Westmoreland category, Page 61
Man pleads guilty to lesser charge in 2022 Jeannette fatal stabbing
A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Jeannette neighbor nearly three years ago. Prosecutors said Antwone Dupree Thurston II, 25, stabbed and slashed 62-year-old William Osselburn 11 times during an altercation on Sept. 26, 2022, outside of...
Ligonier Country Market’s appeal of opening date rule heads to planning board, supervisors
The Ligonier Township planning commission on Thursday will consider an appeal by the Ligonier Country Market that could affect the seasonal venue’s opening date this year. The market is looking to modify a provision of a 2008 township conditional use permit that indicates it can’t open before Memorial Day, which...
ATI strikes labor deal with nearly 1,000 workers
ATI and its employees have reached a six-year labor agreement. The deal was announced Wednesday, about a week after ATI and the United Steelworkers union reached a tentative agreement on wages, working conditions and benefits for nearly 1,000 employees. Many produce specialty alloys at the company’s Harrison, Vandergrift and Latrobe...
Westmoreland happenings: Chicken barbecue, art exhibit, spaghetti dinner, more
Art • The works of photographer and artist Shirleah Kelly will be exhibited April 25 through May 29 at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, 237 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg. An opening reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. April 25. Details: 724-244-9418. Fundraisers • Dawson Vanderbilt Lions will host...
New York City firm gets initial OK for solar farm on site of former Unity stone quarry
A New York City-based solar farm developer has passed the first hurdle in its plan to develop an array along a rural road in Unity. The township zoning hearing board on Tuesday unanimously approved a special exception that will allow CVE North America to pursue installation of a solar farm...
Charges upheld against Rostraver man accused in rape of unconscious woman
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a defense bid to dismiss charges against a Rostraver man accused of using a date rape drug to sexually assault an unconscious woman in her home last year. Nathaniel Tire Johnston, 34, is charged with rape and other offenses based on allegations made...
Hillandale Farms, giant egg producer, sells for $1.1B
Hillandale Farms, among the nation’s top egg producers with a corporate office in Hempfield, was sold last month for $1.1 billion to a Luxembourg-based company. Hillandale Farms, founded by Orland Bethel in 1958, sold its 20-million chicken operations in late March to Global Eggs, according to news reports. Hillandale Farms...
Westmoreland judge schedules 2 oldest criminal cases for September
A trial date was set Tuesday for the capital murder case against a New Kensington man charged with the beating death of a toddler in 2020. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ordered the case against Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 36, to begin in September. In doing so he...
Work on Youghiogheny River bridge to restrict traffic on I-70
Motorists on Interstate 70 can expect to encounter daytime lane restrictions in Rostraver and South Huntingdon beginning Wednesday, as work continues on reconstruction of the Route 51 interchange and improvement of an adjoining section of the interstate. Single-lane restrictions for both eastbound and westbound traffic are planned between the Route...
Hempfield Area faces $5.1M budget deficit for 2025-26 school year
Rising charter school payments and growing retirement costs have Hempfield Area school officials exploring how to offset a 2025-26 budget deficit that stands at more than $5 million. District business manager Paul Schott said expenditures for next year are up by nearly $7.3 million over 2024-25. “Without the impact of...
Plans for Greensburg Amtrak station include new doors, restrooms for handicapped access
Amtrak is looking to make improvements to its station at Greensburg beginning in 2026, while upgrades at the Latrobe station are set to get underway this year. The station projects, which include improved features for handicapped accessibility, come as Amtrak is planning to expand its passenger service between Pittsburgh and...
Norwin’s $25M stadium renovation project panned by critics
The Norwin School Board members who voted last week for a $25 million stadium project were ripped Monday by critics who called it unnecessary, too costly in times of economic uncertainty and too much of a tax burden, particularly on senior citizens. “I think you failed in your fiduciary responsibilities...
Hempfield adjusts school start times to consolidate bus runs, address driver shortage
Board members of Hempfield Area School District voted unanimously — although reluctantly in some cases — to shift the start and end times for school next year. “I think this is the better option. But I still feel bad,” school board member Diane Ciabattoni said. The start and end of...
Tiny Donegal Borough will cut council size in 2028, lack of participation cited
Donegal Borough Mayor Keith Deckinger is convinced his tiny town, which serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands, has an encouraging future. Its past and present, he said, had been stymied because of a lack of people willing to govern. Deckinger went to court Monday to ask a Westmoreland...
May Mart plant sale returns for 56th year in Greensburg
The Westmoreland Garden Council will host its 56th annual May Mart plant sale May 2 and 3. The sale will be held on the front lawn of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, from noon to 7 p.m. May 2 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m....
Penguin Court offers native plant sale, plans master naturalist course
Home gardeners looking to add some local color to their flower beds might choose the purple blossoms of tall larkspur or the broad yellow petals of the wood poppy. They’re two of the more than a dozen new species featured in this year’s native plant sale at the Brandywine Conservancy’s...
Derry Township firefighters invest in equipment washer, aim to reduce cancer risk
Derry Township firefighters have taken a step toward cancer prevention, purchasing a washing machine to better clean their gear. The $30,000 gear washer was installed last week at Derry Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 in Bradenville. It will help the station’s 38 firefighters clean their self-contained breathing apparatus devices...
As plastics waste grows globally, Latrobe worshippers put faith in recycling efforts
Plastic waste is a weighty concern for members of Latrobe’s Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Since last May, the church has more than doubled its goal of recycling 1,000 pounds of shopping bags and similarly thin plastic items. More of the bags continue to accumulate weekly in a spare office room...
Greensburg Night Market slated to kick off 7th season this week
The Greensburg Night Market returns for a seventh season this week, expecting once again to draw thousands of people to browse vendor tents and enjoy live music along South Pennsylvania Avenue. The Night Market was launched by Jessica Hickey, owner of the Downtown Greensburg Project, in 2019 — featuring just...
Gender-based violence prevention is aim of Greensburg’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event
Red high heels will hit the pavement in downtown Greensburg next week as the community gathers for the Blackburn Center’s 14th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. The event, slated for April 26, is part of an international movement launched in 2001 that raises awareness of gender-based violence. Though...
Street paving contracts approved in Greensburg and Jeannette
Streets in two Westmoreland County communities are set to be improved after project approvals by their respective city councils last week. In Greensburg, three contracts were awarded. Donegal Construction Corp. will handle $46,000 worth of paving through a partnership with Peoples Gas, city administrator Kelsye Milliron said. Mele & Mele...
Greensburg Fire Department sells dual-driver ladder truck
The Greensburg Fire Department’s tractor-drawn ladder truck will be heading south. City council last week unanimously approved selling the 2012 truck to Charleston, S.C., for $750,000, said administrator Kelsye Milliron. The department has had that type of ladder truck for about 70 years, but with fewer volunteers, there isn’t enough...
Westmoreland happenings: Earth Day garden talk, genealogy workshop, fashion show, more
Fundraisers • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will host a Bingo Bonanza April 27 at the Civic Center, 42 Millersdale Road, Hempfield. Doors open at 11 a.m., early birds will begin at 1 p.m., and regular bingo will start at 1:30 p.m. Cost: $25, includes three early bird games, 12 regular...
Hempfield driver dies in head-on collision with tree
A Hempfield man died Saturday after the Ford pickup truck he was driving crashed, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Kenneth R. Altman, 68, was traveling on North Greengate Road in Hempfield around 4:15 p.m. when the pickup left the road and collided head-on with a tree. He was...
PennDOT sets open house for I-70 interchange project, plans paving, patching in Westmoreland
PennDOT is hosting an open house Tuesday in Rostraver to offer details on the construction timeline and related traffic changes for its update of the Arnold City interchange on Interstate 70. The meeting is set for 5 to 7 p.m. at the Rostraver Central fire hall, 1100 Fells Church Road....
