Westmoreland category, Page 66
Hempfield woman loses $70,000 in social security scam
A Hempfield woman was scammed out of $70,000 after state police said she was led to believe she was under investigation by the Social Security Administration for money laundering and drug sales. “This was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud our elders and is likely not the only case,”...
Driver who drove away after striking 8-year-old cyclist in Penn Borough contacts police
State police said Thursday the driver of a white Subaru car that hit an 8-year-old boy riding a bicycle in Penn Borough and left the scene contacted them after media coverage of the incident. Trooper Steve Limani identified the driver as David Baker, 48, of Connellsville. No charges have been...
Verizon receives approval for cell tower in Murrysville
Drivers who frequent Saltsburg Road through Murrysville are likely familiar with the “dead zone,” where their Verizon call is all but guaranteed to drop as they travel between Mamont and Ashbaugh roads. Verizon expects to address that gap in coverage by installing a 125-foot tower at a property on Lasher...
Judge to hear arguments in sheriff’s challenge of Westmoreland vehicle policy
A judge will hear arguments next month in a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a policy requiring GPS tracking of all Westmoreland County government vehicles. Sheriff James Albert challenged the policy, claiming it violates his right as an independent elected official to manage his office and contends the tracking could...
Norwin, Pirates team up for tickets for game
Norwin is partnering with the Pittsburgh Pirates to sell tickets to the Norwin Knights at PNC Park baseball game on May 4, an activity that also will help while helping to raise funds for the school district’s renovation projects at the Knights Stadium and the high school auditorium. The school...
PennDOT begins I-70 interchange revamp in Rostraver, eyes completion of another
Motorists on the Interstate 70 corridor in Rostraver can expect to drive on a radically revamped Route 51 interchange by the time the PennDOT construction season comes to an end. To the west on the interstate, a phased four-year reconstruction of the Arnold City interchange, also in Rostraver, is just...
Cop claims false arrest by Rostraver cost him job with different department
A City of Duquesne police officer is suing Rostraver, its former police chief and a detective, claiming they arrested him without probable cause and cost him a job at the Elizabeth Township Police Department. Michael Kemple filed the complaint Tuesday in federal court alleging civil rights violations, including that the...
Police seek information on Subaru that struck boy on bicycle in Penn Borough
State police are looking for the driver of a white Subaru car that hit an 8-year-old boy riding a bicycle Tuesday evening in Penn Borough and then fled. Trooper Steve Limani said the driver got out of the car, removed the bicycle from in front of it and left the...
Free community band festival will take place in Murrysville
The 19th annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival will be held 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville. The East Winds Symphonic Band, which founded the festival and is comprised of players from Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs, will be joined by the Community Band South...
Westmoreland happenings: Egg-your-yard fundraiser, spring breakfast, art tournament, more
Art • River Art Works will sponsor an art tournament on May 3 at Mammoth Park, 254 County Park Road, Mt. Pleasant Township. Artists will paint for 30 minutes and the crowd decides the winner. There will be four rounds and one final round. Registration: $30; children, $15; sign up...
Italy Road in Export will get state-funded upgrades through ‘turn-back’ program
In exchange for taking over Italy Road’s maintenance from the state, Export will be able to fund some long-awaited improvements on the section of the road that lies inside the borough. “I think this is going to be a great deal for Export,” borough Solicitor Wes Long said. Council unanimously...
Small egg farms avoid shortages, keep prices stable
Art King knows egg prices nationally have been on a roller coaster ride. They still cost an average of almost three times what they did in July 2023, but not at his farm market. As co-owner of Harvest Valley Farms in West Deer, King has been selling eggs for about...
‘We’re praying’: Riders fear proposed Pittsburgh Regional Transit cuts
Monroeville resident Shane Beachy does not want to quit his job as a cook at Trafford restaurant Veronica’s On Cavitt. But, if Pittsburgh Regional Transit follows through on a proposal to eliminate service to the borough, Beachy, 49, may have no choice. The transit agency is weighing a 25-cent fare...
East Huntingdon solar farm ordinance faces court challenge from Erie-based company
An Erie-based energy company is suing East Huntingdon, claiming a new ordinance effectively bans solar farms in the township. GreenKey Development Inc. says in its lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court that East Huntingdon supervisors hastily and improperly adopted an ordinance in February to set specific and strict requirements for...
Mt. Pleasant drunk driver sentenced to jail term for 2020 crash that injured 2 pedestrians
Vincent Polito’s life was changed forever when he was struck by a drunk driver along the side of a Mt. Pleasant road nearly five years ago. Polito, 23, now requires around-the-clock care as a result physical and cognitive injuries sustained when a vehicle driven by 35-year-old Elizabeth Sirianni hit him...
Westmoreland cultural groups, nonprofits will seek crucial helpers at volunteer fair
It can take as many as 150 volunteers to help run the midsummer Westmoreland County Arts and Heritage Festival, and Executive Director Diane Shrader is looking to sign up some of those unpaid workers at a Friday event in Greensburg. The festival is one of more than two dozen organizations...
Bridge beams to be placed as work progresses on revamp of I-70/Route 51 interchange
Reconfiguration of the Interstate 70 interchange with Route 51 is scheduled to reach a new milestone in the days ahead as work advances on construction of the second of a pair of bridges that will carry Route 51 over the interstate. Dominec Caruso, assistant construction engineer for PennDOT District 12,...
Trooper Iwaniec Race targets drunken driving for 16th year, virtually and in Unity
Organizers of the annual Trooper Kenton Iwaniec Memorial Race at Saint Vincent College hope to raise $100,000 through this year’s April 12 event. That’s enough to purchase 200 breathalyzers — to help law enforcement agencies crack down on those who get behind the wheel while drunk in Pennsylvania. The family...
Westmoreland commissioners quickly fill vacant HR director’s post
Westmoreland County commissioners on Monday named Amanda Bernard as the county’s new director of human resources, starting April 28. It’s a return engagement for Bernard. She served in the position for about two years before she left for another job in 2020 and was replaced by Alexis Bevan, who formally...
FirstEnergy lays off 75 in Pennsylvania; 350 companywide
Electric utility owner FirstEnergy Corp., parent company of Greensburg’s West Penn Power Co., said Monday it has laid off about 75 employees in Pennsylvania. The layoffs are part of a corporate-wide restructuring impacting 350 of its employees. About 75 FirstEnergy workers throughout the state lost their jobs as the company...
Hotel room search leads to $13,000 drug bust in Hempfield
A North Versailles man is awaiting arraignment in connection with a drug bust at a Hempfield hotel, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. Charges were filed Friday against Brandon Patrick Lewis, 30. County detectives and sheriff’s deputies worked with the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and agents from...
Solar projects go commercial — growth up, power costs down
A fire hall in downtown Greensburg is going solar this year with rooftop panels to generate electricity, which the city fire chief says will save money on energy costs. “It will be a substantial amount of savings for Hose Company No. 2, and it will generate an excess amount of...
One for the record books? Game commission measures antlers statewideVideo
If a hunter bags just about any big game animal in Pennsylvania, game warden Zach Hay can take its measurements to see if it qualifies for the state’s record book. “I just want to see if this is bigger than the last one I got scored in 2013,” said Dave...
Hempfield plans new museum for volunteer fire stations
Hempfield is planning to establish a committee that will be tasked with the creation of a museum for the township’s volunteer fire stations. Township Supervisor Doug Weimer made the suggestion last week as he and fellow supervisors unanimously approved a declaration of intent with Grapeville for the station to become...
Luxury personal care home set to open in Unity may be most expensive in Westmoreland County
A personal care home opening in Unity may have the most luxurious — and expensive — suites in Westmoreland County. April 1 will mark the debut of The Fountains at Latrobe, after about 10 months of construction and interior preparations. The Fountains’ flat monthly fee for a standard suite begins...
