Westmoreland category, Page 712
Birthday buddies: Teacher, student celebrate 75-year friendshipVideo
As a young child, Garnet Overly recalls, she always looked forward to school. “Schooling was something I always enjoyed. I enjoyed going to school and I enjoyed my teachers I had in the lower grades. Right now don’t ask me their names,” says Overly, 94, of Donegal Township. “I remember...
Judge won’t dismiss charges against ex-Derry mayor accused in gun incident
A judge on Thursday rejected a request from Derry Borough’s former mayor to dismiss assault charges related to accusations he threatened children with a loaded gun. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled testimony presented during a preliminary hearing last year established enough evidence that Kevin Gross’ actions...
Grandmother of man accused in fatal Jeannette shooting offers alibi
A grandmother took the witness stand Thursday and said her grandson — a man on trial for a brazen daylight murder in downtown Jeannette — was in Florida at the time of the fatal shooting. Shirley Muhammad testified her paternal grandson, Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30, of Penn Hills, was in Orlando...
Tenaska offering scholarships to students from Belle Vernon, Yough
Tenaska Pennsylvania Partners LLC, owner of the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station near Smithton, is offering $6,000 in scholarships for college-bound students in Westmoreland County this year. Tenaska manages scholarship programs in communities where its power plants are located and has given out approximately $760,000 in scholarships to date. This is...
Southwest Greensburg searches for new manager
Southwest Greensburg is looking for a new manager. “My wife and friends were all retired, and it’s time for me to join the fun,” said Corry Sheffler, 64, who has been the borough manager since 2011. He’ll be stepping down at the end of February. Sheffler wears a lot of...
Police: Hempfield man was drunk in head-on crash that seriously injured driver
A Hempfield man was drunk when he crossed into oncoming traffic, slamming head-on into another vehicle and seriously injuring its driver, according to state police. Troopers said 65-year-old Joseph J. Forbes had a blood-alcohol content of 0.216%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08%. He is charged with...
Firefighters called to blaze in Rostraver
Firefighters were called to a reported house fire in Rostraver on Thursday, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. The fire was reported at 10:45 a.m. on Rostraver Road near the Route 51 overpass. Traffic on Rostraver Road and Route 51 was affected. No injuries were reported....
Cathy Sarraf joins Greater Latrobe School Board as appointee
Unity resident Cathy Sarraf finished just out of the running in November’s election of five Greater Latrobe school directors, but she joined the board this week as an appointed member. With Eric Hauser absent, the school board voted 6-1 Tuesday to appoint Sarraf to serve the two years remaining in...
North Huntingdon garbage complaints shrink, township officials sayVideo
North Huntingdon residents are filing fewer complaints about the township’s new trash hauler failing to pick up their garbage on time, township officials said this week. The township administrative staff “is not spending nine hours (a day),” fielding phone calls from residents upset that County Hauling of Rostraver failed to...
Westmoreland judge: Case against Greensburg man accused of threatening woman can proceed
Assault charges against a Greensburg man accused of threatening to shoot his live-in girlfriend last year can be prosecuted, a Westmoreland County judge has ruled. Chad Neil Snyder, 33, was charged with two counts each of simple assault and making terrorist threats after police said that on Nov. 8, 2018,...
Latrobe day care owner’s appeal rejected
A judge has rejected an appeal from the former owner of a Latrobe day care who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for endangering the welfare of children by allowing a convicted sex offender access to the minors at her business. Lisa Knecht, 59, of Derry, was convicted in 2015...
West Newton man pleads guilty to heroin, gun charges
A West Newton man accused of being part of a Western Pennsylvania drug trafficking operation pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing heroin. William Kalna, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of possession of firearms and ammunition by a person addicted to...
Witness in Jeannette murder trial says she can recognize defendant from twin brother
A woman whose former boyfriend was fatally shot nearly three years ago in Jeannette told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that she can identify the alleged killer by a tiny mole on his left cheek and by his stride. Sharnell Jackson testified she was in Jeannette on April 13, 2017,...
Penn Township man charged with new stalking count after ex finds tracking device on her car
A Penn Township man was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday on accusations he stalked his ex-girlfriend for months after their breakup and damaged her new boyfriend’s truck. Instead, the hearing was postponed after the woman discovered a tracking device hidden inside her car. Charged in October with retaliation against...
Excela granted Magnet status for nursing care
Nurses at Excela Health System facilities now can count themselves among a small percentage nationwide who work at institutions that have earned the Magnet Recognition for nursing care. Excela officials announced the new designation Wednesday. Only 505 of the nation’s 6,300 hospitals have achieved the designation from the American Nurses...
Murrysville teen opened First Night festivities in PittsburghVideo
Most high school juniors spend New Year’s Eve enjoying themselves with friends or family. Lavanya Anantharaman, 17, of Murrysville, spent it a little differently: performing for thousands of Pittsburgh-area residents to open the First Night festivities Downtown. “I’ve been singing since I was 5 or 6 years old, and our...
Delmont residents seek to establish historical society
Vicki Walters of Delmont doesn’t want to turn her hometown into Colonial Williamsburg. But the borough has plenty of history, and prospective members of the Delmont Historical Society would like it to have a more prominent place. “What we’ve got going for us is this strong history of Delmont,” Walters...
Hempfield Steak ‘n Shake joins list of ‘temporarily closed’ locations
Over 100 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants across the country — including at least six in the Pittsburgh region — sit empty as the burger chain moves toward a franchise-based business model. The Hempfield location most recently joined Steak ‘n Shake locations in Frazer, Robinson and Center Township, while locations in...
Police: Carrick man arrested with 6 bricks of suspected heroin on Route 22 in Salem
An Allegheny County man was arrested Tuesday after state police said they found six bricks of suspected heroin in his car during a traffic stop on Route 22 in Salem, according to court papers. Michael Patrick Crawley, 39, of Carrick, was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000...
Greensburg Salem school board to vote on asbestos inspection, Chinese exchange program
The Greensburg Salem School Board will vote on a routine asbestos inspection and an exchange program with Chinese students at its monthly meeting Wednesday. If approved, Volz Enviromental Services of Harmar would perform the required three-year asbestos inspection at a cost of $2,050. In the proposed exchange program, Chinese students...
Game Commission honors Latrobe student for bringing help to entangled deer
A Greater Latrobe ninth-grader’s sharp eyes and caring response helped free a white-tailed deer trapped in Unity this past fall. Pennsylvania Game Commission officers surprised Parker Williams on Friday when they arrived at her school and presented her with a certificate, recognizing the initiative she took on Nov. 4 to...
Shooter in Jeannette murder was suspect’s identical twin, lawyer claimsVideo
The lawyer for a Penn Hills man accused of gunning down a man in the heart of Jeannette’s business district said the shooter was actually his client’s dead twin brother. Defense attorney Tim Dawson told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday that Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30, is not the man pictured in...
Broadband connectivity study, survey eyed for Westmoreland, nearby countiesVideo
Officials from Westmoreland and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in underserved areas. Virginia-based consultant Design Nine is preparing a survey for the Regional Broadband Task Force to gauge how residents...
Advocates push for Alina’s Law for additional protections in domestic abuse
A pair of Allegheny County lawmakers joined domestic violence prevention advocates and the parents of a murdered Pitt student Tuesday in Harrisburg in a renewed push for the passage of Alina’s Law. The measure was named for Alina Sheykhet, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who was bludgeoned and stabbed...
Ruffed Grouse Society banquet to be held in Crabtree
The Western Allegheny Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will holds its 29th annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet on Jan. 31 at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn, Crabtree. The banquet, which begins with a social hour at 5 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Ruffed Grouse Society and its efforts to enhance...
