Westmoreland category, Page 612
Westmoreland provisional ballots discovered after primary won’t be countedVideo
Seven provisional ballots submitted at a Unity poll during the June primary and discovered this summer won’t be counted. Westmoreland County officials rejected those ballots Wednesday after they were formally opened by a reconstituted provisional board. The ballots were found to have been improperly handled at the polls when they...
Jeannette pharmacy enters into price gouging agreement with Pa. attorney general
A Jeannette pharmacy has entered into an agreement with the state Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office to avoid a potential $13,350 civil penalty and reimburse customers who were overcharged for N-95 masks and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic. The attorney general’s office filed the signed assurance compliance...
Jeannette fire chief marks blighted properties to help save lives, procure funding
Red spray paint is appearing on blighted, vacant Jeannette buildings not as an act of vandalism, but as a safety precaution for first responders. The markings — a square containing either an X or a slash mark — alert emergency crews to dangers inside, such as a collapsed floor or...
Delmont Historical Society to host log house cleanup dayVideo
With a host of plans for the log house at Shields Farm, the recently formed Delmont Historical Society will hold a Sept. 19 cleaning day to spruce up the inside and outside. Society member Vicki Walters said the public is welcome to come help clean the house’s interior, as well...
Westmoreland County reports 7 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added seven new covid-19 cases to its total Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 1,914 since the first case was reported March 19. There were no new deaths reported, keeping the county’s total at 49, where it’s...
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival joins list of pandemic-related cancellations
The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival annually draws about 80,000 visitors to its South Huntingdon “kingdom,” but not this year. Organizers canceled this year’s festival, citing health and safety concerns related to the covid-19 pandemic and state guidelines that limit large gatherings. Featuring games, shows, a horseback joust and vendors that offer...
Delmont modernizes burning ordinance to accommodate backyard fire pits
Delmont council members updated the borough’s burning ordinance to make better accommodations for the fire pits seen in many yards and driveways. After receiving questions from residents about whether the borough regulated small, contained backyard fires, Councilman Bill Marx looked at borough code and discovered it was a bit outdated,...
Police: Derry Township man assaulted woman, tried to set her on fire
A Derry Township man was ordered held in the county jail without bond on charges he assaulted a woman and then attempted to set her on fire during an argument Tuesday. State police charged Paul Staschak, 44, with aggravated assault, harassment, indecent assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault, making terroristic threats...
Jeannette police dog donations could be used for purchase of new vehicle
A significant chunk of money donated to the Jeannette Police Department’s police dog program could be put toward a new vehicle for Officer Jim Phillips and police dog Arees. Phillips made the pitch to city council Tuesday to contribute $30,000 toward the possible purchase as his 2011 Ford Explorer, that...
Debate rises over proposed North Huntingdon backyard chicken rules
After several North Huntingdon residents asked the municipality to permit chickens in residential neighborhoods, township officials appeared split over implementing rules that would allow hens to be raised on parcels less than a quarter acre. During an hour-long public hearing Tuesday, about a dozen residents supporting a proposed ordinance to...
Kentucky poet’s view of home inspires Ligonier gallery exhibition
A chance meeting between a Ligonier resident and a former Kentucky poet laureate led to a new exhibition at the Main Exhibit Gallery in Ligonier. Helen Sitler of Ligonier, retired from the English department of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, attended a book fair in Lexington, Ky., where she met poet...
Norwin, Franklin Regional recognized for Special Olympics
Norwin and Franklin Regional high schools are among nine in Pennsylvania to be nationally recognized as a Special Olympics Unified Champion Banner School for their commitment to inclusion in sports, academics, and extracurricular activities. “Receiving this distinction as a Unified Champion School shows that Norwin has made inclusion a priority...
Novice drummers find their rhythm in Greensburg parkVideo
About 20 people got an outdoor drum lesson Tuesday at an unorthodox “drum circle” in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park. “This isn’t really a drum circle, it’s more of a weird drum line, semicircle kind of thing,” said Matt Mikeska, who led the event. Participants were seated on the park’s bleachers...
New Stanton mayor Ronald Echard, dead at 68, remembered for civic involvement
When visitors and residents in New Stanton admire the town’s new holiday lights this year, in large part, they’ll have Ron Echard to thank. Echard, who most recently served as mayor, is credited as a driving force behind the planned holiday display — along with his wife, Linda, who serves...
Greensburg hears from long list of applicants for vacant council spot
About a dozen people have expessed interest in filling a vacancy on Greensburg City Council. Council will appoint one new member to fill the vacancy left by Cheryl Lennert, who resigned last month. Lennert oversaw the city’s parks & recreation department. The new member will as well, according to Mayor...
Judge declines to lower bond for Monessen woman charged with attempted murder
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a bond request from a Monessen woman awaiting trial for the attempted murder of a neighbor. Tiffany Grogan-Howard, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in connection with a Nov. 25 incident in which police contend she stabbed her...
Jeannette inmate gets more time for trying to smuggle drugs into Westmoreland jail
A Jeannette man will serve up to 23 months in jail for an attempt last year to smuggle drugs into the Westmoreland County Prison. Adam Brandonio, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy, drug counts and other offenses in connection with an incident police described as a sting operation at a...
Route 22 traffic advisory issued in Murrysville for VP Mike Pence’s visit Wednesday
Murrysville police say travelers on Route 22 should expect minor traffic delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Cornerstone Ministries. The vice president is scheduled to land in Air Force Two at 10:30 a.m. at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon...
Murrysville artist’s work on display at East Suburban Artists League library galleryVideo
Until a few years ago, Darlene Miklos of Murrysville only pulled out her easel and paintbrushes once a year to make the cover for her annual Christmas card despite a lifelong love of painting. “I worked downtown for 14 years,” Miklos said. “Between the bus commute and the job, I...
Greensburg man jailed for assaulting, choking woman, cops say
A 29-year-old Greensburg man was ordered held in the county jail after assaulting a woman and threatening harm to her 1-year-old infant early Monday. Kevin M. Reese, of Eastmont Drive, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, flight to avoid apprehension, harassment, simple assault and strangulation after the 4:37...
Arnold Palmer airport begins final phase of runway widening, suspends flights
A final push to complete improvements to the runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport was set to begin Tuesday night, with the airport suspending all flights for more than two weeks to accommodate construction. Spirit Airlines, the Unity airport’s sole commercial carrier, is expected to hit the pause button on...
Hempfield man jailed after shot fired during struggle over gun
A Hempfield man accused of wielding a shotgun that fired during a struggle with a woman over the weapon is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. Jared Wesley Wallak, 29, was arrested Friday on charges of aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, terroristic...
Westmoreland County adds 10 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County saw 10 new cases of covid-19 added to its total Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. There were nine new cases on Monday, 20 on Sunday and seven on Saturday. The seven-day average for the county is 13 cases. There have been 88 cases reported in September....
Southwest Pennsylvania again takes center stage in presidential campaigns this week
Pennsylvania’s importance in the Nov. 3 election is apparent again this week in a series of stops planned in the Pittsburgh region by the Trump and Biden campaigns. Former Vice President Joe Biden stopped in Harrisburg on Monday for Labor Day. The week will ramp up Wednesday with Vice President...
Neighborhood dispute over football in yard leads to Hempfield man’s arrest, police say
A backyard family reunion Sunday in Hempfield turned sour when state police said neighbors refused to return a football to children at the party after it was thrown on their property. The situation escalated from a neighborhood dispute to an alleged assault when Joseph Martino, 60, fought with state troopers...
