Westmoreland category, Page 457
Public’s help sought in finding Ligonier burglars
Ligonier Valley police are asking the public’s help after a pair of businesses along Route 30 in Ligonier were burglarized early Saturday. Chief John E. Berger said officers responding to an alarm at Rick’s Tobacco Outlet at 2:28 a.m. found the drive-thru window had been forced open and broken. Once...
Hempfield parents ask school board members to join their fight against mask mandate
Parents of Hempfield Area students want school board members to help them fight a state-issued mask mandate. More than 60 parents and students attended Monday’s board meeting in the high school auditorium, where they spoke against the mandate, which went into effect last week and requires students and staff to...
Norwin halts school board meeting over mask issue
The Norwin School Board halted its meeting shortly after it started Monday because some people in the audience refused to wear masks as required by the state. District solicitor Russell Lucas gave those without masks the opportunity to put one on, and, after announcing “one last chance,” declared that no...
Latrobe Council postpones meeting following covid outbreak at municipal building
A covid-19 outbreak among workers at the Latrobe municipal building prompted city council to postpone its voting meeting that was scheduled on Sept. 13. Deputy Mayor Eric Bartels said the meeting was postponed as a precautionary measure and will be conducted on Sept. 27, with the regularly scheduled agenda preparation...
Westmoreland tax delinquent property sale nets $1.5 million
Bryaunt Williams came to bid. Williams, a contractor from Tarentum, was one of the more than 160 potential buyers who came to the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Monday to find a deal during the annual sale of tax delinquent properties. “I was doing remodeling work on a home last year,...
Longtime owner of Harry’s Bar in Greensburg dies of covid-19
Regulars at Harry’s Bar could be sure of one thing: they were welcome, and Mike Emanuel would remember their names. Harry’s, on North Maple Street, was Greensburg’s answer to Cheers, the bar of TV fame, Emily Owczykowski said. The longtime employee at Harry’s and close friend of Mr. Emanuel and...
Franklin Regional school board meeting postponed to Sept. 20
Franklin Regional school board officials announced the postponement of their monthly committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled for Monday evening. It will be held prior to the board’s monthly voting meeting, set for 7:30 p.m., Sept. 20 at the Murrysville municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. Meetings are broadcast live on Comcast local access...
Westmoreland Commissioner Chew pledges to cover lost drug court grant for weekend testing
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew said he will pay for weekend drug tests of participants in the county’s drug court program until a permanent funding source is secured. In an email sent to county judges over the weekend, the first-term Republican from Hempfield pledged to help identify future funding sources for...
County land trust seeks volunteers to help clean Hempfield farmhouseVideo
The Schwarz farmstead is already a stately sight on a scenic Hempfield hilltop. Now the group that purchased it is seeking volunteers to help do the same for the inside of the farmhouse. As part of the United Way Day of Caring, Westmoreland Land Trust officials will welcome volunteers to...
4th man pleads guilty to Sutersville shooting, agrees to cooperate with possible murder probe
An Allegheny County man pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated assault, burglary and robbery charges and agreed to cooperate with a police investigation into the disappearance of a woman who has not been seen since two people were shot in Sutersville during a drug-related robbery three years ago. Dylan John Vasko,...
Sittay’s Mediterranean Kitchen opens in Greensburg
For years, North Huntingdon resident Radah Ghasah dreamed of opening a restaurant. On Monday, that dream became a reality when she oversaw the soft opening of her downtown Greensburg restaurant, Sittay’s Mediterranean Kitchen. “Opening my own business, it was a long-life dream,” said Ghasah, who immigrated from Syria in 2000....
Latrobe Art Center’s Fred Rogers juried exhibition draws 200 submissions
Artworks chosen for Latrobe Art Center’s annual Mister Fred Rogers Juried Fine Arts Exhibition have a chance to earn another distinction: They’ll also be considered for inclusion in Greater Latrobe School District’s special art collection. The exhibition opened with a Sept. 9 reception in the center at 819 Ligonier St....
Scottish clans to gather for 1-day Ligonier Highland Games
The clans will gather once again for the Ligonier Highland Games. Returning after a pandemic-year break, the celebration of Scottish heritage is planned Saturday at Idlewild & SoakZone, off Route 30 in Ligonier Township. Gates open at 8 a.m., with the last event beginning at 5:30 p.m. Usually spanning a...
Match 6 Lotto jackpot ticket worth $3.74M sold in North Huntingdon
A jackpot Match 6 Lotto ticket worth $3.74 million was sold Sunday at a Sheetz store in North Huntingdon, state lottery officials announced. Lottery officials said the ticket was bought at the convenience store location on Ronda Court, near the Walmart along Route 30. The ticket matched all six winning...
State police fire marshal investigating Delmont blaze
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a weekend fire that gutted the garage of an abandoned house in Delmont, according to fire officials. Fire Chief Don Cline reported that firefighters quickly contained the fire in the two-car attached garage at the East White Oak Drive home...
Irwin recognizes first responders who saved woman’s lifeVideo
An Irwin woman who suffered a cardiac arrest last month was saved by the quick response and actions of three ambulance personnel, who were recognized last week for their life-saving effort. Irwin Council gave certificates of appreciation to Irwin Volunteer Fire Department paramedic Robert Gowans and emergency medical technicians Jordan...
Penn Township man charged by police with firing handgun at vacant home
A 49-year-old Penn Township man was arrested last week on charges of firing multiple rounds from a handgun at a nearby home. Jon P. Petrush was arraigned on charges of criminal mischief and discharging a firearm at a structure by township police. He was ordered held in the Westmoreland County...
Shield Farm rally honors those lost in War on Terrorism
A revival rally Sunday at the Shields Farm in Delmont paid tribute to the heroes of 9/11 as well as the thousands who died over the past 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq. The “Let’s Roll America” rally, which attracted about 200 people, featured all the elements of a summer...
Heavy rain means taller walls for Murrysville farm’s corn maze
Finding the way out is just the first challenge at Gearhard Farms’ annual corn maze in Murrysville. There are animal cutouts for children to find, and trivia questions for adults about the town and the bicentennial farm family whose members have created, cut and run the corn maze for the...
Greensburg Holiday Parade scheduled to return this yearVideo
After being canceled last year because of the covid-19 pandemic, the Greensburg Holiday Parade is scheduled to return. Officials in the city’s recreation department have begun collecting applications for those wishing to participate in the parade, which is scheduled for noon Nov. 20. “I’m very excited,” said Lydia Kinkaid, recreation...
‘Yough n’ Roll’ trail ride, community day planned along Great Allegheny Passage
The all-volunteer Mon/Yough Trail Council plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary with events Saturday along the Great Allegheny Passage. Volunteer event coordinator Ken Medved said a family-friendly bicycle ride “Yough n’ Roll” and Community Appreciation Day will kick off at the Boston access of the trail. The ride, a fundraiser...
Man dies in motorcycle crash in Ligonier Township
A Forest Hills man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday night in Ligonier Township, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. Adam R. Kocher, 45, was driving a Ducati motorcycle west on Route 30 at 9:15 p.m. when investigators said he lost control around a bend in the highway and...
Westmoreland drug court needs cash but commissioner’s pledged donation still MIA
Westmoreland’s drug court is in dire need of cash after the county learned this week it lost a grant that pays for weekend testing of participants. The shortfall could be made up through a 2019 campaign pledge from Doug Chew to donate 60% of his commissioner’s salary to fund drug...
Unity proposes memorial for Vietnam veterans, naming tribute for late retired worker
Unity Township’s supervisors want to create a memorial dedicated to Vietnam veterans, and they’re planning to reach out to local veterans from that era to help in planning the monument. They also intend to honor a particular Vietnam veteran and retired township maintenance man, the late Robert Evancho, by re-dedicating...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to sale of fatal drugs in 2017 overdose
A New Kensington man was ordered to serve at least five years in prison in connection with the sale of drugs used in a fatal overdose in 2017. Martez D. “Chico” Whitlow, 30, pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of drug delivery resulting in death and an additional drug-related count...
