Westmoreland category, Page 864
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...
Third suspect in Sutersville shooting arrested
A third person is under arrest in connection with a November shooting in Sutersville that left two injured, according to court records. Aaron Devaugntae Brown, 26, of Jeannette, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. He was picked up on an arrest warrant Wednesday after state police...
Renovated Lamp diner set for ‘soft’ opening in AprilVideo
Two years after being hauled from a parking lot in Pittsburgh and deposited next to The Lamp Theatre in Irwin, a 68-year-old stainless-steel diner is scheduled for a “soft” opening in late April. Rainy weather and some bitterly cold temperatures this winter slowed work. “The weather has really dogged us,”...
Deputies serving warrant on accused heroin dealer find marijuana operation in YoungwoodVideo
As Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies served an arrest warrant Thursday to a suspected heroin dealer in Youngwood, they reported stumbling upon a marijuana growing and distribution operation as well. Justin Bialowis, 31, was wanted by Greensburg police following a heroin distribution and drug paraphernalia arrest last month, Sheriff Jon Held...
Hempfield’s amphitheater to open May 18
After months of planning and debates over the price tag, Hempfield’s amphitheater officially has an opening date. Hempfield officials will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 18 with speeches from township supervisors at Hempfield Park, along with performances and food trucks, Director of Parks and Recreation Aaron Siko said...
Crash along Route 30 knocks out power in North Huntingdon
A car snapped a utility pole along Route 30 in North Huntingdon on Wednesday afternoon, knocking out power in the area. The crash, near the corner of Colonial Manor Road, was reported around 4:30 p.m. Multiple utility companies worked on repairs. Drivers in the area are urged to treat disabled...
South Huntingdon officials responding to structure fire
Five people were displaced from their Jacobs Creek house after a fire broke out Wednesday, Turkeytown Fire Chief Larry Nemec said. Crews from several area departments responded to the Main Street fire shortly after 4 p.m., which started in the kitchen and spread into the rest of the home. “The...
Seton Hill names new dean to School of Education and Applied Sciences
Seton Hill University officials have appointed Kathleen Harris, an association professor of early childhood education, Dean of the School of Education and Applied Sciences. Harris joined the faculty at Seton Hill University in 2010 as an assistant professor of education. She received her undergraduate degree in early childhood education and...
Man gets probation, house arrest for wreck that killed Norwin student
The North Huntingdon man charged with causing a car crash in 2017 that killed a Norwin High School senior will serve five years on probation and 18 months of house arrest. Victor Playso Jr., 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in connection with the crash on Route 993 in...
Judge rejects claim by attorneys for former Franklin Regional student charged in cyberattack
Evidence collected against a former high school student charged with launching a series of cyber attacks in 2016 that disabled computer systems throughout Westmoreland County can be used at her trial, a judge ruled on Wednesday. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger rejected a defense claim that the computers and internet...
Twin Lakes nature center getting upgrade for Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival officials hope to have a newly-renovated hub at Twin Lakes Park this summer to use during their annual event. Bids for improvements at the county’s John F. Laudadio Sr. Environmental and Nature Center are due March 12. Festival officials use the small building on the...
Westmoreland firefighters to distribute 9-volt batteries to communities
About 50 Westmoreland County fire departments will give out 9-volt batteries to households as part of a grant from Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling. The organization got 18,480 batteries through a 2018 Duracell/Keep America Beautiful grant. The departments will each get a case of batteries to distribute around daylight savings time...
Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild looking for 2,700 summer workers
The dead of winter is upon us, but here’s a reason to think about sun, swimming and roller coasters. Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone, family fun attractions in Western Pennsylvania, are accepting applications for the summer operating season. They’re looking to fill 2,700 jobs. The new employees could...
Ligonier endowment grants boost festival, fort, fitness programs
The Ligonier Valley Endowment has awarded four grants totaling $33,250 for the first quarter of 2019, including money to help mark the anniversary of the annual Fort Ligonier Days festival next fall. A $25,000 grant will help Fort Ligonier Days Inc. prepare a special project to celebrate the 60th anniversary...
AHN postpones ceremonial ‘topping off’ of new Hempfield hospital
Construction crews at Allegheny Health Network’s Hempfield hospital postponed a “topping off” ceremony Wednesday because of the snowy weather, so the lifting of the final steel beam at the site of the almost 79,000-square-foot hospital along Route 30 west of Greensburg will have to wait. AHN Hempfild-Neighborhood Hospital is expected...
Hempfield man will attempt to reclaim Recorder of Deeds post
Republican Frank Schiefer will attempt to reclaim the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds post, a job he lost in 2015. Schiefer, 38, of Hempfield served as Recorder of Deeds from 2012 through 2015, when he was defeated by the man he originally beat four years earlier to win the office....
Rafferty announces run for Westmoreland judge
Jessica L. Rafferty, a lawyer from Unity, has announced she will be a candidate for one of two vacant seats on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Rafferty, 38, works as a lawyer with the Greensburg firm of Quatrini Rafferty and focuses her practice on family law and civil...
Westmoreland judge denies bid to have Monessen man’s case dismissed
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday rejected a defense bid to have the case dismissed against a Monessen man charged with conspiracy in connection with a 2017 shooting. Defense attorney Ryan Tutera argued intentional misconduct by prosecutors caused the premature ending to the attempted murder and conspiracy trial last month of...
I-70 cleared after disabled vehicle snarls traffic
A disabled delivery truck caused major traffic backups on I-70 westbound near the 56 mile marker near New Stanton Tuesday night, according to Westmoreland County 911. The disabled vehicle was originally reported as a crash around 7 p.m., but first responders were unable to find any evidence of one, instead...
