Westmoreland category, Page 40
Greensburg Salem students help decorate CD Warehouse’s vinyl section
Mike Casper always has some vinyl records lying around. “We get a lot of vinyl donated, and a lot of times people will bring things in they don’t have the (record) sleeves for anymore and we can’t do much with those,” said Casper, an employee at CD Warehouse in Hempfield....
Fire-damaged vacant building in Jeannette back in city’s hands
The fate of a fire-damaged building on Clay Avenue in Jeannette is back in the hands of taxpayers. Council on Thursday unanimously approved rescinding the transfer of the property after a sale apparently fell through. In January 2024, council approved transferring 416-418 Clay Ave. to the Jeannette Redevelopment Authority and...
Making Strides: Westmoreland horse show blends competition with compassion
Jillian Masciantonio spent most of the weekend multitasking. She handed out ribbons to winning horse handlers in a show arena at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds under a blazing July sun. She listened for her name on a radio in between taking questions from a reporter to make sure the Summer Showcase...
Westmoreland happenings: Golf ball drop, blood drive, parish festival, more
Fundraisers • Community Revitalization of West Newton will sponsor a golf ball drop at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 19, in Vine Street Park. Three hundred balls will be dropped from a bucket truck and the closest to the bull’s-eye will receive half of the take. Winner need not be present....
AI opens new worlds for the blind
When Chris Donahue opens the door to let his dog out, he is unable to see where the animal runs. The Brighton Heights resident is blind, but he can find his dog outside via the Ray-Ban AI (artificial intelligence) Glasses he’s wearing. “Meta, I am blind,” says Donahue, 48. “Do...
Golden lamp returns to top of Lamp Theatre marqueeVideo
The lamp above The Lamp Theatre marquee in downtown Irwin was returned to its rightful place Saturday morning after a lengthy refurbishing. “It was all coming apart. The finish was coming off of it,” said Mike Brady, an Irwin public works employee who took on the task of giving new...
Detours to begin during work on culvert in Ligonier Township, Sutersville rail crossing
Traffic detours will begin Monday in Sutersville and Tuesday in Ligonier Township as crews in the respective municipalities work on railroad crossing maintenance and replacement of a culvert. Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday and continuing through late Friday, First Street in Sutersville will be closed between First and Third avenues...
Ohio woman charged in Murrysville bank fraud scheme
An Ohio woman police believe is part of an organized crime group is accused of involvement in a check cashing scheme in Murrysville, according to authorities. State police released surveillance photos of the suspect last month, seeking help identifying her in connection with the theft of $5,400 in a fraud...
Jeannette police to patrol highrise
City police will begin patrolling Jeannette Manor after council approved an agreement with the Westmoreland County Housing Authority. Jeannette Police Chief Derek Manley said he thinks the move will boost relationships with residents and deter crime. “I feel that it’s a big benefit for the department and the residents both,”...
Researchers zero in on site where George Washington had brush with friendly fire, unveil artifacts
Four years of digging for artifacts in the Ligonier area have shed new light on a little-known “friendly fire” incident in George Washington’s military career and have put what turned out to be a pivotal episode in the French and Indian War on firmer ground. “We found it. I’m confident...
Dick’s Diner in Murrysville to be featured as 1 of ‘America’s Best Restaurants’
Jim Fox III remembers sitting down to a table at Dick’s Diner as a child with his father, even though his dad was the founder of the popular Fox’s Pizza chain. The family recognized the appeal of a small-town diner like Dick’s. Today, Fox owns the restaurant, which will be...
A general’s defeat: Anniversary will be observed in North Braddock
At the eastern edge of Westmoreland County’s Route 30 corridor lies one of the state’s best example of a colonial fort — Fort Ligonier, the site of the October 1758 battle where British and Colonial forces repulsed an attack by French and Native Americans. But it may not have been...
Monessen man appeals life prison term for rape, child murders
A judge abused his discretion by reimposing a life prison sentence for a Monessen man convicted of raping of a young mother and murdering her children in 1973, his attorney claims in court papers. Defense attorney Mark Shire argued in an appeal filed Friday that his client, John Veltre Jr.,...
Struggling Strawpump station to receive half its fire tax fund allocation from township
North Huntingdon has given the Strawpump Volunteer Fire Department an incentive to continue work to regain its place in the community. That would mean an acceptable fire insurance rating that would allow it to reclaim its service territory. The township would help the effort by agreeing to provide one-half of...
Derry’s Fulton House gets a ‘new’ floor that’s older than the building itself
Visitors who step inside Derry Township’s restored 1817 Fulton House will be walking on a piece of history that is old, but also new. When the floor of the former inn’s rear room started to deteriorate, the Derry Area Historical Society that is headquartered there was able to replace it...
Safe to splash? State parks, watershed associations monitor rivers for E. coli contamination
When it rains, it pours E. coli. That’s what water quality testers across Western Pennsylvania might tell you right now. Every week during the summer months, volunteers and employees monitor the region’s public waterways for E. coli, which can flow into lakes and streams from agricultural and sewer systems overwhelmed...
Judge halts demolition of Homer City plant over contract dispute
Demolition at the site of a planned $10 billion project with a 4.5-gigawatt natural gas-fired plant near Homer City that would power a data processing center has been halted. Frontier Industrial Corp. of Buffalo, N.Y., was granted a preliminary injunction by Allegheny County Judge Philip A. Ignelzi. It prevents Homer...
Time’s up for lengthy public comments at Westmoreland commissioners meetings
The Westmoreland County commissioners have no time for excessive talk. Responding to what they said was a growing level of belligerency in political speech, the county commissioners, before the start of Thursday’s public meeting, announced a heightened enforcement of time constraints placed on public comments. Commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes told...
Westmoreland County OKs settlement of racial discrimination lawsuit
The Westmoreland County commissioners have approved a $12,000 payout to settle a lawsuit filed by a former jail guard who claimed she was improperly fired after she raised allegations of racial discrimination. According to the lawsuit filed in 2019, Bonita Hughey of Jeannette contended she was fired from her job...
Westmoreland County looks to streamline development with revisions to decade-old land development ordinance
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday said they will support changes expected to encourage residential and land development. “These improvements and updates will ensure that we, as the county, have a robust modern tool to guide development and strengthen the county’s position as a development-friendly partner,” said Josh Spano, deputy director...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: July 11-13
Has this week felt extra long? Spend your Friday daydreaming about some of the ways you can savor your weekend with these five things happening throughout Westmoreland: Derry celebrates 250th Derry Township is 250 years old this year, and that’s certainly a cause for celebration. This Saturday, come out for...
Westmoreland plots program to shelter more homeless during cold winter
As the mercury continues to rise this summer, Westmoreland officials have started to explore how the county might keep its homeless residents warm this winter. The county’s Homeless Advisory Board met Wednesday at the courthouse in Greensburg to consider the expansion of a program that, since 2015, has helped to...
Western Pa. and state police combine efforts to address speeding, aggressive driving
Cresting the hill on Route 51 in Rostraver, some traffic appeared to be ignoring the 45 mph speed limit Tuesday morning near the Darr Road intersection. State trooper Bryan McKee sat in an unmarked patrol unit with the driver’s window down, checking speeds with a radar gun. Some motorists heading...
Sheetz plans reconstruction of 2 North Huntingdon stores
Sheetz Inc. plans to demolish its two convenience stores along Route 30 in North Huntingdon to update them. The Altoona-based convenience store chain plans to demolish stores at the intersection of Route 30 and North Thompson Lane and one at the intersection of Route 30 and Carpenter Lane. Sheetz will...
Massive turbine blade slices into Bradenville business, ties up traffic in Derry Township
A giant blade destined for a wind turbine pierced the wall of a Derry Township business Tuesday morning when the trucker hauling the oversize load was unable to navigate a sharp, 90-degree turn on Route 982. “I was standing there, and the next thing you know it was in my...
