuesday is the deadline to register for a free tour Saturday in the Braddock Division of Forbes State Forest. Organized by the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association, the ninth annual field trip to the state forest is set for 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. and is open to the public....
Here are the Belle Vernon Area Class of 2019 graduates
Here is a list of Belle Vernon Area members of the Class of 2019, provided by the school district: Rebecca Danielle Anderson Markello Apodiakos Logan James Armstrong Maura Paige Askin Bryan Joseph Bader Kevin Brian Baeza Hannah M. Baker Benjamin Henry Bamford Sean Robert Bane Caleb Matthew Beichner Hayley Jo...
Sewage expansion, trail project on hold in Derry Township
A project to extend sewage service to Keystone State Park and 33 nearby residences is temporarily on hold as the Derry Township Municipal Authority looks for a way to make it affordable for customers. In January, the municipal authority received a $1.8 million low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment...
Ligonier Township, Ligonier Valley join Westmoreland County Land Bank
Ligonier Township and Ligonier Valley School District recently joined the Westmoreland County Land Bank, according to an announcement. They join dozens of other municipalities and school districts in the county that have each paid $5,000 to enter the land bank since its inception in 2014 with a $50,000 grant from...
Man gets early parole in fatal Derry crash
A New Alexandria man convicted late last year of causing a fatal car crash in Derry that killed a 71-year-old woman will be paroled nearly five months early. Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani on Monday ruled Samuel Grace III, 22, will be released from custody July 10 after serving seven...
Cops: West Newton man awaiting trial accused of assaulting woman
A 38-year-old man awaiting trial for allegedly endangering his infant daughter by withholding medical treatment was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting a woman and threatening her with a knife inside his West Newton home, according to court documents. Robert J. Aquilina is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment...
1 rescued by firefighters from Sewickley Township house
Two Herminie firefighters scrambled Monday morning to rescue a woman from her Sewickley Township home and extinguish a small fire inside. The pair was first to arrive on Greensburg Pike after the 7:45 a.m. call and saw some light smoke around the home, which is connected to Pam’s Antiques, said...
Police seek suspect who allegedly choked female during Salem road rage incident
State police are looking for a man they say choked a female motorist Saturday in Salem Township. Troopers said the suspect got out of his tan GMC Envoy at 6:10 p.m. on Trees Mills Road near Athena Drive and choked a 21-year-old Greensburg woman. The suspect was described in a...
Q&A: Charley Shop’n Save owner bikes across U.S. for veterans’ charityVideo
Ray Charley biked 2,000 miles to prepare for his 3,048-mile, 48-day trek across the United States. “The training was a feat unto itself, really,” said Charley, 68, of Unity, whose family owns Shop’n Save locations in Murrysville, Greensburg and Hempfield. Charley left San Diego, Calif., on April 1. He reached...
Former Ligonier female veteran honored for long military serviceVideo
Growing up in rural Elk County, Deborah L. Wilkins saw joining the military as an opportunity to serve the nation and explore the world, which would open doors to a great career. “I was just a small town girl who got to get out and see the world,” said Wilkins,...
Smithton Volunteer Fire Department hosts camp for kids with special needs
A fire is always scary, but for some special needs children it can be even worse. The unfamiliar sight of firefighters in their gear and the sound of sirens can be frightening. “Some of this stuff we have here can be overwhelming for them,” said firefighter Lindsey Dawson, of the...
Goodwill continues to grow, opening new store near Mt. Pleasant
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania seems to be in a growth mode, what with the recent opening of an outlet store in Monroeville and the impending opening of a new store near Mt. Pleasant. “We do have a lot of donations,” said Goodwill spokesman David Tobiczyk. “We’re very fortunate and appreciative...
Largest-ever Diocese of Greensburg youth choir kicks off FamilyFestVideo
A choir of more than 60 young people — the largest youth choir ever assembled in the Diocese of Greensburg — sang Sunday at an outdoor Mass that kicked off the diocese’s FamilyFest. The event was held at the Christ Our Shepherd Center in Unity. The honors choir was created...
Ambulance companies taking patients to court to collect money owed
Adamsburg’s Rescue 14 EMS hauled a Hempfield woman to court this spring over outstanding charges for medical services. Within minutes, another ambulance company wheeled her out of the Westmoreland County Courthouse on a stretcher. Ashley James, 36, appeared in compliance court May 21 after failing to make monthly payments on...
Hempfield Area foreign exchange students hope to return to U.S.Video
Sanad Saad and David Mrva, two foreign exchange students who just completed a year at Hempfield Area High School, couldn’t be more different on the surface. Sanad, 17, is a devout Muslim from Tripoli, Libya, in North Africa. David, 19, is a devout Roman Catholic from Bratislava, Slovakia, in Central...
Franklin Regional life skills students gain marketable experience through shop
Before opening the FR Panther Shop, learning support teacher Michelle Longo first had to learn how to use all of the equipment, so she could show her life-skills students. “We literally learned it all together,” Longo said. Funded by a roughly $12,000 grant from the FR Panther Foundation, special-education students...
Man injured in Belle Vernon motorcycle crash
Officials called for a helicopter to medically transport a man who crashed his motorcycle in Belle Vernon near Sweeney Plan on Saturday. “There’s one male down on the road, they requested a helicopter,” said a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher, referring to emergency personnel. The crash, which happened on the 1500...
Police: Homeless Uniontown man tried suicide by setting house, then van on fire
A Uniontown man has been charged with arson after setting fire to a vacant house and a van in attempt to kill himself. John A. Mack, 49, who is homeless but stays in Uniontown, allegedly confessed to the crimes to Uniontown police while being treated at a hospital for burns...
Greensburg YMCA talks renovation at Kinderhook Mile raceVideo
The downhill sprint was over in minutes, but Saturday’s Kinderhook Mile race marked the starting line of a much longer endeavor for the Greensburg YMCA. During an open house after the race, YMCA officials introduced the public to its renovation plans, which will cost up to $2 million. “This building...
