Westmoreland category, Page 231
Hempfield Area officially rejects bids on high school project, plans to revise scope
Less than two weeks from the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Hempfield Area is going back to the drawing board on its ambitious high school renovation project. After learning the project bids came in millions of dollars over budget at a meeting on Aug. 9, board members rejected all...
Closure set to begin on Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township
Motorists on Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township can expect traffic interruptions on Wednesday, followed by closure of a section of the road beginning on Thursday. PennDOT said the road will be closed from Boyer Road south to Fiedors Grove Road, just south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as construction continues...
Alcohol on sale amid Mt. Pleasant state store closing
Wines, spirits and other accessories will be on sale at the Mt. Pleasant Fine Wine & Good Spirits on West Main Street ahead of the store’s closing, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced Monday. There will be a 10% off sale during regular business hours until the store’s closing at...
Downtown Greensburg GetGo to celebrate store opening
A GetGo Cafe + Market opens this week in downtown Greensburg. The store and its six gas pumps will open at 9 a.m. Wednesday for continuing 24/7 operation. Located at 531 S. Main St., just north of Euclid Avenue, it is on a site formerly occupied by a shuttered Family...
Hempfield school library book policies approved at heated meeting
New rules will govern books and other library materials at Hempfield Area School District, after the school board voted Monday to enact two policies defining what content is permitted on the district’s bookshelves. About 80 people attended the board meeting and more than a dozen residents spoke their opinions on...
Irwin councilman Michael Yunn resigns
Irwin Borough will be seeking a new member of council to fill the remaining months of a council member who has resigned. Councilman Michael Yunn said he resigned effective at the end of the Aug. 9 meeting because he has moved to North Huntingdon. Yunn, a Republican, did not seek...
Democrats scrambling after Hovis withdraws from Westmoreland commissioner race
Westmoreland Democrats are scrambling to fill a vacancy on the November ballot after learning through a social media post Monday that one of the party’s two candidates for county commissioner withdrew from the race. Sydney Hovis, 28, of Scottdale announced via Facebook she formally petitioned to have her name removed...
East Huntingdon couple to serve probation for handling of elderly aunt’s estate
Blair and Chester Loffer wanted an apology. Instead, the brothers will receive more than $91,000 in cash and the deed to their dead sister’s Scottdale home as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors to end the case against the Loffers’ niece and her husband. John and Jane Kiliany,...
New entertainment venue coming to former Shop ‘n Save in Hempfield
A new entertainment venue is expected to open in Hempfield in November. Owners of 814 Lanes & Games of Johnstown announced last year they would open a second location at the former Shop n’ Save, 4589 Route 136. The grocery store closed in 2014 and the 44,000-square-foot building has remained...
White Valley AMVETS ladies’ auxiliary collecting hearing aid donations
The Ladies Auxiliary at the White Valley AMVETS is collecting used or unwanted hearing aids for donation to the John Tracy Clinic, which offers programs to educate and offer emotional support to parents and preschool-age deaf children. The clinic is named after actor Spencer Tracy’s son, who was diagnosed with...
Revolutionary War reenactors will bring history to life at Compass Inn Museum
The sounds of flintlock rifles firing in unison and hammering on a blacksmith’s anvil will greet visitors to the Compass Inn Museum on Saturday and Sunday. Reenactors from Proctor’s Independent Battalion of Westmoreland County and blacksmithing demonstrations will be featured at the historic Laughlintown site during its final Living History...
‘It was my life’: Former North Hills resident continues 40-year photography business in Manor
Alicia Dallago’s journey with photography first took shape far outside Western Pennsylvania. Over a 40-year career behind a camera, she earned numerous accolades, including two Kodak Gallery awards. Dallago, owner of Alicia Photography, was a portrait photographer in the North Hills for 36 years. For the past year, she has...
Arson, related charges filed in fire at South Huntingdon gentlemen’s club
A construction worker with no known address is accused of setting a fire early Saturday at the Filly Gentlemen’s Club in South Huntingdon. Javier Santacruz Ramirez, who is in his early 40s, is charged with aggravated arson, risking a catastrophe, failing to prevent a catastrophe, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, criminal...
Greensburg YMCA gymnasts capture national titles, medals
Greensburg YMCA gymnasts scored big at this year’s YMCA-USA national championships in Cincinnati. Emma Rost of Greensburg captured national titles in two events. Rost claimed gold medals in the level 4 vault and floor exercises. She also won a bronze medal in the all-around and placed sixth on the bars....
Penn-Trafford senior wins county title from ‘Distinguished Young Women’
Kari Leventopoulos has known she wants to be a doctor since she was five years old. Now, a scholarship opportunity will help her chase that goal. Leventopoulos, a rising senior at Penn-Trafford High School, won the Westmoreland County title for Distinguished Young Women — a national scholarship program for high...
You Are Here is a thriving part of Jeannette’s cultural scene
When something is meant to be, it will be. Case in point: You Are Here in Jeannette. The art gallery and maker space recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, despite its founders not starting with a clear vision of what exactly they wanted to do. Jen Costello of Hempfield and Mary...
‘Pilgrimage Jr.’ will tailor Nativity story for a younger audience in Delmont
Organizers for the annual Delmont Pilgrimage, a live display that walks participants through a reenactment of the Nativity story, are making some additions to the annual holiday event. Generally speaking, the pilgrimage is a quiet affair, as attendees listen and reflect on the religious significance of the Christmas. Over the...
State legislation could ease burden on local ambulance services
Shuttered Jeannette EMS will have to repay a loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture even as proposed state legislation to help the finances of ambulance agencies continues to work through the system. Ambulance Association of PA executive director Heather Sharar said support from state legislators is a...
Dek hockey returns to Latrobe with new rink at Legion Keener Park
Brothers Tripp, 6, and Deekin Nolan, 5, hit the dek Saturday morning to brush up on their hockey skills. They were among about 20 area kids who got to try out the new Greater Latrobe Parks and Recreation dek hockey rink that had its grand opening at Legion Keener Park...
Greensburg’s Tom Bell earns Chief of the Year nod from international fire chiefs association
Greensburg and its volunteer fire department will be receiving some significant recognition in a few days. That’s when Tom Bell, chief of the department since November 2016, will be honored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as the 2023 Volunteer Chief of the Year. “A lot more people will...
Volunteer fire companies strive to increase numbers with youth outreach, incentives, marketing
Volunteer fire departments are nearing a breaking point. About 37,000 firefighters suit up every day in Pennsylvania, according to the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. That’s down tenfold from the 1970s, when there were about 300,000 firefighters. “That’s close to a crisis in my mind,” said New Kensington fire...
Greensburg Salem’s 2nd Back to School Bash features cornhole, expanded food options
Greensburg Salem School District is anticipating a big turnout at its second annual Back to School Bash and has lined up more food options for the Aug. 21 event. Admission is free for the family-friendly gathering, which is open to the community from 5 to 7 p.m. at Greensburg’s Offutt...
Saint Vincent College announces 2023 Alumni of Distinction awardees
Saint Vincent College is recognizing seven alumni this year for exemplary service based on their accomplishments, careers and commitment to the legacy of the school. The 2023 honorees include Irwin native and 2000 graduate, Jennifer Miele. Miele works as the chief communications officer for the Diocese of Greensburg. She was...
2 deceased vets among 6 selected for Penn-Trafford Hall of Fame
Two men who served in the military and died from possible chemical exposure while on duty are among the six inductees this year into the Penn-Trafford High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Veterans Thomas Hickey and Dustin Ionadi join Andrew Ferri, Lance Laspina, Christopher Burnside and Nicholas Braun as the...
Out & About: Sculpture dedicated to former Westmoreland Museum curator
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has received the gift of a sculpture by the late Pittsburgh artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, in honor of former chief curator Barbara L. Jones. The sculpture titled “Alumascape III” is installed outside the Greensburg museum’s north entrance and was dedicated during a program and...
