Westmoreland category, Page 267

Greensburg’s public works staff moved into a new garage in March. The public will be invited inside to tour the nearly 13,000-square-foot facility at 520 Urania Ave. during an open house from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. While adults might be curious to see the results of the roughly $1.7...

One of Kelsey Blahovec’s first cookie batches came out “in the form of edible concrete.” That’s what happens when you add a cup of baking soda instead of a teaspoon. It didn’t chase her out of the kitchen, though. She doubled down on her baking efforts and now is the...

There’s a crew working hard to clear underbrush on a woodsy tract at Historic Hanna’s Town, but they’re not your typical 9-to-5ers. The team comprises 11 goats, and the supervisor is a miniature donkey. They’re on the scene, courtesy of Allegheny Goatscape and a Laurel Highlands Landscape Conservation Grant, to...

The Westmoreland County Housing Authority cleared another hurdle this week toward building a 50-unit, four-story apartment building in Irwin for low-income senior citizens by winning North Huntingdon’s approval of plans for a 1,300-foot roadway to connect the complex to a township road. Despite strong and impassioned opposition from several residents...

North Huntingdon officials this week narrowly approved permits for two residents to keep chickens, with a warning from one council member that it could open the floodgates for more backyard hens. By 4-3 votes, the commissioners approved permits for Megan Javor of Lancelot Drive and Sarah Helzlsouer of Adams Drive...

A man who was shot in Derry Township this week is accused of setting a fire at the home of the person state police believe pulled the trigger, according to court papers. Police said the fire damaged $900 worth of items. Troopers on Wednesday arrested Jonathan Thomas Corey, 39, of...

Residents in the Hempfield Area School District will not see a tax increase after school directors on May 16 unanimously passed a $100.9 million preliminary budget. This is the fourth consecutive year that taxes held steady, following five years of gradual increases. Taxes will remain at 83.46 mills. Of the...

The Greensburg Salem School Board last week approved a new three-year contract with maintenance and custodial workers extending through June 2024. The board also agreed to search for two new central office administrators, including a replacement for business manager Joan Wehner, who has resigned to accept a similar post at...

A Cook Township man’s dog was shot Sunday night after leaving his property, police said. The pit bull belonging to Mark E. Ahner, 60, of Stahlstown, escaped the property and became aggressive toward two men near the intersection of Main Street and Hoffer Plan in Stahlstown shortly after 9:30 p.m.,...

A 15-year-old boy is being charged with terroristic threats after Latrobe police said he threatened another juvenile. A report about the incident was made to the department’s Greater Latrobe school resource officer and police said they seized “items of evidentiary value” during the investigation. There was no danger to school...

The Latrobe Elks Lodge and Golf Club hopes to attract members with a new building. The Elks held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building Wednesday. About two dozen people came to the Derry Township organization to celebrate and enjoy refreshments. The new building, which overlooks the Elks’ golf course, features...

Inflation led to an 11% increase in Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County expenses in March, and utility leaders said Wednesday they are bracing for more cost overruns in the months ahead. “I don’t think prices will get cheaper, and we will continue to look at overages,” authority business manager Brian...

More than 41% of Republicans and nearly 40% of registered Democrats in Westmoreland County voted in Tuesday’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primaries, numbers that have local political leaders predicting an energetic fall campaign. The county’s results closely mirror statewide totals as Democrats backed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for Senate while...

One of the last appeals for Pennsylvania’s longest-serving death row inmate has been denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday rejected 64-year-old John Lesko’s request for a new trial and sentencing hearing. He was convicted in the 1980 murder of Apollo police Officer Leonard Miller,...

A 33-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy in 2020-2021. Brandon J. Hoffer of Acme was arrested and ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $250,000 bond after he was charged with 26 felony and misdemeanor criminal counts filed...

Builder Joseph Minyon said the idea for the 12,000-square-foot, chateau-inspired home he built in Ligonier Township came to him in a dream. “I saw a bird in flight with wings outstretched — I’m not sure what kind of bird it was, but I’ll say it was an eagle,” he said....

A judge on Wednesday refused to remove the attorney for a Unity man suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross from his representation in an unrelated gun case. Instead, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak ordered that Komron Jon Maknoon continue working with Thomas G. Stanko, 51, in...

Anne Kraybill will step down as the Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art on July 22 to become director/chief executive officer of the Wichita (Kan.) Art Museum. “This is a bittersweet moment for me because the past four years at The Westmoreland have been some...

A North Belle Vernon man is facing a preliminary hearing next month after humane officers reported finding his dog with several open wounds and a large tumor. Dan Karbowsky, whose age was not provided in court papers, was charged Tuesday with aggravated animal cruelty and neglect of animals. Officers with...

At least one person was reported seriously injured Wednesday in a two-vehicle crash along Route 22 in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The crash occurred at 11:08 a.m. at the highway intersection with Harrison City Road, the dispatcher reported. The highway stretch was temporarily closed. It re-opened...

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Former Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairwoman Jill Cooper unseated first-term incumbent Rep. Jason Silvis in the GOP primary for the redrawn 55th state House district. Two years ago, Silvis, 47, defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Petrarca in 2020 to win the legislative seat that was previously based in Derry. A redistricting...

A 17-year-old Unity girl who left home with her boyfriend last month and had not been seen since has returned home to her mother, according to state police in Greensburg. State police had put out an alert Tuesday about the missing teen, Kylie Madison Germello, 17, of Crabtree, after the...

A man accused of stealing $18,097 earlier this month from a Dollar General store where he worked in Salem apologized for the thefts to other employees in the store, according to state police. Austin M. Rider, 23, of Jeannette, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft in connection with...

A Jeannette man entered a guilty plea Tuesday to third-degree homicide in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting outside McKee Stadium during the fourth quarter of a high school football game. Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey said entering the general plea was a difficult decision for Greg Harper, 43, to make....