Westmoreland category, Page 5
East Huntingdon man sentenced for shootout with state police
An East Huntingdon man, convicted last fall of firing shots at two state police troopers, was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to 44 years in prison. James R. Miller Jr., 63, declined to speak and presented no witnesses on his behalf during the court hearing in which prosecutors said his...
Kenneth Pollard speaks of initial shock, lasting regret over wife’s death in sinkhole fall
Lifelong Marguerite resident Kenneth Pollard has had a year to learn how to live without his wife, Elizabeth, who fell to her death in a sinkhole on the outskirts of the Unity village. Though one of his children, Axel, moved in with the 75-year-old and good neighbors have pitched in...
1 year after sinkhole death, Unity residents live in fear of mine subsidence
One year after a deadly sinkhole swallowed a woman searching for her cat near Marguerite Road, fear remains palpable for residents in a small Unity neighborhood. They worry abandoned coal mines beneath their homes could collapse at any time. That anxiety is real on Libby Lane, a few hundred feet...
Westmoreland and Allegheny men among 1,000-plus killed in WWII ‘Little Pearl Harbor’
Five Western Pennsylvania men were among the more than 1,000 killed in a surprise World War II German attack on an Allied port in Italy that has become known as “The Little Pearl Harbor.” The Dec. 2, 1943, air raid on the Adriatic Sea port of Bari, Italy, came nearly...
Majority of easements signed for Greensburg’s Northmont flood control project
The majority of easements needed for Greensburg’s proposed Northmont flood control project have been signed, said Alec Italiano, the City of Greensburg director of planning and development. Signatures of four property owners are still needed for the city to move forward with the work. Italiano said he’s continuing to negotiate...
Westmoreland hospital, former nurses sued over patient photos
A Greensburg hospital and two fired nurses have been named as defendants in a negligence lawsuit filed by the daughter of one of up to 10 former patients whose images were recorded and distributed without consent last year. The three-count lawsuit filed last month contends Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital...
Westmoreland preps for 1st snowfall with reduced staff amid limited furlough savings
Furloughs will leave Westmoreland County with just half of its staff available Tuesday morning to maintain 52 miles of roads during the season’s first significant snowfall. Public Works Director Dante DeCario said all four remaining employees will begin salting and clearing county roads as early as 3 a.m. and will...
Westinghouse retiree group makes record donation to help food insecurity
As food insecurity continues to climb across Southwestern Pennsylvania, a dedicated group of retired Westinghouse employees mobilized, raising a record $55,000 this year to support local organizations battling hunger. The nonprofit group, SURE (Service Uniting Retired Employees), shattered its previous donation record and further assisted the community by hosting its...
Tinsmill group can’t agree over proposed monument to local WWII veterans
The tiny coal-patch village of Tinsmill, in Bell Township, made an outsized contribution to World War II, sending a great many of its sons abroad to fight. Nearly all of them came back, including relatives of Salem resident Ray Machulsky. In 2023, Machulsky approached a local nonprofit, the Tinsmill Citizen...
Mt. Pleasant OKs upgrades for gazebo, Frick Park overlook, eyes work on borough building
Mt. Pleasant’s gazebo is getting a makeover as the holiday season gets underway. Borough council also is moving forward with a project benefiting sports spectators at Frick Park and is seeking funding for improvements at the borough building. Doug Davis of Jeannette-based The Glass City has been at work preparing...
North Huntingdon plans 3.5-mill tax hike
North Huntingdon officials plan to raise real estate taxes by 3.5 mills in 2026 to balance a general fund budget of $15.8 million, a tax increase they said is necessary to fund ongoing operations and projects now that federal covid funds have been exhausted. Without the tax hike, the township would...
Swung vases see upswing in value among fans of mid-century modern collectiblesVideo
If someone admires your nubby butt, don’t take it personally — but do take it as a compliment. Chances are, they’re among enthusiasts who are paying as much as four figures for swung vases. Available in a variety of colors, this elongated style of handmade glassware first gained popularity in...
Westmoreland happenings: Light Up Latrobe, blood drive, Christmas market, more
Christmas event • The annual Light Up Latrobe and Holiday Night Market will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 in James H. Rogers Memorial Park, behind the Latrobe Art Center. There will be a holiday trolley, arts and crafts, carolers and a tree lighting ceremony at 7 p.m....
Vaccination rates in schools cause concern for parents, medical professionals
Lucas James relies on others to be vaccinated because, for now, he can’t be. A leukemia patient and stem cell transplant recipient, Lucas, 16, of Hempfield receives intravenous antibody treatments to help him rebuild his immune system. “(Doctors) said he may never be able to be vaccinated again if his...
Westmoreland hunters find success in woods on opening day of rifle season
Just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Don Henry heard branches cracking near his hunting blinds in the woods near New Alexandria. Henry, 46, of Unity had spooked about a half-dozen doe. “I didn’t have long to shoot,” he said. But Henry managed to fell one of the largest of the group...
Police continue to seek information in 2019 death of North Huntingdon chiropractor
Memories of David Bailey come up in conversations frequently. His family remembers how entertaining and generous the North Huntingdon chiropractor was and how others were drawn to him because of those qualities, his wife, Cheryl Bailey, said. “He was that person people wanted to be around,” she said. “There’s no...
Rostraver police report icy conditions led to short series of minor crashes, 1 person hospitalized
One person was hospitalized after multi-vehicle collision Friday evening in Rostraver. Westmoreland Public Safety said the crash occurred shortly after 6 p.m. along the 900 block of Rostraver Road. That’s near the Interstate 70 underpass. Township police said it was not a major pileup, but a short series of minor...
Though not uncommon, hoarding ‘multiplies’ danger for fire crews
When New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba responded Wednesday to a house fire on Richdale Drive, he said, he’d never seen so much packed into a structure in his more than 40 years as a firefighter. “I’ve never seen anything like that — in that amount — before,” Saliba said....
Community, routine spur gym-goers to work out after the holiday
Judy Sproat of Buffalo Township is no stranger to working hard during the holiday season. “I worked as a nurse all my life. I always worked holidays and the day after,” she said. “I don’t take a day off.” Sproat, 75, brought the post-holiday habit into her retirement as she...
Restitution, prison time set for North Huntingdon Aldi break-in
A man accused of breaking into a North Huntingdon Aldi grocery store was sentenced this week to seven months to four years in a state prison, according to a court order. Angel E. Ortega-Yanez, 32, pleaded guilty to burglary, criminal mischief, theft, possession of an instrument of crime and propelling...
Charges dismissed for man with ‘severe mental health issues’
A judge dismissed charges against a Jeannette man accused of breaking into a county detective’s home last year and assaulting him. Judge Timothy Krieger ruled earlier this month that “there’s no probability that the defendant can be restored to competency at now or at any time in the future,” according...
Hempfield man receives prison time for spitting on EMTs
A Hempfield man was sentenced to state prison for spitting on two emergency medical technicians as they tried to take him to a hospital for treatment. Anthony Michael Flowers, 33, was sentenced earlier this month to two to five years behind bars, according to a court order. Flowers was convicted...
Mall traffic sees boost as shoppers turn out for traditional Black Friday
NEW YORK — Black Friday bargains no longer tempt people to leave Thanksgiving tables for midnight mall runs. Brawls in store aisles over toys and TVs with limited-time discounts are spectacles of holidays past. Online shopping and retailers launching discounts weeks before the turkey feast subdued that kind of fervor....
Ligonier Township expects to hold line on property tax by dipping into healthy reserve
The Ligonier Township supervisors are considering a proposed $2.7 million budget for 2026 that could have a funding shortfall of about $282,000. That’s the equivalent of revenue generated by 2.87 mills worth of real estate tax in the township. But a tentative budget, posted on the township website, calls for...
Cold does not deter 2,000 from Greensburg Turkey Trot
With blustery weather more fit for Christmas than Thanksgiving, more than 2,000 runners and walkers braved the 3.1 miles up and down hills in the annual Greensburg Turkey Trot. Since its inception 34 years ago, the race has attracted those who make it part of their holiday, getting some exercise...
