Westmoreland category, Page 20
Westmoreland happenings: Fall Fun Day, clothing sale, bingo, more
Church News • St. James Parish will host an intergenerational seminar series, “Receive, Believe, Transform,” on the Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 5, 12 and 26 in the church social hall, 306 St. James Lane, Salem. Families are welcome. A session for children will also be available at the...
Ligonier Valley School Board taps McKeesport Area administrator as new superintendent
Matthew Mols, assistant superintendent at McKeesport Area School District, is set to take on the role of superintendent at Ligonier Valley School District. Ligonier Valley School Board at a special Wednesday meeting voted unanimously to hire Mols under a five-year contract, with a starting base salary of $160,000. Mols was...
Defense attorney says video could exonerate Scottdale day care worker
The defense attorney for a former Scottdale day care worker accused of assaulting a child said he believes there is surveillance video from the center that will exonerate the defendant. “My client has been working in this field for years, has never had any problems. … She had no intention...
Swastikas found on signs in Mt. Pleasant borough, surrounding communities
Mt. Pleasant Borough Police are investigating numerous swastikas spray painted on signs around town over the last few days, said Mayor Diane Bailey. Authorities are asking that residents and business owners leave the symbols associated with antisemitism or of Nazism alone while they try to figure out who is behind...
Jeannette considers work at entry to improve access to city hall
Jeannette is trying to make an accessible entrance to city hall easier to navigate for those who use it. But cost is a factor. Solicitor Tim Witt said officials are looking into grant funding to enhance a back entryway and navigation throughout the 100-year-old structure for people who have physical...
State police release details on fatal motorcycle crash in Sewickley Township
Pennsylvania State Police have released information about a fatal motorcycle crash last month in Sewickley Township. Matthew W. Cathers, 52, of Smithton was riding a Harley-Davidson Sportster on Lowber Road around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 when it left the road and hit a guide rail, police said. The motorcycle continued...
Flying out of Latrobe? Spirit Airlines swaps Fort Lauderdale for Orlando flights
Passengers flying on bankrupt Spirit Airlines out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe will lose the twice-weekly service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in November but will gain two flights a week to Orlando, the airport’s chief officer said. The cutting and adding of service from Arnold Palmer Regional by...
Father of New Kensington cop killer pleads guilty to open lewdness charge
The father of the man on death row for the murder of New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection to claims he propositioned two teenage girls in Latrobe. Gregory Baucum Jr., 54, was sentenced to serve six to 12 months in jail but was immediately paroled...
Blairsville woman sentenced to jail term for 2024 fatal Derry Twp. crash
John Higgins said he and his 10-year-old daughter continue to struggle with the death of his fiance, who was killed in a head-on crash last year in Derry Township. Ashley Kelley, 33, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve nearly one year in jail for her role...
Slide repairs, detours slated in North Huntingdon, Allegheny townships
PennDOT has unveiled online its plans for repairing slides along three roads in North Huntingdon and another in Allegheny Township. Work is expected to begin in December, with two of the slides in North Huntingdon — along Baker School and Leger roads — scheduled to receive attention first. PennDOT project...
Norwin library to host pet care program
Tips on taking care of your pets will be offered during a pet care program at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Norwin Public Library, Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Representatives from St. Francis Animal Hospital in North Huntingdon will provide pet lovers with information on what to do during an emergency,...
Judge withdraws from Westmoreland County prison board
Westmoreland County’s jail oversight board for now will operate without representation from the court. Prison Board Chairman Doug Chew said Monday during the board’s monthly meeting that Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. has withdrawn from the body that includes the three county commissioners, Sheriff James Albert, District Attorney Nicole...
Westmoreland commissioners cancel public meetings amid state budget crisis
Because there’s no money to spend, Westmoreland County commissioners say, there is no need to conduct this week’s regularly scheduled public meetings at the courthouse. Commissioners canceled their agenda meeting set for Tuesday morning and Thursday’s public voting session in response to the ongoing state budget impasse that has halted...
Mt. Pleasant Twp. man pleads guilty in December shooting incident
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to five years in prison in connection with a shooting incident in December 2024. Police claimed he and his father chased a motorist and fired multiple rounds during the incident. Paul Anthony Caletri III, 31, pleaded guilty to one...
Penn Township Police chief retires, reflects on 30-year career in department
John Otto’s interest in policing began as an elementary student. “One day walking to school, there was a police car parked outside of Harrison Park Elementary School, and that caught my attention,” the Penn-Trafford graduate said. “I remember looking inside the car from the sidewalk … and I was mesmerized...
Hempfield plans to replace road salt storage building
A new auxiliary road salt storage building will be constructed at the Hempfield municipal building to replace one that was damaged during snow removal season last year. A wooden back wall blew out, leaving the structure in bad shape, said public works director Austin Erhard. “We opted not to refill...
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette celebrates 135th birthday
Karen and Bill Davis of Penn Township grew up at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette, where they met and later married before moving away to Maryland in the late 1980s. After the birth of their first child in 1994, they returned home and to the church where they spent...
PennDOT bridge projects, detours begin in Fairfield, continue near Hunker
A bridge preservation project and related detour are set to begin Monday in Fairfield while similar work continues just outside Hunker. The Fairfield project will close a section of Midget Camp Road, between Tantlinger Hollow and Beaufort roads, that crosses Tubmill Creek. According to PennDOT, the closure is expected to...
Nothing to see: Westmoreland commissioners debate streaming of public meetings
Despite public pleas, Westmoreland commissioners have yet to reach consensus on a plan to make video viewing an option for those who want to watch how county business is conducted. Commissioner Ted Kopas this month endorsed a plan to livestream public meetings that are conducted once or twice monthly at...
Westmoreland happenings: Halloween Hottenanny, pet blessing, Wicked Witches Gala, more
Church news • St. James Church, New Alexandria, will have a pet blessing service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the church parking lot, 306 St. James Lane. Details: 724-668-2829. Fundraisers • Mon Valley Paws will sponsor a golf ball drop at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Monessen...
Educators question validity of national report claiming decline in test scores
Some Western Pennsylvania educators are pushing back on a national report indicating a decline in math and reading test scores among high school seniors. The report, released by the National Center for Education Statistics, has circulated through K-12 education sectors in recent weeks, raising concerns about seniors’ math and reading...
‘Trickle-up effect’: Administrators weigh in on improvements
As national test score reports generate concerns over student learning, an opposite pattern is unfolding at New Kensington-Arnold School District, according to Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. After hitting an all-time low in 2020, the district’s math and science scores on state tests are gradually increasing, Sefcheck said. In just two years,...
Derry Township mine refuse reclamation improves stream quality, earns industry nod
The view and stream quality along Derry Township’s Atlantic Road have improved now that three abandoned mine refuse piles have been removed. As part of a Pennsylvania program, Latrobe-based Robindale Energy Services cleared the piles at no cost to the state and renewed the 6.2-acre site with vegetation. Some of...
Proposed bridge for Ligonier Valley High School students gets added funding boost
Plans for a pedestrian bridge to improve safety for students who walk to Ligonier Valley High School moved a step closer this past week as the Ligonier Township supervisors accepted additional funding for the project. Township Manager Michael Strelic expressed hope the $588,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation,...
Hempfield unveils 1st phase of new $15 million park
A 43-acre plot adjacent to Route 30 in Hempfield that a decade ago was to be home to a medical complex was opened Saturday for what township leaders anticipate will be the centerpiece of a rejuvenated recreational system servicing central Westmoreland County. Hempfield officials unveiled the nearly completed first-phase of...
