Joe Napsha stories, Page 42
Sculptures, favorable weather help draw large crowd for Ligonier Ice Festival
The Ligonier Ice Festival had the perfect blend of elements working in its favor this past weekend. The rain held off, and temperatures were brisk but not bitter cold for late January. Add to that no competition from a Steelers playoff game, and the result was thousands of people walking...
2 males in critical condition from shootings on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Two males found shot on Pittsburgh’s South Side late Saturday night were reported in critical condition, Pittsburgh police said. A juvenile boy was transported to a hospital with wounds to the abdomen and a graze wound to the face, police said. He was found in the area of Color Park...
Hempfield junior firefighters — tomorrow’s firefighters — undergo critical training
Fifteen-year-old Kayden Lawther stood in her firefighter’s bunker gear Saturday in Hempfield’s future fire department headquarters, learning with other junior firefighters how to use a large tarp to cover furniture or create a chute to drain thousands of gallons of water poured onto a burning house. What would motivate seven...
Pittsburgh police arrest suspect in Greenfield robbery
Pittsburgh police arrested a man Friday who they said robbed a senior citizen this week outside of an automatic teller machine in Greenfield. The suspect, Brian J. Guiney, 50, of Pittsburgh, was charged with robbery and placed in the Allegheny County Jail, police said. Police said Guiney robbed the senior...
Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin weds at age 93
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was the second man to walk on the moon, proved that one is never too old to be married when, on his 93rd birthday, he wed his longtime girlfriend, a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Aldrin, who made his fourth trip into matrimony, married Anca Faur,...
2 killed in St. Clair Township crash
Two men were killed in a head-on collision on Route 56 in St. Clair Township on Friday afternoon, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. The victims were identified as Robert A. Deemer, 36, of Johnstown, and Gerald E. McGeary, 84, of Seward. The coroner said both men died of...
From Herminie to Rome: Famed fashion designer’s memorabilia up for auction
It’s a long journey from the coal patch town of Herminie in Sewickley Township to the top of the Spanish Steps at 15 Piazza Trinita del Monti in Rome. About 4,544 miles, to be precise. Although the late John W. “Jack” Savage might have grown up in the company town...
Norwin area: Designer purse fundraiser, Night at the Races, more
Norwin library to hold book sale The Friends of the Norwin Public Library will hold a book sale from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Feb. 2 in the lower level of the library, 100 Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Entrance is through the door at the lower level parking lot. Children’s Miracle...
Rostraver police chief seeks district judge’s post
Rostraver’s police chief is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a district judge. John Christner, 56, who has been the township’s police chief since November 2021, said he believes his experience as an officer for 35 years and the knowledge he has gained in all aspects of...
Norwin director wants to ban book that uses derogatory term he used on social media
Norwin School Board member Alex Detschelt last week called for the district to ban another book from its curriculum. Detschelt has courted controversy since he was elected to the board in 2021. His latest target is “Al Capone Does My Shirts,” Gennifer Choldenko’s 2005 young adult novel that was a...
Irwin ballfield fee hikes has some crying foul
Irwin Borough’s plan to double the fees for use of ballfields at its two community parks had several representatives from a youth sports group crying foul last week. Council plans consider changing the fee structure from $10 to $20 per session for use of the ballfields at Irwin Park and...
North Huntingdon considers fee for property owners to fund stormwater projects
Faced with an estimated $9 million in stormwater projects to help North Huntingdon meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, township officials this week were presented with a plan for raising money by levying a fee on property owners. To reach an estimated collection of $1.8 million annually...
Tiny house, big dreams for Irwin man
Got to get back to the land And get my soul free … And we got to get ourselves Back to the garden — “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell Benjamin D’Amico of Irwin is going on a life-changing venture and getting back to the land, at least for the foreseeable future,...
Disc golf course proving popular in North Huntingdon park
The weather outside might get frightful, but that won’t deter those who love to play golf at a North Huntingdon park, albeit with a twist —disc golf that requires the player to throw a specially designed Frisbee into metal basket rather than hitting a small ball into a hole. “We’ll...
Norwin caps potential tax hike to state index of 5.3%
If the Norwin School Board approves any real estate tax hike for the 2023-2024 school year, it will be no more than a 5.3% hike for property owners in the Westmoreland and Allegheny county portions of the district. The school board this week agreed to limit any possible tax hike...
Norwin area: St. Stephen Church to sell pirohi, Irwin eliminates 3 parking spots, more
St. Stephen Church to sell pirohi St. Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church, 90 Bethel Road, North Huntingdon, will sell potato and cheese pirohi at 10 a.m. Jan. 27 at the church. Preorders for sweet cabbage pirohi will be accepted. The price is $12 per dozen. For more information, contact the Rev....
Stratigos Banquet owner buys defunct Banquets Unlimited for $406,000
The owner of a popular North Huntingdon banquet hall has expanded his business by buying a closed Irwin banquet facility in bankruptcy court and plans to renovate it in hopes of reopening it in April or May. Harry Stratigos, owner of Stratigos Banquet Centre on Colonial Manor Road, acquired Banquets...
Price reduced for village of Reduction
The cost of buying Reduction — a little-known 76-acre South Huntingdon village where trainloads of Pittsburgh’s garbage was incinerated a century ago — has been reduced. For a bargain price of $999,900, about $500,000 less than the initial asking price six years ago, you can own the cluster of 19...
State police program for teens: Training the troopers of tomorrow
Fifteen teenagers from Westmoreland and Fayette counties spent 15 weeks in a state police training program last year getting a taste of what life would be like if they opt for a career in law enforcement. They were cautioned that they would work long hours for low pay, likely face...
6 arrested on crack cocaine, heroin charges in McKeesport
Authorities seized more than $147,000 worth of cocaine, as well as crack cocaine, heroin and three guns last week during a drug raid that netted seven people allegedly involved in a major drug trafficking ring in McKeesport, as well as illegal gambling in McKeesport, the state attorney general said. Curtis...
Police say gunman fired at man, then held Eat ‘n Park employees hostage in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police said they arrested a man who fired at least three gunshots at another man in a parking lot along Banksville Road on Thursday afternoon before holding two Eat ‘n Park employees and a restaurant manager hostage. A man told police that an unknown man fired the gunshots at...
New Stanton warehouse construction forces closure of Glenn Fox Road
New Stanton officials said a portion of Glenn Fox Road in the borough will close Friday. It will not reopen until sometime this spring, said Jeff McLaughlin, borough manager. The closure was necessary to accommodate the increasing number of construction vehicles traveling to the build site of a 1 million...
Pope Benedict XVI recalled as leading Catholic theologian
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was remembered Monday by Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick as a man who in many ways helped to shape the Roman Catholic Church as it is known today. As a preeminent theologian in the Catholic Church, Benedict was a significant voice behind St. John Paul II, Kulick...
West Penn Power maintenance workers to vote on union
A dozen building maintenance workers at eight West Penn Power and other First Energy Corp. facilities soon will be able to vote on whether they want to join the union representing the company’s power line workers. The National Labor Relations Board in Pittsburgh said it will mail ballots to the...
Warm weather helps Yough River plungers endure cold water temperatures in Connellsville
Some newlyweds plan a honeymoon to an exotic location or a tourist destination chock full of romantic activities. That wasn’t the case for a Connellsville couple who tied the knot in their hometown on New Year’s Eve. On their first full day of married life, Mary and Blaine Brooks took...
