Westmoreland category, Page 858
Plum man accused of having, sharing child pornography
A Plum man was arrested Thursday after authorities reported finding child pornography videos and images on his computer, according to court papers. Antonio Raffale Pampena, 35, allegedly shared the files in December and January through a peer-to-peer network with an agent from the state attorney general’s office who is based...
Westmoreland courthouse space applications now online
Residents seeking to hold public events in meeting rooms and the courtyard in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse can now submit applications online. County officials on Thursday issued a revised policy that will take effect Feb. 1 to allow online applications and other minor changes to the reservation process...
Poor weather cited in delayed Ligonier Township bridge reopening
Severe winter weather is being blamed for a delay in reopening a state bridge that has been under construction since April on Route 711 in Ligonier Township. The bridge over Mill Creek was expected to open in January. Project officials are now projecting both lanes of the bridge will be...
Hempfield to review past votes, but supervisors balk at state audit
Despite claims by one of its own, state investigators will not examine whether Hempfield supervisors have voted on issues outside the public eye — including on reaching a $125,000 union settlement agreement and other matters. The Pennsylvania Auditor General’s Office can only audit a township’s pension funds and use of...
Region getting break from winter blast
Count John Dean of Jeannette as one of the few people in the region who are unhappy that the polar vortex that left Western Pennsylvania in sub-zero temperatures this week will slowly disappear. “I don’t mind this at all. I’ve been waiting for this (cold weather) all winter long,” said...
‘Got away with one’: Judge dismisses DUI charges for Greensburg woman’s driveway crash
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday dismissed drunken driving charges against a Greensburg woman who was arrested in her own driveway following a collision with a neighbor’s car. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled in favor of Mary Britz, 58, who Greensburg police charged after she crashed into a car...
Westmoreland County ups fees for filing civil, family court documents
Fees to file civil and family court documents in Westmoreland County will increase beginning Friday. The move will raise about $30,000 in new revenues for the county, Prothonotary Christina O’Brien said. The money is expected to balance her department’s budget and cover rising personnel and equipment costs. “We have to...
Man sent to prison for up to 40 years for raping Delmont girl
An Indiana County man will serve up to 40 years in prison for raping a Delmont girl, starting when she was 10. A Westmoreland County jury, following a three-day trial in May, convicted Bryan Harrold, 51, of Saltsburg, of 13 counts including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,...
Jeannette woman wants to change guilty plea in boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman who faces a potential 40-year prison sentence wants to withdraw her guilty plea for the murder of her teenage boyfriend. The lawyer for Crystal Belle, 39, filed court documents Thursday in which she now contends someone else was responsible for the beating death of Khalil Parker, 19,...
Nevin Arena finalist in Penguins’ ‘Renovate the Rink’ contest
The Kirk S. Nevin Arena, Greensburg’s home for hockey and ice skating, is one of three finalists in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ “Renovate the Rink” contest. The facility could win $100,000 in renovations if it garners enough votes to claim the grand prize. Online voting continues through Feb. 22. The other...
Interstate 70 reopens in Westmoreland after propane tank explodes in tractor-trailer
A propane tank being hauled in a tractor-trailer exploded Thursday, shutting down Interstate 70 eastbound for four hours in Westmoreland County and snarling traffic for miles, according to state police. The force of the 11 a.m. explosion ripped apart the trailer, spilling 100 to 150 propane tanks of various sizes...
Route 119 reconstruction earns industry honors
A project that reconstructed a section of Route 119 in East Huntingdon has gained national recognition, receiving an award for excellence in concrete paving workmanship. Completed during the 2016 and 2017 construction seasons, the PennDOT project updated a 5-mile section of the highway, from the Westec Drive exit to the...
10 escape mobile home fire in Sewickley Township
A family of 10 escaped a fire early Thursday that destroyed their Sewickley Township mobile home. The structure on Finch Lane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at Sewickley Pines Manor after the call at 3:42 a.m., Hutchinson Fire Capt. Frank Sever Jr. said. It took about 90 minutes...
Judge denies Thomas Stanko’s appeal from Unity cemetery assault case
A Unity man who has been identified as a potential suspect in the disappearance of his former girlfriend — whom a judge legally declared dead last week — was questioned in court Wednesday amid warnings that his testimony could eventually be used against him. Thomas Stanko, 48, was in court...
Seton Hill student battling cancer finds fame on YouTubeVideo
Singing was the last thing on her mind. Erin McElhenny, a junior at Seton Hill University, Greensburg, was at the Cleveland Clinic last week for three days of chemotherapy treatment when an impromptu concert gave her some much-needed music therapy. “It has brought my mood up a lot to do...
Norwin basketball games to honor vets
Norwin High School’s boys and girls basketball teams will play special games on Friday at the Knights gymnasium, and not just because the boys will face Greater Latrobe, one of the best teams in WPIAL Class 6A this season. Both contests — the girls against Butler and the boys against...
Westmoreland County firefighters draw on past experiences to deal with subzero cold
As Westmoreland County firefighters prepared to potentially respond to emergencies in subzero temperatures late Wednesday into Thursday, Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rich Balik said lessons learned at a fatal fire last year in Salem Township assisted in its planning. On Jan. 5, 2018, multiple departments battled subzero windchill as...
Westmoreland organizations seek to provide shelter for homeless during cold snap
It can be difficult to get an accurate picture of homelessness in Westmoreland County, but local officials and service organizations want to make sure those who found themselves in such a situation had a place to go amid this week’s frigid weather. “A lot of times they’re elusive and don’t...
Delmont fire officials: State audit recommendations met
Delmont volunteer firefighters report their department is continuing to “move forward” after a recent report by the state auditor general disclosed not all of its recommendations from prior financial audits had been followed. “For audited period Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2017, the relief association took appropriate corrective action...
Police: Derry Township men stole ATVs, dirt bikes
Two Derry Township men were arrested Tuesday by state police in connection with a rash of all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike thefts since mid-December. Seth A. McIntire, 20, and Cody E. Stiffey, 24, are charged before District Judge Mark Bilik with counts of theft, receiving stolen property, altering vehicle identification...
Police: Greensburg man fought with agents while they investigated his son for child porn
A Greensburg father and son were arrested Tuesday during a child pornography investigation by agents from the state Attorney General’s Office. Joshua Walker Bittner, 20, is accused of contacting young girls through Instagram and requesting nude photographs of them. Authorities found at least 14 images of child pornography on a...
Jeannette seeking donations for new holidays light fixtures for Clay Avenue
Jeannette is accepting donations for the purchase of new holiday light fixtures to decorate Clay Avenue. Two types of light bulbs will be purchased — warm white and red, white and blue — so the fixtures can be used for Christmas and patriotic holidays. The larger fixture is about 7...
Grant for homeless placement comes at the right time for Feeding the Spirit in Greensburg
A $10,000 grant from Dominion Energy could not have come at a better time for Greensburg nonprofit Feeding the Spirit. With subzero temperatures on the way Wednesday and Thursday, President Debbie Thackrah said group members had already spoken with eight people about finding them a place for relief from the...
Greensburg Beverage acquired by Johnstown-based beer distributor
Greensburg Beverage is now known as Inco-Greensburg, after it was acquired by a Johnstown-based beer distributor. On Monday, Inco Beverage began delivering products to Greensburg Beverage’s customers in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington and Fayette counties, according to a news release. “We kept the majority of the employees, and that was one...
Excela to preview new Frick family practice office in Mt. Pleasant
Excela Health will hold an open house 11-4 Feb. 13, allowing community members to preview the new, consolidated Excela Square Frick Family Medicine practice in Mt. Pleasant. Slated to open to patients Feb. 18 on the first floor of the Excela Square at Frick building, the practice will bring together...
