Westmoreland category, Page 680
Firefighters practice rescues from confined spaces in JeannetteVideo
The victim: a 180-pound dummy dressed in firefighter gear trapped underneath Fifth Street in Jeannette. The mission: squeeze through a manhole and a few feet of old brick street for a rescue. “One patient down, unconscious,” Penn Township medical rescue technician Bobby Scott said through a radio after he touched...
Norwin School Board cancels meeting
The Norwin School Board has cancelled its meeting that was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, because the school district is closed for two weeks as a result of the governor’s orders to combat the spread of the coronavirus that causes covid-19. The school district has yet to reschedule the meeting,...
Western Pa. restaurants offer free lunches to schoolkids during hiatus over coronavirus fearsVideo
School lunches are getting an upgrade from restaurants around the area that are offering free mid-day meals to children in light of a two-week shutdown of schools amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Many owners said they felt the need to help after Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday ordered all...
Greensburg author, musician Karen Dietrich publishes ‘dark thriller’Video
Evelyn Gibson, the protagonist in Greensburg author Karen Dietrich’s novel “Girl at the Edge,” is a 16-year-old girl living in Florida with her loving, slightly unconventional family. “I’m into kind of dark stories, darker crime,” says Dietrich, 43. So the fact that Evelyn has always known her father was a...
58th state House candidates swap negative ads, complain of inaccuracy
Candidates for the vacant 58th District state House seat in Tuesday’s special election are spending the final days of the campaign responding to the flurry of what they called inaccurate negative ads. Both major party candidates, Democrat Robert Prah Jr. and Republican Eric Davanzo, said high-volume mailings, television and online...
Greensburg police searching for missing mother and son
Greensburg police are searching for a mother and her 1-year-old son. Aziyza King, 37, and Zayn went missing March 6. They were last seen leaving their residence on Grove Street. According to a police department Facebook post, King had told a neighbor she would be walking to the Dollar General...
Don Bailey: Football great, decorated soldier, state official, congressman, but also fun-loving dad
When Don Bailey’s six children were in trouble, he’d bring out the deposition recorder. He would set the stage with the time and date for the recorded family meeting and detail the issue. Afterward, he would write up a contract and have them sign it. “I was 7, and I...
Some in Greensburg, Irwin celebrate St. Patrick’s Day ahead of looming virus spread
The threat of picking up a virus spreading around the globe didn’t chase away the luck of the Irish from Irwin on Saturday. Sherry Goughenour of North Huntingdon said it was important to her to support the community. “The local businesses, it’s hard on them,” she said. “I’m not in...
Irwin’s Lamp Theatre postpones gala and 2 shows
The fear of the spread of the coronavirus has claimed another victim — the fundraising gala that The Lamp Theatre in Irwin had planned for Friday. The gala, featuring a Roaring ’20s theme, may be rescheduled for sometime this summer, said John Gdula, president of the Lamp Theatre Corp. board...
Westmoreland County declares state of emergency to prepare for coronavirusVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioners declared a state of emergency Saturday morning, a move officials said will enhance government efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The emergency declaration gives county officials the ability to quickly activate emergency personnel and pay for needed responses, county officials said during a courthouse news conference....
Allegheny, Westmoreland libraries closed amid coronavirus fears
Westmoreland County’s libraries and satellite offices will be closed until March 30 amid fears over the coronavirus, officials announced. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s locations will close Sunday until March 31. Guidance on the closure came from the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Commonwealth Libraries on Friday after Gov. Tom...
SeaBase in Greensburg announces temporary closure
SeaBase Family Fun Center will be closed through at least the end of March amid coronavirus concerns. The Greensburg facility is asking anyone who has a party scheduled there over the next few weeks to get in touch to either reschedule the date or cancel it, according to a Facebook...
Expert: Prepping for quarantine should focus on basic nutrition
People are shifting to disaster mode as the coronavirus further impacts daily lives, with shelves of Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer and other products stripped clean at stores across the region. After President Trump’s speech on Wednesday night about his administration’s attempts to mount an effort to stop the spread of...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art closes for rest of March, citing coronavirus concerns
Coronavirus concerns have prompted the Westmoreland Museum of American Art to close its doors to the public beginning Saturday and continuing through the end of March. The decision was triggered by Gov. Wolf’s order on Friday closing all Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days. “We believe this decision is in...
Monessen man gets 6-20 years for child sex assault
A Monessen man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy. Michael Christofel, 39, pleaded guilty Friday to charges he had multiple incidents of sexual contact with the boy in October and November 2018 in Monessen. According to court records, the victim’s...
Westmoreland halts most visits to county nursing home
Westmoreland County commissioners on Friday halted visitation for most residents at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. Commissioners will conduct a news conference at 9 a.m. Saturday at the courthouse to unveil the county’s full response plan to the coronavirus pandemic. The new restriction at the 400-bed Westmoreland Manor started...
Cops: Man jailed on $100K bond, charged with stalking Jeannette woman
A Jeannette woman told city police an acquaintance broke into her apartment Thursday and began texting her more than 30 photographs of items from inside her home. Steve G. Pierce Jr., 32, of Swissvale, was arrested on charges of burglary, harassment, receiving stolen property, stalking and theft by city police....
Latrobe officials nix attempt to replace fire chief, open to investigation
Discord continues to flare in the Latrobe Fire Department. After several months of strife, city officials agreed to look into an attempt by some firefighters to oust Chief John Brasile. Mayor Rosie Wolford said a council committee would investigate any written documentation firefighters produce that might establish a “just cause”...
Cops: 2 more suspects arrested in Greensburg residential burglaries
As Greensburg Police continue to probe dozens of daylight residential burglaries , two more suspects were arrested Thursday for allegedly selling some of the stolen items. James E. Dickant Jr. was arrested Monday at the Rodeway Inn in Hempfield Monday on multiple charges of forgery, possessing instruments of crime, theft,...
Work nearly complete on replica of 19th-century Murrysville schoolhouseVideo
A crew of Amish carpenters may have been brought in to build a replica of the 1836 schoolhouse off of West Pike Street in Murrysville, but Murrysville Historical Preservation Society members didn’t need to venture far to find other period-appropriate trappings. “Lou Geiger from Murrysville, who owns (Caleb Atlantic fuel...
Irwin still to hold St. Patrick’s Day events on Saturday
The city of Pittsburgh may have canceled its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, but Irwin plans to carry on Saturday with its festival that features traditional Irish food, libations and music. Several restaurants in downtown Irwin from noon to 5 p.m. will sell Irish food, according to the Irwin Business...
Delmont native works as Navy SeaBee electrician
With two generations of military men in his family, Derek Hughes of Delmont felt a strong duty to make a contribution of his own as the third. “My grandfather served in the Marine Corps as an infantryman during the Korean War and my uncle served in the Navy in the...
Westmoreland Symphony hits social media to get postponement out
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s decision to postpone the planned March 14 “Irish Rhapsody” concert included a “full court press” announcement. Patron notifications include Endy Reindl, executive director, making the announcement Thursday via a video posted Thursday to the WSO’s website and social media accounts. In the video announcement, Reindl notes...
AMC Theatres creating ‘distance’ in movies; full house now to be ‘half full’
AMC Theatres, which owns the theaters behind the Westmoreland Mall near Greensburg and the Waterfront in Homestead, is encouraging “social distancing” in its movie theaters because of the coronavirus, by making sure its screenings are only half-full at most. Ticket sales in movie auditoriums nationwide will be capped at one-half...
Unity OKs liquor license for Walmart alcohol sales; store remodeling planned
Unity is one step closer to being home to the second Walmart location in Pennsylvania to sell beer and wine. Township supervisors have approved a restaurant liquor license transfer for the Colony Lane store off Route 30, which now must be greenlighted by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Walmart hopes...
