Westmoreland category, Page 683
‘We’re really not bad parents,’ say Unity couple accused of locking son in closetVideo
A Unity couple accused of locking their 9-year-old son inside a closet and nailing it shut so they could attend a relative’s birthday party say they love him and hope their family is soon reunited. “We want people to know that we’re really not bad parents. We love our kids,”...
Expert will explain benefits of controlled burning for Westmoreland woodlands group
Flames can damage a wooded area when they run wild and unchecked. But one that is controlled can benefit an ecosystem. Jesse Kreye, an assistant research professor of fire and natural resources management at Penn State University, will explain the positive impact of prescribed fire Thursday March 19 at the...
Greater Latrobe’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ blends romance, comedy and classic pop hitsVideo
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Greater Latrobe School District has limited attendance at “Mamma Mia!” to two invited people per participant in the musical. Attendees will be asked to identify the cast member they are representing when they arrive at the senior high auditorium. There will be an...
Bushy Run turns back clock to 18th century during Charter Day celebration
Bushy Run Battlefield, the Penn Township site of a 1763 British victory over Native American foes, held a Charter Day celebration Sunday. Visitors mingled with reenactors in period garb while taking free tours of the battlefield visitor center. Musket drills and children’s crafts also were featured. The event marked the...
Nearly 100 flock to Mazeroski home to be auctioned in HempfieldVideo
Whoever lives next in the house that Bill Mazeroski built will get to hit some of the same balls he did. Billiard balls, that is. The basement pool table is one of the few pieces of furniture that will be included when bids are placed for the Hempfield ranch house...
2019 H.S. performance score rankings for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Alle-Kiski Valley
The goal of most high schools is to have students graduate with skills that prepare them for success in life. One indication the school is making good on that intention is its building-level performance score — which is used to evaluate teachers and principals under Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System (Act...
Candidates for 58th state House seat preparing for special, general elections
Robert Prah Jr. has been campaigning for more than a year, and he’s got the Army-green notebook to prove it. Prah, a Democrat from Rostraver, will appear on the ballot during a special election March 17 to fill the remaining nine months of the vacant state House seat representing the...
Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace grabs top building score among Westmoreland elementaries
Teachers at Sheridan Terrace Elementary in the Norwin School District provided customized reading instruction for students and reached out to their families to reinforce educational goals. Those strategies paid off, as Sheridan led all elementary schools in Westmoreland County in 2019, based on state-calculated building-level scores. Sheridan achieved 93 out...
Penn-Trafford middle schools claim county lead in building performance results
Trafford Middle School used a flexible grouping approach to teach students last year, helping it to the top overall state performance score — 85.3 — among middle and junior high schools in Westmoreland County. Penn Middle School, also in Penn-Trafford School District, came in second with a score of 81.1...
JROTC walk remembers Bataan, benefits Westmoreland War on Terror monumentVideo
A chill was in the air Saturday morning as about 60 Junior ROTC cadets marched out of Trafford’s B-Y Park. The cold weather didn’t deter the cadets from Norwin, Plum and Pine-Richland school districts, who were on a dual mission as they set off on a 14-mile trek along the...
Parents, school officials working to raise money for new playground at West Hempfield Elementary
Parents at West Hempfield Elementary School are rallying together to give students a new playground by the start of next school year. Plans for a 40 by 70 playground featuring new equipment that will promote physical activity while including sensory play pieces is in the works, said PTO member Kimberly...
Party continues for Levin Furniture workers who faced bleak future days agoVideo
Just when it seemed the feel-good story of the week couldn’t get any better, hundreds of Levin Furniture employees and managers turned out for a rousing homecoming for former owner Robert Levin on Friday. “I just want to tell everybody how excited I am to be back, running the company,”...
Salem man accused of blackmailing teen for nude photosVideo
An 18-year-old Salem man accused of asking underage girls to send him nude photographs was arrested again Friday for allegedly blackmailing a 16-year-old girl into sending him illicit photographs and a video. Dylan J. Krupitzer, of Crabtree, declined comment as he was led from Washington Township District Judge Jason Buczak’s...
For the love of mic: Frankie Day celebrates 15 years on the air
Frank Dittig’s two careers have just one thing in common — they’ve both been jobs he has loved. And that’s where the similarities end. Dittig, 79, owned an office supply store in North Versailles for decades before commanding the mic at radio station WKFB-AM, playing oldies tunes for listening ears....
Cops: Derry woman abused toddler after smoking crack cocaine
A Derry woman is accused of physically abusing a 23-month-old toddler and smoking crack cocaine as the child sat in her lap. Crystal N. Steele, 28, was arraigned by Hempfield District Judge Tony Bompiani on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless...
Penn-Trafford to host Princess Party fundraiser
The show must go on and so must the fundraisers. The Penn Trafford Drama Guild’s cast of “Footloose” will host a Royal Sing-A-Long with your favorite princes and princesses on Friday, March 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Penn Trafford High School cafeteria. The event will feature...
Calves injured in Pa. Turnpike crash recovering at Murrysville vet clinicVideo
Four calves are making a recovery at Allegheny Equine in Murrysville after the trailer they were traveling in overturned while exiting the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Tuesday at the Irwin interchange. “We had four that were a bit dehydrated and needed some supportive care,” said Dr. Alexis Baney, a veterinarian for...
Greensburg Art Center seeking proposals for sculpture garden
Greensburg Art Center is inviting artists to submit proposals for a work to be added to the center’s outdoor sculpture garden. Sculpture would be installed in late summer 2021 as an adjunct to an exhibition of three-dimensional works planned for the Rowe Gallery in the center at 230 Todd School...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 6-8
So we lose an hour this weekend, but gain extra daylight. Celebrate the longer days and warmer temps, but keep that umbrella close by, just in case. And get out and enjoy some music, some history, maybe even cross the (Somerset) county line and get a jump start on spring...
Belle Vernon teachers’ strike could doom musical, theater program
The fate of the Belle Vernon High School musical program is shrouded in uncertainty after teachers announced they plan to strike six days before opening night if a new labor contract isn’t reached. The strike is scheduled to start March 13. That could impede a strict schedule set by the...
Wonderful Life: Mt. Pleasant, workers relish return of Robert Levin to family furniture businessVideo
Robert Levin might take issue with it, but longtime Mt. Pleasant Mayor Jerry Lucia says the scion of Levin’s furniture company is his small town’s answer to George Bailey. Like the star of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Levin has stepped away from his own life — twice now — when...
Prize-winning golden retriever Daniel gets honor from Westmoreland CountyVideo
Daniel, the prize-winning golden retriever at the 2020 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, took a star turn in Greensburg on Thursday. The dog, soon to be 6, was the guest of honor at the Westmoreland County Courthouse when he and owner Tammy Tomlinson of Hillock Golden Retrievers...
1st lawsuit filed in deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike tour bus crashVideo
Two brothers from New Jersey who were aboard a tour bus that crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County in January, killing five people and injuring 60, filed a civil lawsuit Thursday against the bus company. Anthony Ellis, 39, and Quwanjay Ellis, 18, both of Irvington, N.J., accuse Z&D...
Westmoreland County inks deal with unions, doles out raises for nonunion workers
A new four-year labor deal with Westmoreland County’s largest unions was approved Thursday that gives raises to workers but also imposes a surcharge on employees who use tobacco. Commissioners ratified the deal with the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and SEIU HealthCare Pennsylvania, which represents courthouse employees and nursing...
Westmoreland commissioners fund tourism plan, earmark funds for marketing
The 2020 tourism plan for Westmoreland County includes more than $834,000 in new projects and reserves a large purse for what officials hope one day will be spent on an agressive marketing campaign to lure tourists — and their wallets. Projects include upgrades to county parks, financing for the annual...
