Westmoreland category, Page 59
New zombie rock musical ‘Romero and Juliet’ features local actors
A new musical is set to hit the stage at Saint Vincent College in Unity next month. But according to its lyricist and co-creator Scott Logsdon, the whole concept is the result of a typo. Several years ago, while corresponding with a friend about auditions for a showing of Shakespeare’s...
Kids are focus of Latrobe 4th of July festival, among performers at Friday showcase
Organizers of the Latrobe Fourth of July Celebration are planning to focus on children at this year’s two-day event, set for July 3 and 4. There will be added attractions for attendees younger than 18, in keeping with the theme for the town’s festival and its popular parade — “Building...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra returns to Saint Vincent
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed Wednesday evening at the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Unity. The show, “Music for the Spirit,” paid tribute to Douglas R. Nowicki, OSB, the 11th and second-longest-serving archabbot in Saint Vincent’s 178-year history. He oversaw the expansion and renovation of Saint Vincent’s Robert S. Carey...
Rustic Ridge Mine gets OK for new work under Pa. Turnpike, expects to extend operation 6-8 years
Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine near Donegal has state approval to expand its operations under the Pennsylvania Turnpike and tap into 1,450 acres of a coal seam in an area along Route 711. The work is expected to extend the mine’s life by six to eight years, said Mark Tercek,...
Evergreen Drive-In screen toppled; Westmoreland County recovers from storms, 79 mph winds
Joe Warren has been in the drive-in movie scene for about six decades. But he has rarely seen devastation to an outdoor theater like he did Wednesday morning at Evergreen Drive-In. Warren, owner of the East Huntingdon theater, surveyed the splintered wooden trusses and bent metal scraps piled in the...
Greensburg man sentenced to prison for girlfriend’s beatings
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for two brutal attacks that injured an East Huntingdon woman in 2023. James Dennis Lehneke Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in two separate cases to multiple felony charges, including strangulation, aggravated assault and related offenses that police said occurred several...
School districts weigh options on instruction as power restoration work continues
School leaders spent most of Wednesday reviewing their options as many districts were forced to cancel classes after a destructive storm cut through the region Tuesday evening, knocking out electricity and leaving some roads impassable. And just like a snow day in winter, those same leaders were looking at their...
Photos: Storm damage on Logan Ferry Road in Murrysville
Toppled trees and other damage brought out residents to start cleaning up after a story hit Logan Ferry Road in Murrysville on Tuesday. See the photos....
Photo gallery: Evergreen Drive-In in East Huntingdon damaged in storm
Evergreen Drive-In in East Huntingdon Township was damaged Tuesday during the severe storms that hit the region. Related • `Short, sharp storm`: Fast-moving squall line leaves death, widespread destruction in Western Pa. • Power companies expect restoration time to be 5-7 days in wake of storms • Photo gallery: Storm...
‘Short, sharp storm’: Fast-moving squall line leaves death, widespread destruction in W.Pa.
Crews and residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday began the long process of cleaning up after a severe storm described by officials as an “unprecedented event” left at least three people dead and hundreds of thousands without power. Duquesne Light Co. estimated it could take five to seven days to...
Power companies expect restoration time up to 5 days in wake of storms
About 130,000 Duquesne Light customers in the region — still without power Wednesday because of the severe storms Tuesday evening — may have to wait for five days before they have electricity restored, a company official said. The storm that caused an “unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light”...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to lesser charges in fatal overdose
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed a charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with the fatal overdose of a Greensburg man who died in 2023. Hugh Hawkey, 49, of Greensburg, pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser drug-related counts after a Westmoreland County judge ruled in favor of the defense’s challenge...
Derry Township couple plead guilty to child’s beating
A Derry Township couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to repeatedly assaulting a teenage boy so severely he is permanently disfigured. Charles E. Harr, 54, and his wife, Jamie Denise Harr, 53, were charged with multiple felony offenses in connection with allegations they beat and strangled the child for more than four...
Hempfield OKs home purchase for $290K, with plans for demolition imminent
Hempfield supervisors this week signed off on the purchase of a home for $290,000 that will be demolished as part of a project to align the township’s new municipal complex with the Five Star Trail. The township will lease the Summit Drive property to its current owner for $1 until...
World’s largest rubber duck to return to Western Pa. this summer
Back in September 2013, an unusual sight settled on the shores of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh: a several-story- tall rubber duck, brought to Pittsburgh for a three-week engagement during the Pittsburgh Festival of Firsts. It drew thousands of visitors and was the talk of the town that autumn. But now,...
Eastern Gas to host Murrysville open house on infrastructure additions, upgrades
Officials from Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage will host an open house Tuesday in Murrysville for the Appalachian Reliability Project, which will add pipeline and carrying capacity in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The project involves updates to existing compressor stations and other natural gas facilities in Westmoreland, Armstrong and Greene counties, including...
Perryopolis motorcyclist killed in Route 51 head-on crash
A motorcyclist was killed early Tuesday morning in a two-vehicle head-on collision along Route 51 near Perryopolis, according to state police at Belle Vernon. The victim, Paul Corbett, 57, of Perryopolis, was riding southbound when his motorcycle crossed over into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a pickup truck...
2 Murrysville homes damaged by fire
Two Murrysville residents escaped their homes Tuesday morning in a senior living community after a fire broke out at one and spread to the second. Laura Thomson raced to The Village of Clover Ridge after her mother texted her that there was a fire next door and she heard explosions,...
Pa. educators push for additional dollars to equitably fund schools
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is grateful for the unprecedented funding that was granted to Pennsylvania’s public schools this academic year. But, as education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly...
Westmoreland jail population nears limit; juvenile detention center expansion plan progresses
The inmate population at Westmoreland County Prison has swelled to its highest numbers this decade, prompting officials to watch for signs of overcrowding. Meanwhile, local leaders said they want to increase the number of teens housed next door at the county’s juvenile detention center in Hempfield. The jail on Monday...
Ligoner Township man pleads guilty in father’s stabbing
A Ligonier Township man pleaded guilty to lesser charges for stabbing his father last year. Michael Glenn Glass, 27, has been in jail since his arrest in March 2024 after he was charged with felony attempted homicide, aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and possession of instruments of...
Homeless man accused of making harassing phone calls to Jeannette church
A homeless man is accused of making numerous harassing phone calls to Ascension Catholic Church in Jeannette, police said. William J. Gay, 55, is accused of threatening to kill a church secretary and set the church on fire, according to court documents. He has been making the calls since October,...
Derry Township man arrested after shotgun blast inside home, standoff with police
A Derry Township man is behind bars after state police said he fired a shotgun through a wall at his home Sunday night, missing a woman on the other side by a few feet. Police said the woman reported debris and drywall fell onto her, according to court papers. She...
Pittsburgh Symphony performance at Saint Vincent will honor late archabbot
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will honor a late Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica archabbot during a performance Wednesday in Unity. The show, “Music for the Spirit,” will pay tribute to Douglas R. Nowicki, OSB, the 11th and second longest-serving archabbot in Saint Vincent’s 178-year history. He oversaw the expansion and renovation...
Lights, camera, action: Westmoreland leaders to take stage in talent show fundraiser
It’s not every day a county commissioner, university professor and pastor end up in the same room. But this week, all of those roles and more will be showcased in the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition’s “Westmoreland Has Talent.” The fundraiser — held occasionally since 2019 — will take place 6 to...
