Stephen Huba stories, Page 2
Westmoreland colleges, universities address nursing shortage
By some estimates, the United States is losing 70,000 registered nurses a year to retirement. The current number of baby boomer RNs — 660,000 — is roughly half their peak in 2008, according to the Journal of Nursing Regulation. That there is a nursing shortage — driven partly by demographics,...
Ligonier Township student leads effort to ship enough food to feed 10,000 peopleVideo
On Saturday, Braden Myers learned that one 18-year-old can feed 10,000 people — with a little help from his friends. The home-schooled Ligonier Township high school student organized a food drive as his senior project but decided to make it international in scope. “I just got so excited to have...
’70s turn 50: City of Champions rises, concerts surge and steel sees last gaspVideo
At the start of the decade that gave us Watergate, Jimmy Carter and the Three Mile Island meltdown, Pittsburghers were watching The Doors at the Civic Arena, meeting a brash young quarterback named Terry Bradshaw and watching the last good years before the collapse of its defining industry. While the...
’70s saw beginning of change for women in Pittsburgh police ranks
The 1970s saw women consolidate gains in the workplace that began with the second-wave feminism of a decade earlier. Therese Rocco began the Seventies wondering whether women in the Pittsburgh Police Department would ever get the pay, training and opportunities for advancement that men did. In the mid-1960s, women in...
Ohio woman killed in late night Hampton crash
A Canton, Ohio, woman was killed in a head-on crash in Hampton late Friday night, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the woman as Kaitlyn Eckelberry, 23. She was pronounced dead shortly after midnight after being struck head-on by another vehicle in the 3800 block of William Flinn...
Food security for Pennsylvanians could be in peril with food stamp changes, groups fear
Although food insecurity in Pennsylvania is at a 10-year low, there is a rising level of concern that changes coming to the food stamp program could reverse that number. An estimated 11% of households in Pennsylvania were considered “food insecure” in 2018, compared to nearly 15% in 2008, according to...
‘Business as usual’: Levin’s owners consider options to sustain operations
The owners of Western Pennsylvania furniture giant Levin’s are mulling a number of financial options with “creditors, investors and landlords” in order to sustain the company’s current operations, according to a corporate official. The move is aimed at ensuring the company — Art Van LLC — “can continue serving our...
Rostraver landfill, DEP reach agreement on liquids from oil, gas waste
A Rostraver Township landfill has reached an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the proper disposal of liquids generated by oil and gas waste. The consent order and agreement requires Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill to pay a $24,000 civil penalty and undertake a number of corrective actions related...
Workshops to cover composting, recycling, rain barrels
Thinking about composting? Wondering about recycling? The Pennsylvania Resources Council is holding a series of workshops on those and other conservation topics in the coming months. Workshops on the benefits of backyard composting will cover methods for setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance and ways to use finished compost....
Greensburg man might be the sharpest knife in the drawerVideo
Of all the words Kevin Sheftic might use to describe his life, “dull” is not one of them. After decades in the corporate world, Sheftic decided to pursue an entrepreneurial path providing services people rarely think about. In 2016, he founded Line Pro Striping, a company that paints lines on...
Hunker man remembered for devotion to children, ingenuity
There pretty much wasn’t anything Paul Patterson wouldn’t do for his children and grandchildren. Even while working third shift at Robertshaw Controls and driving a school bus during the day, he made time to attend his daughters’ dance recitals and band competitions. “He was always with us, doing things with...
Pennsylvania to repair ‘hazardous’ dams on 10 lakes across state
Three dams in Southwestern Pennsylvania are on a list of “hazardous” dams that qualify for special funds from the state. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday the release of $23.8 million in funding for a multi-year, $43.5 million plan to repair 10 hazardous dams managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat...
Region’s financial, job health focus of Washington County State of the Economy event
Despite some bright spots, the Pittsburgh region’s economy is showing signs of strain from low natural gas prices, slow job growth and a manufacturing downturn, a Federal Reserve Bank official said Thursday. “I’m not downbeat about the longer-term prospects, but 2020 is going to be a bump in the road...
Somerset County gets $1 million grant for drug rehab expansion
Somerset County received a $1 million grant from the federal government for the expansion of a drug detox unit. The award to the Somerset County commissioners was announced on Wednesday by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The project is meant to expand drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services for residents...
‘Seculosity’ author to speak on future of American religion, spirituality
Author, editor and podcaster David Zahl will speak at Ligonier Town Hall on March 12 on the decline of organized religion and the rise of “replacement” religions. Zahl is the author of “Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about...
Golden retriever ‘Daniel’ from Ligonier Twp. captures hearts at Westminster dog show
Everybody loves a golden retriever, and everybody’s favorite golden after this week’s Westminster dog show is Ligonier Township’s very own Daniel. The 5-year-old, bred and trained by Tammy Tomlinson of Hillock Golden Retrievers, won best-in-breed and best sporting dog at the 144th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New...
Legal sportsbooks in U.S. take $13 billion in action in 2019; Pa. 3rd with $1.5B
Last year marked the first full year of legal sports betting in the United States, and Pennsylvania was one of just three states to take in more than $1 billion in wagers in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to launch legal...
Western Pa. average home sale price tops $200,000 for 1st time
Home sales in the Greater Pittsburgh market rose in 2019 and set a record for average sale price, West Penn Multi-List Inc. said in its year-end report. “It is a great time for people that have ever considered selling to get on the market because there is a lot of...
Murrysville woman lived life to help others
Patricia Loughran was the kind of person who lived her life for others. She raised seven daughters. She was director of financial aid at St. Francis University in Loretto for 18 years. She was a grief counselor at several Catholic parishes. She was an advocate for people with disabilities. In...
Mental health awareness is focus of STEP UP Westmoreland group
Anxiety, stress and depression seem to go with being a teenager. But asking for help when those things become debilitating requires a little more effort. Sometimes a lot more effort. A local group is working to overcome the stigma that often keeps people from asking for help with mental health...
Study: Pa. roads average 1,030 litter items per mile
Pennsylvania state agencies are declaring war on litter. On Wednesday, the agencies released the results of the first statewide study on litter — the cost of cleaning it up, public attitudes toward litter — and announced the formation of a working group to shift Pennsylvania’s strategy from cleanup to prevention....
Cook Township property protected by conservation easement
For 16 years, Michael Blehar and Beth Evans have had their very own cabin in the woods in Cook Township. The vacation cabin is on property — part woodland, part open field — that fronts Fourmile Run and has been a haven for the family for years. “When the opportunity...
Where’s the snow? Winter so far has failed to deliver much to Western Pa.
All those things that make winter wintry in Western Pennsylvania — at least one snowstorm, shoveling snow, making a snowman — haven’t happened much this year. “I don’t think I’ve shoveled once,” said Greg Phillips, manager and CEO of the Westmoreland Conservation District. While there was some measurable snowfall in...
Murrysville woman followed her calling to help others
Becky Snyder had a heart for ministry that was matched only by her boundless energy. She helped found His Hand Extended Ministry (His HEM) and its companion thrift store in Washington Township. She ran the thrift store for 12 years as a way to fund the ministry, her husband, William...
Franklin Regional superintendent stresses need to welcome new residents at Prayer Breakfast
Gennaro Piraino believes the solution to Westmoreland County’s problems starts with a simple question: What would Fred do? Piraino, speaking at the 45th annual Westmoreland County Prayer Breakfast on Friday, said Westmoreland County’s “economic crisis” is being driven mostly by a loss of population — which means new people need...
