Westmoreland category, Page 240
Police try to ID suspect in East Huntingdon quick-change scam
State police are looking for a man who they said turned a water bottle purchase into a $1,000 theft at the East Huntingdon Walmart in a quick-change scam. Troopers released a surveillance image of the suspect on Thursday. They said he scammed the cashier on July 10 out of $1,000...
Local author, illustrator to host children’s book signing in Murrysville
Murrysville author Nina Damato and Kiski Area graduate and artist Rebecca Ehalt Svetina will host a book signing to mark the release of their new children’s book on July 22. “The Extraordinarily Ordinary Kittens,” released in mid-June, tells the story of Damato’s two adopted blind cats, Bocelli and Louise Braille,...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: July 21-23
Sunset soiree Experience Fort Ligonier at twilight with a sunset tour from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the historical site at routes 30 and 711 in Ligonier. Guests will enjoy a guided tour of the fort’s museum and a wine, cheese and dessert reception on the education center patio....
Murrysville crash shears utility pole on School Road
School Road in Murrysville remained closed late Thursday morning after a car sheared a utility pole just south of Nob Hill Road. Murrysville police said the call came in about 9:30 a.m. and noted the male driver was not hurt when his car left the road, struck a utility pole...
Murrysville moves injection well ordinance forward for possible vote next month
Murrysville leaders will likely vote on an ordinance to regulate fracking injection wells at next month’s council session. Injection wells accept the wastewater, brine and byproducts of unconventional drilling operations, releasing the fluid into porous underground rock formations. Similar to the fracking ordinance Murrysville put in place several years ago,...
Kecksburg UFO Festival returns with out-of-this-world activities
Many Pennsylvania towns have summer festivals that serve as a community gathering and homecoming for native sons and daughters. None of them is quite like Kecksburg’s. The tiny Mt. Pleasant Township village will have its 18th annual celebration — the Kecksburg UFO Festival — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There will...
MAWC buys Westmoreland Fayette sewer authority
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members Wednesday approved a $17.5 million deal to purchase a small sewer system that serves Scottdale, a part of East Huntingdon as well as two communities in Fayette County. MAWC will pay $2.25 million in cash for the Westmoreland Fayette Municipal Sewage Authority and...
3 dogs die in Monessen house fire
Three dogs died in a house fire Wednesday afternoon in Monessen, authorities said. No people were in the home on Summit Avenue during the fire, and no other homes were damaged because of how far back the home is on the property, Monessen fire Chief Delmar Hepple said. “There was...
Bank forecloses on Jeannette EMS building as state health department plans talks with agency
A bank wants to take possession of the Jeannette EMS station to cover a $340,000 debt. KeyBank filed the mortgage foreclosure action Wednesday in Westmoreland County court claiming the ambulance station on South Sixth Street defaulted on repayments of a $275,000 line of credit issued in 2008. The agency used...
2 sought in beating of Jeannette man
A Jeannette man was left with several facial fractures stemming from an assault last week and police are looking for two suspects. Andrew J. Eberhardt, 22, of Greensburg, and Cassie Ann Sorice, 20, of Pitcairn, are charged with conspiracy in connection with the beating at a North Seventh Street apartment...
North Huntingdon to consider property rental registration
Owners of rental properties in North Huntingdon could be required to register their buildings if the township approves an ordinance that would create a list of those rental units and contact information for the tenants. North Huntingdon commissioners on Wednesday are expected to consider drafting an ordinance that would detail...
GetGo sets opening date for downtown Greensburg store
GetGo has set Aug. 16 as the planned opening date for its new Cafe + Market convenience store and gas station that is nearing completion on Greensburg’s South Main Street. Constructed on a lot formerly occupied by the closed Family Video store, just north of Euclid Avenue, the GetGo store...
Hempfield man ordered to serve 4 years in prison for sexual assaults of teens
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for the sexual assaults of three teens. Joshua Esteban Kunkle, 21, pleaded guilty in April to a reduced set of charges in connection with attacks against three juveniles over a four-year period that ended in 2020. Westmoreland...
Free cancer screening at Allegheny Health Network facility in Hempfield
A free cancer screening event at Allegheny Health Network’s Hempfield cancer center will be held Aug. 19. The screening is open to the public and no health insurance is required. Registration for the event closes Aug. 11. Reservations can be made by calling 412-359-6665. Screenings for various types of cancer...
Westmoreland happenings: Blacksmith demonstration, parish festival, golf outing, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks prior to the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee. Fundraisers • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from...
North Huntingdon police officer settles racial discrimination lawsuit for $276,000
A North Huntingdon police officer will receive about $276,000 in a settlement over the racial discrimination lawsuit he filed last year against the township and a former manager. Patrolman Albert P. Carson II will receive the payment from the negotiated out of court settlement of the lawsuit. He filed the...
‘Voids’ in North Huntingdon cemetery could be unmarked graves
The search for unmarked graves at a 239-year-old cemetery in North Huntingdon has found about 65 “voids” in the ground that could be unmarked graves from decades or centuries ago. “I am doing this to find those unmarked burial sites because I don’t want anyone to be forgotten. There are...
Up in the air: The cost of auto repair, insurance climbing
Following suit with rising costs and inflation, the costs of automobile ownership, insurance and necessary repairs have soared in recent years and are expected to continue. Frank Ferra, president of Ferra’s Automotive Services in Sharpsburg, says expenses including wages, rent, taxes, equipment and insurance, along with the costs for parts,...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Delmont, Export, Salem
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
2 Westmoreland men indicted in federal Snapchat hacking case
Two Westmoreland County men are among seven people who were indicted by a federal grant jury in Erie alleging they conspired to hack into Snapchat accounts, steal explicit photos and videos and distribute them on the web, federal prosecutors said. Edward Michael Grabb, 31, of Jeannette and Michael Paul Yackovich,...
Monessen man convicted of sexual assault of blind victim
A Monessen man was convicted this week of sexually assaulting a legally blind woman last year outside a Rostraver home. Following a nonjury trial Monday, Timothy L. Stitch was convicted of one felony count of sexual assault in connection with allegations made by a 36-year-old woman who claimed she was...
Business owner regroups after Scottdale fire
A Scottdale business owner was at a loss for words Tuesday after a fire damaged his automotive business the night before. “I’m just feeling a little lost right now,” said John Hyatt, owner of Keystone Autoworx LLC. “This isn’t just a job for me. I have everything in this (business).”...
Delmont man sentenced in federal child pornography case
A former Delmont man was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison following a guilty plea on charges of possession of child pornography, according to Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. Joshua K. Minehart, 47, was initially charged in 2019 following an investigation by the U.S....
Derry man sentenced to 20 years in federal child pornography case
A Derry Borough man convicted of producing, possessing and distributing child pornography was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday, according to Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. Michael Wilson, 44, of Derry, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 15 years supervised release....
Westmoreland County woman killed in W.Va. motorcycle crash
A Westmoreland County woman was killed Sunday in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 79, according to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies responded to I-79 near mile marker 150 after 2 p.m. Sunday for a crash involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle. Christina Barnes, 55, of Bradenville was...
