Megan Swift stories, Page 28

Usually drawing crowds of more than 45,000 people, the 33rd annual Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival that was to be held the last full weekend of September is now canceled, the festival committee announced Thursday. Jerry Lucia, co-chairman of the festival, said the committee waited to see what other...

There were 35 new covid-19 deaths and 618 additional cases reported in the state by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday. The statewide total is now 86,606 cases and 6,649 deaths, with 633 patients considered probable cases. According to the Department of Health, the most severe cases are seen...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 6 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County on Tuesday. This brings the case total to 646 and death total to 38 in the county. Of the total cases, 620 are confirmed and 26 are probable. In Westmoreland County, 17,411 people...

In a normal year, “summer melt” impacts many high school graduates, who in the spring intended to go to college but don’t quite make it come fall. This is particularly true for those of lower socioeconomic status, said Kelli Canonge. She is convinced it will be worse in 2020 —...

Greensburg’s Idelia Robinson-Confer has been in foster care since she turned 13. Now 20, one constant over the past seven years from changes she has endured in homes, families and schools has been Florence “Flo” Jenkins, a Greensburg resident who served as her Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Jenkins nominated...

The State Police Academy in Hershey this week graduated 98 cadets as part of its 159th class, and a number of the new troopers are headed to work in Western Pennsylvania. Uniontown will receive nine troopers, the most of any barracks in the state. Three were assigned to Greensburg. “(Troops)...

The Ligonier Valley School District approved plans Monday for a series of virtual Family Town Hall Sessions that will begin Monday, June 29. Sessions will explain options for students and families for the 2020-21 school year reopening, discuss health and safety concerns and allow for questions to be raised. The...

Pittsburgh doctors found a potential connection between covid-19 and the onset of the autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome, according to a case study from Allegheny General Hospital. The neurologists, among the first in the country to document this link, published findings in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 11 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County. This brings the case total to 563, with deaths remaining at 38 in the county. This marked the third time in four days that the county saw double-digit increases in cases...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 54 new covid-19 deaths and 495 new cases in the state. The statewide total is now 83,191 cases, including 632 probable cases, and 6,515 deaths. According to the Department of Health, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age...

Jennifer Filak will return to Queen of Angels Catholic School in North Huntingdon as the principal, succeeding Sandra Stonebraker, effective July 1. Filak, of Pittsburgh, began her Catholic education career at Queen of Angels in 1999 as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher. For the past 14 years, she was a...

There were 38 new covid-19 deaths and 510 new cases reported Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The statewide total is now 82,696 cases and 6,464 deaths, with 631 patients considered probable cases. According to the Department of Health, the most severe cases are seen in patients 65 or...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday reported six new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths in Westmoreland County. This brings the county case total to 552, with 38 deaths. In Westmoreland, 14,648 people have tested negative for the virus. There have been 82,696 covid-19 cases and 6,464 deaths statewide,...

Buckets of buttered popcorn and silver screen flicks are back. MovieScoop Waterworks Cinemas near Aspinwall plans to reopen Friday, offering $5 tickets for a lineup of some classic and superhero movies. “It will be nice to have everyone together again,” said Liz Noullet, assistant manager at the MovieScoop Waterworks Cinemas,...

A Washington County youth soccer coach pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges of transfer of obscene material to a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Timothy Cribbins, 46, of California used Snapchat twice to send explicit photos to a female under the age of 16 in...

A 75-year-old man may have been under the influence of alcohol when he allegedly caused two crashes Sunday on State Route 31 in South Huntingdon, according to police reports. State troopers said the suspect was driving his SUV eastbound on Route 31, or Mt. Pleasant Road, just after 3 p.m....

Kevin Tomich was an avid photographer and videographer while he was a student at Norwin High School in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, a time when cell phones weren’t available to snap quick flicks. Tomich, now 46, owned a large VHS camcorder — a coveted and rare possession at...

A 26-year-old Youngwood man who led state troopers on an 11-mile chase at speeds over 100 mph was arrested Sunday after his motorcycle broke down. William D. Rettinger was riding his motorcycle into oncoming traffic when he passed the intersection of Pine Drive and South Center Avenue in Hempfield at...

When Ashley Puckett of North Huntingdon released her debut album, “Never Say Never,” this past Valentine’s Day, she didn’t expect recognition to come so quickly. The 28-year-old’s single, “Bulletproof,” secured the No. 1 spot on the country radio chart in the June 12 issue of New Music Weekly magazine. The...