Renatta Signorini stories, Page 33
Jeannette schools taxes likely to remain steady
There will not be a millage increase for the 2024-25 school year for Jeannette City School District property taxpayers, but one could be on the horizon. Superintendent Matt Jones asked school directors to start thinking about raising property taxes for the 2025-26 school year. The value of properties in Jeannette...
West Newton Bridge rehab among projects eyed with $300M in funding
The West Newton Bridge is among a list of projects that could be brought to life with $300 million in road, transit and bridge improvement funds that Westmoreland County is slated to receive as part of regional infrastructure work. The metal truss bridge, built in 1909, carries about 6,500 vehicles...
Lower Burrell man accused of shooting Mogie’s owner not competent, lawyers say
A Lower Burrell man accused of fatally shooting restaurant owner David “Mogie” Magill is not mentally competent to help attorneys prepare for his homicide trial, according to a petition filed in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court. Attorney Daniel Joseph wrote in the petition that he and co-counsel Duke George have...
First responders with PTSD would be eligible for workers comp under Pa. proposal
Life as a first responder can mean witnessing things that are hard to process. It can be different for each responder, said Shawn Penzera, director of special operations at Greensburg-based Mutual Aid EMS. Calls involving children or multiple fatalities are typically harder. But maybe an EMT recently experienced the death...
Jeannette looks to crack down on ‘very egregious’ crosswalk violations near Elliott Group
Jeannette police are looking for ways to continue enforcement near Elliott Group after officers saw drivers commit 18 violations near crosswalks in a four-hour period Thursday, according to police Chief Derek Manley. Officers watched traffic near crosswalks on Claridge-Elliott Road during morning and afternoon shift changes at the facility. They...
Concert, food truck event in Jeannette kicks off May 23
A popular event combining music and food trucks in downtown Jeannette is set to kick off May 23. That’s when the first event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Elliott Group Amphitheater at Clay Avenue and South Fifth Street, with crowds spilling out into the surrounding blocks. Every other...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward appears on Seth Meyers’ show, jokes about his brother Connor
Steelers veteran Cameron Heyward got in some good-natured, national television-sized digs Thursday against his little brother and teammate Connor Heyward during an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” While the elder Heyward and Meyers discussed their families getting dinner together, Meyers said about Connor Heyward: “He also seems, I...
Jeannette residents, officials hear report on plans to demolish former Fort Pitt Brewery
The impending demolition of the former Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette will be bittersweet for Colleen Ott. She’s wistful because of memories she has of hitting tennis balls off a wall at the complex decades ago with her siblings. But she’s also happy because she and her husband, Chris,...
Pittsburgh man charged in $25,000 regional theft scheme at Lowe’s stores
A Pittsburgh man was arrested Thursday in connection with what state police described as an organized retail theft scheme involving $24,800 worth of merchandise from Lowe’s stores in Westmoreland, Butler and Allegheny counties. Jesus A. Serna-Real, 38, of the city’s Knoxville neighborhood, is accused in a number of retail thefts...
Applications sought for Jeannette improvement grants
Applications open Monday for grants being awarded by the Jeannette Initiative. Vice president/secretary Kristina Rugh said $4,000 will be available for any nonprofit located or operating in Jeannette. Organizations or businesses that aren’t nonprofits can apply with a nonprofit partner, she said. Grants will be awarded in increments of up...
North Huntingdon man accused of rape
A North Huntingdon man was arrested and jailed Wednesday on rape and sexual assault charges. Township police said Shon M. Harrity, 47, sexually assaulted a girl for two years. The allegations were reported to investigators this week by a family member of the accuser, according to court papers. Harrity is...
Leaders cite memories of vibrant downtown Jeannette as renewal effort kicks off
When she was a child, Cherie King remembers visiting a store on Clay Avenue in Jeannette with her grandmother to buy a pair of shoes. By her 20s, the memories centered around going out at establishments downtown. Jeannette was different then, but there’s no reason a vibrant business district can’t...
Ambulance stationed in Jeannette again, at least temporarily
An ambulance is once again stationed in Jeannette, at least temporarily. A Mutual Aid EMS ambulance has been based out of city hall and the fire station for about nine days. Its previous home in that part of the county — the old Rescue 14 ambulance station on Edna Road...
SUV crash closes Westmoreland City post office; operations shift to Manor facility
The Westmoreland City Post Office was closed until further notice Monday after an SUV crashed into it. North Huntingdon Township building inspector Tom McGuire said the SUV damaged a load-bearing wall that faces the parking lot. “The building’s going to be condemned until it’s repaired,” he said. That is a...
Experts say there is no evidence of avian flu strain in Pennsylvania
A strain of avian flu that has infected cattle elsewhere in the United States hasn’t been found in Pennsylvania. But even if it does arrive locally, experts said it won’t affect the meat or milk supply and will likely only cause a cold for cattle. “It poses no issue in...
Man arrested after pulling gun on pastor during North Braddock church service
A pastor at a North Braddock church escaped unharmed Sunday after a man pointed a handgun at him and pulled the trigger, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The gun failed to fire, troopers said. Pastor Glenn Germany was giving a sermon around 1 p.m. at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church when...
Museums in Ligonier Valley draw hundreds on day of free admission
Free admission was a good incentive Sunday for some to learn more about the history of where they live. “We decided to check out our backyard,” said Kathy Vargo while standing in the shade outside Fort Ligonier. She lives in Hempfield but was spending a couple days with her husband,...
A growing concern: Greensburg Garden Center’s May Mart
Carol Martinek is focusing on sprucing up her Cheswick backyard this year. She picked up a few flowering plants at the Greensburg Garden Center & Civic Center’s May Mart on Saturday to put toward the project. Among her purchases were candytuft, cranesbill geranium and the tiny blue flowers of forget-me-nots,...
All 5 rue21 stores in Western Pa. to close their doors after latest bankruptcy filing
Teen clothing retailer rue21, which is based in Warrendale, filed for bankruptcy last week and appears to be closing all of its stores. Employees at the Warrendale headquarters were seen Friday carrying boxes to their vehicles after being informed they were losing their jobs during a virtual meeting Thursday, TribLive...
Former Ligonier Valley police chief charged with sexual assault
The former Ligonier Valley police chief was arrested and jailed Friday afternoon on allegations that he sexually assaulted a patient at a Donegal Township addiction recovery center, according to court papers. John E. Berger, 52, of Ligonier Borough was charged by state police with aggravated indecent assault, institutional sexual assault...
Mutual Aid EMS follows Pittsburgh’s lead to provide blood at trauma scenes
Mutual Aid EMS this week added a lifesaving tool to its emergency response — blood. Dr. Bill Jenkins, the Greensburg-based ambulance service’s medical director, said it will help paramedics better care for patients who are in hemorrhagic shock from some type of trauma, such as a gunshot wound or vehicle...
South Greensburg man charged in Route 30 crash
A South Greensburg man is free on bail after being arraigned Wednesday on charges in connection with a July crash that left another driver seriously injured. State police said Victor J. Machesky Jr., 63, was impaired when the Toyota Tacoma he was driving crossed over the median of Route 30...
Retired Greensburg police officer Regina McAtee pleads guilty to methamphetamine distribution
A retired Greensburg police officer on Wednesday became a lawbreaker in the eyes of the criminal justice system she once upheld. Regina McAtee, 51, of New Kensington, who had been with the city force for more than 19 years, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and possess...
Assault, harassment charges against suspended Pa. trooper held for court
Simple assault and harassment charges against a suspended state trooper were held for court Tuesday. Senior District Judge Charles R. Conway made the decision at the end of a preliminary hearing during which the accuser testified Nicholas E. Hood, 31, of Derry Township assaulted her during an argument Aug. 26...
2 arrested in drug buy from confidential informant in North Huntingdon
Two men were arrested Monday in connection with a drug bust in North Huntingdon. An undercover police officer set up a drug buy with Larnell D. Jones III, 30, of Rankin, for $3,300 worth of heroin/fentanyl and crack cocaine, according to court papers. Jones met up with the officer and...
