Westmoreland category, Page 707
Greensburg Police Department seeks new officer
The City of Greensburg Police Department is looking for a new officer. The department is accepting applications for candidates to replace patrolman Peter Sandberg, who retired in October after 21 years on the force. It’s getting harder to find qualified candidates, Chief Chad Zucco said. “The problem that we have...
Delmont councilman announces bid for 14th Congressional seat
A Delmont councilman announced his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in the 14th Congressional District. Bill Marx, 43, a Democrat, announced his decision to run during a Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council meeting this week, according to his Facebook page. He confirmed his intention to run for the...
Yukon area landfill owner to hold meeting on permit
The company that treats and stores hazardous waste in landfills is expected to update South Huntingdon residents Thursday on its plans to build another impoundment area. MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. of Greentree plans to hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Yukon Fire Hall, 124 Highway St.,...
PennDOT sets open house for Route 981 improvements north of Mt. Pleasant
PennDOT officials hope to begin improving Route 981 north of Mt. Pleasant in spring 2021. A final design for the project’s first, southernmost section will be unveiled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday during an open house in the Mt. Pleasant Area High School cafeteria, 271 State St. “We’ve pretty...
Unity zoning board grants variances for proposed Dollar General storeVideo
PennTex Ventures received local zoning variances for building a new Dollar General store in Unity, but plans for motorists to access the proposed discount outlet at eastbound Route 30 and Smith’s Hill Road must pass muster with PennDOT. The Unity Township Zoning Hearing Board this week voted 4-1 in favor...
Westmoreland controller calls for bigger county tax increase
Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer on Tuesday called on commissioners to approve an additional property tax increase to ensure there is enough money to pay the bills through the end of the year. Balzer made his plea for higher taxes as he and Commissioner Gina Cerilli traded barbs during a...
Rape charges dismissed against former Hempfield man
A former Hempfield man pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser offenses after prosecutors agreed to dismiss rape charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault in October 2017. Harold M. Franks, 37, now of Washington Township, was charged after a bloodied and bruised woman appeared at a Greensburg police station, partially...
Unity officials clear way for new Westmoreland Cleanways recycling center
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling’s plan to relocate its recycling operations to a property near Pleasant Unity received the go-ahead Tuesday. After tabling the matter earlier in January, Unity Township supervisors approved a final site plan for the new recycling center, with a landscaping modification that includes planting a border of...
Greensburg police identify 2nd wanted suspect in strong-arm robbery
Greensburg police identified a second man they say was involved in a strong-arm robbery in the city last week. On Tuesday, police obtained an arrest warrant for Nikolaus A. Beers, 39, of Mercer on charges of conspiracy, reckless endangerment, receiving stolen property, robbery, strangulation and theft. Police also released his...
Beating away the day: WCCC uses drum circle to help students handle stressVideo
The sound of drums on Tuesday echoed through the recently renovated Student Achievement Center at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Students gathered for the monthly drum circle and worked together to beat away the stress of the semester. “It’s meant to help them learn to work together, to collaborate...
Latrobe police to greet residents at art center
The Latrobe Police Department has established a tradition of inviting area residents to learn more about the work of its officers and other emergency responders during the annual National Night Out event, held the first Tuesday in August. On Feb. 5, the department will try a new morning outreach effort:...
Charges filed in Unity man’s 2015 drug overdose death
A former area woman is accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a Unity man in 2015, according to court papers. Caitlin Nicole Brown, 27, was charged in October 2017 with drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses. She was extradited to Pennsylvania last week....
Westmoreland Manor water being tested for Legionnaires’ disease
State health officials confirmed Tuesday an investigation is ongoing at Westmoreland Manor for a suspected case of Legionnaires’ disease. Residents and employees at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield have been using bottled water to drink and to clean with since Friday, when the investigation started. “The department is investigating...
Westmoreland Labor Council backs Democrat Prah in 58th District special election
The Westmoreland County Labor Council endorsed Democrat Robert Prah Jr. in an upcoming special election for the 58th district state House seat. It was a difficult choice between Prah and Republican Eric Davanzo, said WCLC President Walter Geiger. “We are proud of both of these men. They are both union...
412 Food Rescue expands mission in Westmoreland, other Western Pa. counties
A Pittsburgh nonprofit that “rescues” good food from going to landfills is expanding its services to surrounding counties through a smartphone app and a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. 412 Food Rescue, founded in 2015, redirects surplus food from local waste streams to nonprofits that serve people in need. In...
Donations pour in for New Alexandria teen struggling to recover from medical emergency
A New Alexandria teen who earned three livestock ribbons at the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show is struggling to recover after undergoing cardiac arrest and hemorrhagic shock. In early January, Autumn Zundel, 13, was diagnosed with an anterior mediastinal mass between her heart and lungs, after going to UPMC Children’s Hospital...
North Huntingdon apartment building sold for $1.05 million
A Greensburg area property management firm paid just more than $1 million for a North Huntingdon apartment complex off Route 30, according to Westmoreland County real estate records. MAC Realty Management, based in Mt. Lebanon, sold the 22-unity apartment complex at 409 Bethel Road, to Scalzitti Properties of Van Avenue,...
Latrobe eyes higher fees at waste transfer station, end of downtown water line work
People soon could pay more to dump municipal waste at Latrobe’s solid waste transfer station. Under a proposed revision to the rate structure, the minimum charge for municipal waste dumped at the station along Mission Road would jump from $12.50 to $14 for 200 pounds or less. The per-ton rate...
Arnold Palmer airport security guard fails alcohol test
A security guard was sent home Friday night after failing an alcohol test at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said the guard failed an alcohol breath test he was administered after one of two other guards who were on duty noticed indications of...
Westmoreland Manor water system being tested after complaint filed with state
Residents and staff at Westmoreland Manor have relied on bottled and boiled water since Friday as officials conduct tests to determine if the county nursing home’s water system was compromised. A complaint forwarded by the state’s Department of Health resulted in required testing of the Hempfield facility’s water distribution network,...
WCCC approves sale of former Latrobe center to Arizona firm
Westmoreland County Community College’s former Laurel Education Center may soon have a new owner after sitting idle for more than four years. WCCC trustees this month agreed to sell the shuttered Latrobe building to SimonCRE, a commercial real estate development firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz., for $410,000. That’s $10,000 more...
Westmoreland Prison Board elects new leadership
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert was elected Monday to serve as chairman of the county’s Prison Board. The panel oversees operations of the county jail in Hempfield. Members include the sheriff, all three county commissioners, Controller Jeffrey Balzer and District Attorney John Peck. For more than a decade, the county’s...
Westmoreland lockup cashing in with online books, movies
Westmoreland County collected more than $161,000 last year from jail inmates who rented movies and books and made phone calls on tablet computers. Warden John Walton said the money from the first year of the program, which allows inmates recreational use of the tablets from the privacy of their cells,...
Manor Borough agrees to provide winter maintenance in Woods at Brandywine plan
When Matthew Gerega pulls out of his driveway and turns left onto Brandywine Drive, “it’s about a 10 or 15% grade, and in the winter, it can get slick.” Gerega and other residents in the Woods of Brandywine in Manor are more at ease now that borough officials agreed to...
Seton Hill slates speaker and service day in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Seton Hill University was on break when the nation observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, but officials at the Greensburg school will hold their own observances in memory of the slain civil rights leader in February. The university will host a well-known sociologist who specializes in community...
