Renatta Signorini stories, Page 125
Registered sex offender accused of assaulting girl in New Florence
A Cambria County man is accused of inappropriately touching a 7-year-old girl at a New Florence home in November, according to court papers. David Alan Heming, 57, of Johnstown, was arrested by Westmoreland County detectives Monday on charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors. The girl told investigators that,...
Emotional support hotline set up for Westmoreland first responders
An emotional support hotline is available for first responders in Westmoreland County during the coronavirus pandemic. The hotline has been established by Westmoreland Community Action and the Westmoreland County Critical Incident Stress Management Team. It is available for any first responder — ambulance personnel, police, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and corrections...
Social distancing costs mount for fire companies forced to cancel fundraisers
Gun bashes that can bring in thousands of dollars for fire departments aren’t allowed. Neither are purse bashes, cash bashes, drag queen bingos, burger sales or any of other typically crowded fundraisers that are the lifeblood of local fire departments, which struggle with finances even in good times. Throw in...
U.S. interior secretary helps to reopen Flight 93 memorial as part of phased restartVideo
Five national park sites in Southwestern Pennsylvania are open to visitors after being closed since March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt joined Superintendent Stephen Clark Friday morning to open the gates at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. “We’ve been...
Westmoreland voters in some precincts will see changes for June 2 election
Voters in 20 Westmoreland County precincts will see some temporary changes at the polls during the June 2 primary election. Ten polling places have been combined for the election and 10 others are being moved temporarily because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Four polling places will be moved permanently...
Westmoreland municipal authority approves data backup, readies for construction season
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will spend about $151,000 on backup services for its electronic data and get started on projects as restrictions on construction work have been lifted. The authority board approved a three-year lease Wednesday with TCF for equipment services and software that will allow the authority...
Fayette County driver dies after hitting deer
A Fayette County woman was killed Wednesday when her car hit a deer, state police said. Virginia L. Sexton, 72, of Hopwood, hit the deer just after midnight while traveling south on Route 119 near McClure Road in Upper Tyrone Township, not far from the Westmoreland County border, according to...
North Huntingdon man survives ‘battle’ with covid-19, cheered by Excela hospital staffVideo
With a wave, a few tears and a honk of the horn, Mark Nicholas was finally heading home. Wednesday marked the first time in seven weeks that the North Huntingdon man and his wife, Karyl Nicholas, were able to touch each other. Mark, 62, tested positive for the coronavirus in...
‘New lease on life’: Hempfield man recovers from covid-19, donates plasma to help othersVideo
Monte Swauger had been coughing for weeks. One night in March, he got worse. An emergency room visit to AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital on March 19 set off six excruciating days for his wife, Carrie, and their three sons. Swauger, 49, was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. His positive coronavirus test...
Charges filed in Greater Latrobe junior high hazing incidents
Two Greater Latrobe Junior High School wrestling coaches were charged Tuesday with child endangerment and failure to report January hazing incidents that were captured on surveillance video, according to court papers. Cary James Lydic, 29, of Greensburg was the head coach and David Francis Galando, 44, of Youngstown was his...
Hempfield woman gets jail, house arrest in sex assault of 2 teen boys
A Hempfield woman was sentenced to two months in jail and a year on home electronic monitoring in connection with sexual assaults on two teenage boys last year, according to court records. Brandy Lynn Sturtz, 35, pleaded guilty last week to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and providing alcohol...
Audio of Westmoreland County coronavirus task force meeting available online
Audio from the latest meeting of Westmoreland County’s coronavirus task force is available on the county’s website. State legislators, county commissioners, members of the county departments of public safety, finance and human services and others attended the May 6 meeting. Speakers provided updates about responses to the pandemic ranging from...
State police withdraw stay-at-home violations against 2 in Westmoreland
Citations have been withdrawn against two people who were accused of violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order last month. The citations against Kara Lee Lawson, 27, of Bell, and Scott James Renwick, 28, of Loyalhanna, were withdrawn May 1, according to online court records. It was unclear why the citations...
Norvelt firefighters giving back with donation-only fish fry
Norvelt firefighters are giving back to those who have supported them during Lent by frying up fish Saturday for a cash donation-only drive-thru takeout. The fire department and its ladies auxiliary had to unexpectedly cancel their fish fry this year because of state-mandated social distancing restrictions related to the coronavirus...
Faces of courage: Ambulance personnel on coronavirus front lines
The call comes over their radio — the patient is having trouble breathing, they need an ambulance. Then, “call the center for special patient information,” says a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The paramedics know it’s likely they’re heading toward the invisible threat that everyone else is trying to stay away from...
Monroeville company cleans Westmoreland emergency vehicles for free
Nearly 150 emergency service vehicles in Westmoreland County got a thorough cleaning for free last month from Premier Automation in Monroeville. Nine employees at the engineered solutions company volunteered for more than a week to clean 148 fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles, according to an announcement from...
Excela offers support for teens feeling overwhelmed by pandemic
Students and high school seniors could be dealing with emotions such as grief, anxiety, guilt and loss as the coronavius pandemic disrupts their lives. Their eating and sleeping habits might be different than normal and dreams could be getting disturbing, said Marcie Stover-Jividen, outpatient behavioral health therapist at Excela Health....
South Greensburg man marks 80th birthday with surprise parade thanks to friends, familyVideo
Robert “Boo” Shrader thought he was going to have a quiet 80th birthday celebration on Wednesday with pizza, cake and family. Until he was instructed to put his coat and shoes on and get outside. On an unseasonably cool May day in his South Greensburg neighborhood, about 40 vehicles filled...
Westmoreland coronavirus death toll rises by 1 to 32
A man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 32, officials said Thursday. Coroner Ken Bacha is keeping a running total on his website because he is being notified of the deaths sooner than the state health department, which is tracking the virus across Pennsylvania....
Outside sources charged in alleged scheme to get drugs into Westmoreland jail
Four women who investigators said acted as outside sources were charged Wednesday in connection with an alleged year-long scheme that used fake legal mail to deliver drugs to the Westmoreland County Prison. The women communicated with inmates to send them mail containing synthetic marijuana and pass them papers soaked in...
Network funneling drugs from Philadelphia to Indiana County area dismantled
A network that brought drugs from Philadelphia to Indiana County and the surrounding area for distribution has been dismantled and seven people were arrested, according to federal authorities in Pittsburgh. Investigators said that the network funneled crack cocaine and methamphetamine across the state and distributed it to street-level dealers and...
Excela employees donate $80K to Westmoreland food bank
The Westmoreland County Food Bank has seen an “overwhelming” increase in need with no end in sight, CEO Jennifer Miller said. “Our biggest obstacle right now is the unknown,” she said. But the organization knows for sure it can count on an $80,000 donation from Excela Health employees. “This $80,000...
6 more accused in scheme to get drugs into Westmoreland jail
Six more people have been charged in connection with an alleged yearlong scheme that used fake legal mail to deliver drugs to the Westmoreland County Prison. Five men were inmates at the time of the alleged offenses and the sixth was a girlfriend of one of the defendants, according to...
Completion of Ohiopyle PennDOT project delayed
A construction project in Ohiopyle will not be done by Memorial Day because of delays related to the coronavirus pandemic and CSX railroad, PennDOT officials said Friday. Construction crews are now aiming for July 3 to wrap up work on the $12.4 million project designed to improve pedestrian safety in...
Police: Southwest Greensburg councilman used racial slur during dog bite investigation
A Southwest Greensburg borough councilman directed a racial slur at another man last month during an investigation about a dog fight, according to a police report. Then this week, Councilman David Thomas questioned Police Chief Chris Kent about why information about him apparently using the slur was included in a...
