Megan Tomasic stories, Page 47
Celebratory events scheduled for Hempfield seniors
Hempfield seniors might not be able to continue the tradition of donning caps and gowns and walking the hallways of their former elementary schools this year, but they will celebrate their achievements during a modified senior walk. Normally scheduled for the end of May, the annual event allows students to...
Religious leaders split over ‘essential’ status after Trump calls on governors to reopen congregations
Religious leaders across the region are split over whether houses of worship should be considered essential during the coronavirus pandemic after President Trump called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend. “Today I’m identifying houses of worship — churches, synagogues and mosques — as essential...
Memorial Day travel to set record lows as pandemic keeps people close to homeVideo
Many people who typically travel over Memorial Day weekend are trading three days away for more time at home as the coronavirus pandemic leaves countless businesses still closed and social distancing measures in place, travel officials said. Travel numbers are expected to drop by more than half across the country,...
Apollo man charged with raping teen girl
An Apollo man is accused of raping a teen girl with a mental disability. Kiski Township police charged Frank Dean Shaner, 20, with rape, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault and indecent assault. Shaner is being held at Armstrong County Jail in Kittanning. A preliminary arraignment is scheduled for June 3....
Hempfield administrator to serve as Mars superintendent
An administrator at the Hempfield Area School District has been hired to become the superintendent at a Butler County district. Mark Gross, the assistant superintendent for secondary education at Hempfield, will begin his new position with the Mars Area School District on July 1, according to a notice on the...
Pittsburgh-area man sentenced to federal prison after assaulting Social Security guards
A Pittsburgh-area man accused of punching two security guards at a downtown Social Security Office in 2018 was sentenced Thursday to federal prison. Isaiah Paillett, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak to two years after pleading guilty to the charges in January. He originally pleaded not guilty...
Crews responding to downed wires, brush fire, in Allegheny Township
Crews are on scene of a brush fire in Allegheny Township caused by downed wires, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Fire officials responded to the area of Route 356 and White Cloud Road around 6:20 p.m. Roads remained open. The fire is not endangering any structures. Further information was...
Western Pa. Gordmans stores could close after parent company files for bankruptcy
Several local Gordmans stores, including those in Allegheny Township, East Huntingdon and Rostraver, are at risk of closing for good, another victim of the coronavirus pandemic that left stores largely shuttered across the country. Houston, Texas-based Stage Stores Inc. — the parent company of Gordmans, which has been in operation...
Greensburg Central Catholic seniors receive cap, gown deliveries
More than 60 Greensburg Central Catholic seniors on Thursday received signs, caps and gowns and other congratulatory items from teachers and staff. School officials delivered the items to the seniors’ homes, titling the project #drivinmiles4seniorSMILES. The event followed an April announcement that graduation was postponed until July 21. A backup...
Products from Somerset’s Moo Echo Dairy should be discarded, state says
Several products from a Somerset County dairy farm should be discarded because they were not properly pasteurized, the state Department of Agriculture said. Products from Moo Echo Dairy were sold at several Westmoreland and Somerset county stores including Lapp’s Family Market in Unity Township, Dormina’s Kitchen Cupboard in Jenner Township,...
As Pa. fairs are canceled, communities miss out on tradition, social engagement
Rural communities across Pennsylvania are feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic as local fairs, often social epicenters during the summer, are canceled in accordance with state regulations. So far, 16 of the 108 fairs across the state have been called off, said Sally Nolt, president of the Pennsylvania State...
Hempfield Area to extend cyber program to elementary grades
The Hempfield Area School District is making its cyber program available to all elementary grades. In a letter dated May 15, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said the program will be available to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The program currently is open to grades six through 12. She noted some...
Hempfield school district approves preliminary budget with no tax hike
Hempfield Area School District property owners will not see a tax hike this year after board officials unanimously passed a $97.67 million preliminary budget this week. This is the second budget in a row that has not raised taxes, following five years of gradual increases, setting taxes at 83.46 mills....
Fireworks over New Stanton planned to ‘boost community morale’
New Stanton residents will be treated to a fireworks show this weekend in an effort to “boost community morale,” borough council President Ray Strosko said. The event, scheduled for Saturday at 8:45 p.m., will be hosted by Schaefer Fireworks, which is staging the display from a “good vantage point” so...
Drive-ins could see renewed interest in coming weeks as some virus restrictions are liftedVideo
Tucked off of side roads in towns across Western Pennsylvania, dots of bygone Americana are alive, operating in the form of drive-in theaters filled with people hoping to reclaim a piece of normalcy stripped away by the coronavirus pandemic. The theaters are some of the first entertainment facilities permitted to...
Malls look toward rocky future following pandemic
America’s once-dazzling shopping industry is facing blow after blow as department stores anchoring malls across the country file for bankruptcy, a move that could leave already struggling shopping malls permanently in the dark. Sales have plummeted, with a record 16% drop in retail sales for April, in large part because...
911: 2 injured in Forward Township crash
Two people were taken to the hospital after a vehicle crash with entrapment on Route 51 southbound in Forward Township, an Allegheny 911 dispatcher. Part of the road was closed from 9:20 p.m. until around 1:30 a.m. Further information on the crash and the extent of injuries was not immediately...
Some Allegheny County voters received duplicate mail-in ballots due to system glitch
Some Allegheny County residents who opted to vote through the mail received duplicate ballots, Allegheny County elections officials said, noting a glitch in the state system. According to a release from Jerry Tyskiewicz, director of the county elections division, an issue with the state system that prints labels for mail-in...
Diocese of Pittsburgh to begin reopening Friday, hopes to resume public Masses in June
Churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will begin gradually reopening Friday as Southwestern Pennsylvania moves to ease restrictions in place for the covid-19 pandemic. In order to adhere to social distancing regulations, facilities will reopened based on a strategic plan put in place by Bishop David Zubik, with the...
16-year-old killed in Wilkinsburg shooting
A teenager died after a shooting Wednesday night in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County Police. The county Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Marcus Wells Jr., 16, of Pittsburgh. Officers responded to Laketon Road and Robinson Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of a shooting. On scene, police...
Dispatch: 1 person airlifted after Hempfield crash
One person was airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital after a crash in Hempfield, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to Sunny Drive around 9:30 p.m. where one car was over the embankment with a woman trapped inside, said Scot Graham, a supervisor at Mutual Aid Ambulance Service. Crews...
Duquesne University plans to open on schedule this fall with 3 scenarios in place
Duquesne University plans on opening as scheduled this fall, according to a letter from the school president, but the semester may look far from traditional. In a letter sent to parents, university President Ken Gormley said the fall semester will begin as scheduled Aug. 24. However, he also laid out...
Southwest Greensburg Council member resigns after allegedly using racial slurVideo
Several members of the Southwest Greensburg community showed their frustration Wednesday during a borough council meeting that followed an incident last month where a council member allegedly directed a racial slur at another man during an investigation about a dog fight. The council member, David Thomas, submitted his resignation after...
Drive-in theaters across Western Pa. set to open Friday
Drive-in movies theaters are set to open Friday across southwestern Pennsylvania as the state begins to loosen some coronavirus restrictions that have been in place since March. They include Evergreen Drive-In Theatre near Mt. Pleasant and Dependable in Moon. Others are Brownsville in Fayette County, Riverside in Armstrong County, Skyview...
Census forms to be hand delivered to Western Pa. households next week
People across Western Pennsylvania could receive a census packet on their doorsteps starting next week as the bureau resumes some operations halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. On May 13, questionnaire packets will be left at households that typically do not receive mail at their physical address, said Susan Licate,...
