Westmoreland category, Page 688
6 accused in conspiracy to smuggle drugs into Westmoreland County Prison
A Cambria County woman is accused of working with four Westmoreland County Prison inmates in failed attempts to bring drugs into the jail, according to court papers. Matraca Lynn Vrana, 26, was arraigned Friday and jailed on $50,000 bail. She and five others, including the mother of one of the...
Chance to win 58th state House District excites Westmoreland Dems at endorsement meeting
A statewide race had the potential for some fireworks, but a bid to turn the 58th House District blue generated the most excitement at Sunday’s endorsement meeting of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee. “I’m very, very hopeful,” said Robert Prah Jr., the Democratic candidate to fill the vacant 58th District...
Fashion icon, Southmoreland graduate B. Smith dies at 70
Fashion icon and Everson native Barbara “B.” Smith, who also became a restaurateur and author, died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at her home on Long Island, N.Y., her family announced on social media. She was 70. Smith was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2013, when she was 64....
Cartoonist, writer bring back iconic comic ‘The Yellow Kid’Video
A longtime editorial cartoonist and a comics writer meet at an arts festival, admire each other’s work and strike up a friendship. No, it’s not the set-up for a punchline, but rather collaboration of like minds among two of the biggest fans of a century-old newspaper comic-strip character: The Yellow...
$285M Westmoreland transportation investment proposed for next 4 years
Advancing technology allows more people to bridge distances through electronic connections. But traveling from one point to another remains a fact of life for most when it comes to working, buying household essentials, receiving health care and pursuing recreation. That’s why plenty of resources continue to be devoted to improving...
Regional health care systems set a national pace in elder care
Health systems like to tout new facilities and innovative treatment protocols, but some of their most significant advances in Southwestern Pennsylvania are happening quietly in medical schools, hospital rooms and homes where they are setting new standards in geriatric health care. In a nation struggling to contain health care costs...
Westmoreland colleges, universities address nursing shortage
By some estimates, the United States is losing 70,000 registered nurses a year to retirement. The current number of baby boomer RNs — 660,000 — is roughly half their peak in 2008, according to the Journal of Nursing Regulation. That there is a nursing shortage — driven partly by demographics,...
Ligonier Township student leads effort to ship enough food to feed 10,000 peopleVideo
On Saturday, Braden Myers learned that one 18-year-old can feed 10,000 people — with a little help from his friends. The home-schooled Ligonier Township high school student organized a food drive as his senior project but decided to make it international in scope. “I just got so excited to have...
Latrobe Lions Club cancels dementia presentation
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Latrobe Lions Club has announced that a presentation on dementia it was co-sponsoring with the Latrobe Area Historical Society has been cancelled. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia among older adults, is the sixth leading cause of death in the...
Ligonier woman managed cafeteria, ran ceramics shop
Nancy Vucina loved to sew clothing and make rosary beads for Catholic missionaries. “She made hundreds of rosaries for charity” using a kit containing beads, wire and pliers, said her daughter, Anna Stufft of Ligonier. Mrs. Vucina would go to Saint Vincent College and give the nuns her homemade lye...
Laughlintown workshop to outline remedies for storm-damaged driveways
The past two water-logged years, when the Pittsburgh region experienced up to 20 inches more precipitation than the annual average of 37.66 inches, have left many unpaved driveways and lanes washed out and filled with ruts. The Westmoreland Conservation District and Brandywine Conservancy are joining forces to offer some solutions...
Murrysville marketing firm earns national award for podcast production
A Murrysville marketing agency specializing in engaging the Christian community will receive a National Religious Broadcasters award for producing the weekly “Health, Hope & Inspiration” podcast. Sponsored by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and produced by Murrysville-based Infinity Concepts, “Health, Hope & Inspiration” was developed to provide information and...
Heavy snow, 40 below zero temps stop Latrobe man’s Alaskan journey
Tim Hewitt’s hopes of trekking some 1,300 miles through the Alaskan wilderness were smashed last week by deep snow that slowed his progress, making every step in his snowshoes difficult and deep snow that obliterated any traces of a trail. Hewitt, a Latrobe attorney, said on Feb. 24 from his...
Unity supervisors retain former state senator Regola to lobby for grants
Unity officials are turning to a former Pennsylvania senator for help in landing state funding for proposed improvement projects. Supervisors this week hired Robert Regola of Hempfield to lobby on behalf of township grant requests in Harrisburg. Regola, who offers additional services in government affairs and business development through his...
Norwin to restrict public access to school facilities to improve student safety
Norwin will close public access to its campuses on school days to improve student safety, the district announced. Only people with legitimate school business will be admitted to buildings and recreational facilities. The public will be prohibited from using the track or other recreation facilities from 7 a.m. to 4:30...
Mt. Pleasant Township woman accused of causing injury to 2-year-old boy
A Mt. Pleasant Township woman is accused by state police of causing a deep cut on a 2-year-old boy’s cheek, according to court papers. Ashley Marie Myers, 31, is charged with aggravated assault and child endangerment. Troopers were notified in a ChildLine report that the boy was taken to UPMC...
Scottdale street closed after bricks fall from former Mennonite Publishing Co. building
Falling bricks from the former Mennonite Publishing Co. building forced Scottdale officials this week to close a section of Walnut Avenue. Yellow police tape, wooden barriers and traffic cones were set up to keep passersby off the block after bricks started flying around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, some bouncing into the...
Route 30 reopened following 3-vehicle crash in North Huntingdon
All four lanes of Route 30 at Skellytown Road in North Huntingdon were closed Friday morning because of a vehicle crash, according to a township dispatcher. Crews responded shortly before 7 a.m. for the crash that involved three vehicles. One person was trapped following the incident, but was extricated around...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Feb. 21-23
Hang in there — Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow, so spring is hot on our heels, right? Meanwhile, another weekend has arrived, with enough music, theater, art and other entertainment on tap to make us venture out, cold and dark or not. A toast to our first president...
RSVP gift shop celebrates new ownership, plans Greensburg locationVideo
RSVP, the gift shop that’s been on Route 30 in Hempfield since 2010, celebrated new beginnings this week as its new owners eye a second location in downtown Greensburg. The store held a ribbon cutting Thursday afternoon to mark the change in ownership and the store’s recent membership in the...
Hockey fundraiser in Greensburg to raise money for family of man lost to heart attack
James Pacek loved playing hockey, so it’s only appropriate his friends will strap on skates to honor his memory. They’ve organized a “Pucks for Pacek” charity hockey game to be held Saturday at Kirk S. Nevin arena in Greensburg, and the event is shaping up to be bigger than any...
Judge rejects request from convicted Fayette Co. drug kingpin wanting years shaved off sentence
A Fayette County drug kingpin will not receive a shortened prison sentence for ordering the 1993 killing of a man whose heart and liver were later transplanted into a dying Gov. Robert Casey. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger this week rejected a request from Ronald Whethers to count...
4 more grads make it through Westmoreland drug court
Westmoreland County’s drug court on Thursday graduated four more participants, bringing the number of former addicts who obtained sobriety under judicial supervision to 39 during the six years of the program. Thursday marked the eighth graduation ceremony since the court was unveiled in 2014. “This is a very intensive program...
Excela Health challenged by ‘disrupters’ in health care market, CEO saysVideo
Excela Health not only faces competition from larger Pittsburgh-based health systems but also national tech companies “invading” the local market in an effort to change how people receive health care, the Westmoreland County-based system’s top official said. “The biggest disruption in our health care space is technology,” Excela Health CEO...
Westmoreland deputy sheriff honored for helping save man in courtroom incidentVideo
Westmoreland County Deputy Sheriff Sean McKown knew he had to act fast and rushed over to the courtroom gallery to help an ill spectator. McKown, 52, of Lower Burrell, was honored in a surprise ceremony Thursday by Sheriff James Albert for his quick action that officials said may have saved...
