Renatta Signorini stories, Page 52
Jeannette council workshops to be held same week as voting meetings
The public meeting schedule for Jeannette council will change in August back to a previous format. Council will resume having work sessions the Tuesday before Thursday voting meetings. The group voted 4-1 to make the change with Councilwoman Michelle Langdon dissenting. Since September, council has been holding work sessions eight...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Jeannette
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
South Greensburg woman to stand trial on aiding suicide charge in ex-boyfriend’s death
State Trooper Phil Dern testified Tuesday he believes it is clear that a man took his own life at a Hempfield apartment in 2021 because he repeatedly was told to do so by his former girlfriend, Mandie R. Reusch. Dern said the man posted messages he received from Reusch, 35,...
Derry Township man charged after incident at courthouse
Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies charged a man last week after they said he lunged at a conference officer during a domestic relations hearing, according to court papers. William A. Friedline, 44, of Derry Township, was at the Greensburg courthouse June 20 around 3 p.m. for the hearing when deputies were...
Girlfriend of Greensburg-area dentist convicted of killing his wife on safari sentenced to 17 years
The girlfriend of a former Greensburg-area dentist convicted of murdering his wife on an African safari was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison for being an accessory to the crime. Ana Rudolph, daughter of 57-year-old victim Bianca Rudolph, said that Lori Milliron had “plotted to eliminate” her mother. “Lori,...
Fayette man accused of sending sexually explicit videos
A Fayette County man is accused of recording himself having sex with a 17-year-old Westmoreland County girl and sending seven videos of the encounters to her 15-year-old friend, according to court papers. Trevor N. Mayfield, 28, of Luzerne, was arrested Friday and jailed on $50,000 bail. State police said they...
Wildlife Works caring for albino raccoon found at Somerset County lumberyard
A rare albino raccoon is in the care of a Westmoreland County wildlife rescue after it was found with its two siblings at a Somerset County lumberyard, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The three baby animals were captured Tuesday by state Game Warden Andy Harvey at Berlin Lumber, southeast...
Early-bird teachers contract approved, tax rate unchanged in Jeannette
The Jeannette City School District property tax millage rate will remain unchanged for the 2023-24 school year, and new positions will help students with internships and teachers manage classrooms and learning. Plus, teachers will earn more starting in the 2024-25 school year under a new contract struck between the education...
Kinzua skywalk reopens after inspection prompted by high winds
The skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park has reopened after high winds prompted an emergency inspection and a temporary closure, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The McKean County structure was closed Wednesday and was inspected Thursday. The skywalk stretches 225 feet above the valley floor...
Video calls showing off pot crop at Monessen home lead to charges against 2
Video calls showing off the progress of a marijuana crop at a Monessen home have resulted in charges against two people, one of whom authorities said participated in the calls from the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Sydney Sayles, 23, of McKeesport, and Jaamayl A. Crosby, 38, of...
Vandergrift man accused of trying to smuggle meth into Westmoreland County Prison
A Vandergrift man is behind bars after Westmoreland County detectives said he tried to take about a half pound of crystal methamphetamine into the jail after his arrest last month on drug and weapons violations. Luis Alberto Brackman, 42, was strip searched May 16 at the Hempfield lockup when jail...
Rostraver commissioner appeals harassment conviction
A Rostraver commissioner is appealing his conviction of three summary counts of harassment. John Lorenzo, 43, was found guilty during a three-hour May 18 summary trial for making harassing statements toward the township manager and two fellow commissioners, slapping one in the face, at a township Halloween event. Prosecution witnesses...
Graffiti cleanup set at popular Beam Rocks in Forbes State Forest
Obscenities and other graffiti were spray painted on popular natural overlook Beam Rocks in the last couple weeks. Volunteers are being sought to help clean up the vandalism June 24, about three years after a similar undertaking at the sandstone outcroppings along the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties in...
Westmoreland County leaders seek input on reviving abandoned properties
It will be up to residents and leaders in Westmoreland County communities where large-scale blight removal is underway to bring a vision of improvement to life. County redevelopment authority executive director Brian Lawrence said he hopes meetings planned with community members over the next week will inspire them to take...
Woman arrested outside White Oak police officer’s home
A woman is accused of taking a knife Wednesday to the North Huntingdon home of a White Oak police officer who filed two citations against her June 1, according to court papers. Raquel S. Ulicny, 36, of White Oak was arrested outside the officer’s home after the officer told her...
Duquesne man charged with violating protection-from-abuse order in Irwin
A Duquesne man is behind bars after police said he twice in as many days went to an Irwin apartment from which he is prohibited through a protection-from-abuse order. On one of the occasions, Gerald Martel Brown, 23, is accused of following a woman out of the apartment to her...
Hempfield man sentenced in 2020 fatal overdose case
A Hempfield man was sentenced Tuesday to serve four to eight years in a state prison for selling drugs used in a 2020 fatal overdose of a friend. Rick Paul Petros, 54, was given credit for time served in jail since his arrest in May 2021. He pleaded no contest...
Crime stoppers offers reward for information on disappearance of girl in 1987
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl in Indiana County 36 years ago. Alicia Markovich has been missing since April 26, 1987 when she left her father’s home off Route 22 in Blairsville, just over the border from Westmoreland County....
Mt. Pleasant Towship man sentenced to house arrest for 2020 armed robbery
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation and 20 months under house arrest in connection with a 2020 armed robbery. Jake Daniel Franklin, 20, was ordered to get drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations. Judge Scott Mears noted in a court order that...
Original Westmoreland flag still on display at Fort Pitt Museum
Re-enactors with Proctor’s Militia always bring a Westmoreland County flag with them to events, according to Capt. Scott Henry. It’s an important piece of local history and their family heritage, as many are descendants of men who were part of Col. John Proctor’s battalion, created in 1775 as one of...
Woman gets probation for 2020 arson at Bell Township home
A former Bell Township woman was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation in connection with a 2020 arson at her home. Britny A. Parks, 30, now of Texas, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of failure to report/control a dangerous fire. Other charges, including arson, were dismissed. The plea...
Attorney contends client’s stay in Westmoreland prison may violate speedy trial rights
Attorneys are looking into whether the speedy trial rights of a woman accused of shooting her boyfriend in Penn Township were violated. Defense attorney Ken Noga argued Monday that he believes Leah H. Gillis, 34, of North Braddock has been held at the Westmoreland County Prison for 181 days. “We’re...
Police say motorcycle club conflict results in injuries to 1 man along Route 30
An altercation between members of two motorcycle clubs Sunday left a man injured after state police said the suspect forced a motorcycle off Route 30 in Hempfield and fled the scene. Richard Lee Graham Jr., 27, of Hempfield is being held on $250,000 bail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated...
Police still seeking 2 men in connection with fatal shooting in Jeannette
Two men with whom authorities want to talk in connection with a fatal shooting in Jeannette Friday remain at large. Westmoreland County District Attorney spokeswoman Melanie Jones said Monday that neither man had been captured and detectives and Jeannette Police were still trying to identify one of them. They are...
Aliquippa woman charged in connection with Salem motorcycle crash
An Aliquippa woman is accused by state police of being impaired during a crash in Salem in which a motorcyclist was seriously injured. Jammie Lynn Koslof, 44, was jailed Tuesday on $25,000 bail in connection with the April 16 crash. State police said Holly Marcheck of Latrobe was waiting at...
