Westmoreland category, Page 523
Westmoreland County surpasses 30,000 covid cases
Westmoreland County became the 12th county in Pennsylvania to pass 30,000 coronavirus cases. The 119 additional cases — 37 confirmed and 82 probable — reported Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health put Westmoreland County’s total at 30,005. Westmoreland reached 20,000 cases on Jan. 4; 10,000 cases on Dec. 3;...
Westmoreland news includes family fun walk, Salisbury steak dinner
Classes/programs • The 12th annual The Learning Lamp Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown will use a web-based format featuring custom-recorded, video-based storytelling, age-appropriate writing and drawing workshops for children of all ages. The festival will continue through April 30. To access the festival, visit The Learning Lamp’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CBFJohnstown,...
Giant Slide at Mammoth Park set to reopen
The new Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township is expected to reopen in late spring. The complex featuring two 100-foot slides was shut down a month after it was unveiled last July when reports of injured children and adults surfaced. Westmoreland County officials said is targeted to...
Police search for suspect in Hempfield shooting of 17-year-old boy
A 17-year-old boy was injured in a shooting at Hempfield Heights Apartment Complex Tuesday during a drug deal and state police are looking for the suspect, according to court papers. An arrest warrant has been issued for Darnell Albert Dennison, 19, of Hempfield. He is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful...
Family of 7 displaced by overnight fire that gutted home in DerryVideo
Jeremiah Thomas bolted awake from a sound sleep early Wednesday by a fire alarm and the smell of smoke in his upstairs bedroom in Derry. “I looked out the window and could already see the flames shooting out of the house,” Thomas said. The single father of six children, ages...
Cassandra Gross case: Mother laments unsolved homicide of missing daughter
Prosecutors plan a full review of the homicide case as a third year passes without an arrest in the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. District Attorney John Peck said the original prosecutor involved with the case has left his office, and Peck plans to examine the evidence state police have gathered...
Export looks to re-evaluate annual summer playground program
Export officials are looking to re-evaluate and possibly revamp their annual summer playground program after participation declined the past few years. “Last year we had only about three kids for three volunteers by the end of the year,” Councilwoman Melanie Litz said. “Participation has been waning the past two or...
Pennsylvania’s push for vaccine equity has been a challenge
Getting shots into the arms of the state’s most vulnerable elderly and minority residents remains a challenge, even as vaccine begins a steady flow into Pennsylvania, state officials said Tuesday. It took the combined efforts of three managed care giants tasked with reaching out to the marginalized and those most...
Homeless man to serve prison term for attack on girlfriend in Greensburg
A former Washington County man who most recently lived in a tent near Lynch Field in Greensburg will serve up to five years in prison for attacking his girlfriend. Chad T. Abbott, 26, who authorities said was homeless when charged in 2019, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of strangulation, terroristic...
Bill moves forward to rename section of Route 981 in honor of late Rep. Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township
The state House transportation committee approved a bill to name a 3½-mile section of Route 981 from the intersection of Route 819 to Route 2021 south of Norvelt after the late state Rep. Mike Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township. Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Connellsville, the prime sponsor of the bill, said...
Toll 66 on-ramp in Hempfield reopened following afternoon crash
The Route 136 on-ramp to the Route 66 Turnpike Extension in Hempfield has reopened following a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon, county emergency officials said. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m., for a report of a two-vehicle crash with possible entrapment. One person involved in the crash was flown...
Westmoreland County, Walmart to host vaccination clinic at Seton Hill University
Westmoreland County officials announced Tuesday the county will open a coronavirus vaccine clinic this week at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. The clinic, with vaccines provided by Walmart, is set to vaccinate up to 1,400 residents over three days, starting Friday, according to Public Safety Director Roland Mertz. “We’re trying...
Bolivar man accused of restraining woman, violating PFA
A 26-year-old Bolivar man is accused of holding a Fairfield woman against her will for 13 hours Sunday and Monday, state police said. Zackery A. Collier was arrested by state troopers and charged with harassment, terroristic threats, simple assault, unlawful restraint and illegal possession of Ecstacy pills. He is being...
Pastor saves Peyton Manning the pooch from black bear attack in Mt. Pleasant Township
It was a frightening night for a Mt. Pleasant Township pastor who fended off a black bear that had the family dog clutched in its teeth. The Rev. Tim Stradling said Tuesday that Peyton Manning, a 9-year-old Maltese/silky terrier mix, is recovering at a Monroeville animal hospital. The dog has...
Man used scissors, glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners, police say
A man was jailed Tuesday because state police say he used scissors and a glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners and cash them in at a Hempfield convenience store, according to court papers. Craig Marshall Stout, 45, who has addresses in Mt. Pleasant Borough and Jeannette, is charged...
Ohio trucker charged in I-70 crash that killed West Penn Power lineman
An Ohio truck driver was driving 62 mph Oct. 21 when he slammed into stopped traffic along Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon, killing a popular West Penn Power worker from New Stanton and seriously injuring two people, state police reported in court documents. Charles C. Walker, 58, of Columbus, Ohio,...
Pa., Allegheny County covid hospitalizations up more than 20% week to week
Recent covid hospitalizations continue to be a story in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania and Allegheny County hospitalization levels have consistently gone up since late March, and hospitalization totals now rival counts seen in February. Hospitalizations For the 17th consecutive day, the number of people hospitalized for covid-19 in Pennsylvania has increased,...
Survey: Majority of Hempfield students reported feeling comfortable with remote learning
While students largely agree spending more time in school is extremely important, the majority of older Hempfield Area students reported feeling comfortable with remote learning this school year, district leaders said. According to a survey sent to sixth through 12th graders, 13% of the 800 students who responded reported feeling...
Loyalhanna Watershed Association seeks interns to help with state forest projects
April 30 is the deadline for college students to apply to the Loyalhanna Watershed Association for a spot in the local Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) internship program. YCC interns are needed more than ever this summer, to help the staff at Forbes State Forest keep up with improvements and maintenance...
Pitt, tech-company partners explore use of copper as filter material for PPEVideo
A group of scientists and technology companies from the Pittsburgh area want to torture the covid-19 virus literally to death, and now they have a state grant to help them do so. That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but a big part of the state’s $68,000 Manufacturing PA grant awarded...
Lamp Theatre flea market fundraiser set for this weekend in Irwin
While The Lamp Theatre in Irwin remains closed for concerts and shows because of coronavirus restrictions, supporters are continuing their fundraising efforts for the venue. Volunteers are being asked to donate household goods for a flea market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the patio adjacent...
Smoking pot with teen daughter, friend nets mom 2-year probation sentence
A Connellsville mother pleaded guilty Monday to charges she smoked marijuana with her teenage daughter and a friend at a New Stanton home in 2017. Dawni Monholland, 39, according to court records, was charged with four criminal counts after police received a Child Line tip from a mandated reporter about...
Coronavirus cases slow at Westmoreland County Prison
Two additional inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, but the number of infections decreased at the facility over the last week. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday there were 20 active cases among the 495 inmates lodged in the Hempfield lockup, down about 47%,...
Ligonier Valley students set to return to classrooms 5 days per week
Younger students in Ligonier Valley School District are set to return to classrooms full time this week. On Tuesday, students in grades K4-6 will be able to attend classes in person five days per week, following Easter break. Seventh-graders also will have the option of full-time instruction in a classroom...
Life during covid: Adoptive Scottdale dad guides growing numbers of foster familiesVideo
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Paul Johnson, a longtime ice hockey referee, relished the ice skating parties enjoyed by the foster kids and families he guided for more than a decade at Latrobe-based nonprofit...
