Westmoreland category, Page 810
Tips led Latrobe Police to robbery suspect
Latrobe Police said tips provided by the public led to the arrest Tuesday of a Johnstown man in connection with the March 8 robbery of the BP gas station-convenience store. Cory Lonsinger, 27, was arrested by city police on charges of robbery, robbery by use of force, unlawful taking, receiving...
Q&A with Westmoreland Register of Wills candidates
Four candidates are vying to serve as Westmoreland County’s next Register of Wills and lead the row office that handles filing and docketing of actions in Orphans’ Court, including estates, guardianship, marriage licenses and adoptions. The office is the central location for birth and death records. Below is biographical information...
Greensburg cafe owners plan next step after fire
Eric Bevan said he’s not sure what’s next after his Greensburg cafe went up in flames. An electrical fire gutted Bean & Baguette at 248 W. Otterman St. early Saturday. After a difficult weekend, Bevan and his wife, Alexis Bevan, are still trying to figure things out. “We would love...
4 candidates seek party nominations for Westmoreland Register of Wills
Westmoreland County voters have to decide between two candidates on each the Republican and Democratic tickets for the Register of Wills office. Republican incumbent Sherry Magretti Hamilton, 42, of Hempfield is being challenged by former employee Kimberly Horrell, 54, of Greensburg. The Democratic ticket features Register of Wills deputy clerk...
Police: Latrobe man raped girl, 14, after giving her alcohol
A Latrobe man serving a state prison sentence for sexually assaulting several girls in Westmoreland County was arrested Tuesday on new rape charges. Nicholas Lee Cook, 23, is accused by Greensburg and Latrobe police in connection with the rape of a then-14-year-old girl in January and February 2016. He is...
Penn Township man who restrained mother now accused of assaulting father
A Penn Township man who in 2016 pleaded guilty to restraining his mother was arrested this week on charges of assaulting his father during an argument near his home. Penn Township police charged Neal Hubish, 39, with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and simple assault in connection with the incident...
Hempfield to test undersurface of track
A new track could be in Hempfield Area School District’s future, but it all boils down to the undersurface. A test done by Advantage Engineers will tell school directors if the undersurface of the track is crumbling and needs replaced, said Sonya Brajdic, school board president. “We already did one...
Police: Roaming cows in Murrysville spotted on Trefoil Drive
Several black Angus cows that have been spotted roaming Murrysville during the past few weeks were seen Tuesday morning in a Trefoil Drive front yard, according to police. Four of the animals were seen at 6 a.m. in the residential neighborhood off School Road South, according to a post on...
Kennametal in talks with union about closing its Carbidie plant in Hempfield
Kennametal Inc. could close its Carbidie manufacturing operations in Hempfield, potentially shuttering yet another of the industrial toolmaker’s Westmoreland County plants. “No final decisions have been made at this time, and we are currently in discussions with (United Steelworkers) … about this plan,” Kennametal spokeswoman Christina Sutter said in an...
Communications could improve at Hempfield schools with new app
A new system could make communication easier among teachers and parents at Hempfield Area School District. Remind, an application that can be used on a smartphone or through a district email, would allow teachers to interact with students in specific classes, send reminders for homework or notify parents in case...
Hempfield Area School District approved preliminary budget
Hempfield Area School District’s proposed 2019-20 budget would reduce six positions — five paraprofessionals and one building aide — and saves district residents from yet another property tax increase. School board members voted unanimously to move forward with a budget of more than $98.1 million budget. The budget sets taxes...
Greater Latrobe students rise to challenge of creating, solving escape rooms
A team of Greater Latrobe Senior High students last week had to retrieve fake IDs that had been stolen from them. Another group of sophomores enrolled in Renee Stallings’ academic English 2 course had to defeat a dragon — actually, a donkey-shaped pinata. Ending a months-long class project, the teams...
Mt. Pleasant Area’s Rumbaugh Elementary School to close
Lloyd F. Rumbaugh Elementary School, which has educated Mt. Pleasant Area students for about 60 years, will shut its doors for good at the end of the school year. Operational efficiency as well as academic opportunity were the driving factors in the decision to close Rumbaugh and reconfigure the elementary...
Greensburg votes to dissolve Historic and Architectural Review Board
Greensburg City Council has begun the process to dissolve the Historic and Architectural Review Board, an organization that served as gatekeeper for most commercial development in the city. Council unanimously voted on the motion Monday. The ordinance to make it official will likely be introduced at June’s council meeting, and...
Michael Gray will remain as Latrobe’s city manager
Michael Gray became Latrobe’s city manager on Monday, after holding down the position on an interim basis since March 25. Council voted unanimously to keep Gray in the new role, setting aside plans to search for additional candidates from outside the city staff. “We had talked about doing a search,”...
Diocese of Greensburg priest removed pending sex abuse investigation
A Diocese of Greensburg priest has been placed on leave as law enforcement investigates an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, the diocese said. Officials said they received the allegation Monday against the Rev. Andrew M. Kawecki. He served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Everson and St....
Westmoreland County Democratic judicial candidates outspend Republican opponents
The six candidates seeking two judicial vacancies on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas combined to spend more than a half-million dollars during this spring’s campaign season, most of which came from their own family accounts. According to campaign finance reports filed in Harrisburg, three Democratic candidates, attorneys Michael...
Here’s where Franklin Regional school board candidates stand on the issues
As the primary election nears, 13 candidates are jockeying for general-election ballot spots in the Franklin Regional school board race. Below are Q&A responses and biographical information for each candidate. RICHARD ARNOLD • Age: 74 • Education: Bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University; master’s degree from West Virginia University; doctorate...
Plea deals get Hempfield man time served in assault, DUI cases
A Hempfield man charged in two separate cases alleging rape and strangulation of a woman on Monday pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge. Harold Franks, 36, was sentenced to serve the 251 days he has spent in jail. He was immediately paroled after pleading guilty to one count of...
Seton Hill honors Steele Eckenrode for community service
A 22 year-old Mt. Lebanon man has been named Seton Hill University’s 2019 winner of the school’s Presidential Award for Service. Seton Hill University President Mary C. Finger presented the award to Steele Eckenrode, a senior Business Administration – Entrepreneurial Studies major, during Honors Convocation on Friday. The award recognizes...
Monessen men get probation for shooting after evidence problems thwart retrial
Two men implicated in a nonfatal shooting nearly two years ago in Monessen were sentenced to probation. Joseph “Jo Jo” Heath III, 29, of Monessen, pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats in connection with the June 25, 2017, shooting of Timothy...
Video surveillance photographs lead Greensburg police to theft suspects
Greensburg police used convenience store surveillance photographs to identify a couple who allegedly stole a woman’s purse out of a car and went on a spending spree this month. Amanda M. Hoeft, 23, and her boyfriend, Dylan M. Bollman, 28, were charged by police with theft, receiving stolen property and...
Westmoreland County Democratic political activist, labor activist, to be honored
Westmoreland County Democratic political activist and labor activist will be honored at the Woman of the Year Award Dinner on May 16 at Giannilli’s II on Route 30 in Unity. Harriet Ellenberger of Norvelt, Mt. Pleasant Township, is president of the Women of Westmoreland, which sponsors the annual award dinner....
Westmoreland Family Court CASA program welcomes new advocates
A volunteer program that matches trained adult advocates with abused and neglected children under the supervision of the Westmoreland County courts is growing. Officials with the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children program, or CASA, said Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani recently swore in 12 new volunteers to the...
Murrysville police K9 retires after nearly a decade of service
Scott Kettren will continue riding around Murrysville as a police sergeant, but he may find himself glancing over his right shoulder for at least a few weeks, expecting a furry friend to be there. Kettren’s partner, Murrysville police K9 Argos, retired this month and will spend his days at Kettren’s...
