Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 69
Westmoreland commissioner claims county pay raises result of political threat
Westmoreland Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Thursday accused her Republican colleagues of buckling under a threat from the county controller when they granted a series of raises to his staff of auditors. “They should be ashamed,” Cerilli said about a reorganization of the auditing department that included $130,000 in raises handed...
UPS hiring 840 seasonal workers in New Stanton, Pittsburgh
United Parcel Service Inc. plans to hold a job fair Friday — in-person and virtual — as it looks to hire about 840 seasonal workers at its processing and shipping facilities in New Stanton and on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, the company said. The package shipping company is looking to hire...
Penn-Trafford teachers raise money for school supplies
Penn-Trafford kindergarten teachers Melissa Vovaris of Level Green Elementary, Emilie Shogan of Level Green and Sunrise elementaries and student learning assistant Nicole Adasczik of Level Green, raised $1,200 to buy a variety of school supplies for kindergarten classrooms. The funding, through an organization called DonorsChoose, enabled the team to purchase...
Chick’s Picks relies on superpowers for WPIAL playoff picks
Welcome to Week 8 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks looks forward to Halloween each year, mostly because she likes candy, but also because she enjoys coming up with creative costumes. This year, Chick’s Picks decided to dress up as Baby Yoda — one of the main characters...
Westmoreland elections officials: ‘Number of residents’ have not received mail-in, absentee ballots
While nearly 50,000 mail-in ballots from Westmoreland voters have been returned to the county’s Election Bureau, a number of residents have not received the mail-in or absentee ballot they requested. County officials said as of Wednesday, 71,852 of 74,648 ballots had been delivered to the U.S. Postal Service to be...
Penn-Trafford area happenings Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Non-perishable food items can be donated to the Trafford Food Bank from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7 at the Lion’s Community Building, 123 Murrysville Rd,, Penn Township. Food donations for the Drop & Go Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the Community Women’s Club of Level Green...
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide on in-person, fully remote learning
Under guidelines from the state departments of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes. The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels...
Covid-19 numbers tallied for Penn-Trafford area
The most recent state data shows 300 people in the Penn-Trafford Star’s coverage area have had confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the international pandemic in March, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The health department on Monday released data on confirmed cases of the virus in...
Westmoreland Prison Board moves ahead in search for new wardenVideo
The Westmoreland County Prison Board will accept applications through Friday for a new warden to succeed John Walton, who announced last month he was resigning and retiring. Walton, 61, of Mt. Pleasant Township, submitted his resignation Sept. 28, claiming it was the result of “a public character assassination and campaign...
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Oct. 26
Boys Class 2A First round 11-Burrell (7-4) at 6-Mt. Pleasant (11-1) 6:30 p.m., Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Winner plays: Winner of 14-Leechburg (7-6) at 3-North Catholic (12-1-1), 6 p.m., Monday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars Hat tricks: Mt. Pleasant has allowed two goals all season and has 11 shutouts. Charleroi...
Manor man has spent decades working on ‘collection of collections’
Some people have collections. Larry Bard of Manor might better described as someone with a collection of collections. From milk bottles and coffee tins to Bugs Bunny and ‘ALF’ memorabilia, Bard and his wife, Verdine, have filled their home — and a separate building, and basically just about any available...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 25
Churchill Mario Berges sold property at 3418 Ridgewood Drive to Lucas and Jessicah Lahitou for $368,000. Delmont Vincent Benaquista sold property at 578 Monticello Drive to Joen and Jennifer Vasquez for $210,000. Forest Hills Umberto Liberati sold property at 318 Ave. A to Winfred Gyambiby for $90,000. Estate of Oriente...
Breaking down the 2020 WPIAL football playoffs
Here’s a class-by-class breakdown of the WPIAL football playoff brackets: Class 6A Favorite: North Allegheny was the only undefeated team in WPIAL Class 6A this season, but the Tigers did miss three conference matchups because of covid-19 shutdowns by opponents. That included a Week 1 matchup with Seneca Valley that...
Penn-Trafford girls soccer team plays through challenging season
It has been a challenging and unusual season for the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team. The team was hit hard by graduation, they were placed in a different section, they have a new coach, and they had to deal with a pandemic. Penn-Trafford finished the regular season with a 5-5-2 record...
Penn-Trafford scores every which way, routs Franklin RegionalVideo
Penn-Trafford won’t be recognized as a conference champion but the Warriors sure played like one in their regular-season finale. And these Warriors showed what they can do with a full week of practice. Fourth-ranked Penn-Trafford did a little of everything, executing offensively, defensively and on special teams, on the way...
Westmoreland County schools could face difficult closure decisions as coronavirus risk remains high
Westmoreland County school districts face difficult choices as the county’s coronavirus transmission risk is expected to remain “substantial” for at least another week when the state updates its three-tiered Early Warning Monitoring System. Leaders will need to weigh student safety and legal liability as they decide whether to close schools...
Dollar General opens new location in Penn Township
Dollar General opened a new store in Penn Township, along Harrison City-Export Road. The 9,000-square-foot store is located near the Penn Crossing shopping plaza. “Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” spokeswoman Mary...
Westmoreland County: Almost 70,000 mail-in ballots approved
The Ohio company processing mail-in ballots for Westmoreland County has sent more than 64,000 to the post office and is up-to-date with its processing, a county election official said Thursday. Midwest Direct of Cleveland, which prints and mails the ballots, handled 64,604 ballots as of Tuesday, with an additional 3,800...
Westmoreland County says mail-in ballot backlog cleared
Westmoreland County officials reported all but about 4,100 requested mail-in ballots have been sent to voters. The county elections bureau said as of Wednesday morning, more than 64,600 ballots were mailed, clearing a backlog of requests caused by delays at the Cleveland company hired to print and mail them. “The...
State rejects Westmoreland plan to eliminate Penn Township district court
The state Supreme Court has rejected a Westmoreland County plan to shutter a district magistrate office in Penn Township, officials said. County court leaders this summer pitched a redistricting plan to the state’s high court that called for elimination of two magistrates, one that temporarily closed this spring in Mt....
Westmoreland sheriff wants deputies to patrol polling places on Election Day, in case needed
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert on Tuesday said he will assign deputies to patrol near the county’s 307 polling locations on Election Day. The first-term sheriff said he has received no specific information about threats but he wants deputies at the ready should disturbances or calls of voter intimidation arise...
Penn-Trafford High School to remain open despite new coronavirus cases
Penn-Trafford High School will remain open despite three recent coronavirus cases among students and one involving a staff member, according to Superintendent Matthew Harris. Two of the student cases were reported on Monday, while the other cases were reported on Tuesday. That bring the school’s total in October to nine...
Westmoreland prison, manor register additional coronavirus cases
An additional seven guards and nine inmates have tested positive for coronavirus at the Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield, bringing the total to 11 guards and 45 inmates. The courts have halted transfer of inmates to the courthouse in Greensburg, according to county Solicitor Melissa Guiddy. “All inmates will appear...
More ballot delays in Westmoreland County
More delays in the mailing of ballots to Westmoreland voters ahead of the Nov. 3 general election could prompt county commissioners to take back control over the process that was shipped out-of-state last month. Commissioner Sean Kertes said Monday internal discussions are underway to have elections bureau staff at the...
Westmoreland gets $3.4 million to remove lead paint, other hazards from low-income houses
Lead-based paint will be removed from more than 140 low-income homes in Westmoreland County using federal money. County officials said $3.4 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will pay for two new programs that will start by early summer to remediate the toxic substance...
