Quincey Reese stories, Page 4
Penn-Trafford launches youth cross country, track and field program
Basketball, soccer, flag football, wrestling — Greg Shogan’s 6-year-old son, Connor, has tried out almost every youth sport available to him. Wrestling has become a favorite. But when it came to the other sports, the part Connor enjoyed the most was not the game itself, Greg Shogan said. “When he...
Hundreds of Pennsylvania educators call for cyber charter funding reform in state budget
Hundreds of Pennsylvania school district administrators are calling for cyber charter funding reform to be included in the state’s 2025-26 budget. A letter featuring signatures from administrators at 215 schools was sent to state legislators Thursday — calling for a cyber charter funding formula that reflects the true cost of...
Greensburg art exhibit features 101-year-old Penn Township artist
Nina Whitfield Stahlberg meandered among chairs, desks and bookcases at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library last week, directing her son, Kevin, on where to hang 35 paintings featured in her latest art exhibit. Those stopping in to check out books would hardly suspect that the Penn Township resident will celebrate...
Greensburg Salem creates girls wrestling club
The girls competing on Greensburg Salem’s boys wrestling team will be able to compete on a roster of their own this year following a vote by the school board Wednesday. The school board voted unanimously to create a girls wrestling club, with the hope that the program will grow into...
High school seniors’ math, reading scores declining, national report says
High school seniors’ math and reading comprehension are on the decline, according to a national report. The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress to a sample of students from 1,500 schools throughout the country from January to...
Westmoreland County tax auction estimated to fall just shy of record sales
Murrysville resident Nathan Boyd came to Westmoreland County’s annual auction of tax-delinquent properties Monday with the hope of snagging fixer-upper homes for him and his brother to renovate. Boyd, 26, is about a year into his career as a commercial real estate attorney. He made his debut in property ownership...
Westmoreland developments: The Venue, former Weyand Signs building search for new owners
After closing his 6½-year-old restaurant in late June, Michael Villi will reopen The Venue in downtown Greensburg this month while searching for a new owner to operate the business. Looking to retire from the restaurant business, Villi closed The Venue to search for a new owner. But after having his...
Central Westmoreland CTC eyes campus, program expansion as enrollment increases
Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center is outgrowing the buildings on its 44-acre campus in New Stanton — noting a more than 500-student increase in enrollment in the past five years. One of more than 80 career and technical education centers statewide, Central Westmoreland will educate 1,518 students this year...
School board to vote on renewing tax incentive program for Greensburg developers
Greensburg Salem school board will vote next week on renewing a tax incentive program intended to encourage commercial developments in Greensburg. The LERTA — Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance — program is a 10-year property tax abatement available to those building new developments or expanding the footprint of existing ones,...
Greensburg chefs get saucy: Semiannual Restaurant Week lets culinary creativity run wild
Blackened white tuna tacos, crab and lobster ravioli, funnel cake fries and fall-inspired margaritas are just some of the specialty items that will be available for restaurant-goers to test out during Greensburg Restaurant Week this month, Sept. 8-14. Hosted every fall and winter by the Greensburg Community Development Corporation, Greensburg...
Penn Township moves forward amended rezoning proposal
Commissioners moved forward a rezoning plan Penn Township has eyed in recent years to diversify the municipality’s tax base. The areas for the proposed changes were identified in a 2023 economic development study. The first phase of the rezoning, which the township has worked through in recent months, is in...
Hempfield Area student recognized for saving boy at drive-in theater
Hempfield Area junior Jacob Shepler didn’t have much time to react when he saw a vehicle poised to run over his sister’s friend at the Evergreen Drive-In. The 17-year-old went with his gut reaction. “I just jumped in front of it,” the Hempfield resident said, “and I started waving my...
Greensburg, Hempfield area welcome mental health nonprofit, Fla. restaurant franchise, coffee shop
Former mental health counselor Stephen Kuniak is no stranger to parents who are concerned that their child plays too many hours of video games. Much to the surprise of most parents, Kuniak, a professor and Greensburg resident, believes video games can actually foster positive mental health among children — if...
Hempfield resident’s donation to WCCC will support students in skilled trades, allied health
After a 43-year career in highway construction, Hempfield resident Bob Miner Jr. wants to give back to the skilled trades industry and his lifelong home, Westmoreland County. Miner, 70, started the Robert Miner Family Foundation in 2023 alongside his wife and daughter after selling his company, Donegal Construction. The foundation...
South Side woman to host Penn Township fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
As an engineering manager for QAI Aerospace, Ashley Sieber isn’t short on stories from flight paramedics whose aircraft receive services from the White Oak-based aviation company. Cystic fibrosis — a genetic disease that impacts the lungs, pancreas and other organs — is sometimes a part of those stories. That’s why...
WCCC sees enrollment increase after years of decline
After 14 years of declining enrollment, Westmoreland County Community College may be starting to reverse the trend. As of the first day of classes, enrollment is up nearly 1.9%, or 42 students, compared to the first day of the 2024-25 academic year. And that doesn’t account for students taking late-start...
Penn Township takes over local recreation as commission dissolves
After nearly a quarter-century in operation, the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission will close its doors. The nonprofit’s five governing bodies — Penn Township, Penn Borough, Penn-Trafford School District, Manor and Trafford — voted in recent weeks to dissolve the organization, with Penn Township commissioners casting the final approval last week....
WCCC to expand burn building used by thousands of region’s firefighters
Firefighters in Southwestern Pennsylvania will have more training options available to them upon the expansion of a burn building at Westmoreland County Community College’s Public Safety Training Center in South Huntingdon. The center — nestled in between corn fields, the Youghiogheny River and industrial buildings in the rural township —...
Mt. Lebanon named highest-ranked Pittsburgh-area high school in national listing
Mt. Lebanon was the highest-ranked Pittsburgh-area school in a U.S. News and World Report listing of the country’s best public high schools. The list, released last week, assessed more than 24,000 public high schools across the country. The majority of the schools, 18,000, were ranked on several performance-related factors: college...
As back-to-school costs rise, educators rely upon donations to bolster classroom supplies
The brightly colored posters, comfortable seats and hands-on science experiments present in Kaylyn Wojnarowski’s Gateway classroom might not exist if the first grade teacher relied solely on the district’s budget for supplies. Wojnarowski welcomed students back to her classroom at Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary on Thursday — the start of...
Hempfield Area drafts 3D designs for high school renovation
Five years after Hempfield Area School District approved a feasibility study for a renovation of its 1956 high school, the district is starting to nail down what the refurbished building will look like. Architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project in October, and the school board...
Budget busters: Western Pa. schools battle rising costs, strained finances to renovate aging facilities
Superintendent Tammy Andreyko started her tenure at Quaker Valley in August 2018 meeting with district officials to discuss the possibility of building a new high school. Seven years later, dirt has yet to be moved on the 150-acre property the district purchased in May 2017 to replace its nearly century-old...
Penn Township to draft ‘no parking’ ordinance; Rowe Road residents vie to keep street parking
The Penn Township Commissioners gave the go-ahead to start drafting a “no parking” ordinance for some roads throughout the municipality. Commissioners discussed expanding the parking ordinance to select roads about a year and a half ago but revisited the topic after township staff noticed potential parking complications on Rowe Road....
Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes seeks donations for new warehouse, Penn Township fundraiser slated
Four months out from Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes’ busiest time of year, the nonprofit is seeking donations to purchase a new warehouse space. Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes was launched 12 years ago by Javid Shojaie, the owner of 37-year-old Monroeville business Jaden’s Catering. The operation has grown from generating about...
Derry Area, Clairton City school district officials wary of state budget impasse
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse approaches the two-month mark, Derry Area School District is missing out on vital state funding just days out from the start of the academic year. More than half — 55% — of the district’s $43 million budget is supported by state funding, said Business Manager Scott...
