Renatta Signorini stories, Page 111
2 coronavirus cases reported in Belle Vernon Area School District
Two cases of coronavirus were reported Tuesday in the Belle Vernon Area School District, according to a letter to parents from Superintendent Michele Dowell. The cases were from the same household, one in the high school and the other at the middle school, she said. Contact tracing was not necessary...
Man charged in Arnold shooting accused of asking inmate to deny his involvement
A Somerset man is accused by police of asking a fellow inmate to claim that someone else was involved in the 2018 shooting of an Arnold man during a robbery, according to court papers. Nicholas J. Haynes, 24, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of criminal solicitation and attempted fabrication of...
Landlord, packaging firm argue over stench left by Jeannette hemp drying operation
Herzl Real Estate should not be held liable for damages a Jeannette packaging company claims were the result of odors from a hemp drying outfit just because it leased space to both groups, attorney Derek Mayhugh argued Tuesday. Herzl Real Estate was “merely the landlord” and not responsible for the...
Derry Municipal Authority customers under boil water notice
All Derry Borough Municipal Authority customers are being asked to boil their water before drinking it until further notice as a precaution after a water main break was reported Sunday night. Authority manager Amy Forsha said the 8:30 p.m. break at the intersection of East Second Avenue and South Chestnut...
2 charged with drug, gun violations after suspicious activity reported in Jeannette
Two men are being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after Jeannette police said they were found Friday with a stolen gun and marijuana in a parking lot along Magee Avenue. Dwayne Chyrece Gripper of Jamaica, N.Y., and Jorrell Royale Stancil of East Stroudsburg are charged with weapons violations and...
North Belle Vernon man cited for having 27 songbirds in cages
A North Belle Vernon man was cited for having 27 songbirds in cages at his home last month, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Warden Douglas Bergman. Canh M. Truong, 43, faces 27 counts of unlawful taking and possession of protected birds, a summary offense. Game wardens found the songbirds, including...
Marijuana leads 2020 drug seizures by Pennsylvania State Police
State police seized $19.4 million worth of processed marijuana so far in 2020, according to troopers. Nearly 3 tons of processed marijuana were confiscated by troopers across the state during the first nine months of the year, with some big seizures recently in Westmoreland County. Statistics released this week showed,...
Pandemic relief money awarded to fire departments, EMS agencies
Millions of dollars soon will be in the coffers of local fire departments, rescue and ambulance services to help offset the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on fundraising. About 90 Westmoreland County fire departments are getting more than $2 million. Fourteen EMS agencies in the county are set to...
Pennsylvania’s gun background check system sets record
Gun buyers in Pennsylvania between July and September gave the state’s background check system its busiest quarter in its 22-year history, already surpassing 2019’s total so far this year. A record 406,151 background checks were completed between July 1 and Sept. 30, a 55% increase from the same time in...
Hempfield Manor to be site of Halloween pooches parade this weekend
Costumed dogs are invited to pay a special visit this weekend to the residents of Hempfield Manor. Rodney Little, owner of Youngwood Top Dog Services, decided this year to hold his annual Halloween Doggy Costume Walk outside the personal care facility, rather than at Twin Lakes Park, to brighten the...
Free carbon monoxide detectors available for Jeannette residentsVideo
Jeannette’s career firefighters are using weekly fundraisers to get carbon monoxide detectors into city homes. The Jeannette Firefighter’s Association Local 78 has purchased 50 detectors with $1,000 in donations and a new program connecting them with homes in need is underway. Such detectors are required in rental properties subsidized by...
New charges filed against Latrobe woman jailed on sex assault allegations
A Latrobe woman accused of sexually assaulting two teen boys was arraigned Monday on new charges that she repeatedly groped a fellow inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Shanda Rae Hitchcock, 34, is charged with five counts of indecent assault in the new case. County detectives...
Fort Allen Elementary School closes after 2 positive coronavirus cases
Fort Allen Elementary School is closed until Oct. 13 after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Hempfield Area School District Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The district learned Monday about the positive cases. State department of education guidelines say that if between two and four staff members in...
New assault charges filed against East Huntingdon woman accused of killing boyfriend
An East Huntingdon woman charged with killing her former boyfriend last month now is accused of attacking a different man at her home earlier in the day of the fatal shooting. Megan J. West, 24, was arraigned Monday on charges of theft, simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment, according to...
Volunteers sought for Yough River tire cleanup
It was clear to Tom Yoder last week that the work of 65 volunteers on canoes in 2019 to remove 300 tires from the Youghiogheny River had a positive impact. A recent trip on the river showed him the waterway was back to its natural state in some spots. “It...
Firefighters bring youth prevention message to the streets of GreensburgVideo
Greensburg children got a special visit from firefighters Sunday and a lesson in fire prevention brought right to their doorstep. Volunteers with the city’s fire department delivered plastic fire hats, coloring books and other items to help children learn how to stop fires before they even start. It’s a lesson...
Derry Township man accused of attempted homicide after trip wire found at top of basement steps
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of installing a trip wire at the top of his basement steps this weekend in hopes that a woman there would fall down the wooden staircase, according to court papers. William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 60, was jailed Sunday morning on charges...
1 resident, 1 staff coronavirus case added at Westmoreland Manor
One more resident and a staff member at Westmoreland Manor tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, according to county Commissioner Doug Chew. That brings the total number of affected residents to 83, about a quarter of the population. The Pennsylvania National Guard was brought in last month to take...
4 displaced, 1 firefighter hurt in back-to-back Pittsburgh blazes
A Pittsburgh firefighter was hurt Saturday and four people displaced as city firefighters spent the afternoon battling two residential fires in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Police. The first fire was reported just before 1:15 p.m. on Lincoln Avenue, according to spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Four people were treated at...
Level Green Elementary closes for 14 days after 2 more coronavirus cases
Two more staff members at Level Green Elementary School have tested positive for the coronavirus and the building will be closed for 14 days, according to Penn-Trafford School District Superintendent Matt Harris. In a message sent to parents Saturday, Harris said the new cases bring the total count at the...
Greensburg man accused of child endangerment, animal cruelty
A Greensburg man was charged Friday after city police said they found a boy alone in his apartment with deplorable conditions, and one of two dogs rescued from there defecated part of a toothbrush, according to court papers. John Harry Patak III, 29, is set for a preliminary hearing next...
Pittsburgh man arrested in alleged road rage shooting on Banksville Road
A Pittsburgh man accused of shooting at two people during an alleged road rage incident on Banksville Road was arrested Saturday morning after a two-hour standoff on Saw Mill Run Boulevard, according to police. Kevin McClintock, 52, of the city’s Allentown neighborhood, was to be arraigned on charges of attempted...
State police investigating large lumber theft in Mt. Pleasant Township
State police are investigating the theft last month of a large amount of lumber from a Mt. Pleasant Township location. More than $6,600 worth of lumber was reported missing, according to troopers. The theft may have occurred between Sept. 18 and 25, police said. Reported missing were 76 pieces of...
Level Green Elementary closes for 5 days after 3 staffers test positive for the coronavirus
Level Green Elementary School is closing for five days after three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in 14 days, according to Penn-Trafford School District Superintendent Matt Harris. The school will be closed from Thursday through Monday. District employees were notified Wednesday of the additional positive tests after one...
Jeannette teen charged as adult in convenience store robbery
A Jeannette teenager was charged as an adult Tuesday in connection with a convenience store robbery, according to court papers. Demetri Kaleb Sensenich, 17, told investigators that he robbed the Harrison Avenue Cogo’s Monday and then went to school in the city. Sensenich is charged with robbery, gun violations, aggravated...
