Renatta Signorini stories, Page 105
Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, parkVideo
The cold weather didn’t stop a group of adventure seekers from taking to a snow-covered wooded trail Saturday in Murrysville. Maybe it was the promise of hot chocolate at the end of the nearly 3-mile hike or a desire to get outdoors with others during a time when indoor activities...
Thousands of AHN patients get 1st dose of covid vaccine at PNC Park
More than 2,000 high-risk Allegheny Health Network patients 75 and older on Saturday got the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Health system spokeswoman Candace Herrington said AHN is planning to hold additional clinics as vaccine supply increases. That will include events similar to one...
West Mifflin woman killed in Fayette County crash
A West Mifflin woman was killed Friday in a one-vehicle crash in Fayette County, according to state police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Hope Marie Derry, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Route 51 in Perry Township at about 9:45 a.m., troopers said. Police...
Man hospitalized after being hit by vehicle in Homewood
A man was hospitalized Saturday after Pittsburgh police said he was hit by a vehicle in Homewood. Police were called to the intersection of Frankstown Avenue and McCombs Street around 12:30 a.m. The man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in critical condition, police said. The suspect vehicle...
I-70 reopens at Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge after ‘serious’ crash
A few people were hurt in a Saturday morning crash that closed a portion of Interstate 70 on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge at the border of Westmoreland and Washington counties, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported around 6:45 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-70. The...
Excela ‘Mask Up’ video taps Westmoreland facesVideo
Some recognizable faces — even behind masks — are helping Excela Health officials stress the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing while the coronavirus vaccine infiltrates the community. CEO John Sphon said the health system sought well-known figures to help spread the message as a way to reach county residents...
Man arrested after police say he brought handgun into Hempfield casino
A Greensburg man was charged Tuesday with carrying a handgun into Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield without a valid conceal carry permit, according to state police. Kenneth John Czarnecki, 21, is free on his own recognizance on a weapons charge, according to online court records. Troopers said Czarnecki was banned...
Jeannette man accused in Hempfield rape case
A Jeannette man was arraigned Wednesday after state police said he broke into a Hempfield home in November and raped a woman, according to court papers. Asa Duane Busato, 22, is charged with rape of an unconscious person, burglary, aggravated indecent assault and criminal trespass. He was being held at...
Drugs, $10K seized from Jeannette home; 2 arrested
Police seized nearly $10,000 and drugs from a Jeannette home Tuesday and arrested a man and 17-year-old boy inside, according to court papers. Larry Frederick, 31, who is wanted by authorities in Philadelphia, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. City police and agents from the state...
DA rules fatal shooting at South Huntingdon party a justified homicide
A June fatal shooting at a South Huntingdon party has been ruled a justified homicide, said District Attorney John Peck. David J. Hoffman, 44, of Sewickley Township, was drunk when he fired a shotgun, hitting Michael Scott Brown, then 24, once in the leg, Peck said. Brown returned fire, killing...
Hempfield supervisor seeks district judge post
Longtime Hempfield supervisor R. Douglas Weimer has announced his candidacy for an open district judge seat in the township. Weimer, 50, was first elected township supervisor in 2001. He has worked as a public educator for three decades and is an active member of many community organizations and nonprofit agencies....
Braddock man indicted on drug charges after North Huntingdon traffic stop
A Braddock man is set for arraignment Wednesday in federal court after police reported finding drugs in his possession that authorities have linked to overdoses in the area, according to court records. Deshaun Curtis Jones, 29, was ordered detained pending trial on drug and weapons violations. North Huntingdon police on...
Fire departments race against time, covid to recruit members with federal grantVideo
Officials are on target to meet a goal to recruit 300 new firefighters in Westmoreland County under a $4.3 million federal grant. There have been 267 new recruits to fire departments around the county since the grant was awarded in 2017, according to James Shaw, Hempfield’s director of code and...
Pandemic forces fire departments to continue creative fundraising in 2021
For fire departments, fundraising took many different forms in 2020 as they adapted to a changing environment in the era of the coronavirus pandemic. There are the ones that found a following for raffles on the department’s Facebook page. Some events that typically bring in a ton of cash —...
Derry district judge to retire in August
Derry Township’s longtime district judge will not seek reelection, marking the end of his three decades on the bench, according to an announcement. Mark J. Bilik, 65, of New Alexandria plans to retire in August, said Chris Haidze, magisterial district court administrator. He was appointed to the post in August...
Excela Health sees drop in covid hospitalization, keeps eye on new variants
Hospitalizations of covid patients at Excela Health facilities are decreasing and Westmoreland County appears to have missed any potential surge in coronavirus cases from the holiday season. But now the system’s chief medical officer has something else to worry about — more infectious variants of the virus that are making...
1 hurt in Derry Township blaze that destroyed home
A Derry Township man was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of burns after escaping a house fire early Thursday, according to Bradenville Fire Chief Mark Piantine. Firefighters were called to the home near the intersection of Pizza Barn Road and Toms Lane at 2:40 a.m, according to Westmoreland...
Excela planning for vaccine distribution when supplies become available
Excela Health plans to open coronavirus vaccination appointments to community members meeting the state’s guidelines when the health system has enough vaccine to go around. But not just yet. Dr. Carol Fox, the system’s chief medical officer, said health care workers at Excela’s three hospitals and other independent community providers...
North Huntingdon police say traffic stop yielded same drug linked to overdoses
North Huntingdon police report that during a traffic stop this week they discovered stamp bags of drugs that have been linked to numerous overdoses and deaths in the area. Police arrested Moziah Sharron Harris, 29, of Jeannette after discovering 246 stamp bags — 11 of which had the specific “Chucky”...
Jeannette man posts bond after drug arrest
A man who police accuse of dealing crack and cocaine out of a Jeannette home posted $50,000 bond Monday, according to online court records. Michael Larrell Jackson, 29, of Jeannette, was arrested Friday on drug and related charges after, police say, they made an undercover drug purchase at a North...
Bell woman charged with endangering children
A Bell woman was jailed Monday after state police said they found two children outside her home this month in cold weather. Police said Melissa Ann Chaya, 41, reportedly ingested prescription medication and yelled at the children, who fled outside to hide. She is charged with two felony counts of...
Mt. Pleasant Area students resuming hybrid instruction model
Students in the Mt. Pleasant Area School District are heading back to the classroom this week after more than a month of remote learning. District Superintendent Timothy Gabauer detailed in a letter to parents a plan that the school board approved for students to resume in-person classes Monday varying by...
Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha seeks re-election
Kenneth A. Bacha, Westmoreland County’s longtime coroner, is seeking another term in the seat he has held for almost 20 years. Bacha, 59, of Greensburg was first elected in 2001, taking over the department from his father Leo Bacha, who held the post for nearly 24 years. Ken Bacha worked...
Rabid raccoon reported in Pittsburgh
The first rabid animal of 2021 — a raccoon — has been reported in Allegheny County, according to the health department. The raccoon was found in Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood earlier this month. Health department officials said the animal was being treated for mange by a rescue group when it...
Fayette County asks groups to register in preparation for expanded coronavirus vaccinations
Fayette County businesses, agencies and other groups are being asked to register with the county emergency management agency in preparation for upcoming eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine, according to an announcement. Several Fayette County officials this week met as a coronavirus vaccine planning task force to coordinate a local response...
