Renatta Signorini stories, Page 110
Derry Township man jailed on charges of child assault
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of giving a child a bloody nose and bruises in a beating before school last week, according to court papers. Christopher Dominic Hilty Sr., 33, is being held without bond at the Westmoreland County Prison. He is charged with strangulation, harassment,...
Groups ramping up for covid-style fish fry fundraisersVideo
As the pandemic closed in last year, fish fry organizers at St. Agnes Church in North Huntingdon scrambled to establish a drive-thru plan for an expected large crowd of hungry patrons. Volunteers set up traffic cones to direct drivers and gave the drive-thru a shot in addition to the regular...
Despite vaccine, Redstone Highlands reports covid spike at Greensburg facility
About 1,000 employees and staff members at Redstone Highlands’ three skilled nursing facilities have their first and, in some cases, second doses of the coronavirus vaccine. With the facilities on their way to being protected, president and CEO John Dickson said it was a shock to learn the virus made...
Greensburg man arrested in sexual assault, rape of 2 boys
A Greensburg man was arrested Wednesday on state police accusations that he raped a boy and sexually assaulted another in Unity nearly three years ago, according to court papers. Steven Michael Cope Jr., 25, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. Troopers said they received a...
Pittsburgh woman sentenced for role in smuggling synthetic marijuana into prisons
A Pittsburgh woman was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in a federal prison for her role in smuggling synthetic marijuana, or K2, into correctional facilities, according to court records. Sandra Wilson, 29, was ordered to spend an additional three years on supervised release. Federal prosecutors said Wilson worked with a...
Jeannette seeks flooding fix before Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County digs up sports field
Jeannette officials want the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County to agree to fix a flooding problem in 15 homes before allowing the authority to dig up part of a sports field in West Jeannette for a project. The two entities have been working on an agreement for months, said city...
3 Baltimore men accused of transporting synthetic marijuana through Westmoreland County
Three Baltimore men are accused by state police of having synthetic marijuana in a vehicle they were traveling in westbound on Interstate 70 through Westmoreland County in April 2019, according to court papers. Jamal Mohammed Alzanam, 32, was arraigned Monday on charges of possession with intent to deliver, transportation of...
Hempfield man accused of impersonating police, threatening staff at driver licensing center
A Hempfield man is behind bars after investigators said he claimed to be a policeman and threatened to shoot workers at a Jeannette driver licensing center, according to court papers. William D. Faltz IV, 31, is charged with terroristic threats, impersonating a public servant, simple assault and disorderly conduct. City...
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art reopens with new exhibits, precautions in place
Voices and inquisitive eyes are filling the galleries once again at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art after a two-month closure. With timed tickets and plenty of space, it’s like visitors have the Greensburg museum all to themselves, said Barbara Jones, chief curator. “It’s a great opportunity to come inside...
2 Good Samaritans hurt in I-70 crash on Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge
Two Good Samaritans attempting to help a motorist whose vehicle had become disabled on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge Saturday were hit by another vehicle and hospitalized, according to Trooper Robert Broadwater. Neither suffered life threatening injuries in the 6:45 a.m. crash on Interstate 70, he said. One of them was...
1 killed, 1 hurt in crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard
A 26-year-old woman was killed late Saturday in a one-vehicle crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard, according to Pittsburgh police. Katherine Lynn Barvilchak of Pittsburgh was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Emergency responders were called to the crash into a utility pole around...
Ligonier councilwoman selected as Democratic nominee for 59th District seat
A Ligonier councilwoman has been nominated by the Westmoreland County Democratic Party to fill an open seat in the state House of Representatives, according to an announcement. Mariah Fisher was elected in 2017 to borough council. She is set to be the party’s nominee for the 59th Legislative District in...
Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, parkVideo
The cold weather didn’t stop a group of adventure seekers from taking to a snow-covered wooded trail Saturday in Murrysville. Maybe it was the promise of hot chocolate at the end of the nearly 3-mile hike or a desire to get outdoors with others during a time when indoor activities...
Thousands of AHN patients get 1st dose of covid vaccine at PNC Park
More than 2,000 high-risk Allegheny Health Network patients 75 and older on Saturday got the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Health system spokeswoman Candace Herrington said AHN is planning to hold additional clinics as vaccine supply increases. That will include events similar to one...
West Mifflin woman killed in Fayette County crash
A West Mifflin woman was killed Friday in a one-vehicle crash in Fayette County, according to state police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Hope Marie Derry, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Route 51 in Perry Township at about 9:45 a.m., troopers said. Police...
Man hospitalized after being hit by vehicle in Homewood
A man was hospitalized Saturday after Pittsburgh police said he was hit by a vehicle in Homewood. Police were called to the intersection of Frankstown Avenue and McCombs Street around 12:30 a.m. The man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in critical condition, police said. The suspect vehicle...
I-70 reopens at Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge after ‘serious’ crash
A few people were hurt in a Saturday morning crash that closed a portion of Interstate 70 on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge at the border of Westmoreland and Washington counties, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported around 6:45 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-70. The...
Excela ‘Mask Up’ video taps Westmoreland facesVideo
Some recognizable faces — even behind masks — are helping Excela Health officials stress the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing while the coronavirus vaccine infiltrates the community. CEO John Sphon said the health system sought well-known figures to help spread the message as a way to reach county residents...
Man arrested after police say he brought handgun into Hempfield casino
A Greensburg man was charged Tuesday with carrying a handgun into Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield without a valid conceal carry permit, according to state police. Kenneth John Czarnecki, 21, is free on his own recognizance on a weapons charge, according to online court records. Troopers said Czarnecki was banned...
Jeannette man accused in Hempfield rape case
A Jeannette man was arraigned Wednesday after state police said he broke into a Hempfield home in November and raped a woman, according to court papers. Asa Duane Busato, 22, is charged with rape of an unconscious person, burglary, aggravated indecent assault and criminal trespass. He was being held at...
Drugs, $10K seized from Jeannette home; 2 arrested
Police seized nearly $10,000 and drugs from a Jeannette home Tuesday and arrested a man and 17-year-old boy inside, according to court papers. Larry Frederick, 31, who is wanted by authorities in Philadelphia, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. City police and agents from the state...
DA rules fatal shooting at South Huntingdon party a justified homicide
A June fatal shooting at a South Huntingdon party has been ruled a justified homicide, said District Attorney John Peck. David J. Hoffman, 44, of Sewickley Township, was drunk when he fired a shotgun, hitting Michael Scott Brown, then 24, once in the leg, Peck said. Brown returned fire, killing...
Hempfield supervisor seeks district judge post
Longtime Hempfield supervisor R. Douglas Weimer has announced his candidacy for an open district judge seat in the township. Weimer, 50, was first elected township supervisor in 2001. He has worked as a public educator for three decades and is an active member of many community organizations and nonprofit agencies....
Braddock man indicted on drug charges after North Huntingdon traffic stop
A Braddock man is set for arraignment Wednesday in federal court after police reported finding drugs in his possession that authorities have linked to overdoses in the area, according to court records. Deshaun Curtis Jones, 29, was ordered detained pending trial on drug and weapons violations. North Huntingdon police on...
Fire departments race against time, covid to recruit members with federal grantVideo
Officials are on target to meet a goal to recruit 300 new firefighters in Westmoreland County under a $4.3 million federal grant. There have been 267 new recruits to fire departments around the county since the grant was awarded in 2017, according to James Shaw, Hempfield’s director of code and...

