Westmoreland category, Page 291
Cat killed in North Huntingdon house fire
A cat died and two homes were damaged in a porch fire Wednesday afternoon in North Huntingdon. No one was home when the fire started around 4 p.m., and no people were injured, according to Circleville Fire Chief Craig Couchenour. Two dogs were taken alive from the home at Woodall...
Delmont moves forward on forming a stormwater authority that would assess residents fees
Delmont officials will advertise an ordinance to potentially create a stormwater authority in the borough that would assess fees based on residents’ usage. Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to explore the authority further, as borough officials work their way through two state consent agreements and several million dollars’ worth of...
Norwin board deadlocked on allowing anti-socialism program
A faction of the Norwin School Board failed this week to gain approval to allow a speaker from Venezuela to present an anti-socialism program to high school students. The board was deadlocked 4-4 on whether to allow Daniel DiMartino, a founder of the nonprofit Dissident Project and native Venezuelan, to...
Judge upholds sex assault convictions of Mt. Pleasant Township man
A Westmoreland County judge denied the appeal of a Mt. Pleasant Township man who is serving a 50-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears said there was no basis to overturn the convictions against Kenneth Daniels. Following a three-day...
Greensburg man accused by police of inappropriate contact with teen
A Greensburg man was arrested Tuesday on police accusations that he inappropriately touched a teenage girl for a period of about two years. Charles J. Murphy, 41, is charged with aggravated indecent assault, child endangerment and related offenses. Greensburg police said the girl detailed the situation during an interview last...
Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies nab suspect in 3 road rage collisions
A Rostraver man accused in three road rage collisions was arrested Monday after sheriff’s deputies said he fled from them at about 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to court papers. Deputies were searching Friday morning for Jason Michael Walters, 40, in connection with a bench warrant in...
Westmoreland happenings: ‘Pale Blue Eye’ author joins historical society meeting via Zoom
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Former Mt. Pleasant cop paroled after 2 sexual assault convictions overturned
A former part-time Mt. Pleasant police officer was freed from jail Monday and ordered to serve an additional five years on probation for the sexual assault of a woman eight years ago. John A. Brown, 50, of Mt. Lebanon was convicted of misdemeanor indecent assault and simple assault offenses based...
Proposed bids total $1.9M for first phase of Arnold Palmer Airport terminal expansion
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority is weighing a potential cost of $1.9 million for the first phase of a proposed terminal expansion at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The authority learned Tuesday that an apparent low bid of $1.78 million was submitted by Allegheny Construction Group of Bridgeville, for a general...
Norwin delays decision to remove book from 5th grade classes
Fifth grade students in the Norwin School District will have to wait another month to find out how the story ends regarding their supplemental reading curriculum. The school board Monday voted 5-3 to consider replacing the 2005 novel, “Al Capone Does My Shirts,” with a “more responsible resource,” as Director...
Valley Dairy Restaurant slated for former Kings restaurant in Allegheny Township
A new family-style restaurant is coming to Allegheny Township. Valley Dairy Restaurant plans to set up shop in the former Kings Family Restaurant at 315 Hyde Park Road. Kings permanently closed at 2 p.m. Feb. 5 without advance notice to staff and customers. Known for its “You Never Had It...
Sewickley Township closes building housing library, recreation center
Sewickley Township’s recreation center and library in Herminie is closed until further notice because of a gap in an exterior wall and cracks in an interior wall housing the gymnasium, officials said. The township supervisors decided Thursday to close the building upon the recommendation of the municipality’s engineer, Gibson-Thomas Engineering...
Greensburg woman jailed after bullet rips through walls at Pershing Square apartments
A Greensburg woman was jailed Monday after city police believe she fired a gun inside her apartment, according to court papers. A bullet tore through a wall in a neighboring apartment about 12 inches above a bed, police said. Victoria Lynn Hecker, 58, is charged with discharge of a firearm...
For area florists, Valentine’s Day bouquets bloom from hours of work
Days before the big day, the back rooms at Linda Brown’s Floral in Donegal were bursting with boxes of colorful flowers, sorted individually into cases by size and type. “We cut and condition all those flowers in a flower preservative that makes them last, and they have to have those...
Westmoreland Republicans back incumbent office holders
Westmoreland County Republicans announced their support for the party’s slate of incumbents at a meeting organized before candidates can formally enter the race. “We know incumbency is not necessarily a guarantee, but having a chance to vet candidates early is what prompted the timing,” Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz said....
Murrysville prosecutor announces district judge candidacy
Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Judi Petrush has announced her candidacy for magisterial judge in District Court 10-3-02. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and its law school, Petrush, 54, focuses on sexual assault and abuse cases as the unit’s lead prosecutor. She is a member of both national...
Tickets going fast for The Westmoreland’s jazz series concertsVideo
Tickets went fast for the first date in the Winter and Spring Jazz Concert Series at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Events manager Darrah Resnick expects the remaining three shows to sell out just as quickly. “It’s probably good to get tickets now,” she said. Sam Brooks, a Pittsburgh-based...
Salem boy dies of injuries sustained during house fire
An 11-year-old Salem boy died of injuries suffered in a Feb. 10 house fire, according to family members and officials at Greensburg Salem School District. David W. Becker was among three people rescued from the burning home on Route 819. A neighbor, Christina Shaner, helped Becker’s mother get his younger...
Philadelphia man arrested after early morning chase ends on Route 217 in Derry Township
A Philadelphia man was arrested Sunday after state police said he led them on a chase on Route 30 topping out at 112 mph, according to court papers. Tyreese O.T. Warring, 35, is accused of fleeing from police for about 10 miles through Hempfield and Unity before troopers said they...
Westmoreland gears up for 2023 election, first batch of ballot applications mailed
Applications were sent last week to nearly 53,000 Westmoreland County residents who previously signed up to be “permanent” mail-in voters. “We are required to do this every year,” said Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey. “It’s permanent just for one year.” Voters are required each year to update their permanent mail-in...
Westmoreland museum hosts Valentine-themed craft for kids
Parents and children stopped by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg on Sunday morning to created Valentine-themed crafts during a free “I Heart Art” event. Volunteers typically help host at least one such event monthly at the museum on North Main Street....
Design in final phase for Route 981 upgrade between Palmer airport and Pleasant Unity
Design work is moving ahead for improvements to the Route 981 corridor between Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and Pleasant Unity as construction advances on upgrades farther south, between Mt. Pleasant and Norvelt. PennDOT said the northernmost of three sections of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project is in the final...
Fast love: 4 couples share their speedy romance stories
In life and love, the length of a couple’s engagement holds no hard and fast rules. The average engagement length for U.S. couples is 16 months, according to a study presented by the Knot in 2021, an increase in duration from 14 months in 2019. Retired co-pastors Lisa and Gary...
Delmont seed swap offers variety for backyard gardenersVideo
Darin Kuczek gets a lot of enjoyment out of his backyard garden. “I’m not exactly a ‘hippie-dippy’ guy, but I have a chair out there and after I get done working, a lot of times I’ll just sit for maybe an hour,” the Salem resident said. “I just really enjoy...
‘College Now’ program gives high school students a chance to earn early associate’s degree
When Jacinda Floyd first heard about the “College Now” program at Westmoreland County Community College during her freshman year at Franklin Regional Senior High School, she said she “kind of overlooked it.” “I was thinking, ‘I’m a freshman and have a lot of time to go before college,’” Floyd said....
