Westmoreland category, Page 806
Rafferty, Stewart, Walsh win judicial nominations; set to battle for two seats
Two Democrats — Michael Stewart II of Hempfield and Jessica Rafferty of Unity — and Republican Justin Walsh of Rostraver will battle in the November general election for two seats on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas, based on unofficial results in Tuesday’s primary. Stewart took second on the...
Franklin Regional incumbents have tough time in primary
A raft of Franklin Regional school board candidates opposed to the Sloan elementary campus project will appear on the Republican side of the ballot in November, and two incumbents will not have a chance at re-election in the fall. “The No. 1 thing I heard from people in this community...
Incumbents cruise in Export; at least one newcomer headed to Delmont council
With 100% of the relevant precincts reporting, primary results in the Star’s coverage area are as follows as of 10 p.m.: DELMONT COUNCIL Dennis Urban (R, 48%) and Becky Matesevac (R, 43%), 79 total write-in votes (45 Democrat, 34 Republican). Write-in votes are a factor in this race because there...
Penn Township road to close for bridge replacement
A section of Watt Road in Penn Township is set to close the week of June 3 as construction begins on a replacement bridge over Bushy Run. Traffic will be detoured along Harrison City-Export Road, Route 130 and Bushy Run and Gongaware roads. Weather permitting, the bridge should be complete...
Military obstacle course provides ‘Beast’ of a challenge at Westmoreland air show
As pilots take to the sky to test the limits of their planes at this weekend’s Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow, visitors on the ground can test their mettle against “The Beast.” The Air National Guard will present the timed obstacle course Saturday and Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional...
Hempfield schools want to cut fewer positions in proposed budget
Hempfield Area School District officials are trying to limit the number of positions cut in a proposed budget for the 2019-20 school year. Last week, school board members unanimously passed a preliminary budget that cut six positions, including five paraprofessionals and one building aide, but did not raise property taxes....
Pollinator Partners showcase gardens to support beneficial insects
Bees get all the buzz when it comes to the important job of pollinating plants that produce the food we eat and the blossoms that brighten our day. But what about butterflies — even beetles and flies? Each of those backyard and garden visitors plays a part in the pollination...
Kunco retrial arguments to drag into summer months
On Tuesday, nearly a year to the day after they secured an order overturning John Kunco’s 1991 rape conviction and ordering a new trial, lawyers from the Innocence Project were back in Westmoreland County. And Kunco, 53, who had been released from prison amid a celebration May 23, 2018, was...
Investigation continues into shooting death at Greensburg home; no arrests made
Workers with the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office removed a body from a Greensburg home Tuesday after a reported shooting that investigators said involved the death of a man. The identity of the deceased was not available. After the body was removed at 5:50 p.m. from the Menoher Way residence, Coroner...
Irwin Rotary offers Care & Share Pantry to provide food for the needy
A glass-enclosed cabinet outside an Irwin church is filled with nonperishable food — an inventory that changes as people donate what they can and take what they need. The Irwin Rotary Club is responsible for the Care & Share Pantry that stands outside First Assembly of God Church at 501...
Field hockey extended to Hempfield middle school girls
Hempfield Area middle schools will soon offer a field hockey program for girls. During Monday’s school board meeting, members voted 6-3 to implement a field hockey team at the middle-school level, adding teams to Harrold, Wendover and West Hempfield middle schools. School board members Scott Learn, Paul Ward and Christopher...
Penn Township man accused of 2 DUIs in 1 day
Police this month twice arrested a Penn Township man within three hours on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and careless driving. Officers charged Cody James Winslow, 21, in connection with both incidents, which occurred at 2:48 a.m. and 5:12 a.m. May 15, according to Penn...
Troopers say tips from public led them to suspect in car keying at Unity Walmart
State police in Greensburg said tips from the public helped them identify a woman accused of keying a car outside Walmart in Unity in April during a dispute over a parking space. Lori Ann Hoak, 44, of Latrobe, has been charged by state police with criminal mischief before Unity District...
Norwin grad to speak at Irwin Memorial Day parade
A Norwin High School graduate who is the commander of 173 members of the elite 82nd Airborne Division, will be the keynote speaker at the Irwin Memorial Day Parade on Monday morning. Capt. Ellyn Grosz, 29, an Irwin native who has been deployed to Afghanistan three times since 2013, will...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail plans Trail Towns Festival
In conjunction with National Trail Day, Westmoreland Heritage Trail is hosting a Trail Towns Festival on June 1. Trail enthusiasts are invited to cycle, walk, jog or push a stroller and join in the festivities to help support the trail, which covers 8.5 miles from Saltsburg to Delmont and 5.9...
Hard work helps Norwin Air Force Junior ROTC win high honors
Hard work combined with community service were responsible for Norwin High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program earning the second-highest recognition from the Air Force’s Junior ROTC, officials with the program said. “They worked very hard this year as a team. One of the program’s goals is for cadets to...
Westmoreland Mall takes another hit as Dressbarn plans to close all stores
Five Dressbarn stores around the Pittsburgh region will close as part of the company’s announcement Monday that it would shutter all 650 locations. The closure includes those in Westmoreland Mall, Cranberry Township, Tanger Outlets near Washington, Monroeville and near The Mall at Robinson, according to a store list on the...
What Westmoreland voters need to know for Tuesday’s primary election
Westmoreland County’s nearly 236,000 registered voters head to the polls Tuesday to select from among 483 candidates running in 443 races. Voters will cast primary ballots to nominate candidates for state judge, county offices including commissioner, judge and sheriff, as well as school boards, local city and borough councils and...
PennDOT to unveil plans for Route 30 improvements from North Huntingdon to North Versailles
The state will unveil plans to modernize a two-mile section of busy Route 30 from the western end of Westmoreland County to North Versailles, Allegheny County. The proposed design plans for the roadway from the Carpenter Lane/Leger Road intersection in North Huntingdon to Route 48 in North Versailles will be...
Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held holds off GOP primary challengers
Embattled Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held will continue his campaign for a third term in office. Held, while still defending himself against pending criminal charges of public corruption, on Tuesday defeated three Republican challengers to win the GOP nomination for sheriff. According to unofficial results, Held received 32.8% of the...
Westmoreland Republicans nominate Kertes, Chew for commissioner
Biochemist Doug Chew and Sean Kertes, chief of staff to retiring Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson, were nominated Tuesday as the Republican candidates who will seek to reclaim the GOP majority at the courthouse. Kertes and Chew finished atop the Republican primary for county commissioner, besting a field of seven...
Westmoreland County Airshow set to take flightVideo
It’s not easy for Gabe Monzo to choose which one of the featured aircraft at the Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow May 25-26 is the main attraction. “The main attraction is aviation,” says Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the Unity airport and stages...
Greater Latrobe citizens want superintendent with long-term commitment
Larger elementary class sizes and inadequate communication with the public are some of the issues Greater Latrobe School District’s next superintendent should address, according to comments made this week at a public focus group discussion. But most of the 18 people who attended the discussion in the senior high Center...
Greensburg woman seeks damages after tuxedo-draped mannequin falls on her
A tuxedo-draped mannequin toppled onto the head of a Greensburg woman shopping with her son at a men’s clothing store in Westmoreland Mall last year, causing her ongoing head and vision injuries, according to a two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County. Melinda Scalzo alleges in court papers the weight from...
Family of Jeannette man sues Excela Health, doctor, alleging wrongful death
The family of a Jeannette man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Excela Health and one of its doctors claiming he died from an allergic reaction to medication given during a heart procedure in 2017. According to the lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County, the five children of John P....
