Norwin Star category, Page 97
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...
Governor’s shutdown of inside dining another blow to restaurants, barsVideo
Restaurant and bar owners in Westmoreland County who were hoping to cash in any way they could during the Christmas and New Year holidays — typically one of the busiest times of the year, when not in a pandemic — suffered another blow Thursday with the announcement of another round...
Norwin goes all-remote until Jan. 11
With covid cases rising in Westmoreland County and in the towns it serves, the Norwin School District has decided to teach its 5,300 students from home beginning Monday and continuing until at least Monday, Jan. 11. With school staff being forced to quarantine, employee absenteeism is very high, Superintendent Jeff...
Westmoreland doles out another $2 million in covid-relief grants to small businesses
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday awarded another 130 small businesses nearly $2 million to cover losses and expenses related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The money represents the second, and what commissioners said was the final, round of funding to small businesses from $31.5 million in federal relief funds the...
Westmoreland jail to install additional video conferencing as virus spread continues
Additional video conferencing rooms will be built at Westmoreland County Prison to allow for more court hearings to be held remotely as coronavirus infections continue to spread among inmates. Commissioners on Thursday hired Laurel Design and Construction Inc. of Hempfield to install new areas at the jail to allow more...
Irwin man accused of bilking Lowe’s in $3,200 paint return scam
A 58-year-old Irwin man was arrested by state police Thursday in connection with a month-long paint return scheme that bilked an area hardware store out of more than $3,200. Terry S. Good was charged by troopers with seven counts of receiving stolen property and one count of theft by deception...
Norwin-area court cases, week of Dec. 7
Charges filed at the office of North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware: • Kaine Nathanie Milligan, 24, of Braddock, by North Huntingdon police with possession of marijuana. • Allen M. Delgrosss, 46, of Jeannette, by North Huntingdon police with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. • Jonathan Galka,...
Irwin, North Huntingdon holiday light displays raise money for nonprofitsVideo
Extensive and creative holiday light displays at homes in North Huntingdon and Irwin are spreading holiday joy while providing an opportunity to donate to a good cause. Daniel and Lisa Disso filled their front lawn, bushes and facade of their house at 1416 Tenth St. in Irwin with sparking lights,...
MAWC management contract extended with $5 million raise
An Allegheny County based private management company will get a $5 million raise to help run operations for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County over the next decade. A new deal with Resource Development and Management Inc. comes five years into the company’s existing 10-year $13.8 million pact, which was...
Community joins to craft holiday wishes for North Huntingdon care home residentsVideo
A spur-of-the-moment idea has turned into a heartwarming project for a North Huntingdon woman who wanted to show some holiday love to residents at a township nursing home. It has come together quickly for Debbie Polczynski who enlisted help in the last few days of friends, family, the Norwin girls...
Norwin closes 1 school on Thursday; post-Thanksgiving surge hits 65 cases
Norwin is closing its Hillcrest Intermediate School on Thursday as the post-Thanksgiving surge of the virus has reached 65 cases. The school district announced Wednesday afternoon the school, which has about 860 fifth- and sixth-graders with more than 60 faculty members, will be closed as a result of contract tracing....
Norwin sees more covid cases; 57 since Thanksgiving
Norwin continues to a see a surge in covid cases, as another five students and staff reported being infected with the virus, pushing the post-Thanksgiving count to 57, the district said Tuesday. The school district said it learned Tuesday that two high school students, one Hillcrest Intermediate School student and...
As covid surges, Westmoreland County suspends criminal trials until February
Westmoreland County criminal and civil trials — suspended this month because of the surging number of coronavirus cases — will be halted until February. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway signed a court order Tuesday to delay all trials until Feb. 1. Two weeks of civil trials and one...
Westmoreland County retirees awarded small raises in 2021
Westmoreland County government retirees will receive small cost-of-living raises in 2021. The county’s retirement board, which includes the three county commissioners along with Treasurer Jared Squires and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, on Tuesday unanimously approved a 0.4% benefit increase for about 1,300 retired government workers. Annual cost-of-living raises are determined using...
Irwin plans 3-mill tax hike for 2021 with 1 mill for fire department
Irwin is proposing a 15% property tax hike for 2021, a third of which will go to the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department as it considers building a new fire hall. The proposed tax increase, which was in the tentative $3.98 million general fund budget adopted last month, would raise property...
