Westmoreland category, Page 428
PennDOT looks to start major projects on I-70, Route 981 in Westmoreland
The latest in a series of interchange improvements along Interstate 70 and a long-discussed upgrade of the Route 981 corridor north of Mt. Pleasant are among major projects PennDOT plans to tackle in Westmoreland County this year. Officials with Uniontown-based PennDOT District 12 said they expect to move forward with...
Bail rejected for suspect in North Huntingdon kidnapping
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected a request to set bail for one of three men charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a North Huntingdon teen last month. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said Cameron Diontra Bessent, 22, of West Mifflin is a danger to society and...
Mt. Pleasant man arrested in connection with deadly 2020 crash in New Stanton
A Mt. Pleasant man told troopers he struck and killed his girlfriend in a freak car accident Aug. 10, 2020, as he freed his car from a curb on a New Stanton roundabout, according to court records. Robert S. Barnhart, 42, has a preliminary hearing scheduled Wednesday before East Huntingdon...
PennDOT, Westmoreland road crews weather 1st snow storm of 2022
The year’s first winter storm that dumped anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of snow across Westmoreland County over Thursday night into Friday morning created some difficult traveling conditions, officials said. There were not many accidents reported to Westmoreland 911, though there were more reports of disabled vehicles, a county...
2 years into covid-19, WCCC professor to discuss similarities with 1918 pandemic
At the outset of the covid-19 pandemic, when Tom Soltis spoke with the Tribune-Review about the similarities to its 1918 pandemic predecessor, he used an adjective that generated some negative feedback. “When I saw it beginning, I said the similarities were ‘haunting,’ ” said Soltis, a Westmoreland County Community College professor....
Greensburg YMCA getting in better shape, attracting more members after pandemic woes
The Greensburg YMCA is presenting a program to help families become fit through exercise, diet and lifestyle changes at a time when the facility itself is improving its own fitness since the dark days of a covid shutdowns in 2020 and 2021. “I’m much more positive and hopeful,” said Suzanne...
Home health aide accused by police of stealing $18K from Derry Township couple
A home health aide is accused of taking $18,000 from a Derry Township couple and gambling with some of the money, according to Westmoreland County detectives. Brittany Ann Cararini, 28, of Greensburg was arraigned Thursday on charges of theft, access device fraud and receiving stolen property. Detectives were notified in...
Supervisors pave way for new, inclusive playground at Hempfield Park
A new, inclusive playground is coming to Hempfield Park after township supervisors paved the way for the $428,000 project. Officials are hopeful the playground, which will replace one that has been at the park for about 30 years, will become a destination place, accommodating between 100 and 200 children at...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Jan. 7-9
Every quilt tells a story An exhibition of story quilts by Pittsburgh-based fiber artist Tina Williams Brewer is showing through April 24 in the Robertshaw Gallery of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. “Cultivation: Journey of the Work” reflects the artist’s 40-year career through her multilayered quilts that...
Onyx & Ivory boutique brings Shadyside vibe to Ligonier
Robin Brunton says she is bringing a little taste of city shopping to Ligonier with her new Onyx & Ivory Boutique. “It has a modern, rustic, chic Shadyside feel,” said Brunton, who opened the shop Nov. 12 at 209 E. Main St. Onyx & Ivory offers a curated collection of...
Murrysville Democrats hold vigil on anniversary of attack on Capitol, call for federal voting lawVideo
On the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Bill Hohlweg of Murrysville said he’s disturbed by the lack of acknowledgement, particularly by the Republican political class, about what happened in Washington, D.C. “To me it was a disgrace,” Hohlweg said. Murrysville Export Democratic Club President...
Off-duty trooper alerts Unity family to house fire
Jeffrey and Michelle Miller had just gone to sleep Wednesday when they were awakened by someone pounding and kicking at their front door along Donohoe Road in Unity. “He was actually kicking through the door, and, when I got dressed and down there, he pointed around the back toward the...
Judge suspends Hempfield man’s driving privileges in sentence for DUI crash
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to seven years on probation for causing a violent head-on collision that left another motorist severely injured more than two years ago. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a key component in the sentence he imposed Thursday against Joseph...
Deal reached on pay raises for key staff in Westmoreland controller’s office
After a monthslong stalemate, Westmoreland officials this week agreed to a salary restructure plan that awards pay hikes to key employees in the county controller’s office. The salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, unanimously approved raises for the director of accounting and two supervisors. The...
Hempfield man accused by police of fathering child with 2nd 15-year-old girl
A man arrested last month on state police accusations that he fathered a child with a Hempfield teen was charged Wednesday in connection with a child born to a 15-year-old Connellsville girl in 2020, according to court papers. Tristin Michael Huffine, 21, of Hempfield remains in the Westmoreland County Prison....
Export business owners get together to help promote the borough
Over the past several years, Export Borough has undergone a bit of a revitalization. Several once-empty storefronts along its downtown are occupied, and borough officials working with the Junior Hall Trust and the Export Historical Society have capitalized on the addition of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail by relocating Export’s war...
Maintenance work set for North Irwin Bridge; Irwin re-elects council president
Maintenance work set for North Irwin Bridge The bridge connecting North Irwin with the Sheridan Terrace section of North Huntingdon is one of several bridges in Westmoreland County set to have a new coat of epoxy placed on the deck and to have the joint seals replaced, PennDOT said. The...
Ex-Norwin guidance counselor waives hearing on drug charges
A former Norwin Middle School guidance counselor accused of having illicit drugs on school property last year waived his rights to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in district court in North Huntingdon. Richard Wesley Kean, 54, of Verona was scheduled to have a hearing before District Judge Wayne Gongaware on charges...
Greensburg Salem officials see shift to smaller enrollment class as a plus for district athletics
Greensburg Salem’s Golden Lions will compete against teams from schools with smaller enrollments beginning next fall, a move down that school officials say should be a good one for district athletics. Greensburg Salem will drop from Class 4A to 3A in football, Class 6A to 4A in boys basketball and...
Diet-conscious couple offers healthy meals to go at new Latrobe storefront
Healthy eating has long been a way of life for Kaitlin and Ricky Weiers, and now it’s their local business venture. The spouses will hold a grand opening from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the new storefront location of R. Klean Meals, 1307 Ligonier St., in Latrobe. The Derry...
Westmoreland 911: No injuries reported in Unity house fire
No injuries were reported after a fire broke out in a Unity home Wednesday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Firefighters responded to 487 Donohoe Road shortly before 10 p.m. where they found the house and a few small structures in the back on fire. The fire was under...
Monessen man to serve prison sentence for sexual assault of child
A Monessen man will serve up to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. Damien R. Bryan, 21, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in July of two felony charges of indecent assault of a person under age 13, corruption of minors and one...
Whistleblower lawsuit filed against Ruffs Dale company
A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...
Hempfield taps 3 veteran firefighters as assistant chiefsVideo
Three longtime members of Hempfield’s volunteer fire service will serve as assistant fire chiefs, new positions that will bring the responsibility of establishing command at fire and emergency scenes. Don Thoma, Dan Thoma and Jay Wilkinson took their oath of office Monday during a supervisor’s reorganization meeting. “We’ve made history...
Award-winning pastry chef joins WCCC culinary program faculty
Award-winning Chef William Racin has joined the Westmoreland County Community College School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality as a full-time baking and pastry instructor. With more than 18 years of experience in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Racin comes to WCCC from the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, where he...
