Westmoreland category, Page 372
Belle Vernon student’s history project showcased by White House Historical Association
In the spring of 1918, as German troops were massing near the Marne River in France to mount a second spring offensive during World War I, more than two dozen delegates representing the Slovak League of America, the Czech National Alliance, the Union of Czech Catholics and other ethnic alliances...
Popular pierogie business prepares to open distribution center in Unity
In 2001, Terry Smith-Rawecki, her husband, Jan, and her mother got together to make about 30 dozen handmade pierogie to take to the farmers market in Ligonier. Gosia’s Pierogies sold out that afternoon, and by the end of that summer, they were bringing 90 dozen pierogies to the popular market....
Taxes remain steady in Hempfield Area despite upcoming renovation project
Despite recently moving forward with a high school renovation project that could cost upwards of $110 million, the Hempfield Area School Board this week unanimously approved a final budget that does not raise taxes for the fourth consecutive year. Passage of the $102.8 million budget came months after board members...
Final leg of PA Hero Walk supporting veterans to march through region
Area residents can show their support for local veterans by greeting or joining members of the PA Hero Walk as they complete the final leg of their 14th annual trek across the state this weekend. The half-dozen veterans accompanied by two drivers started their trip at 8 a.m. June 12...
Man stripped to underwear, socks after incident at Greensburg pharmacy, police say
A man is being held without bail in a crime spree Sunday that, police say, ended when he stripped to his underwear and socks and was arrested while pushing a shopping cart full of stolen goods on a main thoroughfare in Greensburg, according to court papers. Alex M. Kerestesy, 31,...
Tom Cruise’s success credited with bump in Westmoreland air show attendance
It isn’t exactly risky business to assume that actor Tom Cruise’s summer blockbuster sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” may have played a role in the wildly successful attendance figures reported for this year’s Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow. About 50,000 people attended the air show earlier this month, making it among...
Ligonier home tour gives look inside 5 eclectic area properties
When Carmen Quartararo decided to relocate from California to Western Pennsylvania in 2020, she ended up buying a house in Ligonier, sight unseen. “The house was built in the 1950s by a local family for their two spinster sisters,” Quartararo said. “They were seamstresses. They lived very modestly on the...
Police: Jeannette man arrested after trying to flee traffic stop
A Jeannette man is behind bars after police said he tried to run from a traffic stop and had several types of drugs in his SUV, according to court papers. Brandon A. Iapalucci, 28, told investigators that nine blue pills they found him in possession of were pressed fentanyl. The...
Franklin Regional School Board raises taxes by 2.75 mills
Franklin Regional officials adopted a 2022-23 school budget this week with a 2.75 mill tax increase that would amount to an additional $95 in taxes for the average district homeowner. It is the first time in five years that the district has opted for a tax hike significantly lower than...
Greensburg firefighter’s burger tradition helps raise needed funds
Highland Avenue residents bringing their morning cup of coffee onto the porch Friday likely got a whiff of something besides Arabica beans. There was a smell of freshly cut onions in the air. By 7 a.m., members of Greensburg Fire Department Hose Company No. 8 were busy peeling and slicing...
Latrobe’s new party venue hopes to ‘bring some culture’
Flamingo selfie walls and California-style lounge rooms aren’t commonplace in downtown Latrobe. That’s exactly why Emily Pasqualino included them in her new party venue. Pasqualino wants to “bring something different” with The Paper Heart Social Goods and Event Studios, a Ligonier Street business that serves as a venue space, shop...
Judge orders house arrest, probation in Derry overdose death
A Blairsville man will serve 18 months on house arrest as part of a probation sentence imposed Monday after he pleaded guilty to providing his cousin the fentanyl used in her 2017 overdose death. Shawn Ray Jodon, 32, pleaded guilty to a charge of drug delivery resulting in death and...
Rostraver police accuse Mercer County man of assaulting, restraining woman
A 34-year-old Mercer County man was arrested by Rostraver police after he was accused of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will for three days, according to court documents. Justin C. Uber, 34, of Grove City, was apprehended after he and a woman stopped at a Sunoco gas...
Connellsville woman pleads guilty for role in fatal overdose
A Connellsville woman was ordered to serve seven years on probation for her role in the 2019 overdose death of a woman in Greensburg. Marcia Lynn Shearer, 61, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy as Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed a more serious charge of drug delivery resulting in...
Judge says Greensburg shooting suspects exceeded expectations after posting bond
In the five years since Daishawn Stikkel and Nathan Childs were released from Westmoreland County Prison, their lives have significantly changed. Both men were charged with attempted homicide in connection with a shooting in March 2016 in Greensburg and had been behind bars for about five months before they posted...
Murrysville police captain settling into new position
When Tom Kusinsky was working his first law-enforcement job as an Edgewood police patrolman, he enjoyed his fellow officers and the experience he gained, but also quickly noted the borough’s small size. “It’s one square mile,” he said. “You’d get dizzy at night driving around.” Kusinsky was recently promoted to...
Westmoreland County sets another job fair to fill vacancies
Westmoreland County is looking to fill 245 open positions at the sheriff’s office, jail, nursing home and other government entities during a job fair this month. The event will run from 3 to 7 p.m. June 28 at Westmoreland Mall’s center court. “There is a shortage in employees right now,”...
Greensburg Salem looks to trim business teaching staff
Greensburg Salem School District plans to eliminate one of three business teaching positions through attrition as it prepares to pass a 2022-23 budget with no tax increase. Superintendent Ken Bissell said the district can avoid replacing a retiring business instructor because it is dropping a digital literacy component of its...
Franklin Regional student wins statewide National History Day competition, third place at nationals
In May, Franklin Regional seventh-grader Humna Anzaar became the district’s first student to win the statewide National History Day competition and move on the national level. This month, she earned a third-place finish at the nationwide competition in the “Junior Paper” category. Anzaar, 13, entered a paper on the history...
Irwin Borough manager honored for ‘distinguished service’
Irwin Borough’s manager was recognized by a state association for her outstanding service to the town. Shari Martino, 42, of North Huntingdon, was honored by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs with its Distinguished Service Award for 2022. She received the award at the association’s convention last month in Hershey....
North Huntingdon’s Korner Tavern looks back on 60 years of memories, family business
For 60 years in the North Huntingdon village of Hahntown, the Korner Tavern has served drinks and food to locals — from coal miners to everyday regulars who are considered family. Manager Victor Pilipovich, 74, grew up in the business. His family took over operations in 1962. “It’s hard to...
Ligonier family fights to save life of Great Pyrenees pup
When Josi Bennett lost her legs in a car crash 24 years ago and spent months in the hospital recuperating, the best part of her stay was Blizzard, a Great Pyrenees therapy dog. More than two decades later, when she saw Great Pyrenees puppies for sale on Facebook, she decided...
Irwin church colors community, raises money for nonprofit
Dashes of color flew through the air Saturday at Bushy Run Battlefield. As part of the Grace Collective Church Colors for a Cause 5K, community members ran and walked through the state park’s fields and trees while volunteers tossed colorful powder from the sidelines. Proceeds went to Rooted Outreach, a...
Brake failure leads to controlled crash at Rostraver Airport
No injuries were reported when the pilot of a Cessna 414 lost control of its brakes Sunday afternoon, causing the airplane to crash at the Rostraver Airport. Caiolinn Ertel, 61, of Pittsburgh was flying from Leesburg, Va., to Rostraver, where her plane is based, when she realized she had lost...
Police: 1 person killed, another flown by medical helicopter after South Huntingdon crash
One person is dead and another was flown by medical helicopter after an overnight crash on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon, state police said. Crews responded to the two-vehicle crash at mile marker 53 near the Yukon exit shortly after midnight Sunday, according to a police report. David J. Ott,...
