Quincey Reese stories, Page 23
Blackthorne Estates plans to build new golf facility, open course in spring
Golfers can return to the course at Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates community this spring. After being closed to the public in 2023, the course will reopen this season and a new golf facility will be built, according to an agreement reached this week between Blackthorne Investors and the township. The...
At least 1 person flown to hospital after Sewickley crash
At least one person was flown to a hospital Friday night following a vehicle accident on Dick Station Road in Sewickley. The call for the crash came in around 7:40 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Dick Station Road was closed to address the crash. The dispatcher was...
Trafford Middle to perform ‘Finding Nemo Jr.’ with puppets made by Seton Hill students
When the Trafford Middle School drama club performs “Finding Nemo Jr.” next week, actors from the 50-person cast and crew will carry puppets created by theater design and technology students at Seton Hill University. Local middle and high school programs often rent puppets or other stage materials from the university,...
‘We’re going all in on Connellsville’: Penn-Trafford grads, Franklin Regional coach seek to enliven city with event center, restaurant
The city of Connellsville is alive with development. Three Penn-Trafford graduates and a former Franklin Regional High School football coach are a part of the reason why — pitching in with plans to build an event center, restaurant and short-term rental property. When Nate Morgan, a 1993 Penn-Trafford graduate, bought...
Penn-Trafford 8thgraders collect donations for school food program
When tasked with completing a community service project leading up to their Catholic confirmation ceremony, eighth grade Penn-Trafford students Jillian Rettger, Ashley Hetrick and Gabby Geary knew they wanted to support the district’s supplemental nutrition program, Backpacks-to-Go. The program, which supports the district’s families in need, gathers meals and snacks...
‘We’re not leaving the community’: Manor Bar & Grille to close doors, reopen in Irwin
Derek and Megan Gutkowski’s three children grew up at Manor Bar & Grille. Howie, 14, cleaned dishes, and Julia, 17, and Madison, 19, helped serve customers. The family’s lives were dedicated to the Manor restaurant, Derek said. “At Manor Grille, if you go in there in our dining room, we...
‘Like treasure hunting’: Greensburg native pursues love of secondhand shopping, opens vintage clothing store downtown
For as long as he can remember, Greensburg native Zach Butler has appreciated vintage clothes. As a kid, he watched antique picker shows such as “Storage Wars” and borrowed clothing from his dad’s closet. “People used to be like ‘You look weird, but it looks good,’” joked Butler, 24, of...
Hempfield supervisors delay vote to advertise part-time fire department driver position
Hempfield supervisors are holding on hiring a paid, part-time driver for the fire department. The township set aside $81,000 in its budget this year to potentially hire four part-time drivers for the fire department, primarily to assist during daylight hours. Candidates for the position must be able to perform fire...
Gator, turtles pulled from fire at Nate’s Reptile Rescue in South Park
At least one alligator and several turtles were pulled from a fire Monday afternoon at Nate’s Reptile Rescue in South Park. Allegheny County Deputy Steve Costello noticed the building at the intersection of Brownsville and McCorkle roads was ablaze just before 4 p.m., Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mike Manko said. South...
Bushy Run to host open house, celebration for Pennsylvania’s birthday
Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township is hosting an open house with free tours of the park and admission to its museum in honor of Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday. Charter Day is celebrated annually at the historical site, which played host to the 1763 clash between the British and Native Americans...
Greensburg hires new planning and development director, code enforcement officer
When Director Jeff Raykes resigned in November to focus on his private planning firm, it left a void in Greensburg’s planning and development department, Alec Italiano said. Greensburg council hired Italiano last week to fill the gap as the city’s new planning and development director, with a starting salary of...
‘Providing a little bit of light’: Penn Middle School supports community, local cancer patients in honor of late teacher
Up until three weeks before Jackie Landram died from ovarian cancer, she was doing what she loved: teaching. Landram taught seventh grade English at Penn Middle School in Penn Township for 16 years. She died at home at age 44 on Jan. 25, 2022, following a seven year battle with...
Westmoreland DA will review Penn Township police video before public release
The Penn Township commissioners voted Wednesday to allow the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office to review police body camera video before it is released to the public. Four months after police released body camera video showing an officer shooting a Ligonier Township man, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s office requested in...
Penn Township eyes vote to permit Westmoreland DA to review police video before public release
Penn Township commissioners will vote Wednesday whether to allow the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office to review police body camera video before before it is released. District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s office asked police departments in late December to have prosecutors review their footage if there is a request to have...
Harvison Road bridge in Penn Township slated for summer removal
A bridge carrying Harvison Road over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County’s Penn Township will be removed this summer, according to the turnpike commission. The commission announced in 2021 that it would remove the bridge as part of a $300 million-plus project to widen the toll highway between the Monroeville...
‘There needs to be somebody that looks like me’: Pittsburgh nonprofit creates recreation opportunities for people of color
Jaiya Hughes loves everything about winter. When temperatures drop, Hughes, 10, cannot wait to don her snow coat and boots and hit the hills of her East Liberty neighborhood in Pittsburgh, sled in hand. Her mother, Tazi Hughes, always joins in on the action. But when Jaiya sees fellow sled...
‘A celebration of what we bring to the community’: Westmoreland Cultural Trust hosts annual fundraising gala at Palace Theatre
Suits, ties and evening gowns will grace the stage of the Palace Theatre in Greensburg for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s “Party at the Palace” fundraising gala. The theme is “shaken, not stirred,” inspired by the way James Bond takes his martini cocktails. The trust has held the gala for 18...
Hempfield’s High Park fire station suspends service after nearly 2 years on probation
The High Park Volunteer Fire Department will no longer serve Hempfield after nearly two years on probation. The township received an email from High Park on Feb. 8 indicating the station wanted to discontinue its service. Hempfield Fire Chief Anthony Kovacic suspended operations at the station Tuesday. High Park has...
Greensburg council approves city workers as volunteer firefighters to respond to daytime calls
Greensburg council has made it easier for city workers who are volunteer firefighters to respond to emergency daytime calls. Council approved a resolution Monday to permit volunteer firefighters who work city jobs to answer fire calls during the regular workday. In Greensburg, 10 of the 15 public works employees are...
Mt. Pleasant, Yough host fundraisers for family of late referee
Referee Mike Roebuck was the kind of person a coach wants their athletes to be around, said Mt. Pleasant Area High School basketball coach Annie Malkowiak. Roebuck, 45, of New Stanton was officiating a junior varsity basketball game between Mt. Pleasant and Yough when he collapsed and later died at...
Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library hosts first vendor show, highlights local art, food
Jamie Keys likes to hang out in downtown Greensburg with friend and fellow art therapy student Olivia Andazola. The two second-year Seton Hill graduate students walked less than 10 minutes from their Greensburg apartment to participate in The Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library’s first vendor show. Keys brought original prints and trading...
‘I want them to express themselves’: Level Green parent launches Lego club
Keith Harmon estimates he has more than 200 pounds of Lego bricks in his Penn Township home. “There’s not a lot of room to move,” Harmon joked. “I have Lego stuff pretty much anywhere you can imagine.” Harmon, parent to a first grade student at Level Green Elementary, started a...
Logan Elementary benefits 100 students with gift drive, aims to continue support
The annual gift drive at Logan Elementary School in North Versailles helped bring a happy holiday to about 100 of the school’s students. The students received a backpack holding a wrapped gift, a hoodie and an essential item, such as clothing or hygiene products. The backpacks were left on students’...
‘A completely different world’: Virtual reality arcade opens in Westmoreland Mall
When Dan Roble first put on a virtual reality headset in 2016, his reaction was not what he had hoped. “It made me sick (after) the first 15 minutes or so,” said Roble, 35, of Latrobe. But the technology has improved significantly over the past eight years to prevent users...
Playstation, wallet stolen after home invasion in Lincoln Lemington
Seven people broke into a home Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Lemington neighborhood and stole some of the resident’s belongings. Two men were in the home in the 1500 block of Oakdene Street when a woman approached the residents and asked to use a phone charger before six men kicked...
