Megan Tomasic stories, Page 72

Don’t let the calendar or warmer temperature fool you: influenza season is far from over. According to a study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, flu season, which can last until May, peaks after mid-winter. So far this flu season, over 62,500 flu cases have been reported across...

Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg found a man that’s been missing since Tuesday. Gary Cox, 65, was reported missing in Stark County, Ohio, Monday by his sister after he left work saying he was sick, police said. Officers found his car near the Antiochian Village Conference Center in Fairfield Township...

Two more stores are slated to close at Westmoreland Mall. The pending loss of Helzberg Diamonds and Gymboree highlight a troubling trend, in which vacancy rates at malls nationwide continue to rise and are at or near the highest level in years. Helzberg Diamonds, a jewelry store headquartered in Kansas...

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the debut of “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” Westmoreland Intermediate Unit is hosting a ribbon-cutting for their Fred Rogers room. The educational service agency, along with the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce and the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Foundation, will fill the room with artwork for the...

Wondering if you need a spotted lanternfly permit? A March 21 webinar will work to answer questions about the invasive species and which Pennsylvania businesses are required to have a permit. The spotted lanternfly was originally found in Berks County in 2014 and can damage grape, hops and logging industries....

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County could soon use a solar farm to power its Hunker Wastewater Treatment Plant. The 12-acre farm would be located along Hunker-Waltz Mill Road in Hempfield, near New Stanton, and would hold about 11,000 solar panels, said David Hommrich, president of Sunrise Energy, contractor and...

Want to meet Miss America? Now’s your chance when she heads to downtown Irwin for a meet-and-greet. Nia Franklin, who won the crown in September, will head to Wight Elephant, a local clothing boutique, May 18, according to store owner Victoria Piekut. Franklin, formerly Miss New York, will be available...

Federal disability recipients may want to watch what they post on social media. The Trump administration could soon use websites like Facebook and Twitter to help find people who claim Social Security disability benefits who are not actually disabled, The New York Times reported. About 10 percent of Westmoreland County...

It might not have a teacher standing in front of the chalkboard, but a historic school-turned-new event space promises to take guests back in time. The Harrold One Room Schoolhouse, which was built in 1881 and has recently been used by Hempfield Area School District students, is now opening its...

Hempfield could land a little star power along with a mini casino planned for Westmoreland Mall. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint could be one of the options among entertainment options planned to go into the former Bon-Ton department store space. The Cordish Co., the Baltimore-based group heading the proposed...

An upscale restaurant planned for outside Westmoreland Mall is getting a new name. Originally proposed as Sedona, the yet-to-open restaurant will now be called IronRock Tap House. This comes after its marketing team and owner Greg Cammerata decided the new name is a better fit for the vision and concept....

Nestled behind desks and under a water pipe in Hempfield Area High School’s basement sat five pieces of Manor history in the form of original art. The paintings give a glimpse into what the borough looked like in 1943-44 from the perspective of Manor School students. “You see the age...

A new running club at Hempfield’s Stanwood Elementary School is empowering girls and teaching them their potential. Girls on the Run, a club for girls in third through fifth grade, is part of a nonprofit organization started in Charlotte, N.C., in 1996. The program quickly spread across the country, hosting...

The annual Kidney Gift of Life Gala is set to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation this weekend. With performances by Protégé, an open bar, silent auction and dinner, the event will raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. “This event will draw people who want...

“Chili or wings?” Cheyenne Moyer asked a group of people who walked into Cafe Supreme in downtown Irwin. In front of her were two flavors of wings and a pot of chili, ready to serve the line of people that made their way down the hallway. Cafe Supreme was just...

A workshop aimed at teaching people about sheep and goat production is headed to Penn State Extension in Westmoreland County on March 22. Attendees will learn how select animals based on performance data, use the National Sheep Improvement Program, identify livestock structure and learn about the importance of breed character....

Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening another location in Hempfield, but this one will be outside of Westmoreland Mall. The chain restaurant will be built outside of J.C. Penney’s in an auxiliary parking lot next to Applebee’s along Route 30. Plans for the project originally showed a space big enough to...

Small businesses looking to promote their work and contract with the state will have the opportunity to network at the annual Job Order Contracting program at the University of Pittsburgh. The event, hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, will connect small businesses with program contractors in general construction,...

It’s not a typical summer camp, but it promises to teach kids about the criminal justice system and the job of a police officer. Camp Cadet, hosted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Westmoreland County Camp Cadet Association, provides a week-long camp for kids ages 12 to 15, emphasizing...

The Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood has two new members on its board of directors. Jill Standley, a community volunteer in Pittsburgh, and Anna Joyner, early head start family and community partnership specialist at Westmoreland Community Action in Greensburg, joined the board Wednesday. Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank,...

A Butler woman who worked at UPMC pleaded guilty Wednesday to wrongfully disclosing health information, according to the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh. Linda Sue Kalina, 61, worked as a patient information coordinator with UPMC and its affiliate, Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers in Mars, from March 7, 2016 to June 23,...

Police are searching for a Bellevue man who has been missing for over a month. Wendell Caldwell, 56, was going to visit a friend on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Feb. 1, but never arrived, according to the Bellevue Police Department. The last communication his friend had with him was when...

Sandy Dzaack was grateful to live in her family’s North Huntingdon home as the second generation to raise kids in the house. Shortly before she and her husband, Chuck Edmonds Jr., bought the home from the estate, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Edmonds died three years later, leaving Dzaack...

Several homes in the Bovard neighborhood of Hempfield could be prone to mine subsidence, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. Officials believe between 60 and 80 homes in the Bovard area could be located in a subsidence prone area, according to agency spokeswoman Lauren Fraley. Mine subsidence occurs when...