Renatta Signorini stories, Page 132
Planned emergency drills at Jeannette schools canceled after ‘potential threat’
An emergency drill planned Wednesday in the Jeannette City School District was canceled after secondary school students were dismissed early Tuesday because of a potential threat, according to Superintendent Matt Jones. A new date for the drill will be announced soon, Jones said in a letter to parents. The critical...
18th-century Hempfield log house being donated to Historic Hanna’s Town
A late 18th-century log house in Hempfield will be moving 7 miles to join other buildings at Historic Hanna’s Town. Westmoreland Historical Society Executive Director Lisa Hays said the house and funds associated with the move are being donated by the LeFevre estate. “It will help us to create, in...
Westmoreland commissioners authorize $7.1 million purchase of new voting equipment
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday authorized the purchase of $7.1 million worth of new voting equipment. They are hoping a promise from the state, which mandated counties purchase new equipment with verifiable paper trails, to reimburse part of the cost comes through. Gov. Tom Wolf last year called for the...
Lloydsville, Marguerite firefighters honored for Route 30 rescue
Nine volunteer firefighters from two Westmoreland County companies were honored by the county commissioners Thursday for their quick action far from home. The firefighters, from Lloydsville and Marguerite departments, were traveling in a convoy Oct. 3 to Maryland, where they planned to attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. It was...
Laurel Highlands school cleared after bedbug found in student’s belongings
Laurel Highlands High School students are prohibited from carrying any type of bag into the school building until Tuesday after a bedbug was found there, according to Superintendent Jesse Wallace. The bedbug was found in the belongings of a student at the school on Friday, according to a letter posted...
Competency evaluation sought for Delmont man accused of shooting at neighbor
An attorney for a Delmont man accused of trying to kill his neighbor is seeking a judge’s permission to have his client evaluated to determine if he is competent to stand trial. Attorney James Crosby wrote in a motion filed in Westmoreland County court Wednesday that he has “serious concerns”...
Defense witness says Jeannette murder victim likely didn’t die from blood loss
A forensic pathologist testifying for the defense told jurors Wednesday there was not enough blood at a Jeannette murder scene for the victim to have died there from blood loss. “I don’t think, looking at those scene photographs, that there was nearly enough blood” to cause the death of Khalil...
State police seize $8.6 million worth of drugs over 3-month period
About $4.2 million worth of cocaine and $950,000 in heroin and fentanyl were taken off Pennsylvania streets by state troopers between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to police. That equals 192 pounds of cocaine, 23 pounds of heroin and 14 pounds of fentanyl, troopers said. Pennsylvania State Police released...
Westmoreland high schoolers discuss mental health issues at ‘Slam the Stigma’ eventVideo
Test scores, social media and other pressures seem to be weighing on the minds of Westmoreland County high schoolers. Students at a few districts are doing something about it and they hope others will follow in their footsteps by creating clubs that address mental health and wellness inside school walls....
Man accused of indecent exposure outside Westmoreland Mall
Charges were filed Monday against a Hempfield man who state police said was seen touching himself outside of Westmoreland Mall. Brennan Touchet, 29, is charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct. Two women reported seeing Touchet allegedly performing what appeared to be a sex act on himself in...
Man found dead in Irwin creek died from apparent heart attack
An Irwin man found dead in a creek in August died from an apparent heart attack, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office. Kenneth R. Rhodes Sr., 56, was found Aug. 10 in Tinker Run Creek near the amphitheater in Irwin Park after someone spotted a body in the water,...
Violent-intruder drill held in Greensburg
A violent-intruder drill Monday in Greensburg was the result of about five years of preparation by the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety and Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc. Public safety officials used the drill as a way to gauge the response to a situation at the agency’s offices at...
Annual Fire Prevention Day planned outside Westmoreland Mall
Fire trucks will be on display Tuesday night outside Westmoreland Mall for the area’s annual Fire Prevention Day. Firefighters will be stationed at the Hempfield mall on Route 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with lessons about fire safety and live demonstrations. Organizer’s at last year’s event estimated that more...
Steelers honor Hempfield’s late Terry Ranieri; Spartan band performs at Heinz Field
The family of Terry Ranieri, a beloved member of the Hempfield community, was honored before the Steelers game Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. They received a Steelers jersey in Ranieri’s honor, and the Hempfield Area marching band played during pregame festivities. The recognition was part of the National Football...
Volunteer canoers needed for Yough River tire cleanup day
Hundreds of tires polluting the Youghiogheny River are about to find a new home. With a little help from volunteers on canoes, that is. “This particular type of event is a lot of fun, relatively speaking, when you’re cleaning up a dump site,” said Ellen Keefe, director of Westmoreland Cleanways....
Pittsburgh convicted felon sentenced to federal prison for weapons violations
A Pittsburgh man with a long criminal history was sentenced Thursday to seven years and six months in a federal prison for weapons violations, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Darnell James Shipman, 29, was ordered to spend three years on supervised release after the prison term. Between 2010 and...
Hempfield’s Terry Ranieri to be honored at Heinz Field before Steelers game
Hempfield’s beloved Terry Ranieri is getting a posthumous honor this weekend at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Ranieri, who died Aug. 22, will be recognized Sunday during Steelers pregame festivities that will feature his favorite musicians — the Hempfield Area marching band. “I think it’s really nice that the Steelers did...
Jeannette police hope security camera registry will help solve crimes
Jeannette police want residents and businesses that have security cameras to consider giving investigators access to the footage in the event of a crime nearby. Police Chief Shannon Binda said his department is creating a database of available security cameras in the city. But that doesn’t mean residents or businesses...
Police: Man dropped off in Greensburg parking lot had items for making meth
An Allegheny County man allegedly had items used for manufacturing methamphetamine in a Greensburg parking lot where he was dropped off Saturday by a Connellsville woman, according to police. Michael Allen Horning, 47, of Ross Township, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $75,000 bail. The woman told...
Pair plead guilty in Pittsburgh cocaine distribution
Two men accused of bringing large amounts of cocaine into the Pittsburgh area between 2017 and 2018 pleaded guilty on Tuesday, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Danny Jackson, 33, of New Jersey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to...
Public art mural coming to Jeannette
A large public art project is in the works for Jeannette. But where the work will be displayed has not been decided. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is planning a public meeting Tuesday to discuss ideas for the piece. “There’s definitely an energy happening in downtown Jeannette,” said Anne...
3 Jeannette suspects accused in drug distribution network
Three Jeannette residents are being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail, with state agents accusing them of involvement in a local drug distribution network. Nathan C. Woods, 34, Kathleen Marie Monahan, 30, and Brandon J. Brown, 29, are charged with corrupt organizations, drug possession, conspiracy and criminal use...
Tractor-trailer crashes into vehicles, building in Youngwood, no one hurtVideo
A tractor-trailer hit two parked vehicles and an occupied minivan before slamming into a Youngwood home Tuesday morning, pulling down a stop light and causing traffic backups on one of the town’s main thoroughfares. No one was hurt in the 7:30 a.m. crash, Youngwood assistant fire Chief Bob Coletta said....
Rostraver learning center owner charged with forging records
A West Newton woman is accused of forging documents related to child clearances and training certificates for herself and other employees at the now-closed Bright Start Learning Care Center in Rostraver, according to court papers. Diane J. Mesiarik, 52, was arrested Thursday on numerous charges of forgery and tampering with...
Police pull crack cocaine from Jeannette toilet during drug raid
Nearly 10 grams of crack cocaine was pulled from a Jeannette toilet Thursday by police during a raid at a North Third Street home, according to court papers. As police entered the home, four people were seen near the second-floor bathroom and the toilet was running. Arrested on drug, conspiracy...
