Westmoreland category, Page 849
Hempfield pawn shop owner assists state troopers in Ruffs Dale burglary investigation
The owner of a Hempfield pawn shop said he was happy to lend a hand Friday to state police troopers investigating the theft of hundreds of decorative pen knives and three firearms during a burglary at a home in Ruffs Dale this week. The suspect, Brandon J. Spallone, 22, of...
Saint Vincent pasta bridge engineering contest set for March 11
Engineers, pasta purveyors and high school students will all come together on March 11 for Saint Vincent College’s 13th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Contest. The competition, which begins at 6:15 p.m. March 11 at the Fred Rogers Center, aims to increase high school students’ awareness of engineering as a career...
Police: ‘Very large marijuana dealer’ arrested in Hempfield
A Hempfield man who police described as a “very large marijuana dealer” was arrested Friday after a search of his home. Nickolas Boyd Hobaugh, 28, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. Investigators seized more than 55 pounds of marijuana and 2,200 vape pens that contain THC,...
Ligonier Township man accused of assaulting officer working on plea deal, attorney says
The attorney for a Ligonier Township man accused of assaulting an off-duty Ligonier policeman last Dec. 22 said Friday his client is working on terms of a plea bargain agreement and is anxious to put the incident behind him. Brad J. Steffey, 36, of Laughlintown, waived his right to a...
E-waste collection event set for March 2 in Murrysville
An e-waste and data destruction event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 2 at Murrysville Calvary Lutheran Church, 4725 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. It will be provided by Greensburg-based Cyber Crunch. Computers, laptops and cell phones will be accepted at no cost. Hard drive shredding...
State police release surveillance video in Hempfield gas station robbery
State police are trying to identify a suspect who robbed a Hempfield convenience store this month. A surveillance video released Friday showed the suspect enter the BP store on Route 136 carrying a blue bag just before 9 p.m. Feb. 9 and walk to the cash register. The suspect appears...
Penn Area Library sees strong response with direct-mail campaign to patrons
Patrons of the Penn Area Library recently received a letter from library officials seeking donations as part of a direct-mail campaign, the first it has undertaken. But it likely won’t be the last. “We’ve been thinking about this for several years now,” said library treasurer Alice Ainsworth. Encouraged after speaking...
Tax seminar set for Norwin library
The Duncan Financial Group LLC of Irwin will present a free seminar on the 2018 tax law at 1 p.m. March 6 at the Norwin Public Library, Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Anthony Marciano, an accounting and tax services representative for Duncan, will lead the seminar, “2018 – Tax Cuts and Jobs...
Westmoreland libraries will receive book that provides a ‘snapshot’ of county’s natural areas
Retired biology teacher Dick Byers of Stahlstown set out with a group of volunteers to document Westmoreland County’s natural areas and preserve a “snapshot” of the region’s flora and fauna for future generations. The next generation will have a chance to read all about it through the county’s library network....
Troopers seize 510 pounds of marijuana on Pennsylvania Turnpike
State police on Thursday seized 510 pounds of what they suspect to be marijuana from a box truck traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to court papers. Mark Joseph Doyle, 63, of Oregon, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. Troopers stopped the truck in Mt. Pleasant...
No incidents reported at Hempfield High School Friday after alleged gun threat
No incidents were reported at Hempfield Area High School on Friday after school officials received reports of threats, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said. The reports, received a day earlier, suggested students would bring guns to the school Friday. An investigation by school officials and state police officers did not find evidence...
Conservation district will provide tips on maintaining, repairing unpaved driveways
Drive through rural Westmoreland County and it won’t take long to find: an unpaved driveway with loose stone peppering the public road at its entrance, the result of storm water shifting gravel before it finds a path into the ground. Westmoreland Conservation District officials are hoping to change that. Next...
Penn Township requires business to install key boxes for firefighters
Penn Township businesses and apartment buildings will need to install key boxes to give firefighters easy access in the case of an emergency. The new township ordinance requires business owners to install a small, locked wall-mounted box, which will hold the key to their establishments. Firefighters will hold the master...
Belle Vernon superintendent, 3 board members resign
The Belle Vernon Area School Board this week accepted the resignation of three board members and received the intent of resignation from the superintendent, according to board solicitor Victor Kustra. Superintendent Michele Dowell and board members Aaron Bialon, John Nusser and Dan Sepesky all resigned, taking the nine-person board down...
Tenaska garners accolades for South Huntingdon power plant
The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station, a natural gas-fueled power plant in South Huntingdon, has been named Industrial Project of the Year by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. The 940-megawatt plant, which came online in December, can generate enough power for about 940,000 homes in the PJM Interconnection market. The...
Murrysville thrift store board president confident order will be lifted
Murrysville Christian Concern thrift store officials thought they’d hit a low point in early 2018, when nearly the entire board of directors resigned in the wake of concerns among store volunteers and one board member that the nonprofit was not using enough of its revenue for charity purposes. That changed...
North Huntingdon crash ties up Route 30
North Huntingdon police are asking motorists to avoid Route 30 in the area of North Thompson Lane because of a multiple vehicle accident. The accident near the Sheetz convenience store, about one-quarter mile east of the Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance, was reported about 8:40 p.m. Additional information was not available....
AHN to open micro-hospital in Hempfield by end of yearVideo
Allegheny Health Network is touting what will be its emergency room department and a focus on patient care at the $30 million micro hospital it is building along Route 30 in Hempfield, only about three miles west of Excela Health’s Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. “It’s very unique. We’re bringing something...
Increased police presence expected Friday after Hempfield High School officials receive threat
Students and parents should expect to see an increased police presence at Hempfield High School on Friday after school officials received reports of threats, said Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The reports, received Thursday afternoon, suggested students would bring guns to the school Friday. School officials and police investigated the claims, but...
Woman reported injured after crash into Mt. Pleasant house
A woman was injured Thursday when her sport utility vehicle struck a house in Mt. Pleasant. The owners of the home at 201 S. Diamond St. — Billie and Michael DiPasquale — said that the driver was traveling north when the vehicle hit a car in front of Diamond Self-Storage...
Vlasic enters Monessen district judge race
A state employee and longtime Monessen politician has entered the race to succeed retired Monessen district justice Joseph Dalfonso. City Controller Wayne P. Vlasic, 61, an audit supervisor in the Auditor General’s Bureau of Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Association, is joining Monessen police Chief James B. Smith and Monessen attorney Alan...
Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of shooting at trooper, 2 women to stand trial
A state trooper testified Thursday that a 47-year-old man stepped outside of a camping trailer in Mt. Pleasant Township and fired three shots from a handgun in his direction. Based on the testimony of state police Cpl. James McCutcheon and two others, Norvelt District Judge Roger Eckels ordered Timothy Minerd...
Ohio developer signs on to Sewickley Twp. Commerce Crossing development
A Cincinnati-based real estate development firm plans to occupy two spots at an industrial park under construction in Sewickley Township, according to an option agreement approved Thursday by board members of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. The agreement with Al. Neyer involves the company paying $3.2 million to buy...
4 firefighters honored for heroic efforts in rescuing woman from vehicle crash
Four firefighters were honored this week for their heroism in rescuing a woman from a Hempfield vehicle crash that involved a downed power line. The men extinguished a fire caused by the line and freed the woman from her sport-utility vehicle, Westmoreland County solicitor Melissa Guiddy said, reading a certificate....
Ligonier Township nursing home ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in back wages
The operator of a Ligonier Township nursing home has paid nearly $40,000 in back wages to employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The investigation found that Bethlen Home of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, doing business as Bethlen Communities Inc., violated the overtime and recordkeeping...
