Westmoreland category, Page 436
Bushy Run hosts holiday market in Penn Township
Landon Wells was supposed to be doing some Christmas shopping at the Bushy Run Christmas Market in Penn Township. But the 3-year-old boy was understandably distracted by the model train booth there, which returned after being on hiatus last year. “We’re doing some gift shopping for his mother and father,”...
Lack of oversight, coordination leads to wide disparity in water prices across Western Pa.
Thomas Brudnok is on a quest for answers. His quarterly water bill is never less than $102, even if his Youngstown household uses less than the minimum of 10,000 gallons in that time. What baffles Brudnok is that while Youngstown Borough Municipal Authority buys treated water from nearby Latrobe, he...
Jeannette to save $185K by refinancing bond debt
Jeannette will save $185,000 by refinancing a 2016 bond, according to chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy. Council approved the measure Thursday. Keedy said the savings will be put into the capital reserve fund. There is about $2.7 million remaining to repay through April 2033 with an interest rate ranging between...
Customers mourn year-end closure of Schramm Farms in Harrison City
When Sarah Hough’s mother makes applesauce for the holidays, she’s looking for a specific type of apple, and she’s going to Schramm Farms & Orchards in Harrison City to find it. “They’re Lodi apples,” said Hough, a Murrysville resident. “She’s afraid she’s not going to be able to make it...
Westmoreland boosts tourism with nearly $550,000 in grants to 44 institutions, groups
Westmoreland County’s tourism industry will get a boost of almost $550,000 next year with grants to 44 entities that draw tourists to the county. They include organizations, festivals, museums, theaters, historical societies, hotels and restaurants. Officials say the tourism industry is the second strongest economic driver in the county. The...
Podcast by Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew slated for Dec. 16
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew plans to hold a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday, Dec. 16 to discuss the expenditures outlined in the county’s budget for 2022. Those interested in listening to Chew’s budget discussion, can register at facebook.com/search/top/?q=Chew 4 You to see the event. All of Chew’s town...
Jeannette businesses won’t get American Rescue Plan cash for now, officials say
Jeannette will not be offering businesses American Rescue Plan funding, at least for now. A measure that would’ve created an application process was rejected by council Thursday 3-2. Councilwoman Robin Mozley, who had requested the item be placed on the agenda, and Councilman Chuck Highlands cast the affirmative votes. Mozley...
Westmoreland commissioner continues virtual town-hall meetings Dec. 16
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew will host the sixth in a series of town-hall meetings at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 16. Chew began hosting the online town-hall meetings in October, touching on topics like voter registration and various aspects of the county’s budget. Chew said he wanted to public to...
‘Monticello Lights’ aims to brighten holidays for local charitiesVideo
Delmont firefighters got a sneak peek at the light show on Friday night. In advance of this weekend’s “Monticello Lights” fundraiser, which will raise money for Project Bundle Up and the Delmont Volunteer Fire Department, residents of the Monticello neighborhood took firefighters on a preview tour. From 6-9 p.m. Saturday...
Police seek suspect in robbery of Dollar General in East Huntingdon
State police are seeking information on a suspect who robbed the Dollar General in East Huntingdon on Wednesday. Shortly after 11 a.m., police said someone believed to be on foot robbed the store, on Route 31, while wearing yellow gloves, a tossel cap, mask and hooded sweatshirt. The suspect is...
Half dozen affordable residences coming to Latrobe’s Mary Street
Greensburg-based Homes Build Hope is nearing completion of six new affordable residences in Latrobe that should be ready to rent early next year. Guardian Construction of Export and several subcontractors are installing carpet and countertops and completing painting in the pair of two-story triplex structures on a formerly blighted section...
North Huntingdon light, music show raising money for White Oak-based nonprofit
A North Huntingdon family is once again spreading holiday joy by going to extraordinary lengths to decorate the outside of their house and yard with thousands of lights that shine on displays of snowmen, Santa Claus, candy canes, a Nutcracker, horses, swans, a village and a star — all for...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s revised happy hour puts regional artist in focus
The Art on Tap happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has been reimagined as Art After Hours. While retaining popular elements such as an art scavenger hunt, musical entertainment, light refreshments and libations, the event now has an added emphasis on the artist whose work is showing...
Westmoreland water authority: Adamsburg waterline break won’t be fixed until at least late Saturday
Crews finished repairing a waterline break along Edna Road in Hempfield on Saturday night, according to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The waterline break was reported at about 3 p.m. Friday, leaving about 60 customers without water service. The repair was completed around 7:30 Saturday evening, according to MAWC...
Twin brother defense rejected in appeal of Jeannette shooting case
A state appeals court has upheld the first-degree murder conviction and life prison sentence of a Penn Hills man who claimed his dead twin brother was responsible for a fatal shooting in Jeannette in 2017. A three judge-panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled this week there was no merit...
Elliott Group steps up to pay for Jeannette police camera lease for 2 years
The cost of dash and body cameras for the Jeannette Police Department will be paid for by Elliott Group for the first two years of a five-year lease. The donation was a surprise to city officials, who discussed this week adding the measure of protection for $15,700 annually. Council on...
Police warning Hempfield, Greensburg and North Huntingdon residents of recent surge in vehicle, home break-ins
Police are warning residents in several Westmoreland County communities, including Greensburg, Hempfield and North Huntingdon, about a recent surge in vehicle and home break-ins. On Friday, state police released photographs taken from residential security cameras of people who are suspected of looking for unlocked cars and trucks in the vicinity...
Jeannette passes budget with no property tax increase
Jeannette Council passed a 2022 spending plan that does not raise property taxes, according to chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy. The $6 million budget anticipates the city will get about $1.9 million in property taxes. The costliest departments are police at $2.2 million, trash collection at $998,000, the fire department...
Unity holds taxes steady, eyes $1.2M federal funding boost for 2022
Unity Supervisors this week adopted a final 2022 township budget of $9.1 million that holds the line on taxes and includes a second year of supplementary federal funding through the American Rescue Plan. Supervisor Mike O’Barto cited ongoing property development for allowing the township to keep its real estate tax...
Georgia man arrested in Rostraver for using fake ID to buy iPhones, Airpods
A Georgia man who was being questioned Thursday by Rostraver police for allegedly using false information to purchase two iPhones at a Verizon store was arrested after he began struggling with an officer, according to court documents. Christopher D. Pace, 43, of Snellville, Ga., was arrested by township police for...
Shetler transferred to Westmoreland jail, claims additional medical care needed
A former St. Clair Township man acquitted of murder in the 2015 killing of a police officer is back in the Westmoreland County Prison, where he will remain pending the outcome of new case stemming from his arrest this week for alleged probation violations. Ray Allen Shetler Jr., 37, appeared...
Menards mum on Hempfield store plans, township officials remain hopeful for 2022Video
The site of a proposed Menards home improvement store in Hempfield has largely sat idle for most of the year, but township leaders are hopeful the project will resume in 2022. Menards, a Wisconsin-based chain, is slated to occupy the former site of the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and...
Greensburg Salem parents speak out on school safety, board president’s Facebook post about Kyle Rittenhouse
Greensburg Salem parents have raised concerns about school safety following a recent middle school incident and a board member’s Facebook post referencing the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide case in Wisconsin. Speaking at the December school board meeting this week, Valerie Stillwagon criticized district administrators for not informing herself and other parents...
Westmoreland Symphony’s ‘Home for the Holidays’ returns to Palace Theatre
“There’s no place like home for the holidays,” says the old Harold Arlen song. And there’s no place like The Palace Theatre for Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Home for the Holidays” concert. After going virtual for the 2020 performance, the orchestra will be back on stage at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18...
Jeannette officials consider raising residential garbage rates
Jeannette council is considering raising residential garbage rates. Just how much remains to be seen. The group on Tuesday discussed potential amounts with no firm decision. They could vote on the measure at a council meeting Dec. 28. The sanitation department’s 2022 budget shows a decrease in expected net profit...
