Renatta Signorini stories, Page 107
3 vaccine clinics planned by Walmart at Seton Hill University
Three coronavirus vaccine clinics will be held during the next week at Seton Hill University in Greensburg through a partnership among Walmart, the state’s department of aging and other agencies. Ken Thomas, a regional pharmacy clinical services manager at Walmart, said more than 1,000 community members will be inoculated through...
Cassandra Gross case: Mother laments unsolved homicide of missing daughter
Prosecutors plan a full review of the homicide case as a third year passes without an arrest in the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. District Attorney John Peck said the original prosecutor involved with the case has left his office, and Peck plans to examine the evidence state police have gathered...
Pastor saves Peyton Manning the pooch from black bear attack in Mt. Pleasant Township
It was a frightening night for a Mt. Pleasant Township pastor who fended off a black bear that had the family dog clutched in its teeth. The Rev. Tim Stradling said Tuesday that Peyton Manning, a 9-year-old Maltese/silky terrier mix, is recovering at a Monroeville animal hospital. The dog has...
Man used scissors, glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners, police say
A man was jailed Tuesday because state police say he used scissors and a glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners and cash them in at a Hempfield convenience store, according to court papers. Craig Marshall Stout, 45, who has addresses in Mt. Pleasant Borough and Jeannette, is charged...
Man arrested after police chase from Rostraver to Monessen
A man is accused of leading police on a chase from Rostraver to Monessen early Sunday, according to court papers. Isaiah William Jones, 29, who has addresses in Charleroi and Donora, is charged with fleeing from police, driving under the influence, resisting arrest and related offenses. State police said they...
‘Hang on and do what works’: Excela’s top doctor talks vaccines, safety as covid restrictions are set to easeVideo
New coronavirus cases are on the rise once again in Westmoreland County, and with more reopenings statewide coming Sunday, Excela Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox is on edge. Some alcohol-related restrictions will be lifted by state officials this weekend and restaurants and other businesses can increase their capacity...
Jeannette woman hit, killed by train
A Jeannette woman was hit by a train and killed Wednesday, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. Jacqueline A. Wandler, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene on the Norfolk Southern Railroad in Jeannette. Investigators said she was walking along the tracks at 12:40 a.m. when a conductor and engineer...
Man accused of fleeing from police, ramming vehicle onto Route 30 in North Huntingdon
A Jeannette man is in jail after police said he was driving erratically Tuesday night in North Huntingdon and rammed another vehicle, pushing it onto Route 30. Township police said Todd Allen Zvara, 54, appeared to be intoxicated during the 9 p.m. incident. He is charged with aggravated assault, fleeing...
Unity man arrested in connection with Latrobe woman’s drug overdose death
A Unity man was arrested Wednesday on police accusations that he sold drugs to a woman who died from an overdose in 2019, according to court papers. Chad E. Ghrist, 42, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death and drug possession. Police said lab reports showed that his DNA...
Hempfield man sentenced in car sales scheme
A Hempfield man will spend a year on house arrest for claiming to be a licensed car dealer when selling vehicles on Facebook and forging a family member’s name on some of the transactions, according to court papers. Christopher Alan Post, 39, previously of Lower Burrell, was sentenced this week...
Man accused in violent Allegheny home invasion arrested during domestic dispute in Greensburg
A Greensburg man accused in a violent Allegheny County home invasion was arrested over the weekend after trying to get away from city police investigating a domestic dispute in a parked SUV, according to court papers. Police said Justin Bryant, 23, gave them the wrong name and tried to run...
Hempfield man accused of attempting to break out of Westmoreland jail
A Hempfield man jailed in connection with an alleged domestic assault is accused by police of using wheelchair arms to pry off the metal frame of a window at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to county detectives. Jule A. Mascherma, 33, is charged with attempted escape, institutional vandalism and making...
Latrobe bridge set for rehabilitation
A bridge in Latrobe is set for rehabilitation this year after the county commissioners on Monday approved a $2.4 million project. Brewery Bridge carries Ligonier Street over Loyalhanna Creek near City Brewing and Excela Health Latrobe Hospital. County engineer Vaughn Neill said the project is funded mostly by a federal...
Idlewild sets opening date, hiring 600 workers
A summer favorite is opening just in time for Memorial Day after a shortened year in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier Township will open May 29, officials announced Monday. The amusement park’s 144th season will see the return of attractions that didn’t open last...
More coronavirus cases reported at Westmoreland jail
Westmoreland County Prison has 38 active cases of the coronavirus in inmates, Warden Bryan Kline said Monday. Nine prisoners at the Hempfield lockup are considered to have recovered after previously testing positive, he said. Those with active infections are being quarantined throughout the jail. There has been an increase in...
Fayette artist’s creativity unearthed at old mine along Great Allegheny Passage
An abandoned coal mine is telling its story in new ways along the Great Allegheny Passage in northern Fayette County. The cement walls of Banning No. 2 are a perfect canvas for Rachel Sager’s preferred method of art — mosaic. She and artists from around the world are using the...
Great Allegheny Passage, named 20 years ago, continues to grow in popularity, importanceVideo
The task of naming the network of trails stretching from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md., was brought up at an initial planning meeting in the mid-1990s. Ideas were thrown out. But naming something that didn’t yet exist took a backseat to the actual work, Linda McKenna Boxx said. “Let’s see if...
Excela Health creates vaccine registry
Excela Health established a registry for anyone who wants to get the coronavirus vaccine. Those who register will receive a notification when an appointment is available to them as health system officials said they were assured they could expect consistent distributions of the vaccine in the coming weeks. Chief Medical...
Jeannette man charged with ethnic intimidation
Jeannette police charged a man with ethnic intimidation and related offenses this week after they said he called another man a racial epithet during a fight, according to court papers. Police were called to Jeannette Manor on South Fourth Street at 9:30 p.m. Sunday for a reported fight. Witnesses told...
Pittsburgh man charged after Rostraver homeowner stopped break-in
A Pittsburgh man is accused of trying to break into a Rostraver home after police said he claimed to have used a “bad dose of laced marijuana,” according to court papers. A homeowner held LeBarron J. McCoy, 36, at gunpoint Friday until township police arrived. McCoy is charged with burglary,...
Section of Clay Avenue sidewalks set for replacement in Jeannette
The replacement of curbs and sidewalks on a section of Clay Avenue should be completed in June, said Ed Antonacci, Jeannette’s city engineer. But the price could rise because some property owners between Sixth and Seventh streets didn’t respond to requests from city officials seeking information about openings below the...
Westmoreland jail inmate accused of sending explicit letters to woman
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate was arraigned Wednesday on charges he sent explicit letters to a worker at the Sutersville post office, according to court papers. Rickie Linn Case, 59, is charged with two counts of harassment. Investigators said Case lived near the post office before he was arrested in...
1 hospitalized in Latrobe vehicle-pedestrian crash
A woman was injured Monday night after being hit by a Mutual Aid emergency response vehicle, according to Latrobe police. She was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh area hospital, where she remained in critical condition Tuesday. The crash was reported at 9:20 p.m. on Weldon Street near its...
Positive coronavirus cases reported at Westmoreland jail, courthouse
The coronavirus has returned to the Westmoreland County Prison and courthouse. Warden Bryan Kline said 42 inmates have tested positive this month and are in quarantine at the Hempfield lockup. The first positive tests came on March 10 after the virus was cleared from the jail in January. Judge Rita...
2 Westmoreland County Prison inmates facing charges in unrelated incidents
Two inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison were arraigned Friday in unrelated cases filed by county detectives. Gerald Demond Johnson, 21, is charged with aggravated assault and simple assault. Police said guards at the Hempfield jail ordered a random search on two units March 12 and found deplorable conditions in...

