Joe Napsha stories, Page 76

Norwin is closing its Hillcrest Intermediate School on Thursday as the post-Thanksgiving surge of the virus has reached 65 cases. The school district announced Wednesday afternoon the school, which has about 860 fifth- and sixth-graders with more than 60 faculty members, will be closed as a result of contract tracing....

A small town library serving 6,000 people in rural Westmoreland County reached more than 81,000 Facebook users across the United States and Canada when it publicized an upcoming children’s program. Through Facebook, the Sewickley Township Public Library in Herminie promoted a virtual “Polar Express Pajama Party” planned for 10 a.m....

Irwin is proposing a 15% property tax hike for 2021, a third of which will go to the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department as it considers building a new fire hall. The proposed tax increase, which was in the tentative $3.98 million general fund budget adopted last month, would raise property...

Robert Levin is getting closer to rebuilding his family’s namesake furniture chain, which nearly fell to ruin after a century in business following a sale and the tumult of a messy bankruptcy proceeding. “I feel this is like a Christmas gift for all of us, customers and employees,” Levin said...

After failing to get enough substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, Norwin upped the pay for those positions beginning next month to be more competitive with neighboring districts. The higher pay is important because Norwin has had a hard time attracting substitute teachers and paraprofessionals in the past 10 to 11 months,...

The post-Thanksgiving spike in coronavirus cases continues in the Norwin School District, with the district reporting Monday there are 16 more cases, raising the total to 52 cases among students and staff since the Thanksgiving holiday. Norwin has had 136 cases among students and staff since school began on Aug....

The post-Thanksgiving spike in confirmed coronavirus cases hit a new high in the past week in the Norwin area, increasing by almost 30% in the week from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, based on data from the state Department of Health. The North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin areas saw its virus cases...

A man was hospitalized after being shot in the lower extremity in Stowe Township on Friday night, Allegheny County Police said. Police said they were notified of the shooting in the 400 block of Pleasant Ridge Road at 6:40 p.m. A vehicle being driven in the area also was reportedly...

The body of a missing 15-year-old Jefferson Hills boy was found Friday afternoon in the middle of the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh near the Elizabeth Bridge. Jeno Moretti’s body was recovered at 4:50 p.m. by divers from the Charles County, Md., rescue team, Elizabeth Borough Police Chief Bill Sombo...

A man shot in the torso in Homestead on Friday afternoon was hospitalized in critical condition, the Allegheny County Police Department’s homicide unit said. Homicide investigators were notified of the shooting in the 200 block of East 16th Avenue at 2:50 p.m., police said. The victim, who was not identified,...

Nationally syndicated columnist and George Mason University economics professor Walter Williams, whose work appeared regularly in the Tribune-Review, died on Wednesday at the age of 84. Over the course of his career, he was praised for his rigorous research on minority groups and government policies affecting African Americans. Williams, a...

With covid cases rising in Norwin schools and high absenteeism among employees, middle and high school students will have virtual instruction for the remainder of December, the district announced Thursday. Elementary and intermediate middle school students will return to a hybrid mode two days of in-person learning and three days...

Norwin School District officials said Wednesday the district has 21 new covid-19 cases among its students and staff, pushing the total number of cases since school began Aug. 31 to more than 100. The reports of 21 new cases, pushing the total to 114 cases of the coronavirus, is the...

Pennsylvania wants about 11,000 residents to repay money officials say they never should have received — either by an honest mistake or fraud — through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. About 88% of the claims that have been processed for identity through the IDME verification system for PUA funding...

Twelve more students and staff members at Norwin have tested positive for coronavirus, the school district said Tuesday, which raises the total number of cases since school began to 93. The spike in numbers reported since the holiday weekend occurs as the district is instructing all 5,300 students remotely this...

A piece of New Stanton’s history — the old borough building on North Center Avenue — is for sale. The borough wants to get a fair price from the property at 451 N. Center Ave. and see it put back in use, said Raymond Strosko, council president. New Stanton Council...

Coronavirus cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin areas rose by 18% in the past week, another double-digit percentage increase in confirmed cases, according to data released Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. In four ZIP codes that cover the bulk of the North Huntingdon-Irwin-Norwin areas, which also spreads into...

Pennsylvania’s move to start firearms deer-hunting season on Saturday, two days earlier than the traditional Monday after Thanksgiving, turned out pretty good for one hunter along Laurel Summit east of Ligonier. But many of his fellow hunters panned the state Game Commission’s early start for the second year. Josh Vitalie...

A Pennsylvania Air National Guard refueling plane forced to make an emergency return to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday morning dumped fuel over the Jeannette-Penn Township-North Huntingdon and Manor areas, according to the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety and state Air National Guard. The KC-135 Stratotanker was forced to...

A Uniontown man was killed early Saturday morning on Route 51 near Smock Road when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving the wrong way collided head-on with a car, state police in Belle Vernon said. The victim, Jeremiah Pletcher, 22, was driving the ATV southbound in the northbound lanes of...

Norwin schools will be closed next week and its 5,300 students will receive remote instruction in response to new state guidelines for counties such as Westmorelandwith a substantial level of community transmission of covid-19. The school board Wednesday unanimously agreed with Superintendent Jeff Taylor’s recommendation to close the buildings from...

‘Christmas Tree Tour ‘set for Irwin Irwin’s business organization is planning to replace its annual holiday Cookie Tour with a two-day Festival of Lights Christmas Tree Tour because of covid-19 restrictions. Decorated trees will be in stores in downtown Irwin and available for viewing from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec....

Operation Santa Claus has been helping Western Pennsylvania families with the gift of a holiday meal for 36 years, and this year may prove to be the most challenging in the long history of the nonprofit organization. “The need is greater than ever this year. We’re trying our best to...