Joe Napsha stories, Page 8

The tentative 2025 budget in Irwin holds the line on real estate taxes. Irwin council on Oct. 9 introduced a $4.25 million general fund budget that sets taxes at 28 mills, the same as last year. The tentative budget allocates the revenue from 23 mills to the general fund budget;...

The president of the Norwin School Board has been hired as the assistant superintendent at Plum School District. Matthew P. Thomas of North Huntingdon, who has been the student services director for the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 since June 2018, was hired Oct. 8 by the Plum School Board at...

Police officers hired by Irwin will have an incentive to stay on the job four years — an incentive worth $5,000. Irwin police Chief Dan Wensel had suggested to council that it create a signing bonus program for any officer hired next year as a way of retaining new officers....

A $30 million sports complex that was to include an indoor field operated by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team won’t be built on municipal property in North Huntingdon. The township commissioners Thursday quashed the possibility of another round of talks on lease with developers NHT Investment Partners LLC, formed by...

Irwin police are going to join the Westmoreland County Special Weapons and Tactics team. Irwin Council this week approved an interagency agreement to participate in the SWAT team and to recommend that Cpl. Alex Gillingham apply to be Irwin’s representative. Gillingham will have to pass the training necessary to be...

Penn Township author Leslie Savisky will offer tips on how to self-publish books during a program Thursday at the Penn Area Library, 2001 Municipal Court, Harrison City. Savisky is a freelance writer for Pittsburgh Parent magazine and the Monroeville Times Express. She is the author of the self-published novels, “Other...

Norwin School District denied a conservative organization’s request to use the high school Oct. 24 for what it described as a motivational speech. A flyer promoting the speech in Norwin by Turning Point USA’s Stephen Davis, part of the organization’s speakers bureau, may have been posted prematurely, the district said....

North Huntingdon officials will dedicate the bridge in the Shafton neighborhood of the township to a former firefighter at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Bridge Street. The township will rename the bridge in memory of the late Christopher Ritenour, a Shafton firefighter who died on June 6 at age 51. The...

Veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Jim Wexell will discuss his latest book on the Pittsburgh Steelers, “Pittsburgh Steelers: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Norwin Public Library, 100 Caruthers Lane, Irwin. Wexell, a Norwin High School graduate, has covered the Steelers for 30 years, working as a columnist...

A chicken version of McDonald’s iconic Big Mac will debut next week, the company announced. The Chicken Big Mac features two tempura-battered chicken patties with the traditional toppings (special sauce, lettuce, cheese on a sesame seed bun) from the Big Mac. The original sandwich was created in 1966 by Michael...

Amazon and United Parcel Service Inc. each want to hire about 2,000 workers in advance of the holiday shopping season for its distribution centers in Western Pennsylvania, the companies said this week. Workers looking for full-time and part-time seasonal jobs with the competing major shipping and delivery companies can earn...

Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign in the Pittsburgh area on Oct. 10 for Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. Obama’s appearance is part of a nationwide swing through the battleground states leading up to the Nov. 5 election, according to a Harris campaign official. The Harris...

A forecast of clear skies and solar flares Friday night means it might be possible to view the northern lights in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. The phenomenon, also called the aurora borealis, could be visible this far south of the Arctic Circle...

Some North Huntingdon residents acknowledge a proposed $30 million sports complex would be an asset for the community, but they’re questioning whether it should go on public property. “I don’t think anyone is against building a sports complex,” Jesse Adkins of Maple Lane told the township commissioners Wednesday. But Adkins,...

The Norwin School District violated federal civil rights laws when it allowed what the U.S. Department of Education called repeated, racially harassing conduct over 10 months in 2021. The district agreed to a seven-point plan to ensure it complies with the law. “The Norwin School District has now committed to...

The Trafford Historical Society will delve into the groundbreaking experiments conducted at the former Westinghouse High Voltage Laboratory during a program at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Manchester Room 414 Brinton Ave. Rear, Trafford. Andrew Capets, president of the historical society, will present the in-depth program about the experiments conducted...

North Huntingdon officials moved a special meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday to receive public input about a proposed sports complex to the Norwin Middle School auditorium at 10870 Mockingbird Drive. The meeting initially was planned for the North Huntingdon Townhouse, but the meetings have been packed at times since...

With the increase in solar power farm projects in Westmoreland County, Sewickley Township is among the latest municipalities in Westmoreland County to pass or consider passing an ordinance regulating the use of solar power for homes and commercial use. “We wanted to have something in place to protect people,” said...

A Yukon landfill operator that stores industrial and hazardous wastes it treats has agreed to repair its onsite wastewater treatment plant that has holes in it, allowing pollution from the facility to be discharged into Sewickley Creek, according to a federal consent decree released Friday. MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. of...

A Unity man told a township zoning panel this week he should have the right to use part of his property near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport for an estimated $10.5 million solar power farm, despite strong opposition from some of his neighbors. “In the final analysis, this is a...

Firefighters rescued a Herminie man Thursday afternoon when a kitchen fire created smoke in his residence, a fire official said. The man, who was not identified, was flown by medical helicopter from the Herminie area to an area hospital, said Herminie fire Chief Joe Marincic. The man was in and...

Irwin church plans Oktoberfest The First United Church of Christ at 400 Main St., Irwin, will hold an alcohol-free Oktoberfest with kielbasa, pork, hot dogs, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, applesauce and dessert from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17. Tickets are pre-sale only: $12 for adults and $6 for children. Ardara...

The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe became a safe haven for some expensive — make that very expensive — Gulfstream jets flown there from Georgia on Thursday to escape the high winds of Hurricane Helene, an airport official said. About 15 Gulfstream jets from Georgia, where Gulfstream Aerospace Corp....

Passengers on the Capitol Limited heading to Miami that stops in Pittsburgh and Connellsville will be able to remain on their train for the trip south starting Nov. 10, Amtrak said. The Capitol Limited train is being temporarily combined with the Silver Star train that goes from New York City...

When Leo Sun of Latrobe was the tender age of 6, he wanted to fly airplanes. He was interested in watching shows about air crash investigations rather than cartoons. Now 18, the Saint Vincent College student is getting that opportunity and is working his way toward that treasured license as...