Westmoreland category, Page 857
Lawyers want 1990 New Kensington rape case against John Kunco dismissed
Lawyers for John Kunco, the former Harrison man who served nearly three decades behind bars for the rape of a New Kensington woman, wants a judge to dismiss the case. In court motions filed Thursday, lawyers contend missing evidence and the loss of testimony through the deaths of the alleged...
Banner day as Hempfield students’ art goes on display at New Stanton Turnpike plaza
Six silk banners swayed softly Thursday inside the New Stanton Turnpike Service Plaza as 13 Hempfield Area High School students who created them looked up in admiration. The banners celebrate Westmoreland County’s landscape and history as well as the creative minds behind them. “I was so proud of this group,”...
Chipotle restaurant to open outside Westmoreland Mall
Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening another location in Hempfield, but this one will be outside of Westmoreland Mall. The chain restaurant will be built outside of J.C. Penney’s in an auxiliary parking lot next to Applebee’s along Route 30. Plans for the project originally showed a space big enough to...
Pothole patching season again keeps crews busy around Westmoreland County
That annual bone-rattling, suspension breaking, rim-bending season is back. PennDOT District 12 and the Westmoreland County Public Works Department report they have broken out the cold patch and are likely headed to a pothole near you. “Pothole patching this time of year is weather dependent, but we’ve certainly been getting...
Sears at Westmoreland Mall set to close March 17
The Sears department store at Westmoreland Mall is set to close March 17, a mall spokeswoman said. That date could change, according to Stacey Keating, a spokeswoman for CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., which owns the mall on Route 30 in Hempfield. Neither a Sears store official nor a spokesman...
Police: Woman stabbed at North Belle Vernon bar sustained life-threatening injuries
A woman who was stabbed in a North Belle Vernon bar early Thursday suffered life-threatening injuries, according to police. The woman and two men were taken to area hospitals after an apparent fight at 1:30 a.m. inside Just A Tavern on Broad Street. “We determined there was an altercation that...
Delmont scout troop’s veteran memorial recognized with statewide award
Rebecca Shissler’s 97-year-old grandfather fought in World War II, and honoring the military is important to her and her family. That’s how a project, whose original goal was simply mapping the grave sites at Eastview Union Cemetery in Delmont, grew to include a veterans’ memorial with a bench, a paver...
3 stabbed in early-morning altercation at North Belle Vernon tavern
Three people were treated for stab wounds early Thursday morning following an altercation at a bar in North Belle Vernon, according to authorities. The incident was reported at about 1:30 a.m. at Just A Tavern in the 500 block of Broad Avenue, emergency dispatchers reported. Police from several Westmoreland County...
Camp Cadet teaches Westmoreland County kids about law enforcement
It’s not a typical summer camp, but it promises to teach kids about the criminal justice system and the job of a police officer. Camp Cadet, hosted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Westmoreland County Camp Cadet Association, provides a week-long camp for kids ages 12 to 15, emphasizing...
New Florence man gets house arrest for setting fire in apartment building
A New Florence man will serve three months on house arrest for using his girlfriend’s sweatpants to set fire in her apartment last year. William Teeter, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of risking catastrophe in connection with a fire set in St. Clair Manor apartment during a...
GOP candidates for Westmoreland commissioner refuse donations tied to no-contract bids
Republican candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner, continuing a coordination effort in early campaigning, said they won’t accept donations from vendors awarded contracts for county work without any formalized competition. Four of the five declared candidates signed what they called a “taxpayer protection pledge” in which they promised to refuse money...
Greensburg officials fired planning director at ‘informal’ meeting, plan official vote on Monday
Greensburg City Council’s decision to fire longtime Planning Director Barbara Ciampini happened when members “met informally” rather than during a public meeting, according to Mayor Robert Bell. The mayor and all four council members attended an unrelated recreation advisory board meeting on Feb. 18. They stayed after to privately discuss...
‘Get your ash in here’: Greensburg church takes unconventional approach to Ash Wednesday
The Rev. Dawn Lynn Check and her dog Daisy stood outside First United Methodist Church in Greensburg on Wednesday, putting ashes on the forehead of anyone who wanted them. A sign near the church door read “Get your ASH in here.” Check said the cheeky messaging is part of an...
Emergency responders carry dog from burning Greensburg home
Firefighters rescued Zeus and Oliver, a Rottweiler and tabby cat, from a two-story Greensburg home that caught fire Wednesday afternoon. City fireman Jim Fontana found the dog near the front door of the house at 79202 Jefferson Ave. and pulled him out of the smoke-filled structure, Greensburg Fire Chief Tom...
‘Rocco’s Warriors’ come together to help family of 2-year-old leukemia patient
Brandon Monteleone of Penn Township had a tough time finding words to describe the outpouring of support his family has received since his 2-year-old son Rocco was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Dec. 30. “It’s hard to explain,” Monteleone said. “Just finding out that Rocco had cancer was so...
Westmoreland shoppers unflapped by news 400 Family Dollars could close nationwide
Jaded shoppers took the news in stride Wednesday when they heard that about 400 Family Dollar stores are slated to close nationwide. “It seems like that’s all they do anymore is close stores,” said Cindy DeMann, referring to retailers in general. “I wouldn’t be happy about it.” DeMann of Greensburg...
Westmoreland Diversity Coalition fundraiser highlights bipartisan karaoke
The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, a community nonprofit committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, showed its chops last weekend when it persuaded a group of political and civic leaders to take the stage at its first fundraiser “Westmoreland Has Talent.” Who knew there were so many aspiring entertainers just waiting to...
Municipal Police Officers’ Training Academy offers new program
A new session at the Municipal Police Officers’ Training Academy at Westmoreland County Community will begin June 4, WCCC officials said Wednesday. The 920-hour course, which provides the basic training required for municipal police officers in Pennsylvania, meets daily Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one...
Water main break closes Second Street and Cuyler Avenue in Jeannette
Pat Pfeil, who lives on Cuyler Avenue in Jeannette, admitted she had a difficult time getting her 2-year-old grandson to take a nap Wednesday. He “was looking out the window and saw we had a water gusher squirting into the air. All the fire trucks were here directing traffic, and...
Export officials hope to begin McKinley Avenue wall repairs by mid-AprilVideo
The prospect of losing federal grant money is the latest reason Export officials hope to quickly fix a retaining wall along the north edge of McKinley Avenue. The main reason is that the wall is visibly failing and is located close to multiple homes as well as the borough building....
PennDOT monitoring large sinkhole along Route 51 in Rostraver
PennDOT crews are monitoring a large sinkhole in a gas station parking lot along Route 51 in Rostraver. The crater is on private property, said PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen. “We do know that it’s close to the road,” she said. The sinkhole has been growing over the last eight years,...
Union group to air Medicare for All video
A 23-minute video that makes the case for Medicare for everyone will be aired at 7 p.m. March 18 at the Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council meeting at Hempfield No. 2 Fire Department, Thornton Road. A panel discussion will follow the video with labor activists from the Western Pennsylvania Coalition...
Tired of tires? Jacobs Creek Watershed Association will pay for them
Jacobs Creek Watershed Association is sponsoring “Tired of Tires,” its first illegal dump site competition, throughout March. Organizations and individuals are invited to collect tires from illegal dump sites and turn them in to the association’s collection site. According to association representatives, no questions will be asked. “Selfies” are requested...
Westmoreland shelter seeking donations after cats, dogs rescued from hotel parking lot
A group of frightened cats hid in two kennels Wednesday at the Humane Society of Westmoreland County after they were rescued this week from vehicles parked outside an Allegheny County hotel. The felines looked much better than they did Tuesday, when they were taken to the Hempfield shelter by Hoffman...
Poll workers needed in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County needs poll workers in several locations for the May 21 primary. Workers will be trained and make $95-$130 for the day. Polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Openings are available in Allegheny Township, Avonmore, Derry Township, Hempfield, Irwin, Ligonier Township’s Wilpen area, Monessen, Murrysville, New Kensington, North Huntingdon...
