Joe Napsha stories, Page 43
Police investigate 2 shootings in Homewood
Four people were wounded in two shootings late Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, police said. In the first shooting, a man was shot in the head and stomach and a female suffered a graze wound in a shooting that was reported at about 9 p.m. in the 7100 block...
State liquor store in Greensburg to reopen Monday
The state liquor store in Greensburg will reopen in a few days, but not in time for partygoers to buy their favorite libations for a New Year’s Eve bash. The Fine Wine & Good Spirits store at 105 Harrison Ave. will reopen Monday after being closed since August because of...
Warmer temps in store for Connellsville Polar Bear plunge on New Year’s
The hearty people who will take the plunge into the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville on New Year’s Day will surely be thankful the temperatures will be a lot warmer than what they were on the brutally cold Christmas Day. The National Weather Service in Moon is forecasting that the temperature...
Ex-Seneca Valley school guard charged with possessing child pornography
A former security guard at the Seneca Valley School District who allegedly sexually assaulted a high school student on school property in August 2021, faces new charges of possessing and distributing child pornography, according to police in Butler County. An arrest warrant has been issued for Matthew A. Cowan, 24,...
John Rooney, son of Steelers founder, dies at 83
John Rooney, son of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Arthur J. Rooney Sr., has died. The brother of former Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, and a minority shareholder in the team, John Rooney was one of five children of Art, who founded the team in 1933. John Rooney was 83. Late Wednesday morning,...
Natural gas service disrupted in Hempfield
About two dozen homes in the Penn High Park section of Hempfield remained without natural gas service Tuesday, after the service lines were flooded on Christmas Day by a crew fixing a water line break, a Columbia Gas Co. of Pennsylvania spokesman said. The time frame for when residents will...
Jeannette man killed in Derry Township crash
A 26-year-old Jeannette man died Tuesday night in a one-car crash along Route 981 in Derry Township, state police at Kiski Valley said. Jacob Scott Mayer was pronounced dead at the scene, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. Police said Mayer was traveling northbound on Route 981 at a high...
11-year-old dies in fire near Normalville in Fayette County
An 11-year-old boy was killed early Tuesday in Fayette County when a fire destroyed a mobile home near the village of Normalville, a fire official said. The boy was found inside the mobile home along Hawkins Hollow Road in Springfield Township, said Normalville Fire Chief Mark Bigam. He said an...
2 people rescued from house fire in Beechview
Two people were rescued early Tuesday from a fire in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. City fire trucks were at the scene of the blaze in the 1500 block of Beechview Avenue, between Sebring and Hampshire avenues. The fire at the 2½-story wood-frame home was reported...
Derry Township fire victim died of smoke inhalation, coroner says
The fire that killed a Derry Township woman on Christmas Eve started on the kitchen stove in the rear of the house, a fire official said. The victim, Esther Ann McChesney, 78, was trapped inside her Pizza Barn Road home and died from her injuries, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson...
Christmas traditions live on at Western Pa. churches
About 20 volunteers bustled about the sanctuary of St. Bartholomew parish in Crabtree one morning this week, converting the simple country church into an elaborately decorated sanctuary. Garlands and wreaths now hang from the balcony, as a decorated tree and Nativity scene fill the space. The group of helpers, primarily...
Concrete falls from Downtown Pittsburgh building, police say
A piece of concrete fell from a building under construction in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday and damaged a nearby building, Pittsburgh police said. The concrete piece was part of a building in the 650 block of Smithfield Street, police said. The extent of damage caused by the piece of concrete...
Lamp Theatre posters to be unveiled in Irwin
Eight scenes depicting Irwin’s history and landmarks past and present will be unveiled Friday when shadowboxes are illuminated on an exterior wall downtown at The Lamp Theatre. The posters on the Lamp Theatre Community Wall will be revealed about 5 p.m. after a brief ceremony at 4:30, said John Gdula,...
Westmoreland prison: more guards needed
The Westmoreland County Prison still needs more corrections officers and will conduct interviews in January to fill 16 positions, the prison warden said. Warden Bryan Kline will conduct the interviews and agility tests at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the county prison, off Route 119 in Hempfield. The board approved...
Irwin OKs budget; 2-mill tax hike for street lights
Irwin property owners will pay more in real estate taxes in 2023 to support government operations as a result of a two-mill tax hike earmarked to pay for street lights. The borough council on Wednesday approved a $5.29 million budget, including a $4.2 million general fund to pay for government...
Teachers see tech center preparing students for a career
Greensburg Salem High School senior Allyssa Mattes wants to go to a technical school and work in a machine shop after graduation. Mattes was among those who told about 15 teachers from several school districts about the career-preparation programs at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center this week. As the...
Irwin man among 3 suspects nabbed in West Mifflin drug bust
An Irwin man was among three people jailed in Allegheny County this week after drugs, guns and cash were found during a raid in West Mifflin, West Mifflin police said. Police said the illegal items confiscated were heroin, cocaine, pure fentanyl and fentanyl pills, marijuana, as well as four handguns,...
Norwin briefs: Irwin officials get raises
Irwin Borough this month approved pay hikes for some of its its non-union officials, including the police chief and borough manager, as part of the 2023 budget. The increases represent a raise of about 7%, said Shari Martino, whose salary as borough manager will increase to $60,737, an increase from...
Wreaths to be placed on graves of about 4,600 veterans at area cemeteries
Veterans buried in 10 cemeteries in Hempfield, Irwin, North Huntingdon and Penn Township will be honored Saturday with wreaths on their graves as part of a national program. Volunteers with the North Huntingdon Chapter of Wreaths Across America will lay 2,880 wreaths on the graves of veterans buried in Union...
New Stanton nixes overnight work at warehouse project
Night construction work won’t be allowed at the site of a 1 million-square-foot warehouse being built along the New Stanton-Hempfield border. The New Stanton Zoning Hearing Board this week denied a request from builder Layton Construction Co. for a zoning variance to allow work after 9 p.m. and before 6...
Fort Necessity battle discussion planned for Braddock battlefield site
A discussion of George Washington and his ill-fated battle July 1754 defeat at the hands of the French at Fort Necessity in present-day Fayette County, will be held Sunday. Braddock’s Battlefield History Center at 609 Sixth St., Braddock, will be host to an 18th century roundtable discussion of the Battle...
Irwin church plans St. Lucia’s Day event
St. Lucia’s Day, the festival of lights celebrated in Sweden and Norway, will be observed in Irwin at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 612 Chestnut St., with a children’s activity. Children will be able to do an art project at the church and will be given materials...
Norwin area: Breakfast with Santa, pirohi sale, more
Board changes meeting dates The Norwin School Board decided to meet on different dates in the new year. The school board opted to meet once a month for most of the year, rather than twice a month with a workshop and legislative meeting to vote on issues. The board had...
Plane makes landing with collapsed gear at Rostraver Airport; pilot not injured
No one was hurt when a small plane landed with its nose gear collapsed Monday afternoon at Rostraver Airport, an airport official said. The nose of the plane remained upright as the plane went down the runway, then hit the runway at the plane lost speed, said Gabe Monzo, executive...
Yukon residents urge state to deny permit for new hazardous waste dump
State environmental regulators repeatedly heard the same message from about 20 Yukon area residents and environmentalists regarding a landfill operator’s plans to build a 1 million ton hazardous waste dump site: Deny the permit on grounds of potential dangers to the community’s health and safety. “You see the dust fly...

