Westmoreland category, Page 740
North Huntingdon VFW post plans Veterans Day ceremony
Retired Army Col. Kenneth Gongaware, a Norwin High School graduate, is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Veterans Day ceremonies hosted by the J. Howard Snyder Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781 in North Huntingdon at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the post. The post’s new commander, Navy...
Hempfield school board candidates gear up for election
Three incumbent candidates have formed a uniformed front in the race for a seat on the Hempfield Area School Board. The incumbents — Jeanne Smith, 71, Paul Adams, 50, and David Iwig, 51 — are vying for three of the five open seats on the board. Smith and Iwig are...
West Hempfield Middle caring closet brings necessities to kids in needVideo
Every Friday, Heather Gockel packs her silver Jeep full of toiletries and makes the short drive to West Hempfield Middle School. There, she unloads her boxes and takes them to the gymnasium locker rooms, where she restocks shelves of what she has dubbed the caring closet — a place where...
Westmoreland Recorder of Deeds candidates ready for rematch
Voters might experience déjà vu Tuesday when choosing the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds. Incumbent Democrat Tom Murphy and Republican Frank Schiefer are familiar opponents. In 2011, Schiefer ousted Murphy, who was then a three-term incumbent. Four years later, they faced off again, with Murphy prevailing. Now they’re going for...
2 Westmoreland County judges up for retention on Tuesday
Westmoreland County voters on Tuesday will decided whether two Common Pleas Court judges get new, 10-year terms. Judges Michele Bononi and Chris Scherer are up for retention through a simple “yes” or “no” vote. Both were elected to the bench in 2009. Bononi, 59, of Unity, has spent her entire...
Westmoreland County judge candidates tout experience to court voters
The three candidates for two spots on the Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court bench combined to spend more than $800,000 this year as their campaigns approach next week’s finish line. Voters on Tuesday will choose among Hempfield lawyer Michael Stewart II, Unity attorney Jessica Rafferty and Justin Walsh, a two-term...
2 incumbents seek to retain seats on Irwin Council
The contest among four candidates seeking three seats on Irwin Council is proof of the importance of write-in votes. Three of the four candidates running for four-year terms on council won a spot on the Nov. 5 ballot as a result of write-in votes in the May primary, including the...
The Westmoreland celebrates season with light installation
As part of its Nov. 8 Art on Tap event, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will flip the switch on its first Winter Lights Installation. Art on Tap: Winter Lights is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. and will including strolling through an “immersive, ethereal light display,” according to...
4 incumbents, 3 newcomers in race for 5 Greater Latrobe School Board seats
Seven candidates are vying for five seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board in Tuesday’s election. Those seeking to join the board include retired state police trooper Paul McCommons, chiropractic assistant and former Greater Latrobe employee Cathy Sarraf, and Plum Borough School District business teacher David Vitula. Incumbents hoping to...
4th gun found at Arnold Palmer airport checkpoint in 2019
Federal security officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe stopped a Connellsville man who tried to travel with a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag Thursday, according to the agency. Westmoreland County Park Police, which assigns officers to the Unity airport, detained the man for questioning, eventually allowing him...
Cops: Man arrested for assault of 5-year-old girl outside Westmoreland prison
A 45-year-old Latrobe man was arrested for physically assaulting a 5-year-old girl he was watching in the parking lot of the Westmoreland County Prison while her mother visited an inmate Thursday, according to park police. John M. Truxal was arraigned before District Judge Mark Mansour on charges of endangering the...
Washington Township man sets state record for largest green squash
It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Or rather, it’s the great green squash! Whatever it is, it’s officially the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania — and it was grown in Washington Township by the Yohe family. “This is my fourth year growing them,” Jay Yohe said. “My father was...
2 incumbents, 2 challengers lay out plans for Greensburg Council
The four candidates for Greensburg council agree the city is moving in the right direction. They disagree over whether it is doing so quickly enough — and on who should lead the city for the next four years. Republicans Sindy Diaz and Colin Johnson are challenging Democratic incumbents Randy Finfrock...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Nov. 1-3Video
Oct. 31 may have come and gone, but seasonal celebrations continue. And if you enjoy music, your weekend options include both big brass and big hair. One brewery will celebrate the Day of the Dead, while a winery plans to drown your sorrows with laughs — and maybe a little...
North Huntingdon commissioners’ 7th ward race contested
At least three new commissioners will take office in North Huntingdon starting in December, and maybe fourth, depending upon whether the 7th Ward incumbent can beat his challenger. Commissioner Duane Kucera, 68, a Democrat representing the 7th Ward, is seeking his second term against Republican Eric Gass, 54, who lost...
Mascara challenges incumbent Squires for Westmoreland treasurer post
The race for Westmoreland County treasurer features a two-term incumbent and a newcomer with a political pedigree. Republican Treasurer Jared Squires, first elected in 2011, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Matt Mascara. The treasurer’s office is responsible for overseeing money collected and disbursed by the county. The office...
State grant expected to bolster Westmoreland County’s drug court program
A state grant approved Thursday is expected to help expand Westmoreland County’s drug court program. Officials said the two-year $50,712 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will pay for enhanced drug testing of participants that will improve supervision and monitoring efforts of the four-year-old program. “This will...
Wind advisory in effect for Westmoreland, other parts of region for Halloween night
Wind and rain might be scarier than ghosts and ghouls for Halloween tricks-or-treaters. Westmoreland, along with Fayette and Indiana counties, are under a wind advisory until midnight Thursday. Wind gusts up to 55 mph are possible, according to the National Weather Service. The agency downgraded those areas from a tornado...
Ligonier Salvation Army accepts kids’ wish lists, seeks bell-ringers
The Salvation Army last year provided holiday gifts to 180 Ligonier Valley children in financial need. The need continues this year, and eligible area families who want to make sure their kids ages 13 or younger have something special in their stockings are encouraged to submit wish lists at the...
Cops: New York City man arrested in Hempfield after returning to crime scene
Returning to the scene of a crime was not a good idea for a New York City man charged with trying to use a man’s stolen identity to buy computers. Vaughn L. Lawhorn, 46, of Brooklyn, was arrested at Best Buy in Hempfield Wednesday as he attempted to purchase two...
Incumbents face newcomers for Hempfield supervisor seats
Issues within Hempfield will come to a head next week at the ballot box when a pair of challengers face two incumbents for seats on the township’s board of supervisors. Democrats Scott Graham, 51, and Daniel Kremer, 67, are vying for seats held by Tom Logan, 63, and Doug Weimer,...
Latrobe Art Center plans ‘Polka Dots & Plaid’ auction fundraiser
Attendees have the opportunity to don artful outfits for Latrobe Art Center’s annual signature fundraiser, “An Evening in The Neighborhood XII: Silent & Live Auction.” “Polka Dots & Plaid” is the theme for the semi-formal event, scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at Latrobe Country Club. “This fundraiser helps us...
Penn-Trafford business class raises nearly $100,000 for charity
Students in a business class at Penn-Trafford High School raised almost $100,000 for charity since the class started 14 years ago, and they expect to pass the six-figure mark this year. Students in the “Introduction to Administration and Management” class sell T-shirts of their own design, with the profits going...
Westmoreland County Transit will bring bus and paratransit services in-house next yearVideo
Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members on Wednesday approved the takeover of all agency operations in a move that officials said will improve bus and paratransit services at a reduced cost. Board members during a specially scheduled meeting unanimously voted to operate the authority’s fixed-route bus service and operation of...
Route 31 ramps reopen amid I-70 interchange update
Motorists traveling east on Interstate 70 once more can exit and enter at Route 31, with the opening of ramps that were closed for construction. The ramps opened to traffic on Tuesday as work progressed on revamping the interchange in South Huntingdon from a cloverleaf to a diamond configuration. “If...
