Westmoreland category, Page 622
Woman accused in Hempfield man’s drug overdose death
A Hempfield woman is accused by state police in connection with the drug overdose death of a Hempfield man in June 2019. Elaine Grace Smith, 54, who also has a McKeesport address, was arrested this week. She is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, criminal use of a communication...
Westmoreland County adds 7 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported single-digit new coronavirus cases for the fourth time this month. The seven new cases bring the county’s total reported cases to 1,593, with 1,549 of those confirmed and 44 probable. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram There were no new deaths attributed to covid-19 in the...
Irwin seeks money for park trail
People who like to walk or jog on the path around Irwin Park may soon be on a better path to fitness. Irwin council authorized Lucien Bove, its engineer, to apply to Westmoreland County for about $138,000 to resurface and reconstruct the walking path around the park off the intersection...
Recruitment center for new Hempfield casino to open late August
The former Sears wing at Westmoreland Mall once again is coming to life as facilities that cater to the now-under-construction casino at the mall open up shop. A recruitment center is set to open Aug. 24 in the former Barbara Ann’s Country Furnishings store, which moved upstairs, said Tom Meinert,...
Latrobe sex offender who served time for 2009 sex assault accused in new rape
A Latrobe man who previously was jailed for sexual assault is accused of raping a woman last year after she requested his help to move a piece of furniture, police say. Jonathan Michael Pollard, 31, was arrested this week on charges of rape, sexual assault, stalking and related offenses. He...
Unity Township lobby to reopen soon, with renovation nearing end
Soon residents will be able once more to enter the Unity Township office building during business hours, as renovation of the lobby is nearing completion. “Hopefully, within the next week, we’re going to have the renovations done and the building will be open for people to come in,” according to...
Unity postpones debate on backyard chickens, cites pandemic restrictions
Unity residents were told to wait Thursday when they tried to give the township supervisors their two cents on a local debate about backyard chicken regulations. On the advice of Solicitor Gary Falatovich, the supervisors declined to take comments about chickens at their regular monthly meeting. They deferred discussion on...
Dozens of clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed in Allegheny, Westmoreland courts as possible deadline looms
More than two dozen lawsuits that allege sexual abuses by priests were filed Thursday ahead of what lawyers suggest could be a deadline to file legal action two years after the release of a grand jury report that detailed claims involving Catholic dioceses throughout Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh lawyer Alan Perer filed...
Hempfield attacker pleads guilty, begs judge to stay in jailVideo
All Ian Smail knew was he was brutally beaten by his Hempfield neighbor last year, an attack that left him in a coma for 11 days. It wasn’t until later that he realized his injuries were far more severe and included dozens of slash wounds to his face and a...
Large crowds taking toll on Pennsylvania state parks
In the late 1800s, Ohiopyle State Park’s 100-acre Ferncliff Peninsula was home to a boardwalk, bowling alley and hotel along the Youghiogheny River. The small resort eventually closed as automobiles replaced rail transportation to the small Fayette County town, allowing the natural landscape to return. Decades later, Ferncliff Peninsula Natural...
Battle over backyard chickens resumes in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon officials this week once again clashed over how to regulate backyard chickens in a prelude to a future public hearing on a proposed ordinance that will set parameters on how hens can be raised in a residential neighborhood. Commissioners on Thursday expressed conflicting opinions on what they wanted...
Export’s Ethnic Food & Music Fest a go; Delmont’s Apple’n Arts Festival, Pilgrimage canceled
In a season of cancellations, Export’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival is sticking to its guns and will go on this weekend. The event is set for noon to 9 p.m. Saturday along Washington Avenue. Councilwoman Melanie Litz said the relatively small size of both the borough and festival...
Westmoreland County adds 13 new covid-19 cases
Westmoreland County added 13 new covid-19 cases Thursday, according to the state Department of Health. Twelve of the new coronavirus cases are confirmed and one is probable. The county’s coronavirus case total is now 1,586. Of those cases, 1,542 are confirmed and 44 probable. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram No...
Temporary changes made to Hempfield’s administration office
Hempfield’s central administration office is receiving help in the weeks leading up to the first day of school. Gregory Saraceni, an assistant principal at Hempfield Area High School, will temporarily provide support to the central administration office, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said. Board members voted this week to approve the changes,...
Location of time capsule buried in a North Huntingdon school courtyard remains a mysteryVideo
The location of a time capsule buried 31 years ago in a former Norwin elementary school courtyard remains as much a mystery today as the contents sealed inside it, despite a couple of hours of digging into the solid earth and using a metal detector to try to find it....
Sewage treatment plant in Avonmore to get $3.3 million upgrade
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board on Wednesday approved the financing for construction of an upgraded sewer plant in Avonmore. The $3.3 million project will upgrade the 50-year-old plant that services more than 400 sewer customers in the borough. The work will be paid for by a $1.85 million...
Unity family appeals backyard chicken violation, want birds classified as petsVideo
Kristin Kuhns and her husband, Jeff, say the chickens they keep in their Unity backyard provide their family with companionship as well as eggs, and they want township officials to ease up on regulation of the birds. After a neighbor in the Lawson Heights neighborhood complained about the Kuhnses’ 20...
Students moving back to Seton Hill University for face-to-face classes
Slowly but surely students began moving in at Seton Hill University on Wednesday for what the school hopes will be a largely traditional semester — despite a global pandemic that has prompted many of the nation’s college campuses to remain largely shuttered. Unlike some local universities that have transitioned to...
Volunteers sought for spruce-up Saturday at Trafford restaurant
The Trafford Business Association is asking volunteers to lend a hand Saturday morning with a beautification project at a local restaurant that is in transition. Association President Larry George plans to cut and install cedar boards to put a new face on a chain link fence fronting an unused section...
New Westmoreland GOP head wants to expand on party’s success
The new chairman of Westmoreland County’s Republican Committee said he wants to keep the momentum that, for the last decade, propelled election day victories and voter registration surges that turned the local GOP from an afterthought to political dominance. “It wasn’t that long ago we were the group on the...
Giant slides at Mammoth Park to remain closed 2 more weeks
The Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant will remain closed for at least two more weeks as Westmoreland County officials await safety reports from two independent investigators. Public Works Director Greg McCloskey reaffirmed Wednesday that officials believe the matching 100-foot metal slides are safe. Four of the five...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed on $250K bond after police seize heroin, meth, cash
A major area heroin dealer, who investigators said typically conducted business out of his car throughout central and southern Westmoreland County, on Tuesday decided to sell four bricks of the drug from his Mt. Pleasant home. That proved to be a mistake. Borough police and agents from state Attorney General’s...
Police identify suspects in I-70 brick throwing probe
State police in Belle Vernon said they have “identified suspects” in two brick throwing incidents last month along Interstate 70 that caused a minor injury to one truck driver near the North Belle Vernon interchange. On July 7, state police reported bricks were thrown at two eastbound tractor-trailers. One driver...
Lamp Theatre remains dark as 3 workers cut
Hurt by the cancellation of shows since mid-March because of the covid-19 shutdowns, coupled with a public as hesitant about mingling in crowds as performers were cautious about traveling, The Lamp Theatre in Irwin has furloughed its three employees. With revenue slowed to a trickle, The Lamp Theatre decided it...
Westmoreland County adds 18 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 18 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The new cases — all confirmed — bring the county’s total to 1,573 cases. There were 260 new tests reported, for a daily positivity rate of 6.92%. Overall, the county’s positivity rate since the outbreak...
