Renatta Signorini stories, Page 146
Article examines chronic wasting disease in Pa. deer, whether it could spread to humans
With Western Pennsylvania as its backdrop, the Washington Post recently examined chronic wasting disease in deer and the possibility that it could spread to humans. The article, published Friday, visits Allegheny and Westmoreland counties while chronicling the steps Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife biologists are taking to track the the fatal...
Hempfield boy wins Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest
Joseph Bonomo IV’s creativity on an unfamiliar subject netted the Hempfield boy a big honor. An essay he penned about the women’s suffrage movement — from the perspective of a family discussing the matter over Thanksgiving dinner in 1919 — was named the National Society of the Daughters of the...
Police: Greensburg man set fire at his house, went to hotel
A Greensburg man set a fire at his house Saturday evening and then went to stay at a nearby hotel, according to police. Jeremiah Nathanial Morgan, 40, was arrested shortly after firefighters extinguished the flames at his Franklin Drive home. He was arraigned Sunday morning on arson and related charges....
Penn Hills man killed in Interstate 79 crash in Washington County
A Penn Hills man was identified as the driver of a dirt bike who was killed on Interstate 79 this week in Washington County, according to Coroner S. Timothy Warco. Steven F. Macauley, 33, was riding northbound in North Strabane Township at 8:20 p.m. Thursday when he began to get...
Pittsburgh officer fatally shoots dog attacking him during call
A Pittsburgh policeman fatally shot a dog that was attacking him Sunday while the officer was trying to help an unconscious man in Sheraden, according to police. First responders were called to Ashlyn Street about 12:25 a.m. for a report of an unresponsive man who may have been having a...
1 killed, 2 injured when pickup tries to pass car on Sewickley Township road
One person was killed and two injured Saturday when one vehicle tried to pass another on a Sewickley Township road, according to state police. A Hutchinson man, who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, died from injuries he suffered in the crash. Police did not release his name....
Westmoreland Pollinator Partners hold kickoff events around county
Bees aren’t the only ones who play a role in making sure we have foods like blueberries and pumpkins. Birds, butterflies, bats and other bugs are just as important in moving pollen among flowers, but many are facing a decline in habitat, said Pam Curtin, education coordinator at Historic Hanna’s...
3 hurt in Sewickley Township crash
Three people were injured in a one-vehicle crash Saturday in Sewickley Township, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The vehicle crashed into a tree and utility pole at about 1:50 p.m. on Mars Hill Road near Kunkle Road. At least one victim had been ejected from the vehicle. A person...
1 hurt when pickup truck crashes into Greensburg house
At first, Charles Colarusso thought he heard a bolt of lightning. But when the front of his house was ripped off Friday afternoon just feet away from where he was sitting in his living room, the Greensburg man realized it wasn’t a storm, but a pickup truck. He came outside...
Police: Driver flees after crashing car into Hill District home
A woman fled the scene after a vehicle crashed into a home in Pittsburgh’s Hill District on Saturday morning, according to city police. Officers were called to Bentley Drive at about 7:30 a.m. and found a red car that apparently had slammed into a bay window. The car was empty,...
GoFundMe account set up for lightning strike victim Brendan McGowan
An online fundraising account has been created to help the family of a North Huntingdon teen who was killed by a lightning strike at Mammoth Park on Thursday. The GoFundMe page for Brendan McGowan, 18, was started by friend Zak Lipniskis. “I still can’t believe that this happened; no one...
Pittsburgh concertgoers warned of ticket scams for summer events
The Better Business Bureau is warning anyone in search of tickets to summer entertainment options around Pittsburgh to be wary of potential scams. The message came when a local woman lost $500 after purchasing what ended up being fraudulent tickets from a Craigslist seller for Wednesday’s Ariana Grande show at...
Trooper uses Taser on truck driver during I-70 incident in Westmoreland
A state trooper on patrol Tuesday on Interstate 70 used a Taser on a Clearfield County truck driver because he was aggressive toward the officer, according to police. Dale Edward Hollobaugh, 64, is free on $25,000 unsecured bond on charges of risking a catastrophe, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and summary...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in drug overdose death
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in a federal prison in connection with a 2016 drug overdose death, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Larry Malloy, 26, will spend three years on probation following his release from prison. He pleaded guilty last week to distributing heroin and...
Cash 5 ticket sold at New Kensington gas station splits $1.4 million jackpot
The good news: Someone who played the Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 at a New Kensington gas station matched all five balls drawn Monday. The bad news: Someone else did too. Two winners will split a $1.4 million jackpot after two tickets matched all five balls — 3-10-18-34-39. Each winner will...
Westmoreland court offices to close in observance of Flag Day
Some Westmoreland County workers will get a three-day weekend as court offices will close Friday in observance of Flag Day. The closure will affect the courthouse and adjacent offices as well as district court buildings. The American flag was officially adopted in 1777 and Flag Day was deemed an official...
Police make quick arrest in suspicious Southwest Greensburg fire
Authorities made a quick arrest Tuesday in connection with an arson at a Southwest Greensburg apartment. They were assisted by the suspect — Anthony E. Smoody, 44 — who reported to state police in Belle Vernon at 5 a.m. he started a fire at his apartment from which he was...
Ligonier Township, Ligonier Valley join Westmoreland County Land Bank
Ligonier Township and Ligonier Valley School District recently joined the Westmoreland County Land Bank, according to an announcement. They join dozens of other municipalities and school districts in the county that have each paid $5,000 to enter the land bank since its inception in 2014 with a $50,000 grant from...
Police seek suspect who allegedly choked female during Salem road rage incident
State police are looking for a man they say choked a female motorist Saturday in Salem Township. Troopers said the suspect got out of his tan GMC Envoy at 6:10 p.m. on Trees Mills Road near Athena Drive and choked a 21-year-old Greensburg woman. The suspect was described in a...
Ambulance companies taking patients to court to collect money owed
Adamsburg’s Rescue 14 EMS hauled a Hempfield woman to court this spring over outstanding charges for medical services. Within minutes, another ambulance company wheeled her out of the Westmoreland County Courthouse on a stretcher. Ashley James, 36, appeared in compliance court May 21 after failing to make monthly payments on...
Police: Woman pointed gun at Hempfield man with 3 kids nearby
A Fayette County woman is accused of pointing a gun at a Hempfield man Thursday while their three children were nearby, according to court papers. Victoria Pedraza, 28, of North Union Township, is charged with burglary, aggravated assault, child endangerment and related offenses. She was being held at the Westmoreland...
Police seek Hempfield man on ethnic intimidation charges after he fled
A Hempfield man who was arrested in 2017 for leaving threatening voice mails at a Penn Township church was charged Friday with harassing the pastor there over two days last week, according to court papers. Mark Eugene Ray, 59, fled from police Friday morning when officers tried to arrest him...
Police accuse Greensburg man of hitting state police car during chase
A Greensburg man is accused of using his car to hit a state police cruiser Wednesday evening during a chase that ended with the man in handcuffs, according to court papers. William John Binnall, 38, is charged with fleeing from police, resisting arrest and several misdemeanors and summaries. He was...
Defense attorney hopes to resolve theft case involving Jeannette school director
The attorney for a Jeannette City school director accused of taking thousands from the district’s band parents association said Thursday she will continue to discuss repayment options with prosecutors. Patricia Elliott-Rentler said Karen Ann Welshons, 56, waived her right to a preliminary hearing without a plea agreement with prosecutors. “Ms....
Jeannette man accused of setting April house fireVideo
Jeannette police were looking for a city man who is accused of setting an abandoned North Third Street home on fire last month. Jason Anthony John, 40, was charged this week with arson and related offenses in connection with the April 2 blaze after witnesses saw him near the home...
