Renatta Signorini stories, Page 126

Thousands of decades-old criminal case files at the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office soon will be available electronically. County commissioners this month approved a proposal from Ford Business Machines Inc. to scan and index 6,000 files by Aug. 31. Clerk Bryan Kline expects that to equal about 360,000 images...

Six people are lucky to be alive after their raft went over the falls at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County over the weekend. Park manager Ken Bisbee said the six, who are from the Pittsburgh and Monroeville areas, had bruises and scrapes after being rescued from a swollen Youghiogheny...

A two-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 that caused backups eastbound was cleared by 9 a.m. A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said one person had a minor injury in the 7:33 a.m. crash in South Huntingdon Township. The crash happened in a work zone between the West Newton and Yukon exits....

A Uniontown man wanted in the killing of an 11-month-old girl in East Huntingdon Saturday has been arrested in Ohio, according to state police. Derrick “Hector” A. Bass, 29, was arrested Monday afternoon in Cleveland without incident, Trooper Steve Limani said. Bass is charged with homicide and related offenses in...

State police are looking for potential victims of a former Salem Township tanning salon worker who they said stole money from customers. Three customers reported the 21-year-old Greensburg woman took money from them at Tropical Sunsations, according to troopers. Police said the suspect entered rooms while customers were tanning between...

A former North Huntingdon doctor pleaded guilty Friday in connection with the 2016 drug overdose deaths of two patients. Michel Toret, 73, of Jeannette, entered a general plea to two counts of drug delivery resulting in death and two related charges, all felonies. Prosecutors did not make a sentencing recommendation....

Thursday’s torrential rains may have been the final straw for Janet Seman. After six floods since moving to her North Huntingdon Township home in 2004, Seman doesn’t know if she can clean mud out of her basement one more time. “I have sump pumps, I have what I’m supposed to...

Flood waters have receded in Westmoreland County after a day of storms that pushed the Pittsburgh area ahead of 2018’s record-setting precipitation. Roads that were closed by flooding Thursday had reopened by Friday morning, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. A section of Guffey Road in the southwestern part of...

A Westmoreland County deputy sheriff testified Thursday that he felt intimidated when he said then-chief deputy Patricia Fritz started screaming at him during a conversation last year about union-related issues. Cpl. Steven Felder, union president, said he was trying to leave the conversation and go to the county’s human resources...

An emergency contract for repair work at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Thursday got a formal OK from the county commissioners. The board approved the nearly $70,000 contract with Maccabee Industrial, Inc. of Belle Vernon for labor, materials and equipment needed to fix damage in the underground parking area of...

The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $7,500 settlement payment related to a complaint about an injury at the county jail. The board unanimously approved the payment as part of a settlement agreement with Christine Shellhammer, who reported being injured Sept. 15 while visiting an inmate at the jail....

A Penn Township woman is accused of failing to report suspected child abuse involving a family member in May while she was considered a mandated reporter, according to court papers. Barbara Lynn Desmond, 55, was charged Tuesday by Greensburg police with failure to report. Police said Desmond was notified of...

A former Clairton man was sentenced to nine years in a federal prison Tuesday for distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said in an announcement. Elliot Page, 38, was ordered to spend 10 years on supervised release after the prison term on his conviction of conspiring to distribute narcotics...

Winter employment opportunities with PennDOT will be the subject of three job fairs this month in District 12, which covers Westmoreland County. Prospective employees can visit 144 Donohoe Road in Hempfield, near Westmoreland Mall, from noon to 8 p.m. July 18. Agency employees will talk about job openings during the...

Investigators believe Monday’s fentanyl bust on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is the latest operation in a network connected to the Dominican Republic that is funneling drugs into Southwestern Pennsylvania. “We feel strongly that it is a part of the same group,” Trooper Stephen Limani said. Two New York City men remained...

A New York woman is behind bars after state police said she tried to use a fraudulent driver’s license and credit card Monday to purchase two iPhones at a Hempfield store. Raquel M. Martinez, 27, of New York City is charged with access device fraud, identity theft and related offenses....

The winners of the Women’s World Cup not only are inspiring Western Pennsylvania soccer players with their footwork, but they’re also showing players on boys and girls teams that it’s important to stand up for yourself. The United States Women’s National Team’s win in France on Sunday was met with...

A Derry Township man was arraigned Monday after police said he tried to hit another man with his car. Robert John Kuszajewski, 27, is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Police were called to South Summit Street in Derry Township at 10 p.m. Wednesday when...

The new Planet Fitness off Route 119 in East Huntingdon will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony noon Wednesday The 10,000-square-foot fitness center in Crossroads Plaza features cardio and strength equipment, locker rooms with include showers and massage chairs, tanning beds and other amenitie The center is celebrating its grand opening by...

Deb Andrison finds peace amid small strips of paper and glue on the sun porch at her North Huntingdon home. She turns tiny shreds of paper into beautiful art — a group of zebras at a watering hole, a carousel, a wide-eyed owl — and then stores her quilling masterpieces...

Fresh produce will be for sale outside of Westmoreland Mall through Sept. 30. Duda’s Farm Stand added a new location this week at the former Sears parking lot in Hempfield. Sears closed in March. The Duda family farm based near Brownsville has 10 fruit and vegetable stands in several counties....

A New York man pleaded guilty Wednesday to having cocaine hidden inside a car that police pulled over in North Huntingdon in February. Fernando A. Rivera-Saldivar, 24, of Bronx, was sentenced to six to 23 months in the Westmoreland County Prison, where he has been held since his arrest on...

A Smithton man pleaded guilty Wednesday to punching a Westmoreland County Prison guard last fall. Timothy D. Ingram, 18, was sentenced to about 4-1/2 months to 23 months on a simple assault charge. He was given credit for time served since his arrest on Feb. 15. Authorities said Ingram threw...

A man previously from Irwin was ordered to pay a fine on a summary neglect of animals count after a nonjury trial Tuesday. Antoine M. Prigg, 24, of Oxford, Chester County, was acquitted of the majority of animal cruelty and related charges against him in connection with what police described...