Ex-North Huntingdon EMS manager files federal sexual harassment lawsuit
A former North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue office manager is alleging in a federal lawsuit that she was subject to a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation by the service’s former executive director. Kelly Pirl, 39, of McKeesport, claims in the six-count suit that Shane Spielvogle, 50, of East McKeesport, subjected her...
Trafford historian seeks federal approval for naming Brush Creek tributary
A Trafford historian is seeking federal approval to name a North Huntingdon stream after the German immigrant family that settled along its banks in the 1870s. Andrew Capets, president of the Trafford Historical Society, is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formally designate the Brush...
Norwin area: Irwin appointments, book sale, auditions planned, more
Irwin resignations, appointments Irwin Borough is expected to vote next month to replace a borough representative on the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority board. John Slivka submitted his resignation from the municipal authority board at the end of the year. Slivka was elected to a four-year term on Irwin Council last...
North Huntingdon plans to raise administrators’ pay
North Huntingdon is expected to vote Wednesday at the commissioners meeting to raise the pay of most of its department heads by 3%, with two of the newer leaders getting 5% raises. The salaries proposed for 2026 were based on employee evaluations, township Manager Harry Faulk told the commissioners this...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
Greater Latrobe students accused of sharing intimate image of girl
Police have accused five juveniles from Greater Latrobe High School and one from Indiana County of using cellphones to disseminate an intimate image of an underage girl over the summer. Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg said Thursday they charged four girls from Latrobe — including one who was also described...
Heating costs $6,000 per month during Irwin office construction
Irwin will be paying $12,000 to provide heat this month and in January for the workers converting a former storefront into administrative offices at the borough building on Main Street. Borough council this week agreed to pay Sunbelt Rental of North Huntingdon for a temporary heating furnace at a rate...
Norwin area: Book sale, heating assistance, tree sale, more
Scouts to sell Christmas trees Boy Scout Troop 284 of Irwin will be selling live Christmas trees at the Busy Beaver store parking lot at the Norwin Hills Shopping Center. The tree sale will be from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 12; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 13; and from 10 a.m.-6 p.m....
Cause of blaze that destroyed Hempfield home under investigation
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a blaze that destroyed a home in Hempfield’s Fort Allen section Tuesday morning. Flames and billowing smoke ripped through the residence at 318 Hopi Drive after the fire was reported about 9:15 a.m. Hempfield Fire Department Chief Anthony Kovacic confirmed...
Greensburg Lutheran church sells shopping plaza along Main Street
A Greensburg shopping plaza has been sold to a Unity church. Charter Oak Church on Frye Farm Road has purchased the Mid Town Plaza, at 450 S. Main St., from First Evangelical Lutheran Church at 246 S. Main St. for $1.15 million, through its COC Holdings LLC, according to documents...
North Huntingdon OKs draft rules on leasing public land
North Huntingdon officials have approved a draft ordinance to govern the leasing of public land. The move is intended to prevent a recurrence of the controversy that surrounded a proposal for a sports complex on the public works facility site. Last month, the commissioners authorized advertising the ordinance, which would...
Fire destroys Cook Township house; man left homeless
Firefighters had to battle a smoky fire at a Cook Township house Sunday while being careful as ammunition in the house was exploding, a fire official said. There were no injuries from the fire along Hoods Mill Road off Route 130, said Chestnut Ridge Fire Chief Shawn Kestner. The owner,...
Fire guts Penn Township house
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that gutted a Penn Township house late Saturday night, a fire department spokesman said. The fire at the two-story brick house at 300 Murrysville Road in the Level Green section of the township was reported at about 10:30...
3 injured in Penn Hills crash
Three people were injured early Sunday morning in a two-vehicle accident on Verona Road early Sunday morning, Penn Hills Fire Department No. 7 said in a Facebook post. Penn Hills police said the accident was reported at 2:15 a.m. and that the injuries were minor. One man was...
Jeannette business district: ‘Fledgling stages of being reborn’
As people were flowing into Jeannette’s downtown business district Saturday for the city’s holiday parade, there was a positive vibe among several business owners along Clay Avenue that downtown is seeing a revitalization. “It’s slowly coming back. There’s a lot of great things happening. We just need more,” said Jen...
Norwin student recovers from serious injuries to win martial arts crown
River Pendergrass could be considered the Norwin area’s comeback kid. Less than two years after suffering severe injuries when he was hit by a vehicle, Pendergrass has become a national martial arts champion. Pendergrass was an 11-year-old sixth grader when he was hit by an SUV on Nov. 10, 2023,...
North Huntingdon police Chief Rizzo to retire in January
North Huntingdon’s police chief will be retiring in January. Robert A. Rizzo II, who has served as the township’s police chief since September 2018, will be leaving the force on Jan. 2, said Harry Faulk, township manager. “Chief Rizzo is the gold standard for chiefs in Westmoreland County. He is...
Acquisition, not merger: WVU Health System moves to take control of Independence Health’s workers, debt
WVU Health System will acquire the facilities, employees — and debt load — from Independence Health when the two entities are officially joined in the second half of next year, according to hospital officials. It also will gain access to what Independence Health has touted as more than 750,000 people...
Norwin Holiday House Tour slated
Seven houses in North Huntingdon and Irwin decorated for the holidays will be on display at the Norwin Historical Society’s annual Holiday House Tour from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at Norwin Public Library at 100 Caruthers Lane, Irwin; the Norwin Chamber of Commerce office at...
North Huntingdon plans 3.5-mill tax hike
North Huntingdon officials plan to raise real estate taxes by 3.5 mills in 2026 to balance a general fund budget of $15.8 million, a tax increase they said is necessary to fund ongoing operations and projects now that federal covid funds have been exhausted. Without the tax hike, the township would...
Norwin area: Christmas tree sale, toy drive, book sale, more
Scouts to sell Christmas trees Boy Scout Troop 284 of Irwin will be selling live Christmas trees at the Busy Beaver store parking lot at the Norwin Hills Shopping Center. The tree sale will be from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 12; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 6 and 13; and...
Chipotle eyes Irwin site for new restaurant
Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle plans to open a new eatery in Irwin. The Irwin Planning Commission is scheduled to review a land development plan at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 that Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has filed with the borough for a restaurant at 9174 Route 30 where Denny’s is currently...
Westmoreland judge considers new trial for convicted murderer of mother, sister and aunt
A New Kensington man who was a juror in the trial of a man accused of a triple murder in Loyalhanna testified Tuesday in Westmoreland County Court that he heard a fellow juror comment on why the suspect did not join the judge, attorneys and jurors when they toured the...
Norwin students: giving so others can share a similar holiday experience
A group of Norwin High School students gave of money that students raised and gave of their time Thursday to shop for and shelve groceries at an Irwin food pantry to help less fortunate families. “The food bank is really important,” said Lizzy Martina, a junior who is her class’...
Inadequate payment for services nudges small health systems like Independence toward merger, officials say
The merger of smaller regional hospital systems such as Independence Health with a larger health system — this one from West Virginia — is likely being driven, in part, by hospitals hurting from insufficient reimbursement for the cost of treating patients, a Pittsburgh-based health care consultant said. West Virginia University...
