Norwin area: Veterans Day dinner, wreath fundraiser, more

Norwin Elks to hold Veterans Day dinner

All veterans, Norwin Elks members and guest veterans will be treated to a complimentary spaghetti dinner with a salad and non-alcoholic drink from 4 to 8 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the Norwin Elks, 135 Elks Lane, Manor.

All other guests will be billed for their dinner and drinks.

Veterans with six or more guests are asked to call the Elks at 724-863-3000 for reservations.

For more information, contact Don Rohac at 412-260-8064, or by email at sfc56@comcast.net

North Huntingdon VFW to hold Veterans Day event

The J. Howard Snyder Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781 of North Huntingdon will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the post on Billott Avenue, said Kory Bulloch, post commander.

Military food share program planned

The Norwin Elks and the Pennsylvania National Guard are sponsoring a program to provide veterans and military personnel a complimentary order of pre-packaged food on Dec. 8 provided by the Westmoreland Food Bank.

All Westmoreland County veterans, active-duty military and the National Guard and Reserve personnel are welcome to participate.

The deadline for veterans to preregister is Nov. 24 and military personnel must contact the Pennsylvania National Guard Family Program at 717-836-4903. Military members will need to provide information from their DD-214, Veterans Administration card or other military identification.

Pet Friends to hold karaoke fundraiser

Pet Friends of Irwin will host its first karaoke fundraiser for adults age 21 and older at the Greenhouse Winery, 2155 Gracin Lane, Rillton, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 13.

The top three performers will win a prize.

There will be a basket auction, a raffle and wine tasting available.

The $20 ticket includes food by JuneBugs and wine tasting. Participants can bring snacks, but not beverages.

For more information and tickets, visit petfriendsinc.com.

Norwin Play It Forward to hold fundraiser

The 11th Wind-Up/Wine-Down and Music on Tap, a fundraiser for the Norwin Play It Forward Fund, will be held from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Nov. 20 at The Kitchen by Vangura, 14431 Vangura Lane, North Huntingdon.

The Play It Forward Fund is a nonprofit that helps motivated Norwin band and orchestra students in grades 4 through 12 with subsidies for private music lessons and summer music camp experiences.

Level Green women to raise money for Wreaths Across America

The Community Women’s Club of Level Green is raising money for the Wreaths Across America North Huntingdon chapter, which plans to place fresh wreaths on the graves of about 6,700 veterans buried in four cemeteries in Irwin and North Huntingdon on Dec. 18.

The club is asking the community to help by sponsoring a wreath for $15. Payments are due by Nov. 21.

Wreaths sponsored through the Women’s Club will be placed in North Huntingdon cemeteries as well as Arlington Cemetery, if there are overflows. Sponsors can choose to have a wreath placed in honor or in memory of someone.

For more information and to sponsor a wreath, visit: wreathsacrossamerica.org/PA0435P.

Vehicle emission law could change

Legislation to update the annual emission inspection tests for newer vehicles has passed the Pennsylvania Senate.

Senate Bill 777 would exempt the five newest model year vehicles from emissions testing and remove the gas cap testing requirement for vehicles without a gas cap.

Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Clearfield, said more than 21 million newer vehicles tested over the past decade have a 99.65% pass rate, proving the test to be less effective at reducing air pollution.

The bill now is headed to the House.

Live! Casino Pittsburgh to open poker room

Officials at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield’s Westmoreland Mall are preparing to open a poker room. The 1,400-square-foot room featuring seven tables is expected to open early next year pending approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

It will be located on the second floor of the facility, adjacent to Sports & Social Steel City. The room was originally designated as a banquet facility that could be used for private meetings or special events. It will generate about 25 new jobs.

“Our new poker room will be exciting and provide our guests with yet another reason to enjoy their time with us at Live! Casino,” General Manager Sean Sullivan said in a news release.

Announcement of the poker room comes almost a year after Live! Casino Pittsburgh opened in the former Bon-Ton storefront at the mall. The $150 million casino, owned by The Cordish Cos. in Maryland, has 30 table games, 150 slot machines and restaurant and entertainment facilities.

Pitt-Greensburg to host public vaccine clinics

The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and Mainline Pharmacy will sponsor five covid-19 vaccine clinics on Tuesdays through November. The clinics are free and open to the public as well as the campus community.

The clinics will provide the Moderna vaccine for those 12 and older. Both initial shots and boosters will be available. Clinics will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 16 and 23 in Chambers Hall at Pitt-Greensburg’s campus at 150 Finoli Drive, Hempfield.

Officials asked that those planning to attend the clinics register in advance at mainlinepharmacy.com/covid-vaccine-scheduling.

A Pitt spokesman said the clinics are part of an outreach effort that began with the first clinic last spring.

Passport office at courthouse extends hours

The Westmoreland County Courthouse office that processes U.S. passport applications will have extended hours one day a week, officials announced.

The fifth floor Prothonotary Office at the courthouse, 2 N. Main St. in Greensburg, will be open two additional hours every Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. to process passports.

It’s a resumption of a program that had been place prior to March 2020 when most courthouse functions were halted at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The office will continue to process passport applications on Mondays through Wednesdays and on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No appointments are necessary.