Westmoreland category, Page 776
Former Greensburg man accused of assaulting jail guards
A former Greensburg man is accused of hitting three Westmoreland County Prison guards in the face and biting their hands during a scuffle last November, authorities said. The suspect, Esteban Ortiz Sosa, 37, whose current address is listed on court documents as the state prison at Camp Hill, allegedly injured...
Annual reenactment of Battle of Bushy Run underway in Penn Township
The Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society on Saturday hosted the first of two days commemorating the 256th anniversary of the Battle of Bushy Run. The battle between the British and the confederation of Native Americans on the Penn Township battlefield took place Aug. 5 to 6, 1763. Activities continue Sunday...
National Aviary project tracks birds near Saltsburg ‘bird haven’Video
Bob Mulvihill carefully held the small American cardinal in his hands Saturday morning in rural Indiana County. He placed a thin piece of numbered metal around one of the bird’s legs, along with red- and yellow-colored bands. That will allow residents in that area to track the bright red bird...
West Penn Power Fund grant supports energy efficiency in Saint Vincent library expansion
A $75,000 grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund will help Saint Vincent College include energy-efficient initiatives in the renovation and expansion of its library while educating students and the community about those measures. The $22 million project that is underway at the Dale P. Latimer Library includes...
Driver taken into custody after car plows into house in Jeannette
No one was injured when a woman drove a sport utility vehicle off Welker Street and into the corner of a Harrison Avenue house in Jeannette late Friday night. The SUV went into the house backwards. Police, firefighters and EMS responded to the corner of Welker Street and Harrison Avenue...
Teens team up to tackle summer projects at state parksVideo
Teen workers fastened into place a line of 2x6 planks, completing a narrow strip of new bridge decking just as a man arrived to walk his trail bike over the span across Keystone State Park’s Davis Run. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps crew of eight, based in Greensburg, combined efforts to...
Latrobe’s Steelers Fest attracts fans from afar for trophy shots, team-related funVideo
Big Ben and JuJu were among the attractions for fans with tickets to the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Most who came Friday afternoon, for related Steelers Fest activities in an adjacent field, made a bee line for the team’s half dozen Lombardi trophies on display....
Flash flood warning issued for several parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington counties
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flash flood warning for west-central Westmoreland County, southeastern Allegheny County and eastern Washington County until 7:30 p.m. Strong, slow-moving thunderstorms are expected to produce localized heavy rainfall that could lead to isolated flooding, according to the weather service advisory. National Weather...
Hempfield man gets time served for threatening messages directed at church, pastor
A Hempfield man pleaded guilty Friday to harassment charges in connection with a series of racially-tinged phone messages left for an African-American pastor. Mark Eugene Ray, 59, was accused of leaving threatening messages and racial slurs directed at members and the pastor of Living Word Congregational Church in Penn Township....
Crabapple ‘Pool-A-Palooza’ is all-day festival at Herminie pool
Crabapple Community Pool in Herminie will hold its second annual Community Pool-A-Palooza event from noon until 10 p.m. Saturday. The event will include food, an ice cream truck, 50/50 drawings and a chance to win a 2020 pool pass. DJ Brandie will be on from 1-4 p.m., and Elvis impersonator...
Unity gym regular accused of stealing car, purse after workout
Frequent gym-goer Britnee M. Silvis walked into the Planet Fitness in Unity on July 8, moments after workout regular Ryan Crawford had parked a red 2014 Mazda 6 outside, according to state police. When Silvis left the gym a short time later at 7:06 p.m., the 31-year-old woman, who walks...
Controller accused in $191K embezzlement scheme from Murrysville firm
A federal grand jury this week indicted the former controller of a Murrysville packaging company, accusing her of embezzling $191,000 over five years. Victoria Mazur, 51, of Plum, is accused of embezzling the money from Gateway Packaging Corp. between December 2012 and December 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said. According...
Controller accused in $191K embezzlement scheme from Murrysville firm
A federal grand jury this week indicted the former controller of a Murrysville packaging company, accusing her of embezzling $191,000 over five years. Victoria Mazur, 51, of Plum, is accused of embezzling the money from Gateway Packaging Corp. between December 2012 and December 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said. According...
Kunco, freed of rape conviction, pleads guilty to lesser charges; to be released
John Kunco, the Allegheny County man who served more than 28 years in prison for a New Kensington rape he said he didn’t commit, pleaded guilty Friday to reduced charges. Kunco, 54, was immediately paroled and was expected to be released from jail later Friday under terms of the sentence...
Police: Man threatened to set his Salem Township hotel room on fire
A Maryland man was in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bond Friday, accused of assaulting two state troopers who tried to subdue him as he threatened to set fire to his hotel room. Mikel A. Lawhorn, 62, was arraigned on aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and...
Murrysville’s Bach named to governor’s new Council on Reform
The hits keep coming for Mary Bach. Less than a month after being named to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Consumer Advisory Council, Bach, 74, has been appointed to Gov. Tom Wolf’s new Council on Reform. Bach, a longtime independent consumer advocate from Murrysville, was named to the body Wednesday...
5 things to do in and around Westmoreland: Aug. 2-4
And just like that, it’s August. Fear not … it’s still hot, it’s still summer and there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Sweet rides Bright, shiny and classic are all on tap this weekend as the Mount Pleasant Area Historical Society hosts a car show Sunday. It’s set...
Firefighters free ducklings from Unity storm drain
The Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department came to the rescue Thursday morning when some ducklings fell through a storm drain and became trapped near Wimmerton Lake in Unity Township. “All in all, nine ducklings were safely rescued and reunited with their mother … who was anxiously (and noisily) awaiting their rescue!”...
Westmoreland development projects get nearly $6 million
Almost $6 million has been awarded to some Westmoreland County municipalities and organizations to help spur economic development projects. The money is part of Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, of the Office of the Budget, for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects....
Experts: Capital One data breach latest example of constant cybersecurity threats
The latest reported consumer data breach — in which a hacker exposed personal information of more than 100 million Capital One customers and applicants — came as no surprise to cybersecurity experts in Western Pennsylvania. The odds of a data breach happening at major companies is almost 100%, said Paul...
Latrobe veteran accused of trying to kill family withdraws guilty plea
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday allowed a Latrobe veteran to withdraw his guilty plea entered last year to charges that he attempted to kill his wife, stepdaughter and sister-in-law in 2017. Scott Matuszky, 47, contended he received bad advice from his former lawyer in agreeing to a plead guilty...
Cops: North Huntingdon man broke into pizza shop hours after release on earlier burglary
Just hours after being released on unsecured bond Monday for allegedly breaking into a North Huntingdon auto parts store, township police say the same 40-year-old man broke into a local pizza shop and stole $180. Stephen M. Wray of North Huntingdon appeared for the second time this week before District...
Police: Youngwood man found with 2 pounds of marijuana
A Youngwood man who served time on juvenile probation in connection with a 2014 stabbing was arrested this week after police found him with about 2 pounds of marijuana, according to investigators. Earl S. Keim, 21, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $60,000 bail. He is charged...
2 women rescued from car flipped over hillside near Keystone State Park
Firefighters on Thursday rescued two women headed to Keystone State Park in Derry Township after their car flipped over a guide rail and teetered on a steep hillside. Neither of the young women were believed to have been seriously injured after the 9:21 a.m. accident on Keystone Park Road, but...
‘Girls in Pearls’ to showcase YWCA Westmoreland thrift store finds
The mission of the YWCA Westmoreland County is to empower women and to eliminate racism, but once a year it’s also to show people how to look good on a budget. To that end, “Girls in Pearls: Walk the Red Carpet,” the annual show of fashions from the Y’s downtown...
