Joe Napsha stories, Page 27
Unity man in cryptocurrency theft to lose house, begin 3-year prison sentence in January
A Unity man who is to start serving a three-year prison sentence Jan. 2 after pleading guilty to being part of a California cryptocurrency theft ring, may need a new home when he gets out of jail. The federal government intends to sell the house he purchased for $942,500 in...
Loyalhanna house gutted by fire, family left homeless right before Christmas
A Loyalhanna family of four was left homeless Wednesday afternoon by a fire that caused extensive damage to their two-story house, a fire official said. No one was injured in the accidental fire that appeared to start in the living room of the two-story Stewart Avenue home, Saltsburg Assistant Fire...
Tay Waltenbaugh, former Community Action leader, had passion for helping people
At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Tay R. Waltenbaugh was a larger-than-life person who had a passion for helping those in need become self-sufficient. “He did so much for so many people. No one was more committed to helping others in Westmoreland County than Tay,” said county Commissioner Ted Kopas....
Independence Health: Hospitals post positive operating revenue but health system losses remain
Independence Health System’s five hospitals posted positive operating revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, hospital officials said Monday, even as the former Butler and Excela health systems individually lost millions of dollars in that 12-month period. Latrobe Area Hospital topped all the other health system hospitals — Butler...
Man hurt in dirt bike crash on South Side
A man was reported hospitalized in critical condition Saturday night as a result of injuries he suffered in a dirt bike collision on Pittsburgh’s South Side, Pittsburgh police said. The driver, who was not identified, was found lying on East Carson Street between South 11th Street and South 12th Street...
Daughter, 2 men arrested in connection with St. Clair woman’s death
The daughter of a St. Clair Township woman whose body was found last week underneath her home with two gunshots in her head has been arrested along with two men in connection with her death, Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said Sunday. The daughter, Melissa A. Beacom, 49, of New...
Wreaths Across America chapters decorate Westmoreland veterans’ graves
Barbara Keough and her daughter, Denise Keough-Samuels, placed a wreath Saturday at the grave of Barbara’s son, Frank Keough, where he’s buried in a section of Penn Lincoln Memorial Park in North Huntingdon that is dedicated to veterans. “Frankie’s never forgotten. He was just the heart of the family, upbeat...
Tom’s Turkeys donates gift cards to Norwin families in need
Families of Norwin School District students have help putting food on their tables this holiday season thanks to a North Huntingdon nonprofit that donated $5,600 worth of gift cards to a supermarket. Tom’s Turkeys, which raises money to address food insecurity among families in the Norwin area, donated 224 gift...
Breakfast with Santa set for North Huntingdon fire hall
Breakfast with Santa will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Hartford Heights Volunteer Fire Department, 14335 Route 30, North Huntingdon. The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children ages 5 to 12. Children age 4 and younger will eat for free. Tickets will be...
Norwin area: Irwin council member resigns; police candidates sought and more
Irwin Borough council member resigns For the second time this year, Irwin Borough Council will be looking for someone to replace a council member who is resigning. Councilwoman Leslie Savage resigned from borough council, effective Dec. 14. Savage said she was resigning for personal reasons. Savage was in the midst...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to smuggling Hondurans, cocaine into U.S.
A North Huntingdon businessman’s scheme to smuggle Hondurans and cocaine into the country came undone when the U.S. Coast Guard found his yacht floundering in the Gulf of Mexico, the Justice Department said in court documents. Carl “Car” Allison, 47, pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans this month...
Retired doctor goes from restoring patients’ health to restoring 240-year-old farmhouse
A North Huntingdon family doctor who recently retired from a career of helping to restore the health of his patients is now working to restore a farmhouse that has been in his family for almost a century. Dr. Daniel Medic hung up his stethoscope at the end of November at...
JetBlue mum on post-merger service at Arnold Palmer airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport enters the holiday travel season shrouded in turbulence. The airport is forging ahead with expansion plans despite passenger traffic plummeting this year — all while the lone airline serving the Unity facility is poised to merge with another airline that has failed to commit to retaining...
Display of vintage Irwin buildings was labor of love for borough native
Melvyn Rasel dedicated countless hours and money over four decades to create an homage to his hometown, building small plastic replicas of Irwin landmarks from his childhood in the 1950s as part of an extensive model train layout in his Plum home. His family is now sharing this labor of...
Somerset Trust’s Westmoreland construction bucks industry trend
The new Somerset Trust Co. bank branch in Hempfield that opened in late September is definitely not your father’s or grandfather’s financial institution. It has the traditional tellers, loan officers, conference rooms and vault. But the two-story building fronting East Pittsburgh Street also has a coffee bar where customers can...
Yukon landfill could pay $275,000 to settle pollution claims
Residents living near a hazardous waste landfill in Yukon could share in a tentative $275,000 class-action lawsuit settlement that claims their homes have been impacted by polluted dust and odors from the site since 2014. Payments from the proposed settlement with MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. — to those living in...
Volunteers sought for North Huntingdon trail work
A North Huntingdon group is seeking volunteers to do light maintenance work from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 14 on at least two trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon. The Friends of Norwin Trails plans to clear existing trails and...
Norwin OKs 6.8% state set cap on any possible tax hike
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not see a tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year that is more than the state-permitted maximum of 6.8%. The Norwin School Board this week unanimously adopted a resolution that it would not seek to raise taxes higher than the amount determined...
Norwin area: Holiday house tour, holiday celebration and more
House tour slated in Norwin Seven houses in Irwin and North Huntingdon will be featured on the Norwin Historical Society’s Homes for the Holidays Tour from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2. Tickets can be purchased for $25 by credit card at www.norwinhistoricalsociety.org, at the Norwin Public Library, 100 Caruthers...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in North Huntingdon
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Irwin plans 2-mill tax hike to fund fire department
Irwin property owners might see a two-mill tax hike in their real estate bill next year under a proposed 2024 budget that increases funding for the volunteer fire department. Council on Wednesday is expected to approve a budget that sets the real estate tax at 28 mills: 23 mills for...
Sewickley Township library supporters hold fundraiser; new building in the works
A Sewickley Township library support group is helping to raise money with an Election Day Soup & Bake Sale for the small library that has been forced to move into temporary facilities. There are plans for a new building in Herminie. “We’ve got volunteers lined to donate more than 100...
Irwin group seeks funds for home cleanup, hoarding disorder treatment
An Irwin-based organization that strives to address blight-related problems is proposing to provide mental health services to those with hoarding disorders. “There’s no formal program (for treating hoarding disorders) in Westmoreland County and this half of the state,” said Matt Williams, founder of the nonprofit Fight the Blight Inc. Williams...
Norwin area briefs
Veterans Day programs planned A retired Navy commander and Manor native who served 35 years in the Navy, will be the keynote speaker at the Veterans Day ceremonies at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the J. Howard Snyder Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781, Billot Avenue, North Huntingdon. Chris Haas...
Irwin at the center of proposed bike, walking trails
Irwin could be the hub of three recreational trails — from the borough’s downtown to the Norwin Public Library as well as trails to the villages of Larimer and Hahntown in North Huntingdon. Dan Korhnak, a co-founder of the nonprofit Friends of Norwin Trails, told Irwin officials Wednesday the organization...
