Joe Napsha stories, Page 128
Claridge postmaster served his country in war and peace
Charles Ocepek served in the Army during World War II and worked as the postmaster for his hometown of Claridge in Penn Township. “He served his country in times of war and served his country in times of peace,” said his son, Karl Ocepek of Downington. Charles Ocepek of Claridge...
Washington DA appeals Supreme Court decision vacating homicide verdict in McClelland case
The Washington County District Attorney wants the state Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling that overturned a Mon Valley woman’s conviction of conspiracy to commit homicide in the 2011 death of her 92-year-old neighbor. The neighbor was murdered after being repeatedly burglarized by the inmate’s family. In his...
Pet Friends to hold Kitten Shower on March 23
Children’s games, crafts, prizes and refreshments will be part of the free Kitten Shower donation drive that Pet Friends Inc. will hold from 1 to 4 p.m. March 23 at Dom’s Pizzeria, 502 Cavitt Ave, Trafford, in anticipation of the upcoming “kitten season” when animal rescues are overrun with new...
3 Pittsburgh-area organizations win state environmental awards
A Westmoreland County organization and two in Allegheny County were among 18 people, organizations, businesses, and local governments that were awarded the 2019 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The Allegheny Land Trust in Sewickley was recognized for its Greenprint Planning Tool; the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy got the award for the...
Bushy Run Lions to offer scholarships
Four scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors from Penn-Trafford and other area schools, who reside in the Bushy Run Lion’s Club service area - east of Baker School Road in Penn Township The scholarship awards will be granted to students based on academics, community activities, extra curricular activities,...
Level Green Lions to serve breakfast Saturday
The Level Green Lions plan to make breakfast featuring buckwheat and blueberry pancakes with link sausages and beverages, from 7 a.m. to noon March 16 at the Lions Community Building, 123 Murrysville Road, Level Green. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 10 years old. Pancake...
Greensburg woman accused of defrauding elderly Derry Twp. woman
A Greensburg woman hired to take care of an elderly Derry Township woman is accused of buying herself gift cards totaling almost $2,200 by using a woman’s credit card at two area supermarkets, state police at Greensburg said. The suspect, Mary Ellen Poscich, 45, allegedly defrauded the woman out of...
Irwin police to get new vehicle
The Irwin Police Department is getting a new vehicle for $52,870, but the borough had to tap into its liquid fuels fund to cover the cost. Borough council on Wednesday approved the purchase of a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe from Kenny Ross Chevrolet Buick GMC in North Huntingdon. The price includes...
102-year-old retired teacher started in one-room Derry Twp. schoolhouse
Thelma Kosmach started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in the Village of Gray Station in Derry Township in the mid 1940s. She was paid $7 a month to teach first through eighth grades all subjects, including music and art. In addition to teaching, she scrubbed floors, filled the...
Devoted wife, mother, took care of injured daughter
Donna Liberatore took care of her daughter Stacie, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck near Mountain View on July 4, 1990, and was hospitalized for eight months. “She was the devoted therapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist. She did a tremendous job in getting her (Stacie’s)...
Cal U to hold annual wild game dinner March 23
For those who love to eat wild game like deer, elk and bear, California University of Pennsylvania’s will hold its 22nd annual Outdoor Bash and Wild Game Dinner March 23 at the Richeyville Volunteer Fire Department in Washington County. The student chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is joining...
Hempfield engineering firm donates $4,215 to Habitat for Humanity
The employees of CME Engineering LP of Hempfield recently donated $4,215 to Central Westmoreland Habitat For Humanity in Hempfield. The donations were raised through CME Cares! — a program in which the CME employees come together to help others and give back to their communities. CME, a multi-faceted engineering consulting...
Ex-Pirate pitcher Esteban Loaiza gets 3-year federal sentence for drug trafficking
Former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Esteban Loaiza was sentenced in federal court in San Diego to three years in prison for drug trafficking on charges involving about 44 pounds of cocaine, federal prosecutors said. In a plea agreement in U.S. District Court, Loaiza, 47, of Imperial Beach, Calif., admitted he took...
Art Institute of Pittsburgh closes after attempt to sell it falls through
The hopes of keeping open the Art Institute of Pittsburgh were dashed Friday when the private school closed because its bankrupt owner had run out of money and a deal to sell the school fell through. The institute sent letters to students Friday announcing the closing, according to Tribune-Review news...
Meeting set on gas well failure near Beaver Run reservoir
The failure of CNX Resources Corp.’s gas well near the Beaver Run Reservoir in Washington Township in January and its impact on the community will be discussed by environmental groups during a public meeting this month in Delmont. The incident involving CNX Resources Shaw 1G Utica shale gas well resulted...
Bids too high for Bolivar boat ramp project
Boaters and fishermen who like to ply the Conemaugh River in the northeast corner of Westmoreland County may yet have a new place to launch in Bolivar. But the project likely faces a delay because the three bids borough officials opened Thursday were higher than anticipated to build a 30-foot...
Economist predicts recession will hold off until 2021
Presidential candidates in 2020 will likely not face an economic recession in the campaign, if a banking leader’s prediction proves true. “Our stance is a recession is perhaps two years away. The U.S. economic expansion continues to about 2021,” Daniel Crawford, managing director and chief investment officer of First National...
Former Mt. Pleasant Sub ’n Pub owner kept upbeat attitude during cancer fight
Mary D. “Lou” Ross of Scottdale beat the odds in her 13-year battle against a rare cancer of the salivary glands, and did it with a smile on her face and positive attitude that spread to other patients undergoing treatment, according to her daughter. “She was called a miracle by...
Sears at Westmoreland Mall set to close March 17
The Sears department store at Westmoreland Mall is set to close March 17, a mall spokeswoman said. That date could change, according to Stacey Keating, a spokeswoman for CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., which owns the mall on Route 30 in Hempfield. Neither a Sears store official nor a spokesman...
Emergency responders carry dog from burning Greensburg home
Firefighters rescued Zeus and Oliver, a Rottweiler and tabby cat, from a two-story Greensburg home that caught fire Wednesday afternoon. City fireman Jim Fontana found the dog near the front door of the house at 79202 Jefferson Ave. and pulled him out of the smoke-filled structure, Greensburg Fire Chief Tom...
Union group to air Medicare for All video
A 23-minute video that makes the case for Medicare for everyone will be aired at 7 p.m. March 18 at the Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council meeting at Hempfield No. 2 Fire Department, Thornton Road. A panel discussion will follow the video with labor activists from the Western Pennsylvania Coalition...
Irwin tables proposed amusement tax
Irwin Borough officials this week decided to delay any decision on starting an amusement tax. Options for the proposed tax, which has stirred controversy, include a levy of 5 percent or a flat 50 cents on the price of tickets sold at entertainment venues in the borough, such as The...
Discoverer Blog bypasses Latrobe as Pennsylvania’s best small town
Move over Latrobe. The Westmoreland County city that was rated as one of the 50 most charming cities in the nation last month by the Travel Channel was looked over as the best small community in Pennsylvania by an online website. A writer for the Denver-based Discoverer Blog selected New...
Bushy Run to celebrate Charter Day
Complementary guided tours and historical demonstrations will be part of Bushy Run Battlefield’s second annual Charter Day Celebration and Free Museum Day at the Penn Township site from noon to 4 p.m. March 10. The event recognizes Pennsylvania’s 338th birthday, when England’s King Charles II granted a charter to Quaker...
North Huntingdon planners recommend approval of church office
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church’s plans to build a one-story office building on its North Huntingdon land cleared one hurdle Monday when the township planning commission recommended approval of the project, as long as the church meets certain conditions. The recommendation to the North Huntingdon commissioners that it approve the...
