Westmoreland category

A Franklin Regional student was found dead by suicide at the high school in Murrysville on Sunday morning, according to school district and community officials. “This is an unimaginable loss for our school community, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the student’s family and friends,” Superintendent Gennaro R....

Wayne Bunch thinks he might have some Scottish heritage, but that’s not really what drew him to the Ligonier Highland Games on Saturday. Bunch, 41, of Uniontown, was there for the chance to try out the unique sporting events. Athletes donning kilts participated in Scottish games like the stone put...

A middle school teacher from Mount Pleasant is accused of exchanging nude photos with a 14-year-old child. Ashley Mongell, 30, is a seventh grade science teacher at Connellsville Area Middle School. State police said they began investigating Mongell and her contact with the child after Instagram made a report to...

Motorists will encounter nighttime lane restrictions beginning Monday as crews perform maintenance on two Westmoreland County bridges. Single-lane restrictions will be in place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday and Tuesday on the Route 30 bridge in South Greensburg. The same restrictions will occur on the Matthew Smelser Memorial...

Art • Greensburg Art Center will host a Black and White Art Show through Oct. 17 at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. The display includes 55 pieces in grayscale, sepia tones, natural clay and natural wood. The center will host a free presentation from 2 to 4 p.m....

A shakeup is coming to the legislative staff of Pennsylvania Senate President Tempore Kim Ward. Ward, R-Hempfield, announced Friday her longtime chief of staff Rob Ritson has resigned to take at job at UPMC. Ritson has served as Ward’s top aide for 23 years. “Rob’s professionalism and demeanor set an...

The Greensburg Community Development Corp. only needs one more vote of approval before its tax incentive program can be renewed for another 10 years. Greensburg Council and Greensburg Salem School Board officials voted this week to renew the LERTA, or Local Economic Revitalization Tax Abatement. The program gives commercial developers...

When firefighters serving with a Westmoreland County trench rescue team arrived near a Unity restaurant in early December to help search for a woman who had fallen into an abandoned mine sinkhole, it didn’t take long for them to realize that this incident would challenge them in new ways. Until...

The City of Latrobe is partnering with the nonprofit Latrobe Foundation to pursue demolition of a vacant commercial building on Main Street. Decades ago, the building at 319 Main St. was home to the Olympic Theater movie house. Most recently, it was occupied by vending machine supplier Westmoreland Amusements. The...

Ready for some fun and games? Kick back and relax with these events this weekend, whether with your friends, family or just enjoying some alone time. Ligonier Highland Games On Saturday, the region will celebrate Scottish games, music, food and dance at Idlewild and SoakZone with the 2025 Ligonier Highland...

The Westmoreland County commissioners Thursday again rejected calls to allow mail-in voters an opportunity to fix errors that could lead to the disqualification of their ballots in November. During the public comment period of the commissioners’ meeting at the courthouse, a handful of voters — most of them registered Democrats...

Hundreds of Pennsylvania school district administrators are calling for cyber charter funding reform to be included in the state’s 2025-26 budget. A letter featuring signatures from administrators at 215 schools was sent to state legislators Thursday — calling for a cyber charter funding formula that reflects the true cost of...

Nina Whitfield Stahlberg meandered among chairs, desks and bookcases at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library last week, directing her son, Kevin, on where to hang 35 paintings featured in her latest art exhibit. Those stopping in to check out books would hardly suspect that the Penn Township resident will celebrate...

Gov. Josh Shapiro joined family members at the private wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial Thursday on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Shapiro did not speak at the opening ceremony in the memorial plaza that held a standing-room-only crowd. The ceremony included a ringing of the...

Children’s event • YWCA Westmoreland County will sponsor a free children’s literacy fair 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 at the center, 424 N. Main St. Children can enjoy craft stations, face painting, free food, button making, games and a story time. Children who are registered in advance will receive...

Jeannette’s code enforcement officer is going to start targeting signs attached to utility poles through the city’s zoning ordinance. Bill Whetzel said he has a letter drafted that can be sent to violators, if he can figure out who is responsible for the signs. “Some don’t have any kind of...

The girls competing on Greensburg Salem’s boys wrestling team will be able to compete on a roster of their own this year following a vote by the school board Wednesday. The school board voted unanimously to create a girls wrestling club, with the hope that the program will grow into...

Crews are slated on Thursday to begin milling a lengthy stretch of Lincoln Avenue in Latrobe and neighboring Derry Township in preparation for a joint paving project. The work will extend between Route 982 in Derry Township and Main Street in Latrobe. Latrobe public works director Scott Wajdic said the...

A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday rejected defense claims that an East Huntingdon man’s shootout with state police last year was covered up by investigators to shield authorities from allegations of improper use of force. Jurors deliberated nearly five hours before returning 18 guilty verdicts against James R. Miller Jr.,...

Westmoreland County leaders said a looming financial crisis could result in layoffs, service cuts and facility closures without a quick resolution to the ongoing state budget impasse in Harrisburg. The county commissioners this week instructed department heads to limit spending as part of an initial phase of mandatory cost-containment measures....

Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are exploring a company’s proposal to add a canopy of solar panels above some of its parking spaces, to save on the Unity facility’s electric bills and to take advantage of related energy credits. Under the proposal from Veregy, which has an office in...

Several events are planned around the region to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in addition to the ceremonies planned at the National Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County. Connellsville Connellsville will host a remembrance ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Plaza, 168 E. Crawford Ave. Pixel...

Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials say they’ll stick with Spirit for commercial flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport although the budget carrier is headed into cloudy skies with its second bankruptcy declaration in less than a year. Spirit initially sought bankruptcy protection in November and emerged from Chapter 11 in...

Westmoreland County voters in November will be given the option to use paper ballots on Election Day. Republican Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew on Tuesday, acting as the county’s Election Board, authorized an optional shift to paper ballots while also saying voters can still use the touch-screen voting machine...