Westmoreland category, Page 378
North Hempfield fire station improvements eyed
Hempfield supervisors are considering plans to overhaul the North Hempfield fire station while making space for a Mutual Aid ambulance housed at the facility. Supervisors recently got a first look at renderings from Unity-based Ulery Architecture for the Business Route 66 station. “It’s an exciting time for the fire service....
Bluegrass band Sideline is first SummerSounds concert of the season
Bluegrass music kicked off St. Clair Park’s start to the summer as Sideline performed during a Friday night concert. SummerSounds hosted the nationally touring band during its first concert of the season. The group hit the stage at 7 p.m. in the Greensburg park. Formed in 2012 as a jam...
Westmoreland Democrats leadership vote delayed in fallout over GOP Senate primary vote count
Despite the fact that David McCormick dropped out of the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate, it was the fallout from the continued fight over votes that prompted Westmoreland County Democrats on Friday to indefinitely postpone their weekend meeting to elect a new party chairperson. Democratic Committee Chairwoman Tara Yokopenic...
Casino brings weekend rodeo, concert stage to Westmoreland Mall parking lots in Hempfield
Looking from Route 30, the hustle and bustle at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield this week appeared normal. But nestled in a parking lot toward the back of the shopping center sat more than 1,000 tons of dirt surrounded by a dozen 50-foot bleachers standing upright. The chirps of two skid...
Mister Rogers Family Days event in Latrobe to bring back some pre-pandemic activities
The 2022 Mister Rogers Family Days will aim to mesh pre-pandemic activities with last year’s week-long event structure, according to Latrobe Art Center Executive Director Michael Tusay. Tusay anticipates a week of fun during the sixth-annual event, which will be held from June 6-11 in Fred Rogers’ hometown of Latrobe....
89 Republican congressmen urge U.S. inspector general to evaluate Pitt’s fetal tissue research
Nearly 90 Republican congressmen are asking U.S. Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm to conduct an audit into the University of Pittsburgh’s fetal tissue research that some legislators allege included illegal and unethical activities. In a May 24 letter, the Republicans address why they believe Pitt’s research, published...
Troopers seek man accused of passing fake $100 bills in Derry Township
Police are seeking help to identify a man accused of passing several counterfeit $100 bills at two discount stores in Derry Township last month. Trooper Steve Limani said the first incident occurred 6 p.m. May 18 at the Dollar General store in Millwood where a white male entered and purchased...
Westmoreland public pools prepare for summer season
Despite some setbacks over the past few years, public pools in the area are looking forward to opening this week. Making it to opening day amid the coronavirus pandemic and recent labor shortages hasn’t been easy, according to Glenn Moyer, arena and pool manager for Greensburg’s parks and recreation department....
Irwin disc jockey still spinning ’50s, ’60s tunes in his 80s
When George Reccelle was growing up in McKeesport in the 1950s, he listened to legendary Pittsburgh disc jockey George “Porky” Chedwick on the Homestead radio station WAMO and fell in love with the music he heard. “He played mostly African-American music on WAMO. He was a groundbreaker for playing that...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: June 3-5
Dance, dance, dance The SHU Dance Academy will present end-of-semester recitals this weekend in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. The schedule includes a showcase of solos, duets and trios, 6:30 p.m. Friday; Formal Dancers Division performances, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday; and Young Dancers Division...
Westmoreland Democrats to select new party leaders
Amid voter registration declines and defeats at the polls, Westmoreland County Democrats will pick new leaders this weekend with an eye toward reinvigorating the political party that, two decades ago, held a dominant position in local politics. Current committee chairwoman Tara Yokopenic was elevated to the job in early 2020...
Latrobe-area leaders upbeat about proposed merger of Excela, Butler health systems
Leaders in the Latrobe area expressed optimism about the future of health care in their community after an announcement that the local system of medical providers, Excela Health, is planning to merge with a similar organization in Butler and Clarion counties. Officials with Westmoreland County-based Excela have said the move...
Westmoreland County on pace to finish recount in GOP Senate race on Friday
Westmoreland County election officials said the state-ordered recount of ballots cast in last month’s Republican U.S. Senate primary is on pace to be completed Friday. About 15 county staffers worked 12-hour shifts Wednesday and Thursday to scan the more than 87,000 ballots cast this spring. “The worst-case scenario is we...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials prepare for annual herbicide application
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials will delay applying herbicide to the woods along the trail until after a festival this weekend. “We posted signs last Friday to perhaps do the spraying this week,” said trail president Stan Rudge. “But our maintenance chairman had forgotten about the Trail Towns Festival happening, so...
Westmoreland County doctor trades in his scrubs for potter’s wheel
It’s not that Dr. Francis DeFabo didn’t love medicine — it’s just that he loved making pottery more. The Unity resident retired in November from his gynecology practice with Athena Women’s Care in South Greensburg. On May 26, he opened fdp studio shop in Pleasant Unity. The shop at 2082...
Latrobe’s 1st Humble Rumble to feature vendor show, car cruise bike run
Cars, bikes and more than 80 vendors will crowd Latrobe this Sunday. The city’s first “Humble Rumble” event will kick off at 8 a.m. in the Memorial Stadium parking lot. Hosted by the Westmoreland chapter of Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, the daylong occasion will raise money for the...
Inclusive playground at Hempfield Park to open this weekend
Hempfield officials are debuting their $454,000 inclusive playground this weekend, a milestone that marks the end of the first two phases of the Hempfield Park rehabilitation project. The grand opening is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Hempfield Park, where attendees can get a first look at the playground, which...
Troopers: Maryland woman ran with toddler from 2-vehicle crash on Route 30
A 39-year-old woman ran away from a two-vehicle crash early Wednesday on Route 30 in Unity carrying her toddler, state police said. The woman, Amy M. Bernstein of Hagerstown, Md., was later located and arrested on charges of aggravated assault while drunken driving, child endangerment, hit and run, fleeing the...
Crabtree church social hall temporarily turned into sheriff’s deputy training center
St. Bartholomew Parish’s Marian Hall in the tiny village of Crabtree has been turned into a temporary law enforcement training center through Friday. Some 74 Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department deputies are using the hall for special scenario training by a security expert from Golden Seal Enterprises in Winchester, Va. Karl...
Teen in hot dog costume, another in gas mask prompt lockdown at Hempfield schools
State police suspect the last day of school in Hempfield Area School District may have been the impetus for two bizarre, unrelated incidents that prompted a lockdown of three schools Thursday. Police said a 14-year-old wearing a hot dog costume with his face painted as the Joker, a DC Comics...
Murrysville promotes new police captain, detective-sergeantVideo
Tom Kusinsky has averaged about seven years between promotions at the Murrysville Police Department since joining it in the spring of 2005, working his way up the ranks from a patrolman to his promotion this week as captain and second-in-command of the department. “And now I’ve got about seven years...
Ex-Aquinas Academy teacher claims he was fired over same-sex relationship
A former teacher at Aquinas Academy in Greensburg claimed in a federal lawsuit Wednesday he was fired from his job last year because he is in a same-sex relationship. Kenneth Ference of Unity alleged in his lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg that Maureen Marsteller, the diocese’s superintendent...
Hempfield lawmaker’s bill targets Pitt, Penn State funding
Tuition funding for Pennsylvania students could be turned on its head in the coming years. On Wednesday, State Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, introduced a bill that aims to redirect funds from Pitt, Penn State and Temple University to in-state students at all universities, private colleges, community colleges and technical schools...
Timeline details events surrounding Victor Steban’s crime spree, double homicide
Victor Steban of North Huntingdon on Wednesday admitted to killing a Penn Township couple in May 2021 after shooting at several area homes as part of what investigators say was a retaliation crime spree. The following is a timeline of events. Monday, May 15 • Multiple fire departments respond to...
Irwin: $800,000 needed for major road repairs for housing authority project
Irwin officials were told this week it could cost about $800,000 — money the borough does not have — to repair a section of a road connecting the site of a proposed senior citizen housing project with Route 30. Gibson-Thomas Engineering of Latrobe, the borough’s engineer, prepared the estimate for...
