Westmoreland category, Page 716
Historical society receives $10K gift to help relocate military monumentVideo
The Export Historical Society has a good jump on relocating Export’s veteran monument, thanks to a $10,000 gift from former borough resident Gary Wuslich. “He noticed that the memorial was a little bit hard to see or recognize unless you knew where it was,” said borough councilwoman and historical society...
Norwin to cap tax hike at 3.4%
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see their school taxes increase more than 3.4% — the maximum allowed without state or voter approval. The Norwin School Board unanimously voted at its meeting this week to limit any tax hike to the state maximum, which is about 2.8...
Unity OKs 3% wage hike, seeks emergency coordinator
Unity Township supervisors approved a 3% wage hike for most township workers and are searching for a new emergency management coordinator. At their reorganization meeting this week, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union employees. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work...
Jeannette woman gets 15 to 30 years in prison for boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman convicted last year in the fatal bludgeoning of her teen-aged boyfriend insisted in court on Monday she did not intend for him to die. Crystal Belle, 40, said during her sentencing hearing she cared deeply for her 19-year-old boyfriend, Khalil Parker, even as she used the wooden...
New Westmoreland County commissioners say they’ll reopen the county’s budgetVideo
Westmoreland County commissioners Monday afternoon elected Republican Sean Kertes to serve as the new board chairman. Kertes, 33, of Greensburg, and Commissioner Doug Chew formed a new Republican majority on the board, which for the previous four years had been controlled by Democrats. The board’s lone returning member, Commissioner Gina...
$1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket sold in Salem
Someone who shopped at a Salem convenience store wanted to be a millionaire, apparently. Now they are, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. A winning $1 million New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket was sold at the GetGo store on State Route 22. The ticket matched one of four numbers picked in...
2 Pennsylvanians among the 5 people killed in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash
Two of the five people killed in Sunday’s deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash in Westmoreland County were from Pennsylvania. Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, a driver for UPS for 28 years, leaves behind his wife, Kathleen, a daughter and two stepchildren. “He was one of the most generous men I’ve ever...
Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70 remembered as dedicated, compassionateVideo
A 14-year-old Matthew Smelser showed up three decades ago for a youth emergency medical explorer program in Connellsville. Greg Cominsky, a longtime area paramedic, knew right away that he was destined for a career helping people. “Oh, Matt took an immediate interest in it. He was so eager, so dedicated...
New Westmoreland County sheriff finds offices trashed
Newly installed Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert found a surprise when he arrived at work Monday morning. Stacks of boxes filled with old arrest warrants blocked the door to his administrative suite of offices, trash was strewn on floors and desks, and the former sheriff’s dirty uniforms were piled beneath...
Borings for bridge project slated on Route 906 in Rostraver
Motorists may encounter changing traffic patterns in the Rostraver community of Webster beginning this week, while boring is under way on a section of Route 906. According to PennDOT, workers will be completing geotechnical borings between Mechanics and Kline streets to prepare for a bridge replacement. The work is expected...
PennDOT to close I-70 West Newton ramp for 8 months
Motorists using the westbound on and off ramps of the West Newton/Mt. Pleasant exit on Interstate 70 will have to detour several miles and for several months beginning Jan. 15, PennDOT said. The westbound ramps will be closed starting at 8 a.m. Jan. 15 until about August for ramp reconstruction...
Police: 4 hurt when Jeannette man hits them with pickup while drunk
Four people were hospitalized after state police said a Jeannette man hit them with a pickup truck early Saturday. Dominic Giovanni Bellone, 20, was drunk when he hit two men and two women in Derry Township and fled, according to court papers. He is being held at the Westmoreland County...
Gov. Wolf orders state flags at half-staff to honor Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed Sunday
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the commonwealth flag to be flown at half-staff Monday to honor Matthew Smelser, the Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services paramedic who was killed Sunday while responding to a crash on Interstate 70. Smelser, a 44-year-old paramedic supervisor from Charleroi, died when he was struck by a...
Police: Bus driver, 2 others ejected after hitting center barrier in deadly Turnpike crash
The driver of a tour bus involved in a deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash Sunday was ejected from the vehicle, as were two passengers, after it struck the center barrier at 3:30 a.m., state police said. Shuang Qing Feng, 58, of Flushing, N.Y., was driving west in the left lane when...
Westmoreland courthouse reopens after bomb threat
A bomb threat closed the Westmoreland County courthouse for nearly three hours Monday, the first day for new administration in the commissioner’s office and sheriff’s department. The Greensburg courthouse was evacuated after a threat was received shortly after 9 a.m., Sheriff Jim Albert said. Explosive-sniffing dogs from police agencies in...
Gordmans conversion begins, hiring events planned
Area Peebles stores, including those in Belle Vernon, Mt. Pleasant, Ellwood City, Allegheny Township, New Castle and Somerset, will hold hiring events this week as the locations transform into Gordmans stores. The stores will open under the new name on Feb. 18, the company says. The apparel and home décor...
Pa. Turnpike tragedy: 5 dead in ‘horrific incident’ that could take weeks to investigateVideo
A deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash involving a tour bus and multiple tractor-trailers early Sunday left the vehicles so entangled that it took first responders hours to reach the dead and shut down the major thoroughfare for nearly 15 hours, authorities said. Five people died in what Pennsylvania State Police called...
Westmoreland bars, clubs weigh pros and cons of going smokeless
Owners of public and private establishments in Westmoreland County had a lot to consider when deciding on a future for smokers at their establishments. “When you hear about a VFW that went nonsmoking and had to go back because they couldn’t sustain themselves, that’s really what it boils down to,”...
New Westmoreland County leaders take over commissioners’, sheriff’s offices
Westmoreland County’s new government will be unveiled Monday when Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew take over the majority on the board of commissioners and Democrat James Albert assumes control of the sheriff’s office. Monday marks the first official day on the job for the newly elected officials, and, as...
Yough principal joins alma mater’s inaugural ‘Under 40’ classVideo
Amy Larcinese remembers playing “school” as a child, writing on her chalkboards and instructing a classroom of stuffed animals, baby dolls and cousins. “I just knew that I always wanted to work with kids and try to make a difference,” she says. She also recalls riding along with her firefighter...
Lamp Theatre planning expansion for 2020Video
A pavilion to be built over part of the courtyard at The Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin will provide shelter from the weather and a raised stage in the courtyard will put musicians a step above the crowds for outdoor concerts, all part of an effort to improve patrons’ experience....
Mass-casualty plans become reality as Western Pa. hospitals treat turnpike crash victims
Doctors and nurses buzzed around Allegheny Health Network’s Forbes Hospital early Sunday as they waited to receive 11 patients who were involved in a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that left five dead and about 55 injured. More than twice as many crash victims — 31 in all...
A look at other deadly bus crashes in the U.S., Pennsylvania
Five people were killed in a violent bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Sunday, adding to a long history of deadly bus crashes across Pennsylvania and the United States. Deadliest U.S. bus crashes Sept. 17, 1963: Fifty-three farm workers were on a flatbed truck being used as a makeshift...
Hempfield woman loses $1,000 in theft
A 52-year-old Greensburg woman had just over $1,000 stolen from her bank account as a result of the theft of her debit card and checks last month in Hempfield, the state police said. Someone had stolen her debit card and used it at several locations last month, racking up the...
Company operating bus involved in fatal Pa. Turnpike crash has had only minor violations in past 2 years
The bus company that operates the bus involved in a multi-vehicle fatal crash early Sunday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township had a satisfactory safety review, no recent crashes and only minor violations in the past two years, records show. State police spokesman Stephen Limani identified the bus...
