Jacob Tierney stories, Page 6

When “The Queen’s Gambit” became a smash hit on Netflix, a chess institute in Pittsburgh with a similar name got plenty of online attention — both good and bad. “We’ve been getting so many tags on social media, and specifically Twitter,” said Ashley Lynn Priore, president of The Queen’s Gambit...

Farmers who want to get an early start on plans to grow hemp in 2021 can submit their applications to the state by mail starting Saturday. Online applications for growers and processors will open in January. The state has made it easier for small farmers to get in on the...

There are more than 6,000 parcels of land in the City of Greensburg, and Westmoreland County employees soon will examine all of them to figure out which are blighted. The city received a $10,000 grant from the Realtors Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and Mon Valley to partner with the county...

The Ace Hardware in Greensburg has closed after a decade on East Pittsburgh Street. Sales plummeted when the coronavirus pandemic hit and lockdowns were put in place, said owner John McCullough, owner of New Kensington-based Thrift Supply. “We’ve just seen our customer base drop, and our business drop, and we...

It’s been more than three years, but the long-awaited Olives & Peppers restaurant finally is set to open Thursday in the historic Greensburg train station. “It did take us a little longer than we had hoped, but we are really excited to open,” said Emily Williams, part of the family...

Three Westmoreland County nonprofits have teamed up again to provide a place for those who need to come in from the cold. United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Welcome Home Shelter in Greensburg and Union Mission in Latrobe will provide cold weather shelters from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. on nights...

The Pennsylvania National Guard has spent the last several days at Twin Lakes Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Unity, providing emergency assistance to the facility because of the coronavirus outbreak. The staff assistance mission at Twin Lakes started Saturday. It is scheduled to end Wednesday. A group of eleven guard...

Most in-person hearings in Allegheny County courts will be postponed until after Friday, Dec. 4 due to the rising number of coronavirus cases, according an order issued Friday from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Western District. “Due to the rising number of positive covid tests in Allegheny County, further efforts...

Greensburg has cleared the path for 99 new apartments to be built downtown by agreeing to a deal that would allow residents to park in one of the city’s lots — but only at night. The decision waives Greensburg’s usual parking requirements. Instead, developer Urban Communities will lease the Buncher...

All Greensburg Salem School District schools are shutting their doors and moving to full remote classes Thursday, the district announced Wednesday. The closure will last through Nov. 30. The district’s decision was made due the rising number of coronavirus cases in schools and the community, according to the announcement. Three...

Last week it appeared Westmoreland County’s coronavirus surge might by on the decline, with its transmission risk dropping just under the threshold that divide a “substantial” risk from a “moderate” one on the state’s Early Warning Monitoring System. That appearance was an illusion. Cases again spiked, and the previous week’s...

Four local libraries received a helping hand in their renovation efforts thanks to $2.2 million in collective grants from the state Department of Education. “We’re just so excited about this grant, we’re over the moon,” said Jamie Falo, executive director of Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, which received $748,145. The money...

Westmoreland County’s population is dwindling, and members of a new initiative hope to help reverse the trend by making the region more welcoming to a more diverse group of people. “We are losing people, people are not coming into the county, and I fear it’s going to be the continued...

As voters in more U.S. states this month legalized recreational marijuana use, longtime pot-friendly Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other drugs — including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he thinks Pennsylvania should be a leader in drug reform,...

Penn Trafford School District has reported seven new coronavirus cases among staff and students this week, bringing the total number of cases in the district this year to 41. Here’s a breakdown of the new cases: • Two students at Penn Trafford High School; • Two student and one staff...

Greensburg City Councilman Randy Finfrock likes to pepper his annual budget presentation with jokes to keep it interesting for his fellow council members and residents. “That’s not happening this time,” Finfrock said Monday. “This is a difficult budget, it’s a difficult year.” Council is considering a budget that would keep...

Medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is more popular than ever, this month surpassing $1 billion in all-time sales from dispensaries to patients. The state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board noted the landmark at its quarterly meeting Tuesday before debating whether to add new medical conditions to the list of reasons Pennsylvanians can...

State data show Westmoreland County’s coronavirus transmission risk dropped a bit, which means school districts once again may face difficult decisions about how to educate students in the weeks and months to come. The county’s latest reported seven-day coronavirus incidence rate was 99.8. That means about 0.998% of county residents...

UPMC is expanding in Greensburg with a new facility housing 14 specialists providing general surgery, cardiac care, sports medicine and other outpatient services. The 2,520-square-foot UPMC Specialty Care Center at 410 Pellis Road houses physicians as well as a primary care practice. It had a soft opening in June with...

The holiday season in Greensburg will be a little less merry in 2020. Go figure. The city canceled its traditional Holiday Parade because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We couldn’t guarantee people’s safety,” said Mayor Robert Bell. “With the spike in covid cases, not just in Greensburg but in Westmoreland County,...

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania criticized President Donald Trump’s baseless allegations of election fraud in an interview with “CBS This Morning” on Friday, saying that there is no evidence of widespread wrongdoing in his state. “The president’s speech last night was very disturbing to me because he made very,...

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh provided an update on coronavirus-related developments at several schools Friday, including the closure of St. Louise De Marillac Catholic School in Upper Saint Clair. The diocese previously reported that students in an eighth-grade homeroom had been sent home and St. Louise De Marillac’s football program...