Megan Tomasic stories, Page 13
Greensburg police chief announces retirement
Greensburg Police Chief Robert Stafford is retiring from the force after 34 years of service. His last day is Jan. 18. City council members this week unanimously approved his letter of retirement. “I figured it was just that time,” Stafford said. “I went from patrolman to chief all in the...
Police: Greenfield father charged in newborn’s 2020 death
A 31-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection to the 2020 death of his 7-week-old son in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood, officials said. Cory Neidert of Pittsburgh is charged with criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. On Feb. 1, 2020, police responded to a report...
Woman found dead in Monroeville hotel room identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the 49-year-old woman who was found dead Saturday in Monroeville hotel room. Rochella Anderson was found under a hotel bed at the Rodeway Inn on Mosside Boulevard, officials said. A cause and manner of death was not released. Officials responded to the hotel Saturday...
Man charged in Swissvale shooting that left 6 people hurt on Christmas Eve
Allegheny County Police arrested a man they say is responsible for a Christmas Eve shooting in Swissvale that left six people injured, including the man who was arrested. Jacques Washington, 53, of Swissvale was taken into custody Monday afternoon. He is charged with two counts of attempted homicide and five...
Pittsburgh police: Woman in critical condition after hit-and-run in Homewood South
A 30-year-old woman is in critical condition after she was hit by a vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood Saturday night, officials said. Crews responded to Frankstown Avenue and Sterrett Street around 10 p.m. and found the woman unconscious in the street, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokeswoman Cara Cruz....
Westmoreland Archaeological Society hosts artifacts display at Bushy Run Battlefield museumVideo
More than a dozen people filtered through the Bushy Run Battlefield museum Saturday morning for their chance to see arrowheads and other artifacts found throughout the region. Archaeology Day at Bushy Run featured members of the Westmoreland Archaeological Society who displayed cases of artifacts discovered throughout Westmoreland County. “It gives...
1 dead after Second Avenue crash in Pittsburgh
One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood Friday night. Emergency crews responded just before 10:15 p.m. to the 1700 block of Second Avenue, under Interstate 376, for reports of a vehicle crashed into a pole. The unidentified driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The...
Duquesne students must show negative covid test before returning to campus
Duquesne University students are required to have a negative covid-19 test prior to returning to campus for the spring semester as case counts inch toward record highs. In guidance released Thursday, officials said proof of a negative test must be provided 48 hours before a student arrives on campus. The...
Supervisors pave way for new, inclusive playground at Hempfield Park
A new, inclusive playground is coming to Hempfield Park after township supervisors paved the way for the $428,000 project. Officials are hopeful the playground, which will replace one that has been at the park for about 30 years, will become a destination place, accommodating between 100 and 200 children at...
Pittsburgh police: Boy in stable condition after head grazed by bullet
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a boy was found with a “graze-type wound” to his head after a shooting Wednesday night, officials said. Crews responded to the 5500 block of Penn Avenue near the city’s Garfield and Friendship neighborhoods around 8:45 p.m., said Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. First...
Police investigating after man shot in North Versailles
Allegheny County Police are investigating after an unidentified man was shot in North Versailles on Wednesday night, officials said. North Versailles police responded to the 1400 block of Greensburg Pike around 8 p.m. for reports of the shooting. According to county police, the victim drove from the scene. He was...
Westmoreland 911: No injuries reported in Unity house fire
No injuries were reported after a fire broke out in a Unity home Wednesday evening, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Firefighters responded to 487 Donohoe Road shortly before 10 p.m. where they found the house and a few small structures in the back on fire. The fire was under...
Employee airlifted from ATI Vandergrift after suffering burns
An ATI employee was flown by medical helicopter from the company’s Vandergrift facility Wednesday after suffering burns, officials confirmed. According to spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie, the employee was performing operational maintenance when the person was burned. “Out of an abundance of caution, the employee was ‘life-flighted’ for treatment, receiving the care...
Hempfield taps 3 veteran firefighters as assistant chiefsVideo
Three longtime members of Hempfield’s volunteer fire service will serve as assistant fire chiefs, new positions that will bring the responsibility of establishing command at fire and emergency scenes. Don Thoma, Dan Thoma and Jay Wilkinson took their oath of office Monday during a supervisor’s reorganization meeting. “We’ve made history...
Lower body of Twin Lakes drained to fix retaining wall, to be refilled by trout season
Water in the lower lake at Twin Lakes Park will remain low for most of the winter as crews repair a retaining wall and restore walkways that wind around the lake, officials said. The water level was dropped by about 6 feet when the project began in late November, allowing...
Pennsylvania casinos not ready to cut smoking from gambling experience
Like flashing lights, dings and coins splashing into a slot machine tray, an equally familiar — even stereotypical — casino experience involves plumes of smoke wafting skyward from patrons puffing on ash-tipped cigarettes. Casinos, and the states that host them, have permitted smoking for decades, with the industry bypassing a...
Hempfield residents will be able to use OpenGov to apply for permits online
Several processes traditionally completed at Hempfield’s municipal building will move online next year, making it easier for community members to apply for permits and applications. Beginning Monday, residents and developers will have access to the Hempfield Township Online Service Center, powered by OpenGov, a California-based company that creates software and...
Hempfield school leaders seek input about how to use federal funds aimed at curbing learning loss
Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District are seeking community input on how to use thousands of potential grant dollars aimed at reversing learning loss. In all, Hempfield could receive a total of $400,713 in ARP ESSER set-aside funds, which must go toward learning loss and summer enrichment and after-school...
Hempfield students take 2nd in Carnegie Science Center competitionVideo
Hempfield students might not have traveled down a long and lonesome highway, but they did take inspiration from musician Bob Seger’s song “Turn the Page” to help them clinch second place at the Carnegie Science Center’s STEM competition this month. The Chain Reaction Contraption Contest brought together 215 students from...
Pittsburgh’s SWAT team responded to domestic incident in Knoxville; suspect surrenders
Pittsburgh’s SWAT team responded to a home in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood Tuesday night after receiving a 911 call for a domestic incident. Officers responded to the 200 block of Zara Street around 7:30 p.m. On scene, the caller told police a man was in the home armed with a...
Pamela’s Diner is closing in Squirrel Hill, but its other locations will remain
After 42 years in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Pamela’s Diner is closing. Closure of the restaurant was announced in a news release Tuesday by co-owners Gail Klingensmith and Pam Cohen who have several Pamela’s locations throughout the Pittsburgh area. All other Pamela’s locations will remain open. The decision was largely...
Travel this week expected to inch toward pre-pandemic numbers, state police release Christmas weekend stats
More than 5.4 million motorists are expected to take to the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Christmas and New Year’s Day, inching toward pre-pandemic numbers, officials said. Projections call for 460,000 turnpike motorists on New Year’s Eve and 350,000 on New Year’s Day. Over the Christmas weekend, state police across the region...
No injuries reported in 3-alarm fire in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood
No injuries were reported after two homes caught on fire Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, officials said. Firefighters responded to the 5200 block of Lytle Street around 10 p.m. for reports of the two alarm house fire, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesman Maurice Matthews. First responders said they...
Greensburg resident publishes children’s book ‘We Are Different but a Lot Alike’
Linda Guest-Peters was driving home from her job in Youngwood one day when a thought kept popping into her head. “An assortment of flowers makes a better flower garden. May all your friendships blossom like a flower garden,” served as inspiration for her new children’s book, “We Are Different but...
Hempfield jiujitsu academy helps empower women, teaches self-defense
When Rebecca Blair decided to open a Brazilian jiujitsu academy in Westmoreland County last year, she knew she was making waves in a largely male-dominated sport. What she didn’t know was the impact her academy, Gracie Allegiance Jiu Jitsu Academy in Hempfield’s Westmoreland Mall, would have on women across the...
