Westmoreland category, Page 703
Pitt-Greensburg charity basketball game will raise money for United Way
The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania will benefit from Pitt-Greensburg’s 12th annual charity basketball game, set for Wednesday. Part of a tradition that has assisted various regional charities for more than a decade, the game that pits a team of students against another featuring faculty and staff will begin at...
Mental health awareness is focus of STEP UP Westmoreland group
Anxiety, stress and depression seem to go with being a teenager. But asking for help when those things become debilitating requires a little more effort. Sometimes a lot more effort. A local group is working to overcome the stigma that often keeps people from asking for help with mental health...
Amphitheater in the works for Murrysville Community Park
A state grant could bring an amphitheater one step closer to reality at Murrysville Community Park, though not everyone is happy about the prospect. Planning for the amphitheater was boosted by a $299,000 grant from the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and municipal parks and recreation officials would...
Fundraiser planned for Norwin elementary school backpack program
Fans of chili and wings will be in their glory at the Norwin Rotary’s 10th annual Chili Cook-off and Wing Thing March 5 at various locations in downtown Irwin. The food will be available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Colonial Grille, Brandy’s on Main, the Cheesecake Caffe...
Laughlintown family explores island life on ‘Beachfront Bargain Hunt’
Escaping to an island retreat is a fantasy many entertain. Laughlintown residents Matt and Leigh Ann McCulty recently turned the fantasy into reality, with a little help from HGTV’s “Beachfront Bargain Hunt.” While working with a Realtor to find a home on Grand Cayman, they were asked to participate in...
Greensburg-based Mutual Aid Ambulance removes CEO, 2 others
The longtime executive of Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, the Greensburg-based organization serving about two-thirds of Westmoreland County, was removed from his job this week, an ambulance service official said. Mutual Aid board member Dale Hassinger confirmed that chief executive Joseph Yenchawas removed from his post Thursday, along with operations director...
Delmont library, Westmoreland Cleanways to host ‘Love Your Planet’ program
You can’t get a free Blizzard after the blizzard, but if Friday’s winter weather hasn’t made you weary of frozen stuff, the Delmont library’s Saturday program offers children a chance for a free ice cream cone. The library will hold a “Love Your Planet” program and craft session at 11...
Police: Derry Township man was drunk in crash that seriously injured passenger
State police say a Derry Township man was drunk during a November crash in Unity that seriously injured his female passenger. Robert Scott Mayer, 55, didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time, troopers said. He was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated assault while driving under the influence,...
Ligonier Township physician indicted in alleged drug conspiracy
A Ligonier Township physician acquitted in July of child molestation charges was arraigned in federal court Thursday on allegations he unlawfully distributed two weight-loss drugs, according to court papers. Psychologist Dr. Roy C. Monsour, 65, appeared in federal court in Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon for an arraignment on a charge of...
Firefighters help stranded motorists on private property near Adamsburg
Adamsburg firefighters helped six people late Thursday after two vehicles apparently got stuck on private property in Hempfield. Adamsburg Fire Chief Don Thoma said firefighters were dispatched to the property near Monkey Wrench and Edna roads around 9:30 p.m. They used a UTV and an ATV to reach the people....
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Feb. 7-9Video
From music to books to a lead-in to Valentine’s Day, this weekend offers plenty of local entertainment options. Here are some ways to give the boot to that mid-winter slump. Country star takes the stage Chris Janson is a platinum-selling recording artist, multi-instrumentalist and award-winning singer/songwriter. In a 7:30 p.m....
Irwin splash park feasible; funds needed
Irwin officials learned this week they can put a splash park in Irwin Park, but they have yet to decide how big it might be, the cost or how the borough would get the money to build it. Lucien Bove, borough engineer, presented a draft design of where a splash...
Protect PT to host workshop on fracking
Penn Township environmental group Protect PT will hold a free educational workshop next week about unconventional gas drilling, also known as fracking. The organization will meet from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Penn Area Library to discuss pollution, noise and other concerns related to fracking. “We...
Fort Ligonier names new executive director
After serving as interim since June, Henry C. Scully will now serve as Fort Ligonier’s executive director, its board of trustees has announced. Scully, a former trustee, originally was appointed following longtime director Annie Urban’s resignation to accept a position with Seton Hill University. Scully has a long history of...
Cops: Penn Hills woman stopped on turnpike carrying 550 bricks of heroin
State police stopped a Penn Hills woman on Wednesday for driving erratically on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County. Soon, troopers reported that they discovered she was transporting a stash of heroin with a street value of more than $500,000. Sarena V. Howard, 34, was pulled over around 1:30 p.m....
Blackburn Center expansion increases available servicesVideo
During an open house for donors, volunteers and partners at the Blackburn Center, Hempfield Supervisor Doug Weimer spoke of the community’s need for its services. The nonprofit provides free, confidential assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence and crime and presents education services across the county. “We certainly want...
Westmoreland housing authority starts inspections for bedbugs across countyVideo
Every unit in the 16 high-rise buildings under control of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority will be inspected as part of a new initiative to eradicate bedbugs, officials said this week. Private exterminators will use dogs to sniff out the presence of the biting insects that can cause nuisances to...
Mt. Pleasant Township man sentenced to probation in funeral donation theft
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday for taking $1,530 in donations meant for funeral expenses for his late girlfriend. Shawn M. Smartnick, 34, pleaded guilty to a theft count and was ordered to pay restitution. “I am guilty, I didn’t pay it back,”...
Preliminary NTSB report released in deadly Turnpike crashVideo
The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report about a deadly tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but the investigation has a long way to go. The report adds little new information about what caused the bus to lose control when driving around a curve in Westmoreland County....
Suspect in Greensburg convenience store robbery apprehended
A Greensburg man accused of a convenience store robbery was arrested Wednesday, according to police. Tywone McClain Jr., 21, was arrested in Duquesne in connection with the robbery at Sheetz on Harvey Avenue, said Greensburg Police Detective Sgt. John Swank. McClain was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and lodged in the Westmoreland...
Route 22 in Salem reopened after fuel spill
Eastbound lanes of Route 22 in Salem Township have reopened after a multi-vehicle crash with a fuel spill. The wreck involved a tractor trailer and at least one vehicle between Salem Drive and Crabtree Shieldsburg Road, according to the PennDOT website. BREAKING NEWS: Eastbound Lanes on Rt 22 BLOCKED at...
Cops: New York man was using stolen identification from second area man
A suspect accused of stealing a man’s identity to buy $4,000 worth of computers, gift cards and video games was arraigned Wednesday for a similar crime. Vaughn L. Lawhorn, 46, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is charged with four counts of access device fraud and theft and two counts of identity theft...
2 Hempfield seniors awarded full tuition to Saint Vincent CollegeVideo
Two Hempfield Area High School seniors will received full rides to Saint Vincent College. Brennen Novotney and Jacob Rzempoluch won the Unity Township college’s 39th annual Wimmer Scholarship Competition, which awards students with four-year, full-tuition scholarships. Christina Andrae, associate director of admission at the college, presented the scholarships to Novotney...
Saltsburg man guilty of selling fatal batch of fentanyl-laced heroin
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday convicted the Indiana County man prosecutors said sold fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a 38-year-old mother in December 2016. After more than five hours of deliberations jurors found Dylan Blair, 23, of Saltsburg guilty of a felony count of drug delivery resulting in death and...
Local officials say paying for state police would be tough pill to swallow
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to charge Pennsylvania communities a fee for state police coverage, regardless of whether the municipality has its own police force, according to his 2020-21 state budget proposal. Under the proposal, Hempfield and Unity townships would pay $76 per resident, according to state data. Neither township has...
