Westmoreland category, Page 220
Students get education in environmental cleanup, career opportunities at Lowber mine drainage treatment
Mt. Pleasant Area High School senior Kelsey Davis was testing clear water Friday that had just discharged from the abandoned Marchand Mine in Lowber to see how much invisible iron was in that liquid. Davis was among the 150 students from five high schools in the region — Kiski Area,...
Westmoreland increases pay in move to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland County’s shuttered juvenile detention center could reopen as early as next month, officials said Thursday. The 16-bed detention program at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield has been closed since early June amid staffing shortages and multiple state investigations. New hires, along with an elevated pay scale approved...
Keystone State Park honored as top fall foliage destination in U.S.
Western Pennsylvania residents have a colorful fall season ahead of them. According to a fall foliage prediction map created by smokymountains.com, a promotional site for the Smoky Mountains region, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties should begin to see slight foliage changes the week of Sept. 25, with the peak autumn colors...
Walk to End Alzheimer’s seeks to raise awareness, recognize Unity woman participating in medical trials
In 2018, Sara Belt was told she’d have just five years of cognition remaining after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She’s beaten the odds by about six months. After participating in four medical trials, Sara, 59, of Unity, has been able to maintain her cognition for the last three...
Westmoreland Food Bank unveils new wheels, hopes to expand Mobile Market
The Westmoreland Food Bank averages 13 trips a month with its Mobile Market, a program started last October to deliver free fresh produce to community members in need. With the help of a $100,000 state grant and additional federal funding, the food bank hopes to double the number of trips...
Donors sought to sponsor markers for unmarked graves at North Huntingdon cemetery
A Harrison City man who has spearheaded efforts to locate unmarked graves at a North Huntingdon cemetery is seeking donors to sponsor markers to be placed at those burial sites. The $60 markers will be on display at the Trafford American Legion Post 331 booth at the Penn Township Fall...
Hempfield man accused of trying to steal tote packed with guns
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of breaking into a township home Thursday and dragging away a plastic tote full of guns before being confronted by the homeowners and running off, according to court papers. Timothy John Luchon, 41, was being held without bail at the Westmoreland County...
Community outreach, strong roots mark First Baptist Church of Greensburg’s 150 years
Bill Hodge, a member of First Baptist Church of Greensburg for 93 years, has a reserved seat at every service. It’s on a raised platform in a rear corner of the church sanctuary, where Hodge operates the camera that streams the sermons of his pastor, the Rev. Scott Jones, and...
Murrysville underpass mural on hold as PennDOT officials develop formal policy for working with artists
Christina Donahoe was excited to be painting another mural where she grew up. After creating a floral mural in Export in 2022, she has been preparing to start a mural project to cover unsightly graffiti on a Route 22 underpass in Murrysville. She was in the process of lining up...
Westmoreland sheriff brings back gun safety class geared toward women
A popular gun safety class geared toward women held by the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department is returning for one day only. Sheriff James Albert said because of less available funding, the free Women Take Aim class will only be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Giannilli’s II...
Clairton man chased by North Huntingdon police convicted of fentanyl possession
An Allegheny County man was found guilty of possession of fentanyl after police claimed he tossed out as he ran from police during a traffic stop. Anthony Martin Jamison, 34, of Clairton, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday of one felony charge and three misdemeanors. The investigation began...
Music is center stage at Hempfield Area Band Festival
Three high school marching bands will take the field at Spartan Stadium together during the Hempfield Area Band Festival this Saturday. The three ensembles — a step down in number from the annual festival’s usual total of eight to 10 bands — will combine into one “mass band” after an...
‘I’m trying to link those little stories’: Trafford Historical Society gathers stories, unlocks community memories through map project
In the last days of her life, Nancy Woodall was flooded with memories of her childhood — all because of a yearbook and the Trafford Historical Society’s quest to identify the 250 oldest buildings in the borough. Woodall’s daughter, Lia, began searching years ago for a copy of her mother’s...
Grant application for Norwin library expansion will need to wait
Norwin Public Library officials will wait until next year to apply for a $400,000 state grant to cover half the cost of planned improvements to the library. “It’s not going to be possible,” to complete an application for the grant by the Oct. 13 deadline for applications, said Diana Falk,...
Westbound turnpike reopens after road repairs from tanker truck crash near New Stanton
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound lanes from Breezewood to New Stanton reopened Friday morning after repairs to the highway as a result of a crash Thursday near the New Stanton exit. One person was hospitalized after a tanker tractor-trailer overturned about 1:50 p.m. Thursday during a collision with a flatbed tractor-trailer....
Delmont swears in new full-time police officer
Part-time Delmont Police Officer David Johnston is the newest full-time member of the borough’s police force, after being sworn in at the borough council’s Sept. 12 meeting. Johnston will replace Officer Richard Stephens, who resigned in late August. Johnston has been working full-time in the borough since Sept. 1. In...
Norwin board deadlocked on inviting anti-socialist speaker
A Venezuelan immigrant who discusses the harsh life his family endured under a socialist regime in his native county, will not be invited this fall to tell Norwin High School students about his experience and offer his anti-socialism message. In a typical result when the Norwin School Board votes on...
Car cruise aims to help with bills for Penn Township man’s cancer treatment
Nick Van Bibber is in the midst of a battle against cancer that has put an emotional and financial strain on him and his Penn Township family. “It’s a roller coaster ride,” said his mother, Silvia. Friends are rallying around the 23-year-old to organize a charity car show Sunday. Their...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Sept. 15-17
Technically, summer isn’t over yet. So, that means it’s time to get out and enjoy the last summer weekend of the year. Here are some fun options. Picture This at the library A collaboration between the Greensburg Art Center and the Greensburg-Hempfield Library brings Jackie Moreno’s “Tuesday Art Enthusiasts” to...
State police offer car seat safety check
State police will be holding a child passenger seat safety check on Sept. 23 in Hempfield. The event will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hempfield Township Athletic Complex at 220 Forbes Trail Road. The checks are free and will be conducted by a trooper from the...
Norwin’s OktCHAMBERfest to fund scholarships
The Norwin Chamber of Commerce will give supporters the opportunity once again to enjoy beer and German food for a good cause at its OktCHAMBERfest fundraiser on Sept. 28 in the Banco Commerce Center, North Huntingdon. For a $25 donation, those attending the OctCHAMBERfest will receive a commemorative beer glass,...
Norwin grad Colleen Shogan sworn in as first woman to serve as U.S. archivist
WASHINGTON — Southwestern Pennsylvania native Colleen Shogan was sworn in as the 11th Archivist of the United States on Monday, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to oversee billions of the nation’s records and artifacts since the role was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Supreme Court...
Irwin man joins borough council
Irwin Borough has a new council member who took office this week to serve the remainder of a term that expires at the end of the year. Nick Powanda, 37, was sworn into office Wednesday by Mayor Jeff Clem. Powanda replaces Mike Yunn, who resigned last month because he had...
Jim Rooney to talk about Dan Rooney, Steelers at Saint Vincent
Pittsburgh Steelers fans without a game to watch on Sunday can hear a talk about the team and its former owner, Dan Rooney, at 2:30 p.m. at Saint Vincent College near Latrobe. Jim Rooney, one of Dan and Patricia Rooney’s nine children, will discuss his 2019 book, “A Different Way...
High schools students to get environmental stewardship lesson at Lowber mine drainage treatment site
Students from five area high schools will get the chance to learn about environmental stewardship and its role in the health of a community during an educational program Friday at the abandoned mine drainage treatment system along the Sewickley Creek in Lowber. “It gets the kids out in the field...
