Westmoreland category, Page 681
Unity bridge closure to become permanent with PUC approval
A Unity Township bridge that has been closed for the better part of a year because of safety concerns will remain so, under a new agreement the township supervisors reached with Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay for removing the bridge that once carried Buffenmeyer Road over...
Carving out new purposes for golf courses, country clubsVideo
Mike Smetak recalls learning to play golf at Timber Ridge Golf Club in East Huntingdon, before it closed in 2016. In years prior, the site off Route 31 was known as the Mulberry Hill Golf Course. Smetak says he finds it “a little surreal” that he and his wife, Lindsay,...
Greensburg Diocese restricts activities
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg said Thursday that Catholics aren’t obligated to attend Sunday Mass because of the concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. It also stated that all large group non-liturgical parish and diocesan gatherings, will be canceled beginning Saturday. The popular fish fries will be open for...
The Trendy Bunny opens in Greensburg
Alisha Edwards wants her new store — Trendy Bunny on South Pennsylvania Avenue — to showcase the best Greensburg has to offer. “We’ve taken the talents of Greensburg and brought them in here,” Edwards said. The boutique focuses on children’s clothing and features items from local creators as well national...
Greensburg St. Patrick’s Day events to continue despite coronavirus concerns
Greensburg area bars say coronavirus won’t prevent them from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day Weekend. All Saints Brewing, Mr. Toad’s and the Parkwood Inn are among the local establishments planning parties, and they say their events will go on as scheduled. “As far as I know, all the bars are still...
Westmoreland County schools planning for worst-case coronavirus scenario
As coronavirus cases continue to grow in eastern Pennsylvania and other areas of the country, school officials across Westmoreland County are preparing plans for how to educate students in a worst-case scenario. Principals in Greater Latrobe School District planned to meet Friday with their staffs to discuss plans for responding...
Westmoreland County postpones jury trials, asks residents to conduct business online if possibleVideo
Westmoreland County’s criminal court judges postponed all jury trials in March in response to the ongoing concern about the coronavirus. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger on Thursday conducted hearings for inmates at the county jail via video conferencing rather than have them brought to the courthouse. “I’m doing this as...
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau kicks of ‘Ag Literacy Week’
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau kicked off “Ag Literacy Week” in Pennsylvania on Thursday with bureau President Rick Ebert reading to his granddaughter’s class at Grandview Elementary School in Derry. Literacy week, March 16-20, will feature farmers and other representatives of the state’s agriculture industry reading to students in schools across...
Westmoreland Transit to continue service, step up vehicle cleaning
Westmoreland County Transit officials say the ongoing coronavirus scare for now will not impact local and commuter bus service and the agency’s Go Westmoreland paratransit shared-ride programs will continue at current levels. Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said buses and other vehicles will undergo additional disinfection to ensure the...
Greensburg Save a Lot to close after 17 years
Greensburg’s Save A Lot grocery story is closing Saturday after 17 years on East Pittsburgh Street. Shoppers mostly have picked the shelves bare, and even the carts are for sale. Owner Gary Wheatley of Lower Burrell said he’s been looking for someone to buy the store since last year, but...
Unity woman charged in $10,200 check-cashing scheme
A Unity woman is accused of cashing $10,200 in fraudulent checks mailed to her by an “online” paramour and then sending him the cash, state police said. Marjorie E. Aukerman, 56, is charged with theft by deception, receiving stolen property and assisting in consummation of a crime in connection with...
2 Allegheny County men arrested in Jeannette shooting
A Pittsburgh man is being held without bond after Jeannette police said he shot another man Wednesday. Ronald Lee Johnson, 64, of Perry South, is accused of firing the shot in the area of Wood and North First streets in Jeannette at 4:45 p.m, according to court papers. He is...
Cops: W.Va. man accused of assaulting, choking woman in Delmont
A Martinsburg, W.Va., man is being held without bail in the Westmoreland County Prison after he was accused of choking and threatening to kill a woman in Delmont. Ricardo Feliciano, 42, was charged with criminal trespass, cruelty to animals, disorderly conduct, harassment, stalking, strangulation and terroristic threats filed by Delmont...
Belle Vernon teachers strike averted; tentative pact reached in 11th-hour deal
Classes for about 2,500 Belle Vernon Area students continued as scheduled Friday after the teachers’ union and school board reached what they hope is a deal on a new contract, a union representative said. Details of the tentative agreement were not available. The contract still must be approved by the...
Irwin drops Greensburg law firm, hires attorney from firm
Irwin council dropped its Greensburg law firm this week, but hired one of the firm’s attorneys as its solicitor. The borough no longer will retain Tremba, Kinney, Greiner & Kerr LLC to provide solicitor services. Instead, attorney Zachary Kansler, a former member of the firm, will be a part-time borough...
Greensburg Salem School Board appoints former athletic director as new member
Greensburg Salem School District welcomed a familiar face as its newest board member. Lynn Jobe, the district’s former athletic director, was appointed to fill the remainder of former board member Rachel Shaw’s term. Shaw announced her resignation in January, after accepting a government job that prevented her from holding elected...
Sisters of Charity, Chuck Cooper, George Romero to get state historic markers in Western Pa.
The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, a standout Duquesne University basketball player, a renowned horror filmmaker, an influential archaeologist and an Indian trader who once owned thousands of acres in Western Pennsylvania will be recognized for their importance with historical markers, the state announced. Six of the 24 people,...
Westmoreland County prepares for high volume of mail-in votes
Westmoreland County will be ready if large numbers of voters decide to stay home on Election Day. Officials will spend about $100,000 for new equipment to help count mail-in votes in next month’s primary and in the November general election. County commissioners approved buying two high-speed scanners from Election Systems...
Sage’s Army welcomes those in need to its new Hempfield location; open house set
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sage’s army announced that the open house has been postponed. Megan Riley first came into contact with Carmen Capozzi in August 2016. He was the catalyst that helped her find sobriety. Now, he’s her boss at her first job as a certified recovery...
Former Westmoreland congressman, state Auditor General Donald Bailey’s life was driven by competition
Whether it was on a wrestling mat, football field, battlefield or in politics, friends of former Westmoreland County Congressman and Pennsylvania Auditor General Donald A. Bailey say he relished competition. “Don was one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met, and he was certainly driven in everything he did....
Murrysville resident examines 1920s Johnstown racial incident in new book
Editor’s note: The author’s scheduled March 18 presentation at CCAC was canceled after this story was first published online. What began as a search for a story about local black history led Cody McDevitt to a project that has gone from a newspaper series to a magazine to a book...
Small fire extinguished at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital
A small fire was extinguished Wednesday afternoon at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Fire Chief Tom Bell said a 2-foot-by-2-foot section of insulation caught fire while a crew was using a heating device to install a rubber roof on part of the hospital. That sent smoke into an area...
Banners to honor veterans prove popular in Westmoreland
Delmont officials want to gauge residents’ interest in purchasing banners for local veterans to be displayed throughout town. If the response next door in Export is any indication, they’re likely to prove popular. “We’ve gotten about 70 orders and anticipate at least another 10 that are in the works,” said...
Westmoreland Airport Authority eyes marketing study as coronavirus looms, runway upgrade nears
The Westmoreland Airport Authority plans to conduct the first marketing study of its two airports, hiring a separate consultant for each. Authority officials cited the impact of coronavirus concerns on the air travel industry and planned runway widening at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport as changing conditions that could affect...
Missing Hempfield woman found safe
A Hempfield woman reported missing on Wednesday morning was found safe later in the day, according to state police. Troopers issued the alert for Kathleen Savasta, 33. Her mother Barbara Savasta had last seen her nearly two months ago after Kathleen borrowed her pickup truck on Jan. 19, saying she...
