Westmoreland category, Page 175
‘I want them to express themselves’: Level Green parent launches Lego club
Keith Harmon estimates he has more than 200 pounds of Lego bricks in his Penn Township home. “There’s not a lot of room to move,” Harmon joked. “I have Lego stuff pretty much anywhere you can imagine.” Harmon, parent to a first grade student at Level Green Elementary, started a...
Mt. Pleasant, Franklin Regional, Butler seniors score scholarships in annual Saint Vincent competition
High school senior Eli Duvall’s post-secondary plans recently got a boost when he learned he’d earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Saint Vincent College in Unity. Duvall, who attends Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High, has been awarded a scholarship covering four years of tuition, room and board, as the top...
Logan Elementary benefits 100 students with gift drive, aims to continue support
The annual gift drive at Logan Elementary School in North Versailles helped bring a happy holiday to about 100 of the school’s students. The students received a backpack holding a wrapped gift, a hoodie and an essential item, such as clothing or hygiene products. The backpacks were left on students’...
Tuition hike contemplated after county cuts funding to WCCC
A tuition increase could be in store for Westmoreland County Community College students this fall after a $1 million cut in funding from the county, the school’s board of trustees chairman said Friday. “As of now we don’t want to raise tuition, but everything is on the table,” said board...
Penn Township board will visit proposed natural gas compressor site
Penn Township Zoning Hearing Board members will take a road trip to the site proposed for a natural gas compressor station. Before it makes a decision on the request for a permit, the five-member board unanimously agreed to visit the rural site along Wilderness Road near the Murrysville border. Protect...
Unity couple found not guilty in retrial concerning sexual assault allegations of teen accuser
A Unity couple said the words uttered in court at the conclusion of their weeklong trial was what they waited nine years to hear. Bruce Palmer collapsed into the arms of his wife and audibly sobbed as the jury foreman read they were not guilty to charges of sexual assault...
McKee Elementary counts Taylor Swift among its valentines, but it still needs one from Rhode Island
The mysterious package arrived at McKee Elementary School in Jeannette on Wednesday. The return address was Nashville. It contained a 7-foot-tall cardboard cutout of musician Taylor Swift. A Hallmark card inside was addressed to a student with the same first name. One more thing — a red scrawl in the...
Hempfield Area moves forward with weapons detector trial at high school
After several months of deliberation on potential security upgrades, Hempfield Area School District will test out a new weapons detector system at the high school on Feb. 21. The OPENGATE weapons detectors, a product of Ohio-based CEIA USA, are walk-through weapons detectors that don’t require students to take off their...
Westmoreland student musicians to perform at annual Young Artists Competition recital
Franklin Regional student musicians had a strong showing in the annual Young Artists Competition, hosted by the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and Seton Hill University. Panther students swept the competition’s Level I instrumental category, and earned nine spots on the winners’ list. Winners will take part in a recital Sunday at...
Westmoreland History Education Center kicks off Black History Month with discussion on The Great Migration
In the early 1900s, migration to the north was painted as a utopia for Blacks in the south — but that was not accurate. “It was not easy, but the obstacles, oppressions and subjugation does not define African Americans. It is a part of their story, but the beauty of...
Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority pauses collection enforcement after uncovering billing error
Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority customers who spotted bad math on recent bills aren’t alone. A notice went out to customers Feb. 8, warning a “small number” of them may have received incorrect information on their monthly bills. Customers have not been charged incorrectly, according to Doug Komandt, WPJWA executive director,...
Fire destroys South Huntingdon houseVideo
A fire destroyed a multi-story wooden house along Boy Scout Road in South Huntingdon house Friday. Firefighters from Turkeytown, Smithton and Scottdale fought the blaze, which was reported at 11:45 a.m., a Westmoreland County Public Safety Supervisor said....
‘Gentle Larceny’ a 1-man show featuring Ligonier actor will be staged at Unity hotel
When he started planning his nonprofit theater company, former University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg professor Stephen Schrum wanted to look for works that strayed from the traditional theater production. Without a dedicated venue to perform in, Schrum said he hoped to adapt the medium to fit into new and unique...
Diocese of Pittsburgh, Greensburg offer guidelines as Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day
Catholics celebrating Valentine’s Day might want to find a seafood restaurant or meatless dining option — or choose a different day to celebrate altogether. The Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Greensburg confirmed this week that they are adhering to fasting and no meat on Ash Wednesday, which is...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in industrial accident in Chartiers; missing Jeannette teen found safe
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 9: 1 injured in industrial accident in Chartiers One person was sent to a local trauma center Thursday after an industrial accident in Chartiers Township, according to Ambulance & Chair EMS. The EMS service said it worked...
Higher chocolate prices unlikely to deter Valentine’s Day buyers
As Joe Dastolfo was buying a box of chocolates for his wife’s Valentine’s Day gift, he didn’t consider the price. The Hempfield resident was shopping this week at McFeely’s Gourmet Chocolate in downtown Greensburg. “I don’t care about the price,” he said. For those who do care, the wholesale price...
Westmoreland sheriff appoints new chief deputy
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert on Thursday announced the hiring of his fourth chief deputy since taking office in 2020. Albert, a Republican who was elected to his second four-year term last fall, named Jennifer Shipley as his second in command. Shipley, 37, of Youngwood has worked in the Sheriff’s...
Westmoreland County commissioners approve $2.7 million boost in pay
Raises for Westmoreland County’s union and nonunion employees will cost taxpayers an additional $2.7 million in 2024. Commissioners ratified a union contract and approved pay hikes for nonunion workers Thursday. A new three-year labor deal with the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare Pa. includes average raises of...
Register of Wills says work continues to ease backlog as office restructuring OK’d by commissioners
A restructuring and boost in staff pay approved by Westmoreland County commissioners is expected to improve operations in the Register of Wills office. Filing delays and other deficiencies prompted Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton to be admonished last week by a county judge, who issued a court order that...
‘A completely different world’: Virtual reality arcade opens in Westmoreland Mall
When Dan Roble first put on a virtual reality headset in 2016, his reaction was not what he had hoped. “It made me sick (after) the first 15 minutes or so,” said Roble, 35, of Latrobe. But the technology has improved significantly over the past eight years to prevent users...
New York City man sentenced for drug distribution in Pittsburgh area
A New York City man arrested twice in less than three years for bringing large amounts of drugs into the Pittsburgh area was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in a federal prison. Christopher Delacruz, 35, was first arrested during a traffic stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County in...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 9 – 11
Did preparing for the Super Bowl distract you from buying your sweetheart a Valentine’s Day gift? Or worse? Are you heartbroken that your team didn’t make it to the championship? Well, there’s plenty of sweet events to cheer you up and do some last minute shopping this weekend in Westmoreland...
Export residents to absorb $5 sewage rate hike by Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority
Export sewage customers will pay an additional $5 beginning March 1, after borough officials voted unanimously this week to pass along a $5 rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority that’s set to take effect next month. Council President Barry Delissio said it was the best course of...
‘This is going to be 100 feet off our deck’ resident says of Murrysville body shop that’s an easement away from construction
Murrysville residents who don’t want an auto body and paint business next door to their Manordale Farms neighborhood got good news and bad news at the Murrysville Council meeting Wednesday night. The good news was council did not approve the 12,500-square-foot Caliber Collision repair center proposed for property just east...
Longtime staffer named new Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO
New Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO Mike Marinchak has been associated with the organization for more than three decades. “The YMCA has made a tremendous impact on my family and is one of the many reasons I make Ligonier my home,” said Marinchak. “I want to make certain the opportunities provided...
