Westmoreland category, Page 92
Westmoreland happenings: Christmas Eve service, food drive, more
Church News • Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1120 Harvey Ave., Greensburg, will have a Christmas Eve service at 7:30 p.m. led by the Rev. Jennifer Frayer-Griggs. Details: 724-837-3540 or wpcgreensburg.org. Fundraiser • Protect PT is accepting donations of nonperishable food and personal items for the Westmoreland Food Bank through Jan. 2....
Input sought on vitality of downtown Jeannette
The Jeannette Initiative is seeking responses to a online community perception survey. The survey is an initial step in the nonprofit’s goal to seek a Main Street Matters program designation through the state Department of Community and Economic Development. The program is aimed at supporting downtowns through targeted investment and...
Murryville artist among ‘Art of the State’ winners for 2nd time
A Murrysville artist has once again earned a spot in Pennsylvania’s “Art of the State” contest, and will have her work displayed in the state capitol. Patty Kennedy-Zafred, 72, of Murrysville took first place in the annual contest’s craft division in 2022, with a piece titled “American Portraits: Harvesting Hope,”...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Dec. 20-22
The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to get into the spirit with some fun and community. Here are some things to do this weekend: A North Pole Christmas The Lamp Theatre and Stage Right are throwing an all-out Christmas extravaganza this weekend. On Saturday, they will hold A...
Saint Vincent College holiday program provides gifts for more than 100 children
Christmas wishes will come true for 123 local children thanks to SVC Wraps for Kids. They’re among more than 1,900 kids who have received holiday gifts through the annual program that began more than a decade ago. The program is a partnership between the Saint Vincent College Education Department and...
Hempfield will engage AI system to evaluate need for road work
Hempfield is tapping into technology to get a better understanding of the condition of its 300 miles of roads. Township supervisors on Wednesday approved a five-year agreement with Vialytics that officials said will help them prioritize roads in need of improvements. Township manager Aaron Siko said the software will help...
Winter Night events at Westmoreland museum bring spark holiday season
Westmoreland Museum of American Art played host Thursday to the latest of its Winter Lights holiday series. The events feature live music and activities that encourage creativity, including the opportunity to work with luminary displays. The musical entertainment is complemented with beverages and food available along with the annual outdoor...
Westmoreland County’s go-to man Greg McCloskey calls it a career
During the summer of 2021, Westmoreland County commissioners were in a bind. They had just fired the county’s election bureau director following what they said was ongoing mismanagement. The deputy director had been fired months earlier. So commissioners turned to longtime public works director Greg McCloskey to assume the election...
Westmoreland commissioners pass no tax hike budget, spar over county’s financial future
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners defended a 2025 budget that increased spending in several key categories and carries a more than $9 million deficit. The shortfall is being covered through a dwindling surplus fund bolstered by a 32.5% tax hike approved last year. The new budget maintains the current county property...
Salem approves 55,000-square-foot Westmoreland Food Bank expansion
The Westmoreland Food Bank cleared another hurdle on the way toward a planned expansion that will double the size of the nonprofit’s food cooler, receiving approval from Salem supervisors to proceed. “We’re expanding by about 55,000 square feet and it’s being funded through (federal American Rescue Plan) funds through the...
Hempfield nixes plan for ‘fire tax,’ maintains 3-mill tax rate for 35th straight year
For the 35th consecutive year, the millage rate in Hempfield will stay at 3 mills in 2025. Township supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved the $17 million spending plan for next year. The millage rate has been unchanged since 1990. “We are pleased to provide a balanced budget going into 2025 with...
Berk’s Menswear store sees changing of the guard after 4 generations
After 30 years operating a family-owned fine men’s clothing store in North Huntingdon and several years working for others in the retail industry, Bruce Berk knew it was time to take a break this year — a decision that ended four generations of family ownership. Berk of Penn Township sold...
‘Nothing more than a traffic jam’: Penn Township residents dread interchange, loss of quiet community
Anita Lipinski has lived in her Four Seasons Lane home in Penn Township all 55 years of her life. Growing up, Lipinski remembers there was only one other home on the street — now a quiet sanctuary for a handful of homeowners. Woods that separate her narrow, gravel road from...
Residents of Mt. Pleasant personal care homes to start returning hours after gas leak
Residents of two personal care homes in Mt. Pleasant were evacuated because of a gas leak Wednesday evening and were starting to return to the facility shortly before 10 p.m. Westmoreland County Public Safety reported people in the Harmon House and Amber House along South Church Street had to leave...
Youngwood man to serve probation, house arrest for drug sales in two fatal overdoses
A Youngwood man was ordered Wednesday to serve 10-years on probation for his role in two overdose deaths. Frank Bogley, 72, pleaded guilty in April to felony counts that included two charges of drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses in connection with Feb. 1, 2020, death of 39-year-old...
MAWC opens talks to buy, run Gilpin water and sewer systems
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials will open negotiations to take over operations of a small water system in Gilpin, Armstrong County. Gilpin supervisors this week solicited an offer from the county authority to purchase or operate the township’s water and sewer systems service. On Wednesday, the authority said it...
Westmoreland happenings: Blue Christmas services, wrestling tournament, more
Church News • A Blue Christmas service for those who are mourning or find themselves depressed or anxious will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 22 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1120 Harvey Ave., Greensburg. A Christmas carol sing-along and indoor bonfire will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 22. Hot chocolate and...
Westmoreland Commissioners say overdue courthouse upgrades call for $2.2M generator purchase
A backup generator to keep the lights on during power outages at the Westmoreland County Courthouse will cost about $2.2 million. Commissioners are expected this week to approve a contract to purchase a new backup generator for the Greensburg courthouse complex. Officials say it’s needed to ensure continued operations at...
Anchor Hocking workers could get $7 hourly raise, $500 bonus to move from Charleroi to Ohio
Anchor Hocking workers who agree to move from Charleroi to Ohio could get a $7 hourly pay raise and a $500 bonus as the company shifts its Corelle Brands operations away from the Mon Valley. The company is delaying closing its Charleroi plant from mid-February until April, said James Watt,...
Westmoreland County to offer $1.5K to $2.5K incentives for each new broadband installation
Westmoreland County is offering cash to broadband providers to connect homes and businesses to high-speed internet. County leaders announced an incentive program in which broadband companies could receive between $1,500 to $2,500 for each new customer they connect as part of the federally funded Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program,...
Becki Pellis to lead Greater Latrobe School District in interim as superintendent search begins
Greater Latrobe School District administrator Becki Pellis will take on the additional role of interim superintendent on Jan. 1, as the school board begins a search for the successor to retiring Superintendent Mike Porembka. Board members voted unanimously at a special meeting Tuesday to give Pellis the additional role and...
Witness intimidation charges related to Rostraver shooting will go to trial
Anthony M. Hairston wasn’t using Facebook to intimidate a witness against him in a Rostraver fatal shooting, his attorney argued Tuesday. Hairston had asked his girlfriend post pictures of the witness’ statement to police on his Facebook page but he was only thinking about strategy as his homicide trial was...
North Huntingdon man accused of charging for lacrosse camp that wasn’t held
A North Huntingdon man was arrested last week on state police accusations that he took money from three people who registered their children for a lacrosse training camp but never held the event. Christopher Langlais, 46, who also lists a Monroeville address in court records, is charged with taking $2,350...
Jailed Latrobe attorney’s law license suspended
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court this week formally issued a temporarily suspension order barring Latrobe attorney J. Allen Roth from practicing law. Roth, 70, has been in jail since early November when he was charged with theft and fraud in connection to accusations he stole $31,000 from a client’s bank account and...
Community rallies around Penn-Trafford junior diagnosed with leukemia
Nicole Cianciotti had driven only about 4½ miles from UPMC Children’s East when she got the call that her son Braeden’s left lung collapsed. The 17-year-old Penn-Trafford junior — Nicole’s oldest of six children — sat next to her in the passenger seat Nov. 22, seemingly unaware of the battle...
