Westmoreland category, Page 160
Too familiar: Residents near creeks, streams begin flood cleanup
Pamela Courie reached her breaking point Thursday when it began raining again. She and her husband spent hours tearing apart and throwing away flood-damaged pieces of their Lowber home after Sewickley Creek overflowed its banks Wednesday and came rushing in. “I want to move. I’m too sick to do this....
1 sent to hospital after excavator falls on cars in Unity
At least one motorist was taken to a local hospital to be checked out after an excavator slipped off a trailer and onto two cars Wednesday afternoon in Unity. No major injuries were reported in the crash that happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. at Route 981 and Monastery Drive. The...
Westmoreland municipal authority says rains pump 2 billion gallons into Beaver Run Reservoir
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials prayed for rain as drought conditions caused water levels to significantly fall off at the start of 2024 and triggered a mandatory water conservation order for customers. Prayers answered. Rains over the last three days have caused water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir...
Lincoln Highway program focuses on Hill District’s pioneering ambulance service
Those who visit Unity’s Lincoln Highway Experience museum Saturday can learn about a groundbreaking ambulance service that started in 1967 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. North Huntingdon resident Andrew Blenko will offer the presentation “Freedom House Ambulance Service: A Lincoln Highway Pioneer” at 1 p.m. The cost is $5 per person,...
Former Arnold resident receives prison sentence for drug dealing
A man was sentenced to state prison in connection with an Arnold-based drug trafficking ring authorities said operated in the Pittsburgh region. Michael Terrance Scott, 48, of Parma, Ohio, entered a general plea March 26 to charges of corrupt organizations and possession with intent to deliver. Several other counts were...
Murrysville council approves auto-body shop that has drawn neighbors’ anger
Dayne Dice summed up the unenviable position where he and his fellow Murrysville council members found themselves Wednesday night as they approved a proposal for an auto-body shop that has drawn the ire of hundreds of neighbors. “To me, voting ‘no’ tonight would feel really good but would not be...
Murrysville sportsmen’s group brings back annual youth fishing derby
The Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville is bringing back its youth fishing tournament after a four-year hiatus. The 2024 SLAM Youth Fishing Derby will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18 along Haymaker’s Run in front of the Franklin Regional Intermediate School in Murrysville. “Right after the...
Work begins to stabilize subsidence-prone portion of Hempfield village
Workers were busy Wednesday drilling a hole in a yard near the top of the hill on Bovard’s Price Street. They were preparing to stabilize one of about 100 targeted homes in the Hempfield village by injecting cement-like grout to fill a section of the abandoned Keystone Coal and Coke...
Sage’s Army services evolve with changing substance abuse challenges
When Carmen Capozzi founded Sage’s Army in 2012, his phone rang off the hook every day. “From the day we started, it was my (phone) number,” Capozzi said. “We weren’t funded then — it was just volunteers.” After the death of his son, Sage, from a heroin overdose, Capozzi felt...
Staff rebuts Register of Wills’ work claims, contends office improving but still plagued by backlogs
Westmoreland County Register of Wills employees described a courthouse office in disarray and neglected by its elected office holder, Republican Sherry Magretti Hamilton, during Wednesday’s resumption of a contempt of court hearing. During the daylong hearing, Rachael Lute, a clerk in the Register of Wills Office, said, between 2016 and...
East Huntingdon man’s bond revoked over safety concerns
An East Huntingdon man charged with the attempted murders of police officers was returned to jail Wednesday after a Westmoreland County judge said his continued freedom presented a danger to the community. James R. Miller Jr., 61, had been free for the last two weeks after he paid $500,000 bail...
Widespread flooding in Westmoreland: homes flooded, roads closed
Widespread flooding Wednesday throughout Westmoreland County closed roads, flooded basements, required the rescue of some people and stranded others. Drenching rain the past three days that totaled 3 to 5 inches across the region pushed streams and rivers over their banks. Among the hardest-hit areas were the villages of Lowber,...
Hempfield Area schools awaiting funding for weapons detector upgrades
The Hempfield Area School District is waiting to hear back about funding before moving ahead with security upgrades, officials said this week at a safety and security meeting. The district has applied for $450,000 in funding through a competitive grant with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The funds...
Westmoreland happenings: Bushy Run cleanup, UFO conference, Walk a Mile event, more
Church News • Greensburg Church of the Brethren hosts a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will be...
Flooding, road closures continue along with rain
Road closures continue throughout the region as rain forces creeks and rivers out of their banks, and major flooding was predicted at the Youghiogheny River in Sutersville. A flood warning remains in effect for the region until 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. In Pittsburgh, the 10th Street Bypass is closed between the...
Greensburg seeking public feedback on city walking, cycling for Active Transportation Plan
Jeff Richards ditched his car 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back. When the car’s transmission went kaput and repair costs were too high to justify, Richards decided to perform an experiment: How long could he last without a car? It turns out, longer than he thought. For the past...
Bridge rehab to trigger traffic restrictions on I-70 in Rostraver, South Huntingdon
Single-lane restrictions are planned this week in both directions on a stretch of Interstate 70 in Rostraver and South Huntingdon. Daily restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for at least two days — beginning on Wednesday, if weather permits. The lane closures will affect traffic...
Iwaniec Memorial Race at Saint Vincent College to help police target drunken driving
Organizers hope to raise $100,000 to help curb drunken driving through the 15th annual Trooper Iwaniec Memorial Race, set for April 20 at Saint Vincent College. The event, known as Takeoff 2024, will also feature children’s races, beginning at 9 a.m. on the college’s Unity campus. Participants in 5K or...
She’s a high schooler and an IUP student. State system finds success with dual admission strategy
Ella Fleming’s stomach sank when she walked into her first class at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After all, Fleming was 16. Not to mention, she was almost two years shy of finishing high school during that initial class last fall. “I was absolutely terrified,” said Fleming, of Armstrong Township, Indiana...
Seward man gets probation to resolve case involving sex with then-14-year-old girl
A Seward man was ordered to serve two years on probation after for an indecent assault against a teenage girl. Westmoreland County prosecutors dropped four felony counts against Timmy Carl Betts, 38, including statutory sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse after the now 20-year-old accuser testified during a hearing...
Westmoreland commissioners reschedule night meeting
Westmoreland County commissioners have delayed board’s first evening public meeting in decades for one week. Commissioners earlier this year revamped the schedule for public meetings to include a voting session that was to be conducted at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the courthouse in Greensburg. Officials said a scheduling conflict...
Jeannette schools move to flex day Friday because of memorial service for house fire victims
Jeannette City School District will have flexible instruction Friday to allow students, staff and the community to gather to mourn five lives lost in a house fire last month. Superintendent Matt Jones said the move will allow those who want to attend a public memorial service at Word of Life...
‘As a parent, it scares the hell out of me,’ Franklin Regional superintendent says of AI
Franklin Regional officials paused a proposed artificial intelligence summer student program after questions arose about its content. Inspirit AI is an eight-session summer program developed and taught by graduates of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. “Students will learn the fundamental concepts of AI and gain...
Memorial fishing derby honors Murrysville boy on the first day of trout season
Parents and children took part Saturday in the annual Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby, at Townsend Park in Murrysville. The tournament is held in memory of Gombosh, a Murrysville resident and avid fisherman who died at age 15 when a virus attacked his heart....
About $528 million in Southwestern Pa. roadwork detailed by PennDOT
About $528 million will be spent on more than 100 road projects across four Southwestern Pennsylvania counties this year, state transportation officials said Monday. The work includes everything from reconfiguring a highway interchange in Rostraver to improving traffic signal features at nearly 50 intersections. The projects represent a combined cost...
