Renatta Signorini stories, Page 119
Friends, colleagues mourn Delmont fire Chief Rich Balik
Rick Miller remembers former classmate Rich Balik being taken with the fire service when they were sixth graders at Nicely Elementary in Greensburg. Decades later, Balik asked Miller to join Delmont Fire Department. “He was my friend,” Miller said. “He’s just always there helping the younger firefighters out.” Balik, 47,...
Allegheny coronavirus death toll holds steady while case count increases
The number of confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County increased Sunday by 24 to 1,777 while the number of deaths held steady at 150, according to health department officials. The first case was reported in the county on March 14. No new deaths in the county...
3 Western Pa. nursing care facilities fined by state
Three area nursing care facilities were fined by the state health department recently, including one in Westmoreland County that now is operating under a provisional license. Twin Lakes Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Unity was fined $8,750, and its license status was downgraded after it was found in violation of...
1 hurt in McKeesport blaze at apartment complex
A fire at an apartment complex in McKeesport Saturday night left one person injured, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The fire was reported at Hi-View Gardens Apartments on Sixth Street late Saturday. The injured person was taken to a hospital, the station reported. The roof area on one of...
Greensburg YMCA pitches in to help the Westmoreland County Food Bank fill greater need
Drivers lined up along South Maple Avenue in Greensburg on Saturday to donate items to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. The Greensburg YMCA’s Trunk to Truck Food Drive benefitted the food bank. “Y” employees removed bags of donated items from donor vehicles that pulled up at the gym. The food...
A summer unlike any other: Events canceled across Western Pa., but options remain for warm-weather fun
The unofficial start of summertime has arrived. The season of warm weather, sunglasses and shorts stretches out in front of us, an annual rite as the days grow longer and porch furniture reappears. But the days of filling up calendars with festivals and concerts are in the past, at least...
4 more deaths, 14 new cases of coronavirus reported in Allegheny County
Four more coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Allegheny County on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 150, according to health department officials. The number of confirmed and probable cases of the virus rose by 14 to 1,753. The first case was reported in the county on March 14. Nearly 28,000...
Salem man accused in sexual assault at birthday party
A Salem Township man is accused by state police of raping a female at a birthday party this week, according to court papers. Zachary John Saflin, 22, allegedly took alcohol to the Ligonier Township party and provided it to several people under 21, police said. He was arrested Friday on...
Woman shot in Spring Hill
A woman was reportedly in stable condition after being shot Saturday morning in Spring Hill, according to Pittsburgh police. The woman was found around 5:15 a.m. with a gunshot wound to the leg in the 100 block of Rhine Place, police said. She was taken by ambulance to an area...
Hempfield man on mission to document war memorials in Pennsylvania
Rob Domenick has become a magnet for war honor rolls. He knows all the right places to look, scouring Pennsylvania communities for memorials small and large to help with a national American Legion project. “You have to look for the right kind of community,” said Domenick of Hempfield. “Little places,...
3 arrested in cocaine bust on the Pa. Turnpike in New Stanton
Three men are being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after state police pulled over a vehicle speeding westbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and found about 223 grams of suspected cocaine inside, according to court papers. Dwayne H. Crawford, 29, of New York City, was driving a Cadillac at 68...
Charleroi man dies after crashing into building
A Charleroi man died Thursday night after crashing his vehicle into a building, according to Washington County Coroner S. Timothy Warco. Charles H. Matava, 69, apparently lost control of his vehicle at 9 p.m. Thursday and hit a building in the 700 block of Washington Avenue in Charleroi, the coroner...
2 accused of drug possession in Greensburg
Two Allegheny County men are accused of drug possession after, Greensburg police say, one of them had five bricks of heroin at Autumn Brook Apartments last week. Denzell Lavelle Snead, 22, of Elizabeth Township, and Isaiah Johnson, 22, of Swissvale are charged with possession with intent to deliver, criminal use...
Registered sex offender accused of assaulting girl in New Florence
A Cambria County man is accused of inappropriately touching a 7-year-old girl at a New Florence home in November, according to court papers. David Alan Heming, 57, of Johnstown, was arrested by Westmoreland County detectives Monday on charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors. The girl told investigators that,...
Emotional support hotline set up for Westmoreland first responders
An emotional support hotline is available for first responders in Westmoreland County during the coronavirus pandemic. The hotline has been established by Westmoreland Community Action and the Westmoreland County Critical Incident Stress Management Team. It is available for any first responder — ambulance personnel, police, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and corrections...
Social distancing costs mount for fire companies forced to cancel fundraisers
Gun bashes that can bring in thousands of dollars for fire departments aren’t allowed. Neither are purse bashes, cash bashes, drag queen bingos, burger sales or any of other typically crowded fundraisers that are the lifeblood of local fire departments, which struggle with finances even in good times. Throw in...
U.S. interior secretary helps to reopen Flight 93 memorial as part of phased restartVideo
Five national park sites in Southwestern Pennsylvania are open to visitors after being closed since March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt joined Superintendent Stephen Clark Friday morning to open the gates at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. “We’ve been...
Westmoreland voters in some precincts will see changes for June 2 election
Voters in 20 Westmoreland County precincts will see some temporary changes at the polls during the June 2 primary election. Ten polling places have been combined for the election and 10 others are being moved temporarily because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Four polling places will be moved permanently...
Westmoreland municipal authority approves data backup, readies for construction season
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will spend about $151,000 on backup services for its electronic data and get started on projects as restrictions on construction work have been lifted. The authority board approved a three-year lease Wednesday with TCF for equipment services and software that will allow the authority...
Fayette County driver dies after hitting deer
A Fayette County woman was killed Wednesday when her car hit a deer, state police said. Virginia L. Sexton, 72, of Hopwood, hit the deer just after midnight while traveling south on Route 119 near McClure Road in Upper Tyrone Township, not far from the Westmoreland County border, according to...
North Huntingdon man survives ‘battle’ with covid-19, cheered by Excela hospital staffVideo
With a wave, a few tears and a honk of the horn, Mark Nicholas was finally heading home. Wednesday marked the first time in seven weeks that the North Huntingdon man and his wife, Karyl Nicholas, were able to touch each other. Mark, 62, tested positive for the coronavirus in...
‘New lease on life’: Hempfield man recovers from covid-19, donates plasma to help othersVideo
Monte Swauger had been coughing for weeks. One night in March, he got worse. An emergency room visit to AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital on March 19 set off six excruciating days for his wife, Carrie, and their three sons. Swauger, 49, was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. His positive coronavirus test...
Charges filed in Greater Latrobe junior high hazing incidents
Two Greater Latrobe Junior High School wrestling coaches were charged Tuesday with child endangerment and failure to report January hazing incidents that were captured on surveillance video, according to court papers. Cary James Lydic, 29, of Greensburg was the head coach and David Francis Galando, 44, of Youngstown was his...
Hempfield woman gets jail, house arrest in sex assault of 2 teen boys
A Hempfield woman was sentenced to two months in jail and a year on home electronic monitoring in connection with sexual assaults on two teenage boys last year, according to court records. Brandy Lynn Sturtz, 35, pleaded guilty last week to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and providing alcohol...
Audio of Westmoreland County coronavirus task force meeting available online
Audio from the latest meeting of Westmoreland County’s coronavirus task force is available on the county’s website. State legislators, county commissioners, members of the county departments of public safety, finance and human services and others attended the May 6 meeting. Speakers provided updates about responses to the pandemic ranging from...
