Westmoreland category, Page 503
Hempfield woman accused of DUI, homicide by vehicle in fatal motorcycle crash on Route 66
A 33-year-old Hempfield woman is accused of being drunk when she crashed into a motorcycle last year, killing the driver. Tuesdae M. Checque was arraigned this week on multiple criminal charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, careless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, driving on the wrong side of...
Jury finds Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Vazquez guilty of sexual assault of a teen girl
A Westmoreland County jury late Thursday found former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez guilty of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. The jury found Vazquez guilty on 15 counts, including the most serious charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact or communication with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of...
More than 50% of Pennsylvania adults fully vaccinated for covid
Pennsylvania passed a milestone with more than 50% of adults considered fully vaccinated against covid-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 5,088,210 million adults — those 18 and older — who are considered fully vaccinated. That’s 50.1% of the adult population. Pennsylvania’s mask mandate can...
Greensburg Salem OKs proposed no-tax-hike budget without restoring librarians
Greensburg Salem School Board approved a tentative 2021-22 budget that avoids a tax increase while calling for $47 million in spending — but without restoring librarian positions that some residents and at least one board member want included. The budget passed by a 7-1 vote on Wednesday, with Lynna Thomas...
Hempfield challenger upsets former supervisor on GOP ticket
A former Hempfield Township supervisor apparently lost his bid to return to the board of supervisors when he lost the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary, according to unofficial results. Bill Bretz captured 55.2% of the vote in the primary, topping Jerry Fagert, who received 44.3% of the votes for the...
3 Hempfield Area incumbents, 2 challengers win nominations to school board
Three incumbent Hempfield Area school board members and two challengers won the nominations on the Democratic and Republican ballots for four seats on the board, based on unofficial primary results. Directors Diane Ciabattoni, Scott Learn and Paul Ward won nominations on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, giving them a...
Technical issue, ballot reviews cause reporting delay of Westmoreland election results
It took more than 22 hours after Westmoreland County polls closed Tuesday night before complete unofficial results from the hundreds of primary races were posted to the county’s website. Updated results to reflect totals from all 307 precincts and the nearly 13,000 mail-in ballots that arrived at the courthouse by...
Pittsburgh International, Arnold Palmer airports each stop guns at checkpoints
On Tuesday, a man at Pittsburgh International Airport and a woman at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport were stopped from boarding planes with loaded handguns. According to a Transportation Safety Administration release, the gun at Pittsburgh International was found by the checkpoint X-ray machine. Allegheny County Police were alerted to question...
Wife of former Pagans gang leader denies knowing Penn Township double murder suspect
The wife of Dennis “Rooster” Katona, the former national president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, said Wednesday neither she nor her husband knows why Victor F. Steban repeatedly mentioned Rooster’s name as Steban was arraigned Tuesday in the shooting deaths of a Penn Township couple. “We don’t know Victor Steban,...
Incumbent Penn Township commissioner loses GOP nomination in 4th Ward
The president and captain of the Grandview Volunteer Fire Department in Penn Township cruised to the Republican nomination as a candidate for commissioner in the township’s Fourth Ward, based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary. Chuck Miller, 41, captured 74% of the vote in bid for the nomination against incumbent...
Primary voters narrow field of Greater Latrobe School Board hopefuls from 7 to 5
Five of seven cross-filed candidates received apparent nominations for four seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board, according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s primary. All are Unity residents. Incumbents Heidi Kozar and Cathy Sarraf led the Democratic ticket, with respective vote totals of 1,814 and 1,630 — representing about 21%...
2 of 3 incumbents fall in Franklin Regional school board primary
Two of three Franklin Regional school board incumbents will not appear on the general-election ballot following losses in Tuesday’s primary election. According to unofficial results, incumbent Mark Kozlosky came away with the highest vote total, 16.72% of just under 11,000 votes in the Republican primary, but current board member Paul...
Pirates pitcher testified teen accuser sent him fake ID to make him believe she was of age
Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that he religiously sought confirmation of the 50 woman he met online to ensure they were above the age of consent during the two years prosecutors said he conducted a sexual relationship with a teenager. Vazquez, 29, served...
Man didn’t have valid driver’s license in crash into Hempfield home, police say
A Jeannette man did not have a valid driver’s license when he crashed into a Hempfield home earlier this month, according to state police. Charges were filed Tuesday against Jaiden Crosby, 18, in connection with the crash. A 2-year-old boy narrowly escaped injury May 3 after mother Amanda Clark pushed...
Write-in votes expected to fill Democratic ticket for Trafford council
Trafford’s Republican voters gave the lone incumbent on the GOP ballot one of the four nominations for a seat on borough council in the November election, while the write-in votes on the Democratic ticket were higher than the number of votes for the lone candidate on that ballot in the...
8 of 9 Norwin board candidates win nominations
Norwin School District voters will get to choose among eight candidates — incumbents and challengers — in the November election because of eight of the nine candidates won either the Republican or Democratic nomination for four seats, according to unofficial results. The vote count represents only those from the Westmoreland...
Pennsylvania surpasses 9,000 covid deaths in 2021, as new cases continue to drop
As new covid cases throughout Pennsylvania continued to decrease, the state on Wednesday surpassed 9,000 deaths recorded in 2021. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 93 additional covid cases Wednesday, bringing its total to 100,460. The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 128, its lowest since 118 on...
North Huntingdon ex-commissioner wins GOP nomination in 4th Ward
Voters in North Huntingdon’s Fourth Ward opted to give the Republican nomination to a former commissioner over the incumbent, a reversal of the 2017 race between the same two candidates, according to unofficial results from the May 18 primary. Former commissioner Richard Gray, 63, is leading incumbent Brian Blasko, 35,...
1st-time candidates take top ballot spots in Murrysville council primary
First-time political candidate Jason Lemak came out on top in the Republican primary for Murrysville council when the results were finally announced early Wednesday morning, taking just over 20% of votes cast. Lemak will be joined on the general election ballot by fellow newcomer Jamie Lingg (19.25%) and incumbents Dayne...
Leslie Rossi, creator of Trump House, holds 2-1 margin in 59th District special election
Unofficial returns Wednesday showed Republican Leslie Rossi holding a 2-1 lead in the special election to fill a vacancy in the 59th legislative district, even as the final count for four of 41 precincts in Westmoreland County remained unreported. Unofficial returns from the district that spans 42 precincts in eastern...
Irwin mayoral race results, pending write-in vote count
Write-in votes likely will determine whether Irwin will have two candidates for mayor on the ballot in November. Republican Jeff Clem, a retired prison guard, did not face any opposition in Tuesday’s primary, collecting 268 votes against 69 write-in votes in the unofficial results. Council member Gail Macioce, also a...
Westmoreland happenings include paddleboard lessons, car show and carnival
Classes • Laurelville Christian Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will offer private stand-up paddleboard lessons from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays beginning June 8 at the center. Learn to safely mount, paddle, reboard and maneuver the board. Cost: $15 for a 30-minute session for up to two...
Spread kindness the Fred Rogers way with Latrobe Art Center
“What does kindness look like?” From Saturday through May 29, Latrobe Art Center is inviting people to answer that question by spreading intentional acts of kindness throughout the community. “We’re hoping for a big chain reaction of kindness,” center Executive Director Michael Tusay said. The center’s project is being held...
Norwin school board candidates emphasize mental health, budget, transparency
Keeping students safe, physically and mentally, during the pandemic and the budget are among issues raised by the nine candidates seeking nominations for four seats on the Norwin School Board in the May 18 primary. The race features two incumbents, two separate teams of candidates and two candidates running independently...
Greensburg man arrested in 2019 pharmacy robbery
A Greensburg man was arraigned Tuesday on charges stemming from an armed robbery nearly two years ago at a Youngwood pharmacy, according to court papers. An arrest warrant was issued for Gregory Cervo, 31, the same day — Sept. 16, 2019 — and he recently was picked up on robbery...
