Westmoreland category, Page 285
Out & About: The Westmoreland spotlights young Native American artists
Though some of us might think we peaked as teenagers, not many of us created art that would be collected by a prestigious museum and then included in an exhibit traveling to other art institutions around the country. Such is the case with “Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1945-75,” showing...
Out & About: Party at The Palace celebrates Westmoreland ‘crown jewel’
“A Crown Jewel Celebration” was the theme for the annual Party at The Palace in Greensburg. The annual signature fundraiser celebrates and supports the 1,369-seat Palace Theatre entertainment venue, sometimes referred to as the jewel in the crown of Westmoreland County for its value as a historical and cultural treasure,...
Charley Family Shop’n Save named among top 25 independent U.S. grocers
Shoppers at the three Charley Family Shop ’n Save stores in Greensburg and Murrysville don’t have to look far to find owner Tom Charley. If he or his brother, Mike, are not walking around a store chatting with customers, chances are good that Charley has a recent video posted to...
Wedding resurgence draws vendors to inaugural expo at Hempfield casino venue
Tessa Spellman and her mother, Ramie O’Brien, have found their business fortunes waxing nicely — literally — as a post-pandemic resurgence in full-blown wedding ceremonies has fueled demand for their related products. “Wax seals are hot with the young people,” O’Brien said. The Forest Hills duo provide initialed wax seals...
Thousands still without power Saturday evening in Westmoreland, Fayette counties after severe windstorm
Thousands of homes remained without power Saturday evening in Westmoreland and Fayette counties as a result of high winds that began moving through the region Friday. As of 6:30 p.m., West Penn Power reported more than 8,200 outages in Fayette County and about 5,800 outages in Westmoreland County, among a...
Uncle charged with involuntary manslaughter in Hempfield man’s overdose death
An Allegheny County man is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after North Huntingdon police said he did not seek medical help when his nephew became unresponsive and later died. Michael W. Debruyn, 26, who had been reported missing, was found dead Aug. 10 in the passenger seat of...
Historic Hempfield cemetery seeks volunteers, donors to help care for grounds
William McBride stepped on something hard as he walked through Hempfield’s Union Cemetery last week. Using his hands to dig at the turf, he uncovered a long-hidden marker for a Civil War veteran: Henry C. McKenzie, who served with Company K of the 4th West Virginia Infantry Regiment and died...
Hempfield high school project timeline, price at forefront of school board discussion
What started as a timeline update on Hempfield Area High School’s revitalization ended with a debate over the project’s multimillion-dollar price tag. Officials with CORE Architects and SitelogIQ attended the district’s school board meeting this week to discuss the project’s continued progress before ground is broken. During the meeting, longtime...
Sewickley Township man receives prison sentence for sexual assault of teen
A Sewickley Township man was ordered to serve a 10- to 20-year prison sentence Friday for the sexual assault of a teenager in 2021. Steven Stemmler, 40, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury last summer of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, indecent assault and corruption...
High wind warning in effect for 3 southwestern PA counties
High winds that hit Westmoreland, Fayette, and Indiana counties Friday evening are expected to continue until 1 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Slightly less powerful gusts were hitting neighboring counties, including those in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Westmoreland emergency services responded to numerous calls Friday night reporting downed...
Murrysville author will host Q&A at Penn Area LibraryVideo
When Klaudyna Grudowski was searching for inspiration to write a novel about a young woman’s struggle to escape from a dystopian society, she didn’t have to look far. Grudowski, 35, of Murrysville has been in the U.S. for only a couple of years. She grew up behind the Iron Curtain...
Teens charged in Greensburg knife attack to be prosecuted as juveniles
Two teens charged as adults in connection with a knife attack and robbery in 2021 at Lynch Field in Greensburg will be prosecuted in juvenile court. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, following a brief hearing on Thursday, ruled a private evaluation determined Jackson Jeffrey Martin, 18, of...
Greensburg man accused of sexually assaulting child in New Kensington faces felony charges
A 24-year-old Greensburg man has been accused of sexually assaulting a child in New Kensington starting when he was 17 years old and the child was 9, according to investigators. Nicholas Thomas Sales, 24, of the 400 block of South Urania Avenue was charged with two felony counts each of...
North Belle Vernon man sentenced to 7 years in child porn case
A North Belle Vernon man was sentenced last week to seven years and one month in a federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography. David Engel, 47, was ordered to spend an additional 10 years on supervised release and ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution to...
Police find $140K of suspected heroin, fentanyl after turnpike traffic stop in New Stanton
Two men are being held without bail after state police said they found $140,000 worth of drugs hidden in an SUV on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in New Stanton. Mario A. Caba, 37, of Philadelphia, and Elvis L. Holguin Ventura, 26, of Newark, N.J., are charged with drug offenses. Troopers on...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 3-5
Queen of bluegrass “Queen of Bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent will perform with her band, The Rage, at 8 p.m. Friday at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St., Irwin. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Vincent won a 2017 Grammy Award for best bluegrass album and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry...
Hempfield house damaged by fire
A Hempfield house was damaged by fire early Friday, according to a Westmoreland Public Safety Department supervisor. The fire was reported about 12:45 a.m. in the 200 block of Wendel Road, about a mile north of Herminie. Adamsburg firefighters were on the scene for several hours, the supervisor said. Don...
Nearly 1,200 charges filed after dead, dying reptiles found in Murrysville home
A Murrysville woman is facing animal cruelty charges after 101 dead reptiles and 76 more that were barely alive were seized from her home in December, according to court papers. Nearly 1,200 charges were filed Wednesday against Susan McHale, 60, by humane agents from All But Furgotten rescue. They were...
Westmoreland inmate assault tied to Arnold fatal shooting, detectives say
A Wilkinsburg man was arraigned Wednesday after authorities said he beat an inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison for testifying against a man convicted of a 2020 Arnold fatal shooting, according to court papers. County detectives said Shawnti Shifflett, 27, attacked the fellow prisoner at the Hempfield lockup on Feb....
MAX pulls application for new Yukon waste storage pit, vows to refile
Yukon-area residents opposed to a hazardous and industrial waste treatment company’s plans to create another dumpsite near Sewickley Creek received a temporary reprieve as the company withdrew its proposal. MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. of Upper St. Clair notified the Department of Environmental Protection last month that it was withdrawing its...
Belle Vernon musical scrambles to replace costumes lost in fire
A second high school in the region has seen its performing arts program impacted by a devastating fire. In early February, the auditorium and its contents at Elizabeth Forward High School were destroyed in a blaze. Wednesday morning, a devastating fire at DC Theatricks in Buffalo, N.Y., that cost a...
Jeannette property owners protest plans to demolish dilapidated structures
Jeannette officials want two property owners to see it as a favor, or gift — their blighted houses will be demolished at no cost to them, leaving behind a clean slate and possibly lower taxes. But the property owners don’t seem to be interested. “Do you feel that the city...
Former chief deputy sheriff launches 2nd bid for Westmoreland commissioner
A former chief deputy sheriff announced she will run a second time for Westmoreland County commissioner in this spring’s primary election. Patricia Fritz, 68, a Republican from Mt. Pleasant, finished sixth in a seven-candidate GOP field in the 2019 primary. “I know I can make a difference,” Fritz said. “I...
Murrysville Council will look into updating zoning map after ‘litany of rezoning requests’
Murrysville Council’s discussion about its latest rezoning request Wednesday night grew into a larger conversation about taking a closer look at — and potentially updating — the municipality’s zoning map. “I would like to propose a subcommittee to look at zoning in our community,” Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns said. “I...
Police say Jeannette man used gun to rob teenager
A Jeannette man was denied bail Tuesday after city police said he pointed a gun at a teenager and robbed him of THC oil cartridges. Devin J. Dapra, 19, is charged with robbery, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Jeannette police were notified by Penn-Trafford High School resource...
