Renatta Signorini stories, Page 25
Greensburg officials weigh options for Advance Furniture site: park, merchants, apartments
An empty parcel in Greensburg’s downtown could be home to a small park, a spot for merchants and space for gatherings and activities. Calling it a “small but mighty lot,” Chelsea Puff, senior project manager with Strategic Solutions, said a simple approach is the tentative plan for the site. The...
Greensburg considers ban on open burning to curb pollution
Greensburg council is considering enacting a ban on open burning that officials said is aimed at fires involving waste in an effort to control air pollution. An ordinance is set to be introduced at Monday’s council meeting and may be approved in November. Solicitor Zachary Kansler said the ordinance would...
Hempfield man sentenced for January stabbing incident near Slippery Rock University
A Hempfield man was sentenced to 11 months and 15 days to 23 months in the Butler County Prison last week in connection with a stabbing at an apartment complex near Slippery Rock University. Brennan James Steeley, 24, was ordered to spend three years on probation following the jail term,...
No arrests 1 year after deadly shooting at party near IUP campus
State police remain tight-lipped a year later as they continue to investigate a deadly shooting at a community center in Indiana County that killed one person, injured eight and sent more than 150 partygoers fleeing into the night to escape the gunfire. No arrests have been made, Trooper Cliff Greenfield...
Glassport couple awarded medal for saving Hempfield native in 2022 at Yough River Lake outflow
Jim Harrold had been struggling for some time when Gayla Norelli spotted him in the Youghiogheny River Lake outflow. She pointed the fisherman out to her husband — it looked like he was in trouble. “He was just splashing, trying to push himself up,” Guy Norelli recalled Friday. He took...
‘Money well spent’ Westmoreland commissioner says of $450K sewage project in Sewickley Township
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority has stopped operating a small sewage plant in Sewickley Township in a move that will save the authority an estimated $45,000 annually, officials said. Michael Washowich, the authority’s director, said the tiny plant served about 16 units owned by the authority off Mars Hill Road....
Ambulances gain nitrous oxide for pain relief as part of $2M Westmoreland opioid settlement fund
Patients in severe pain who are being transported by a Mutual Aid ambulance will have a nonnarcotic way to find relief during their ride to a hospital. Dr. Bill Jenkins said the Greensburg-based ambulance service will add nitrous oxide, a commonly used pain medicine, as an option for patients who...
Latrobe man convicted of providing drugs that resulted in 2021 fatal overdose
A Latrobe man was convicted Thursday of providing drugs that resulted in a fatal overdose. Jurors found Zachary Dunlap, 30, guilty of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver in connection with the Jan. 8, 2021, death of Robert J. Verscharen. Prosecutors contended Dunlap provided...
Westmoreland purchases land along Loyalhanna Gorge
Access to a Westmoreland County park along the Loyalhanna Gorge will be expanded through the purchase of four parcels. County commissioners on Thursday approved the $74,000 acquisition from Donald E. Paxton. “This will provide a little bit more space for people to park and enjoy that vista,” said Commissioner Doug...
Long-awaited infrastructure work funded, set to begin next year in Jeannette
Infrastructure improvements are crucial for rural communities like Jeannette, whose glass-making history is woven into American heritage, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said Wednesday. “In order for towns to continue thrive, investment is important with infrastructure,” she said. Two low-interest 40-year loans from the USDA to...
3 charged in bail scam that targeted North Huntingdon couple, Pittsburgh woman
Three men from New York City are accused of tricking a Pittsburgh woman out of $20,000 and trying to get $18,000 from a North Huntingdon couple through a bail scam, according to court papers. Township police this week charged Alfonso J. Camareno, 36, of Flushing; Jason Alvarez, 31, of Queens;...
Blairsville women charged in feline neglect case involving 87 sickened, 13 dead cats in Derry Township
Two women who authorities say are responsible for 87 sick cats at a Derry Township mobile home were arraigned Wednesday on dozens of animal cruelty charges. The abuse caused the deaths of 13 cats, according to investigators. Pamela Curry, 63, and Kimberly Rose, 44, both of Blairsville, are charged with...
Wicked Witches Gala returns to Greensburg with cauldron of activities
A witch-themed event Saturday in Greensburg will have a cauldron full of spooky activities, contests and performances. The Greensburg Wicked Witches Gala will spread on South Pennsylvania Avenue between West Pittsburgh and West Fourth streets from 4-8 p.m. Hosted by the Greensburg Business & Professional Association, the event is expected...
Police dog’s kennel stay cost Jeannette $660, records show
Jeannette paid $660 to a kennel that housed the city’s police dog while the police department’s K9 unit was disbanded this summer, according to a bill obtained by the Trib through an open records request. Diesel, a Belgian malinois, was at the kennel from July 30 to Aug. 20, the...
Testing of Westmoreland’s 900 voting machines underway in prep for November election
Republican committeewoman Cindy Brown of Ligonier Township said she’s often asked about election integrity when talking with voters. On Monday, she was one of four members of the public who went to watch Westmoreland County officials test the accuracy of the county’s voting machines with the pivotal November election just...
Westmoreland prison guard charged after incident at Verizon store
A Westmoreland County Prison guard was charged last week in connection with a reported disruption at a Verizon store in North Huntingdon that prompted staff to hire armed security. Scott Kennedy, 43, of North Huntingdon, is accused of yelling at employees there and threatening them, according to court papers. He...
East Huntingdon carjacking suspect caught in North Carolina; missing dog might be near I-95 rest stop
Lucky the dog was missing Sunday when his owner’s car was found. Kenneth Wilson Crider, 43, of Maryland, wanted in connection with an East Huntingdon carjacking, was apprehended late Saturday after a police chase in North Carolina. But Lucky, a 10-year-old Airedale terrier who belongs to the stolen car’s owner,...
Couple accused of bilking $20K from prospective buyer of Yukon property they were evicted from
Two people are charged with theft and conspiracy after authorities said they took $20,000 from someone who intended to buy their home. But Westmoreland County detectives said the property up for sale was not owned by Timothy Jay King, 38, or Amber Lynn Tarr, 35. In December, Tarr, who also...
Nurses banned from caregiving after accusations of sharing patient photos at Westmoreland Hospital
Two registered nurses who are accused of taking and sharing photos and making recordings of Westmoreland Hospital patients without their permission are prohibited from holding caretaking jobs. District Judge Chris Flanigan made that part of the conditions of the $40,000 unsecured bail she set Thursday for Peter Castellano, 36, of...
Sen. Ward partners with Western Pa. food banks to promote breast cancer screenings
It’s not enough for State Sen. Kim Ward that high-risk Pennsylvania women can benefit from legislation she crafted related to preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings. She wants to go national in requiring insurers to cover at no cost breast MRIs, breast ultrasound and genetic testing for the BRCA gene....
Police identify suspect in connection with East Huntingdon carjacking, missing dog
A Maryland man accused in an East Huntingdon car jacking this week — and Lucky, the dog that was inside the vehicle — could be anywhere. But there was a glimmer of hope in surveillance video from a Walmart store just outside Connellsville, said state Trooper Steve Limani. Kenneth Wilson...
Ex-Greensburg hospital employee accused of locking special needs co-worker in freezer
A former Westmoreland Hospital employee is accused of locking a female co-worker who has special needs in a walk-in freezer when they were employed in the dietary department at Westmoreland Hospital. Greensburg police said Nick V. Casper, 25, of South Greensburg admitted in an email to his supervisor that he...
County housing authority board OKs land purchase for 50-unit complex along Route 51 in Rostraver
With the population aging, Westmoreland County Housing Authority director Mike Washowich said he thinks a planned senior housing development in Rostraver will fill a need in that area. “There’s not anything else there,” he said. “We’re very excited about the location of the property.” That 6-acre location is near Willowbrook...
Police: 2 former Westmoreland Hospital nurses took, shared inappropriate patient images
Two former Westmoreland Hospital nurses are accused of taking and sharing photos and making recordings of patients without their permission, including one instance where police say a suspect superimposed co-workers’ faces on a photo of a naked patient, court papers show. Greensburg police charged Peter Castellano, 36, of Pittsburgh and...
Housing authority plans solar panel installation on land adjacent to Hempfield Towers
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority is moving ahead with the purchase of 6 acres behind Hempfield Towers. Officials plan to build a solar farm on the property to provide power solely to the 202-unit affordable senior apartment building. “We don’t have a sales agreement at this point on that, but...
