Megan Swift stories, Page 32
Operation Santa Claus will provide holiday dinners to local families for 40th year
Operation Santa Claus is back for its 40th year — with the goal of feeding 2,500 families in eight counties. The campaign is an annual cooperative effort by Trib Total Media, Shop ’n Save and the Salvation Army to provide holiday dinners to local families. This year, the campaign had...
Laurel Highlands ‘Bonfires, Barrels & Brews’ event will feature variety of craft beverages
Go Laurel Highlands is offering a “Bonfires, Barrels & Brews” event for the first time this fall — featuring a fire, food and craft beverages. Part of the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour, the event will be held rain or shine from noon until 5 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Yinzer...
Latrobe trust will honor Southern Alleghenies Museum during annual gala
This year’s Art Gala hosted by the Greater Latrobe School District Art Conservation Trust will honor the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier Township. The annual event supports the trust’s work to oversee and care for Greater Latrobe’s art collections, which were generated by two teachers: James Beatty and...
Coroner identifies 2nd person who died in Washington County house fire
The second victim in a Washington County structure fire Tuesday has been identified. Coroner S. Timothy Warco identified the second victim as Kimberly Montes DeOca, 39. Warco said the coroner’s office has “exhausted all attempts to locate and notify” DeOca’s family. Warco is asking anyone who may have information about...
Singer/actress Reneé Rapp puts on ethereal show for sold-out crowd in Pittsburgh
Wednesday night’s Snow Hard Feelings tour performance at Stage AE wasn’t Reneé Rapp’s first time in Pittsburgh. “It’s so good to be here,” Rapp said to the sellout crowd. “I used to come here all the time growing up.” She opened her show with “Talk Too Much,” followed by “Poison...
Alumni group raises $500,000 in push against admission of girls at The Kiski School
Some alumni of The Kiski School have been raising money in an attempt to get the all-boys boarding school in Loyalhanna Township to reverse course on welcoming girls in fall 2024 — ending a storied 136-year tradition. Joseph Garcia, a 1985 alumnus, is the chairman of the Friends of Kiski...
Witches ‘cackle’ through Ligonier during annual bike brigade fundraiserVideo
Carla Arnone and her fellow witches could be spotted bicycling around downtown Ligonier on Sunday, cackling as they went. The Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade began in 2016 with 70 people, and now, Arnone, 53, of Ligonier, said it’s grown to more than 1,100 registered participants, with as many as 5,000...
Freeze watch issued for greater Pittsburgh region
A freeze watch will be in effect from late Sunday night through Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees will be possible, the NWS said. The watch will affect both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties as well as the surrounding areas....
Tenants speak out about conditions inside, outside Latrobe apartment building
Kara McAdams doesn’t want to come home after work — instead she wants to cry, she said, because of the cockroaches and bedbugs she’s battling there. McAdams, 33, is living in the apartment building at 333 Main St. in Latrobe, where 100 violations of the property maintenance code were found...
$4M county contribution bumps Palmer airport terminal expansion project into high gear
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s $22 million terminal expansion project is underway thanks to a $4 million commitment from Westmoreland County commissioners. Planning for the renovation, which will add 32,000 square feet at the Unity airport, began around five or six years ago out of necessity, according to airport Executive Director...
Unity prohibits burning of leaves, grass within township, residents could face fines
Residents of Unity are no longer able to burn leaves and grass on their property after an ordinance was amended during Thursday’s Supervisors meeting. Code Enforcement Officer Greg Fumea said the township had been receiving complaints of people burning grass in their yards and leaving it “smoldering for two or...
Latrobe uncovers over 100 property maintenance code violations during investigation of Main Street apartment building
After receiving multiple complaints about the condition of the six-story apartment building at 333 Main St. in Latrobe, it was the city’s duty to investigate. “We did what I call a blitz” Sept. 21, City Manager Terry Carcella said. “We looked at four apartment buildings.” The one on Main Street...
Pittsburgh area school directors say career, technical education centers lack funds to meet modern needs
With 16 career and technical education programs offered in the Pittsburgh Public School District comes the weight of providing quality education in the face of rising expenses. For Angela Mike, executive director of CTE for Pittsburgh Public Schools since 2010, challenges arise when pursuing the results students need to meet...
Off-campus shooting near IUP the latest for university community to endure
The shooting at a party near the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus early Sunday morning marked the latest in a string of incidents involving IUP students in the past decade. IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling confirmed that the party at the Chevy Chase Community Center was not affiliated with the university,...
Seton Hill students target Greensburg’s empty storefronts as part of regional initiative
If Greensburg eventually finds a way to fill vacant storefronts in downtown, the city may have three Seton Hill students to thank. Jake Starek, 20, of Harrison City is one of the trio at Seton Hill University participating in an initiative designed to study the potential for a health care...
Firefighters honored with lifesaver awards in Unity
Russell Withrow Jr. said his adrenaline was pumping when he jumped into flood waters — saving a local citizen who was swept away. Withrow Jr., assistant fire chief at Mutual Volunteer Fire Department, was pulling his car into Dryridge Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot during a major flooding event on...
The Kiski School will welcome girls after 136 years of all-boys boarding school education
For the first time in its 136-year history, The Kiski School — an all-boys private boarding school in Loyalhanna Township, near Saltsburg — will welcome girls in fall 2024. Head of School Christopher Brueningsen said the decision was an emotional one, but he believes it is the right one when...
Kiski Township man shocked to find wayward alligator on his porch, 9 taken from neighbor’s property
When Tony Gularsky opened the door to his front porch, he had “a rude awakening”: An alligator was blocking his doorway. Gularsky, 60, of Kiski Township, had just gotten out of the hospital on Thursday, and he was expecting some friends were coming to visit him to see how he...
The Kiski School will welcome girls after 136 years of all-boys boarding school education
For the first time in its 136-year history, The Kiski School — an all-boys private boarding school in Saltsburg — will welcome girls in fall 2024. Head of School Christopher Brueningsen said the decision was an emotional one, but he believes it is the right one when looking toward growth...
No evidence to support criminal charges in Derry police dog death, DA says
After investigating the death of Derry police dog Smoke, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday there is “not evidence to support charging a criminal offense at this time.” The DA’s office said it conducted a “thorough and extensive investigation” into the euthanasia of the dog after an incident...
‘Buck Up’ campaign in Unity aims to raise funds for fire bureau, new aerial truck
Diners in Unity are being asked to “Buck Up” this month to support the township’s fire bureau. The new campaign is in partnership with several restaurants in the township. Customers are asked to donate to the local fire departments at the end of their meal — raising their check by...
McCali Manor in Mt. Pleasant set for demolition after fire
McCali Manor in Mt. Pleasant is set to be demolished soon after a stove fire caused heavy damage to the building in April. Jane Altman, owner of the historic property located on the diamond in the center of town, said the decision was “a process.” “I had hoped we could...
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra sets opening night of 55th season
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will offer a fan-friendly program Oct. 14 to open its 55th season. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, featuring a program of romantic pieces. The concert will open with Khachaturian’s “Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia,” followed by Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and...
Federal jury convicts 2 Las Vegas men of committing wire fraud targeting elderly in Western Pa.
Following a five-day trial in Pittsburgh federal court, a jury convicted two Las Vegas men of defrauding elderly residents in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Roderick Feurtado, 56, and Tarek Bouanane, 47, of Las Vegas and evidence at trial established that they traveled to the Pittsburgh area in September 2021 intending...
Blairsville carjacking suspect extradited from Georgia ahead of preliminary hearing
Michael Aaron Whitfield, who was charged with attempted homicide in a July attack on a woman, has been extradited from Georgia, Pennsylvania state police said Friday. Whitfield, 36, of Greensburg, was accused of cutting a woman in the face and neck during a Blairsville carjacking July 12. He was arrested...
