Westmoreland category, Page 312
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 6-8
Friday family fun The monthly Family Fun Night is planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Smithton Public Library, 615 Center St. The free event will feature stories, games, crafts and more all-ages activities with a moon theme. Visitors will have a chance to steer a BeeBot moon rover...
Work begins to raze shuttered Greensburg video store, clears way for downtown GetGo
Development of a GetGo gas station and convenience store in downtown Greensburg is moving forward as work has begun to demolish a vacant building at 531 S. Main St. A subcontractor was on hand this week working to remove floor tiles and abate asbestos at the shuttered Family Video store....
On track: Rail line plans improvements at Greensburg, Latrobe stations
Greensburg Amtrak station caretaker Mark Kuhns follows a strict daily routine. Every day at 7:30 a.m., Kuhns unlocks the doors of the station and waits for the passengers catching the 8:08 a.m. eastbound Pennsylvanian. He sits in his familiar “cage,” waiting to assist anyone who needs it. He helps travelers...
Ligonier-based Bethlen Communities to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Ligonier-based senior care organization Bethlen Communities signed a letter of intent to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a senior health care network with in-home care and inpatient locations in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country. Both organizations “will work … toward an expected affiliation date in the spring,” officials said....
Jeannette man pleads guilty to sexual assault of unconscious woman
A Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to eight years in prison for a sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Asa Duane Busato, 23, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of aggravated indecent assault in connection with an incident police said took place at the woman’s Hempfield home...
Stolen Youngwood catering company van crashed in New Stanton
A Southwest Greensburg man who state police said stole a van of a Youngwood business, crashed it in New Stanton and then led troopers on a foot chase Wednesday appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine, according to court papers. Police said when they first looked in the van...
Derry Area Middle School briefly evacuated after heating unit overheats
Students at Derry Area Middle School were briefly evacuated from their classrooms Thursday after an overheated part of the school’s heating system started smoking, spurring fears the building was on fire. Firefighters were called shortly before 11 a.m. “We ventilated (the classroom) and checked the ceiling to make sure no...
Damaged eye removed from cat abandoned at Greensburg apartment complex last spring
A cat had an eye surgically removed after Greensburg police said a woman left it behind when she moved out of a city apartment in May, according to a criminal complaint. Shelly Ann Kemerer, 52, of Jeannette, was arrested Tuesday on animal cruelty charges. Police were notified June 3 after...
Police arrest Derry man after purse-snatching incident in Scottdale
A Derry man is accused of stealing a purse from a woman in Scottdale Wednesday before police apprehended him after a foot pursuit, according to investigators. Jason M. Thomas, 33, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail on charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and...
Westmoreland targets 2024 for shelter construction
Construction of a new shelter expected to increase the county’s ability to care for and assist the homeless could begin in 2024, Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday. Officials outlined the plan to seek proposals for private providers to acquire land and build what could be a 12-unit shelter that would...
Woman escapes house fire in village of Claridge in Penn Township
A historic home in Claridge was destroyed Thursday morning in a fire and a woman who lived there escaped with minor injuries, according to first responders. Claridge Fire Chief Ron Supancic Jr. said he believed the blaze started on the first floor. Part of the second floor collapsed. “When we...
Feliciani elected president judge in Westmoreland County
Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani on Wednesday was elected as Westmoreland County’s 30th president judge. The county’s 11 judges unanimously elected Feliciani to serve as the lead administrator in charge of the civil, criminal and family court divisions. “It’s humbling,” Feliciani said. “I am honored to have the support of...
Willie’s Random Acts of Kindness Day honors memory of Greensburg infant
Though William David “Willie” Fennell lived only a few hours after his birth Jan. 6, 2020, his brief life continues to have an impact on others. His parents, Will and Lindsay Fennell of Greensburg, in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, are inviting people to perform...
Grassroots nonprofits feed those in need each week at Greensburg, Jeannette churches
A special service takes place Thursday evenings at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg. People who drive or walk to the church are collectively served with more than 200 free meals to go — through the efforts of a local nonprofit, with support from businesses, volunteers and donors. “We do...
Coop costs jump: Chicken feed 1 culprit behind rise in price of eggs
When Adam Mason, owner of HEAL Farms in Apollo thinks about buying his next order of chicken feed, he gets a pit in his stomach. “I’m a little worried because we have to get feed soon, and I don’t know the feed price, but every time I’ve gotten feed, it...
Children’s Bureau audits identify state payments owed to Westmoreland County
A growing numbers of juveniles who received care from the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau led to bookkeeping errors that resulted in an influx of more than $650,000 in state reimbursements dating back to 2017, officials said. Rob Hamilton, the new director of the county’s human services division, said the audit...
New Stanton warehouse construction forces closure of Glenn Fox Road
New Stanton officials said a portion of Glenn Fox Road in the borough will close Friday. It will not reopen until sometime this spring, said Jeff McLaughlin, borough manager. The closure was necessary to accommodate the increasing number of construction vehicles traveling to the build site of a 1 million...
‘AGT’ veteran Sal Valentinetti brings ‘little big band’ sound to The PalaceVideo
When “America’s Got Talent” veteran Sal Valentinetti comes to Western Pennsylvania, he doesn’t just come to perform. He’ll be crooning the classics at 8 p.m. Friday in The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, but, before then, he’ll visit some favorite people and places, including Pittsburgh’s Strip District and Dom’s Pizzeria in...
Route 381 in Ligonier Township reopens after flooding
A section of Route 381 in Ligonier Township from Route 30 to Rolling Rock Lane and Club Stable Road has been reopened and deemed safe to drive after closing yesterday due to flooding. The road reopened at 11 .a.m. Wednesday, PennDOT said. Ligonier Township’s manager Michael Strelic said township roads...
Murrysville continues with stormwater pond retrofits
Many of the older stormwater detention ponds scattered throughout Murrysville were built with the idea of containing a 100-year storm. As the decades have progressed, state environmental officials found that smaller, more frequent storms typically cause more damage as they carry pollutants and erode local streams and creeks. Larger communities...
Curbside Christmas tree collection offered in Greensburg
People who reside in the City of Greensburg can contact the public works department for curbside pickup of their disposed live Christmas trees. Residents may call the public works department at 724-838-4344 and leave a message to request pickup of a discarded tree. Trees should be left at the front...
Ward begins brief lieutenant governor term
HARRISBURG — Kim Ward, Pennsylvania’s ranking state senator, ascended to the job of state lieutenant governor Tuesday after Democrat John Fetterman resigned minutes before he was sworn in to office as the state’s newest U.S. senator. Ward, a Republican from Hempfield and the new and first woman to serve as...
Westmoreland happenings: soup and sandwich sale, moonlight hike, bingos
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Boomerang burglars — same Greensburg store targeted again — in 2 days
Greensburg police officers were looking Wednesday for two potential suspects in connection with two burglaries in three days at Puff n Snuff, according to Chief Shawn Denning. The thieves used a tool to break in through a door at the East Pittsburgh Street business in Greensburg Shopping Center, and police...
Big Brothers Big Sisters social media posts showcase kids needing mentors
For Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, one could say the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. What that means, Executive Director Stephanie Babich Mihleder said, is that the group has a long list of kids it would love to serve — if only they had...
