Westmoreland category, Page 424
Governor orders flags to half-staff in memory of Mt. Pleasant mayor, fire chief
State flags at government buildings across Pennsylvania will fly at half-staff until sunset Wednesday by order of Gov. Tom Wolf, in honor and memory of late Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief Gerald “Jerry” Lucia. He died unexpectedly Dec. 17 and will be buried Wednesday. Lucia had responded to a...
Sharky’s taking donations for holiday meal distribution, aiming to serve 600
Cindy Love of Latrobe can remember delivering a holiday meal to a family in need last year, and the look on a little boy’s face as it arrived. “It really broke my heart,” said Love, a volunteer who helped deliver more than 450 meals cooked by the staff at Sharky’s...
Film-friendly atmosphere, ideal locations bring director back to W. Pa. for ‘The Pale Blue Eye’
A rich history, varied landscape and welcoming community have drawn director Scott Cooper back to Southwestern Pennsylvania to film his upcoming adaptation of “The Pale Blue Eye” for Netflix. “It’s an incredibly pleasant place to shoot,” said Cooper, “and it works exceedingly well for the 1830s Hudson Valley.” Cooper and...
Scottdale farm earns American Dairy Association’s community outreach award
After a local farm was named the American Dairy Association North East’s among its Dairying For Tomorrow award winners in the Community Outreach category, its owners immediately lived up to the title. Maple Bottom Farm, with facilities in Scottdale and Dawson, Fayette County, donated their Dairying For Tomorrow award to...
Delmont police use local instructor for state-mandated harm-reduction training
When Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 59 of 2020 into law, one of its elements was mandatory police officer training to include harm-reduction components such as de-escalation, defensive and control tactics. For Chief T.J. Klobucar of the Delmont Police Department, that was as simple as a quick phone call to...
Beverly’s Birthdays cookie competition in Irwin showcases young bakers
The best cookie bakers aren’t always grandmothers in flour-dusted aprons. A group of young bakers showed their kitchen competence Sunday during the fourth-annual Great Birthday Bake hosted by Beverly’s Birthdays at Antonelli Event Center in Irwin. Their creations scaled the heights of culinary creativity with original recipes and presentations worthy...
Trafford councilman honored by state group
A state association says the president of Trafford council is tops when it comes to leading his community. The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs honored Kristopher “Kris” Cardiff with its Outstanding Council Member of the Year Award. Cardiff, 44, who has served on council since January 2014, has been president...
Revamped Latrobe zoning sets sign limitations, guidelines for charging stations
Limitations for business signs in windows and on sidewalks and guidelines for electric vehicle charging stations are among new additions to Latrobe’s zoning ordinance. The zoning update, approved this month by city council, is the result of a monthslong review of the ordinance with assistance from consultants with Scenic Pittsburgh....
Hartford Heights VFD’s annual Breakfast with Santa gaining popularity
Hartford Heights Volunteer Fire Department trustee Duane Kucera admitted Sunday’s breakfast with Santa event might not be the North Huntingdon department’s most lucrative event, but it is quickly becoming one of its most popular. The department’s parking lot off Route 30 was jammed, and a line of people waiting to...
Christmas tree recycling sites in Westmoreland listed
People who celebrate Christmas with a live tree can recycle it at one of several sites throughout Westmoreland County, where it will be shredded and used as mulch to beautify community parks. “Proper disposal of a real tree is beneficial to the environment. In most cases, real trees thrown away...
Out & About: There’s no place like WSO’s ‘Home for the Holidays’
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s “Home for the Holidays” concert is an annual tradition for many people. Ron and Kathy Brown had their first date at the concert 14 years ago, and they’ve been returning ever since. “We come every year,” Ron Brown said. “We have to.” They make it a double...
Funeral arrangements set for Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lucia, longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief
Funeral arrangements have been announced for Gerald “Jerry” Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief, who died unexpectedly at his home Friday. Friends of Lucia, 76, will be received in the Brooks Funeral Home, Inc. at 406 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday...
Blighted old brewery complex in Jeannette the ‘last big piece’ to city’s rebuild
Bob and Lola Barton see the decrepit remains of the former Fort Pitt Brewery every time they leave home. The West Jeannette couple said the crumbling, red-brick complex attracts rodents and troublemaking kids who have thrown rocks from the roof. The Bartons have lived on 11th Street for about 25...
Trolleys were mass transit mainstays in Westmoreland Co. for half-century
Many Westmoreland County residents rely on public buses to get around. Electric-powered trolleys — or streetcars — previously provided that function from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. “Greensburg was one of the earliest communities to have this innovative form of mass transport,” Robert Van Atta noted in...
County, local officials set sights on blight in Greensburg, Latrobe and Monessen
Of the more than 15,000 properties across Greensburg, Latrobe and Monessen, 516 — nearly 3.5% — are blighted, an inventory conducted by county officials found. The data is the result of a partnership between each city and Westmoreland County to provide a detailed look at individual properties within each planning...
Former Westmoreland County judge David Regoli remembered as passionate, friendly, fair
David A. Regoli was in his mid-20s and fresh out of law school when he took on Frank Woiewodski as one of his first civil clients. The pair had met while lifting weights at the then-Powerhouse Gym in the Parnassus section of New Kensington. Right away, Woiewodski was struck by...
Wreaths Across America effort expands through Westmoreland County
Vietnam veteran Tim Brennan was among the few dozen volunteers who turned out on Dec. 19, 2020 — after a blizzard dumped 9 inches of snow on the region — to lay wreaths on 660 veteran grave sites in two Jeannette cemeteries in the inaugural Wreaths Across America event held...
Truck driver killed in crash on Route 22 in Salem, coroner says
A 32-year-old Fayette County man was killed Friday in a two-vehicle collision along Route 22 in Salem Township, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Ian C. Praster Sr. of Brownsville was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred just before 7 a.m. at the intersection of...
Family displaced, 1 injury reported in Jeannette blaze
One person was injured and a Jeannette family was displaced after a fire extensively damaged one side of a duplex early Saturday, according to city firefighters. Jeannette Fire Chief William Frye said the fire was reported about 2 a.m. at 317 S. Fifth St. “There was an adult resident who...
Houses planned for part of Kerber farm in Irwin
A North Huntingdon developer is preparing the Kerber farm along Guffey Road for about 60 single-family homes. Knights Landing Inc., a RWS Development company, bought 52 acres of the 65.2-acre farm from Thomas and Ellen Kerber for $1 million in late September. The Kerbers will retain the portion of land...
Shetler hearing continued; injured deputy unable to testify
A New Florence man accused of injuring a Westmoreland County deputy sheriff when he was arrested earlier this month had his court hearing continued until Jan. 7 because the deputy sheriff is recovering from “serious bodily injuries” he allegedly sustained during a fight with the suspect, a prosecutor said Friday....
Westmoreland County Transit Authority union rejects covid vaccine incentive
Leadership of the union that represents Westmoreland County Transit Authority fixed-route bus drivers and mechanics said Friday a proposal to offer additional sick leave to vaccinated employees who test positive for the coronavirus is not fair and won’t present the plan to its members. Dave Conley, president of the Amalgamated...
Greensburg tax hike to offset losses from parking garage demolition
Greensburg residents will see an additional 1-mill charge next year, and city officials will borrow $1 million as they look for ways to bolster funds dedicated to public safety that traditionally came from the J. Edward Hutchinson Parking Garage, which is slated for demolition. The charge and loan were part...
Manor man to serve up to 14 years in prison for drug sales in fatal overdoses
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said he struggled with just how much blame to assign to a man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to selling the drugs used in the fatal overdoses of two men in 2017. “This is a scourge that is destroying our society,...
Judge rejects appeal of New Stanton teen convicted in murders of mother, brother
The former New Stanton teenager who claimed he was under the influence of an alternate personality that made him kill his mother and younger brother more than five years ago told a Westmoreland County judge he hasn’t received proper mental health treatment as he serves a prison sentence of 30...
