Norwin Star category, Page 95
Pandemic drives Pittsburgh region’s food insecurity to new heights, reshapes assistance efforts
Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Pittsburgh region, made much worse by the covid-19 pandemic. Area food banks have responded by redoubling their efforts while facing new challenges. With pandemic restrictions putting many American breadwinners out of work or reducing their hours, food banks this year have been...
County considers pulling $30K grant from North Huntingdon for defying state public health mandates
North Huntingdon could lose its $30,000 grant for covid-related expenses because township officials are thumbing their noses at state public health mandates designed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. County Commissioner Doug Chew said Wednesday during an online forum that the county is bound by contract to distribute federal CARES...
North Huntingdon holds line on property taxes for 2021
North Huntingdon property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes in 2021. The commissioners on Wednesday approved setting the tax rate at 11.55 mills for the $14.7 million general fund budget. Commissioner Jason Atwood was the lone opposition to setting the tax rate at 11.55 mills;...
Westmoreland County to settle lawsuit against Recorder of Deeds
Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to settle a federal lawsuit filed earlier this year by a former employee claiming she was fired by new Republican Recorder of Deeds Frank Schiefer after he took office in January. The $27,500 settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing, officials said Wednesday. The lawsuit was...
Westmoreland covid hospitalizations up but Excela officials say they can handle it
The number of patients hospitalized in Westmoreland County because of the coronavirus jumped 27% in the last few days — from 131 patients on Saturday to 166 on Wednesday, according to state data. That’s a 55% increase from Nov. 30, when the county reported its first triple-digit patient count. Excela...
Norwin adds 8 more covid cases; nears 200
Norwin School District added eight more cases to its covid count among students on Tuesday as the rising number of cases among students and staff is closing in on 200 since classes began in late August. In this latest round of covid announcements, five Stewartsville Elementary School students tested positive...
Voice of Westmoreland to air local public health concerns in Zoom forum
A grassroots activist group will host a public Zoom forum with Westmoreland County commissioners Wednesday evening to air local concerns and urge them to take an active role in battling the region’s growing public health crisis. Although the county does not have an independent public health department, a spokesman for...
Sen. Bob Casey, North Huntingdon mother highlight need for continued pandemic relief
Victoria Murrell had her ducks in a row last winter. The 32-year-old from North Huntingdon had spent four years waiting tables and attending classes at Seton Hill University on a full academic scholarship. She was on track to graduate with a degree in human resources. Then the covid-19 shutdown hit....
Masks, social distancing can’t stop the fun of Westmoreland Shop With A CopVideo
The smiles were evident Tuesday even behind the protective masks worn by young shoppers and their chaperones — police officers — at the Westmoreland County Shop With a Cop event at the Walmart in East Huntingdon. “This is by far my favorite day of the year,” said veteran Westmoreland sheriff’s...
Norwin teen’s Eagle Scout project rehabbing field named for his grandfatherVideo
A North Huntingdon teen’s Eagle Scout project at St. Agnes Church in North Huntingdon has special meaning for him and his family. William N. McCabe, 17, chose rehabbing the area around the William T. McCabe Field because it is named for his grandfather, who founded the St. Agnes Athletic Association...
Norwin area covid cases jump 24%; 60% since post-Thanksgiving
The spike in coronavirus cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area continued the past week, rising 24% from Dec. 7-14, and a staggering 60% jump from Thanksgiving week, based on state Department of Health data from four ZIP codes covering most of the area. The North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area, with...
Post-Thanksgiving covid spike continues at Norwin schools
Norwin’s coronavirus cases increased over the weekend, with the school district reporting 14 more cases among students and staff, boosting the post-Thanksgiving total to about 79 cases. Eleven of the 14 cases were among staff: six at Hillcrest Intermediate, three at the high school and one each at Sheridan Terrance...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Dec. 13
Chalfant Mack Beall sold property at 127 Elizabeth Ave. to Bennett and Haley Shakoske for $97,000. Churchill Daniel O’Toole sold property at 1299 Rodi Road to Kati Burgess for $175,000. Edgewood Anna Mrea Csorba sold property at 120 Maple Ave. to JoJo Monaco and Tara Donofrio for $332,000. Irwin Alison...
Despite pandemic, Toys for Tots program draws donations, volunteersVideo
Cardboard boxes filled with toys for kids of all ages sat in a Youngwood warehouse Monday morning, awaiting the sorting and assembly that will start a week-long process for the Westmoreland County Marine Toys for Tots program. Now in its 25th year, the nonprofit helps collect between 25,000 and 30,000...
Excela plans to begin vaccine distribution to staff on Friday
Excela Health officials plan to administer their first doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine to staff in Westmoreland County on Friday, officials said. “We have requested 6,000 doses,” Excela spokesperson Robin Jennings said. Excela officials have conducted an internal survey among staff about the vaccine. Employees will not be required to...
Norwin-area businesses collect donations for charities
Norwin-area businesses are collecting donations of food and money to help charitable organizations. The Kenny Ross Automotive Group is collecting nonperishable food at its Subaru and Mazda dealerships on Route 30 in North Huntingdon, its Ford dealership on Route 30 in Hempfield and its Ford dealership on Library Road, Castle...
Norwin infielder chosen for exclusive showcase
No high school baseball season last spring only served to motivate players like Alex Gabauer, a slick-fielding, power-hitting shortstop at Norwin. The senior has committed to play at Penn, so his college future is secure — as secure as it can be during the covid-19 pandemic. But baseball can lead...
Irwin hikes property tax by 15%; raises pay for workers
Irwin Borough property owners will pay about 15% more in real estate taxes next year. The 2021 budget of $4.79 million raises taxes three mills. Irwin Council approved the budget Wednesday, which raises the tax rate from 20 mills to 23 mills. Two of the three additional mills will be...
Westmoreland courthouse to operate by appointment only through December
Westmoreland County officials said Friday that most business at the courthouse in Greensburg will be conducted by appointment only through the end of December. Commissioners said all county offices will continue to operate during the three-week period of new restrictions announced earlier this week by Gov. Tom Wolf amid the...
Westmoreland Mall’s Cash-In Culture closing, moving online
Tim Hartman gets a bit wistful when he talks about the ’80s. “It was a new dawn of pop culture,” said Hartman, co-owner of Cash-In Culture, a store that celebrates his passion for the past. With his love of the era comes a love of malls. A self-described “retail hound,”...
North Huntingdon says ‘no’ to Wolf’s limits on indoor crowds
A few hours after Gov. Wolf announced new covid limits for indoor gatherings to 10 people Thursday, North Huntingdon officials essentially thumbed their nose at him, saying anyone can attend their public meeting on Dec. 16. “It they (residents) want to come, they can come and speak,” said Zachary Haigis,...
Westmoreland Clerk of Courts unveils smartphone app
The Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office is going modern. The office, which oversees all criminal court filings, on Friday unveiled it’s own app. In September, county commissioners approved a $15,000 contract with OVC LLC, a private firm that specializes in the creation of mobile apps for law enforcement, public...
Air Force Raptor joins 2021 Westmoreland air show lineup
The Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet demonstration team is slated to return to Unity for next year’s air show at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va., the Raptor previously participated in the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow in 2016. The Raptor provides...
Westmoreland County Blind Association adding kitchen, sensory room for adult clients
Financial contributions leveraged by a state tax credit program will help the Westmoreland County Blind Association renovate part of its South Greensburg center to better meet the needs of the disabled adults it serves. The organization this week was awarded $46,500 through Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. Three area financial institutions...
Westmoreland Symphony concert is truly ‘Home for the Holidays’ this year
For many around Westmoreland County, nothing signals the arrival of the Yule season quite like the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Home for the Holidays” concert. Even though pandemic restrictions prevent the symphony from playing in front of a live audience this year, the popular concert is on, via a livestream...
