Ex-North Huntingdon EMS manager files federal sexual harassment lawsuit
A former North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue office manager is alleging in a federal lawsuit that she was subject to a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation by the service’s former executive director. Kelly Pirl, 39, of McKeesport, claims in the six-count suit that Shane Spielvogle, 50, of East McKeesport, subjected her...
Future raises for Westmoreland elected officials under review
The Westmoreland County commissioners signaled Thursday they might soon overhaul the decades-old method used to calculate annual pay increases for the county’s elected officials. A policy enacted in 1996 ties raises for elected officers to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Under this formula, these officials are slated for a 3.25%...
‘I will never forgive you:’ Brother testifies at sentencing of Greensburg man for drug overdose
After more than two years, Nicholas Ginter couldn’t hold back his anger any longer. It had been simmering since his older brother, Joseph Ginter, died in July 2023 from a drug overdose. On Thursday, the man who pleaded guilty to providing the fatal dose of drugs — Justin Todaro, 38,...
Westmoreland commissioners pass budget, look to assign blame for ‘precarious’ finances
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday passed a $466 million budget for 2026 that holds the line on property taxes despite a nearly $15 million deficit. The shortfall will be offset by surplus funds. To reach the final figure, commissioners slashed an anticipated $30 million deficit in half through personnel...
Charges filed in connection with shooting that injured Irwin man
A man was injured in a shooting late Wednesday that Irwin police believe was an accident, according to court papers. He was shot in the face but is expected to survive, according to borough police and Melanie Jones, spokesperson for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. A Greensburg man was...
Westmoreland County Prison prayer groups dispersed, raising religious freedom concerns
Tim Williamson was praying with a group of nine men at Westmoreland County Prison when a guard ordered them to stop — an encounter he says is part of a pattern of officials blocking religious expression at the Hempfield jail. Since his release this month, the Jeannette resident has been...
Westmoreland jury donation program raises over $100K for local nonprofits
Westmoreland County jurors have donated more than $100,000 to local charities over the past decade. It’s a program first implemented in 2016 that allows jurors to forgo their daily pay, which in turn is donated to local charities. Jurors are paid $9 a day for their first three days of...
2 Westmoreland water authority workers awarded Carnegie Medal for lifesaving rescue
Pete Dunegan was repairing an underground water tank in Mt. Pleasant Borough last year when a pipe inside the tank broke loose. It dislodged from a support and pinned him, nearly severing his leg and at the same time releasing water into the enclosed vault. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County...
Trafford historian seeks federal approval for naming Brush Creek tributary
A Trafford historian is seeking federal approval to name a North Huntingdon stream after the German immigrant family that settled along its banks in the 1870s. Andrew Capets, president of the Trafford Historical Society, is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formally designate the Brush...
North Huntingdon passes 2026 budget with 30% property tax hike
North Huntingdon officials unanimously approved a $15.8 million budget for 2026 that will raise the township’s property taxes by 30%. The 3.5-mill tax hike is split into two parts: 1.5 mills for the general fund and 2 mills for the capital reserve fund for roads and stormwater management projects. For...
Morning Roundup: Nativity theft in Jeannette
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 18: Trio steal Baby Jesus from Nativity in Jeannette Jeannette police are trying to identify three people who they said took a Baby Jesus figure from a Nativity display at the amphitheater on Clay Avenue. Investigators on...
Derry man dies after crash
Pennsylvania State Police reported Thursday that a Derry man died after a crash earlier this month. James R. Hunt, 75, was driving on Industrial Boulevard in Derry Township at 4:45 a.m. on Dec. 10 when the Lexus car he was driving left the road. Troopers said the car collided with...
Westmoreland happenings: Bingo fundraiser, meeting, pancake breakfast, more
Church news Harrold Zion Lutheran Church will host a Longest Night Blue Christmas service for anyone who finds the holidays a difficult time at 5 p.m. Dec. 21 at the church, 671 Baltzer Meyer Pike, Hempfield. The service will include prayer, reflection and hope for those mourning the death of...
Former worker armed with knife charged with harassment, trespass at Trafford business
An Allegheny County man is behind bars after, police say, he entered his former workplace in Trafford with a knife and made threatening comments to workers. Roneil Rashaud Wright, 28, of Pitcairn is charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, harassment and trespass in the Thursday evening incident at Chelsea Building...
Dropped EBT card leads police to South Greensburg man after store robbery
A South Greensburg man was arrested in connection with a Tuesday robbery at a convenience store after state police said he dropped his EBT card on the floor. Troopers were called to the Par Mar Store on Route 136 in Hempfield shortly after 1 p.m., where a clerk reported a...
Ligonier Township supervisors approve 25% tax hike
Increases in Ligonier Township’s contribution to the Ligonier Valley Police Department budget, investment in planned bridge projects and inflationary cost increases are among factors prompting a 25% increase in the municipality’s property tax next year. The increase, from 6 mills to 7.5 mills, will generate an additional $150,000 in revenue...
Some furloughed Westmoreland County workers recalled as commissioners weigh additional returns
More than a third of the Westmoreland County employees furloughed in October have returned to work, commissioners said Tuesday. “More are scheduled to come back next month,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Cash flow issues that resulted from a four-month state budget impasse and a subsequent freeze on allocations for mandated...
Scottdale parents tell judge they struggle to balance child’s welfare with their own safety
A national news story this weekend reminded Mary and Raymond Holoman of the painful dilemma parents face when they become victims of their child’s violence and addiction. The Holomans told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday they would allow their 20-year-old son to return to their Scottdale home after he...
North Huntingdon plans to raise administrators’ pay
North Huntingdon is expected to vote Wednesday at the commissioners meeting to raise the pay of most of its department heads by 3%, with two of the newer leaders getting 5% raises. The salaries proposed for 2026 were based on employee evaluations, township Manager Harry Faulk told the commissioners this...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
Son testifies he had ‘suspicions’ about his father in death of transient man found near New Alexandria
Braden Zvara testified Monday he had suspicions about his father after hearing a man had been found dead on state game lands in Loyalhanna. Zvara had told his father about strange encounter at the Greensburg Sheetz on Oct. 21. He grew uneasy upon finding out state police were looking for...
Some fees waived for students at closing Penn State branch campuses
Students at the closing Penn State Commonwealth Campuses can take more classes than normal in their next three semesters and save some money while doing it. With the New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, DuBois, York and Mont Alto campuses scheduled to close after the Spring 2027 semester, students there can...
‘We weren’t going to win on Saturday’: Plow, salt crews weather weekend snowstorm
Hempfield Public Works Director Austin Erhard was upfront with his plowing and salting crews as nasty weather began to roll in this past weekend. “I was very clear with them: We weren’t going to win the day on Saturday,” he said. “We just weren’t going to be able to have...
Westmoreland DA calls county grand jury a success; says another panel possible
Westmoreland County’s first investigating grand jury in more than three decades wrapped up its work with recommendations of criminal charges in three cases last week. The grand jury, which initially included 23 members and 15 alternates, recommended criminal charges be brought against four defendants, including former Ligonier Valley police Chief...
Murrysville library offers extra books to patrons in advance of 2026 renovations
The Murrysville Community Library staff is looking to get some books off the shelf before undergoing a massive renovation next month. Using a $400,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, the library will undergo renovation over the winter. While it will remain open during the construction, the staff is...
