Westmoreland category, Page 188
First Presbyterian of Greensburg hosts 3rd Christmas Day meal delivery
Volunteers at First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg offered free Christmas Day meals for the third year in a row Monday morning. This year about 60 volunteers spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Christmas prepping food, containers and transportation to serve approximately 650 meals to residents in surrounding communities including Hempfield,...
Free-Op Community Store opens in Jeannette, follows pay-what-you-can model
In the first few days of being open, a pay-what-you-can store in Jeannette was already making a difference. Madison Feidner said someone in need of a Christmas tree left with one and others were picking up presents. “This week was so important to me to just have some hours to...
Vehicle catches fire behind church in Hempfield Township
A single vehicle caught fire in the back parking lot of Word of Life Church in Hempfield Township on Sunday morning. Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Department and Carbon Volunteer Fire Department responded to the church on Route 136, according to Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers. The fire was put out and...
2 people flee on foot from Belle Vernon vehicle crash
Police responded Sunday morning to a two- vehicle crash in Belle Vernon — where two individuals fled on foot, leaving their vehicle at the scene. The crash occurred in the 400 block of Graham Street, according to Westmoreland 911 dispatch. One minor injury was reported, and the person was treated...
Caring on Christmas: How health care, emergency workers handle holiday shifts
Patrick Merkel knows that when someone calls the Allegheny County 911 center on Christmas, they might be experiencing the worst day of their life. Merkel is just one member of the team on the front lines on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. With up to 70 people working each shift...
Westmoreland natives killed in Christmas Eve 1944 U-boat attack have lives preserved digitally
Christmas Day 1944 never came for four Westmoreland County natives and 759 fellow servicemen who were passengers on a World War II troop transport ship headed for Cherbourg, France. On Christmas Eve, about 5 miles from its destination, the SS Leopoldville was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank, taking...
How to celebrate New Year’s 2024 in, around Westmoreland County
New Year’s Day falls on a Monday this year, meaning those who stay up late will be ringing in 2024 on a Sunday night. Although that may not be the day of the week that one might associate with revelry, there are more than a few places where you can...
Greensburg Salem High School show-and-tell introduces fourth graders to exotic species
Jayceona Smith had something to prove when she gingerly touched her finger to the back of Arthur, a curly-haired tarantula. “I want to see the alligator, the snake and the tarantula,” said Smith, one of the fourth-grade students at Greensburg’s Nicely Elementary who had a chance to see and learn...
Students with hearing loss, visual impairment tour Westmoreland Advanced Technology Center
Nearly 30 middle and high school students with hearing loss and visual impairments toured the Westmoreland County Community College’s Advanced Technology Center in East Huntingdon recently to experience the classrooms and labs. Burrell, Derry Area, Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Kiski Area, Ligonier Valley, New Kensington-Arnold, Norwin, Southmoreland and...
Latrobe council presents Student Showcase Award to Greater Latrobe student athlete
Kate Wolford, a senior and student athlete at Greater Latrobe Senior High School, was presented with the fall Student Showcase Award during December’s city council meeting. Wolford, 18, is a swimmer, and her involvement includes private swimming lessons, working with the YMCA and participating in various student groups such as...
‘Festivus’-themed event brings local leaders together at Greensburg Hempfield library
It’s a holiday for the rest of us — and for the small businesses and local organizations of Greensburg. Representatives from both groups were among those gathered in the upper meeting room of the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library for a “Festivus”-themed networking mixer event on Dec. 13. The gathering was...
Longtime judge Rita Hathaway, Westmoreland’s 1st woman president judge, set to retire
Rita Hathaway was a young mother and third grade teacher in 1983 when she suspected one of her students had been the victim of abuse. When her efforts to intervene on behalf of the child went unanswered, she decided she’d never again be in a position where she couldn’t help....
Holiday tree house: Ligonier Township home decked out with dozens of themed Tannenbaums
Jane Mattern decks out more than 40 Christmas trees, at least one for every day of the holiday season and for every room of her family’s expansive Ligonier Township home. The variously themed trees range from an 18-foot live Fraser fir that stretches toward the living room’s cathedral ceiling to...
Murrysville landmark owner backs leniency for building’s arsonist
Monica Meehan sat quietly in a Westmoreland County courtroom Friday to watch the man who burned down her business, the Spaghetti & Steakhouse and Hot Rod Lounge in Murrysville, receive a state prison sentence. “It’s pretty devastating and the land is for sale now,” Meehan said. “At the time, things...
Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain, Boyce Park open slopes this weekend
Hidden Valley skiing fans can hit the slopes Friday, and those waiting for Laurel Mountain will be able to head downhill starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Vail Resorts announced opening dates and holiday hour for ski and snowboard operations at its Laurel Highlands locations. Hidden Valley Hidden Valley Resort opened...
Residents, business leaders say Westmoreland tax hike could stunt growth, hurt pocketbooks
“Why was the tax hike so big?” That was the question asked by Westmoreland County residents and business owners who reacted to the commissioners’ decision to raise real estate taxes by 32.5% next year. It could have been done in smaller increments over the past few years, some people said....
Clouds hamper annual winter solstice walk in Murrysville
Westmoreland Conservancy officials got decent weather but unfortunate cloud cover for their annual winter solstice walk on Thursday evening. The shortest day of the year saw the sun setting at 4:57 p.m. About 16 participants were hoping to see it in spectacular fashion from an observation deck built by a...
Westmoreland commissioners approve $4 million stake for airport expansion
Westmoreland County will provide the final piece of financing needed to double the size of the terminal building at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe. The county’s airport authority will receive $4 million from Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. “We want to support our assets in our area. This is...
Las Vegas man gets house arrest, probation for gift card scam used at Hempfield, Monroeville and Frazer Sam’s Clubs
A Las Vegas man was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation for using counterfeit credit cards with stolen bank account information to buy gift cards at Sam’s Club locations in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Hector Ofelio Podio Gutierrez, 31, was ordered by a federal judge in Pittsburgh to spend...
Federal prosecutors get 6th extension for possible indictment of former Greensburg police chief
A sixth extension to file a potential indictment has been granted by a federal judge in the case against Shawn Denning, the former Greensburg police chief. Prosecutors said in a court filing that they continue to have discussions with Denning’s attorney in seeking an additional 60 days, pushing the deadline...
About 500 Penn Township residents will have new voting ward in 2024
New boundaries for Penn Township’s five voting wards are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Judge Harry Smail on Thursday approved an order authorizing the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau to revise and alter the voting districts after a months long process to redraw the boundaries. His ruling came at...
Westmoreland commissioners blame past fiscal neglect in approving 32.5% tax hike
A 32.5% property tax increase approved Thursday by Westmoreland County commissioners was necessary, they said, to balance the county’s 2024 budget while allowing the county to preserve some fiscal reserves. Commissioners cited spiraling costs to pay off existing debt, increases in the cost of health benefits for employees and added...
5 things to do in Westmoreland: Dec. 22-24
There are plenty of festive things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend to foster the holiday spirit as Christmas approaches. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art: Cantilever Tours The Westmoreland on North Main Street in Greensburg will continue its series of free tours from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday....
Son of Greensburg-area dentist who murdered wife on safari breaks silence in ‘GMA’ interview
A battle continues in Colorado federal court over the estate of a woman murdered in 2016 on African safari by her husband, a former Greensburg-area dentist. Julian and AnaBianca Rudolph — the children of 57-year-old Bianca — are seeking their inheritance, claiming they are lawfully entitled to life insurance proceeds...
Westmoreland commissioners expected to pass 32.5% tax hike
Westmoreland commissioners are expected to implement the largest county property tax increase in more than two decades when they meet Thursday morning to approve the 2024 operating budget. The proposal calls for taxpayers to see a 32.5% increase next year through two separate levies, one that will fund general government...
