Westmoreland category, Page 533
North Huntingdon commissioner, predecessor face off in GOP primary
Republican voters in North Huntingdon’s Fourth Ward will see two familiar names on the township commissioners ballot in the May 18 primary. It will be a replay of the 2017 primary and general election, only the roles will be reversed because Brian Blasko, then the challenger, now is the incumbent...
Stanwood Elementary School students are influencers behind virtual movement project
Students at a Hempfield Area elementary school are the inspiration behind a new virtual field trip produced by a Lawrenceville-based dance group. Third graders at Stanwood Elementary School heavily influenced the virtual field trip produced by Attack Theatre that features dances reflecting artwork displayed at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art...
Ligonier brings back summer concerts, reuniting bands and music lovers
The return of Ligonier’s Sunday evening band concerts is music to trumpet player Jay Copenhaver’s ears. The New Stanton man is looking forward to performing twice this summer in Ligonier’s Diamond Park, after missing any appearance there after last season’s concerts were canceled. Copenhaver is set to play the Diamond...
StopWatch Gallery & Studio opens in Greensburg with pandemic-themed showVideo
Artwork made during — and influenced by — the pandemic is the topic of “The Pandemic Show,” the aptly named inaugural exhibition at the StopWatch Gallery & Studio in downtown Greensburg. Opening hours will be 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday in the new art space at 323 S. Main St....
Republican Sen. Kim Ward endorses covid vaccine for return to normalcyVideo
State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward is encouraging constituents to get the covid-19 vaccine. The Hempfield Republican, who has been at odds with Democratic leaders over the covid-19 shutdown for the past year, went public with her endorsement in a radio interview with 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. “It’s...
Coronavirus vaccine bills sent in error to some Excela Health patients
Several hundred people who got vaccinated against the coronavirus through Excela Health were erroneously billed, a mistake being blamed on a quick effort to get clinics up and running, according to Tom Albanesi, the hospital system’s chief financial officer. Health system officials tried to contact those who got a bill...
Johnstown man accused of sending sexually explicit photographs to Derry Township girl
A Cambria County man was arrested Wednesday on charges of exchanging sexually explicit photographs with a juvenile girl in Derry Township, according to state police. Colt T. Bopp, 22, of Johnstown, was arraigned on charges of corruption of a minor, criminal use of a communication facility, knowingly possessing sexual photographs...
Drop box added at Murrysville location ahead of May 18 primary
Westmoreland County officials say more than 15,400 mail-in ballots have been sent out to voters ahead of the May 18 primary. Another batch of more than 800 ballots is ready to go out, Elections Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said. The deadline to apply for mail-in ballots is May 11. They...
Sutersville woman accused of sexually assaulting teen
State police charged a Sutersville woman with sexually assaulting a teenage boy last year in Hempfield while he was finishing up the school year virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to court papers. An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Ashley Elizabeth Sherry, 21. State police said they were...
Irwin man gets 15 years for role as ringleader of gang’s drug operation
An Irwin man who led a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Western Pennsylvania will serve 15 years in prison. Christopher Highsmith, who was responsible for the distribution of 1,000 to 3,000 kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, pleaded guilty to a single count of drug conspiracy in September before U.S. District...
Irwin woman accused of falsifying police documents, claiming to be male officer in insurance claim investigation
An Irwin woman was arrested Wednesday after authorities said she claimed to be a male police officer to an insurance investigator and falsified several documents relating to a claim, according to court papers. Sharon K. Powell, 49, is charged with insurance fraud, attempted theft, criminal use of a communication facility,...
Ligonier Valley police seeking pickup truck involved in hit-and-run
The Ligonier Valley Police are seeking help in identifying who was driving a pickup truck that was involved in a hit-and-run crash into a building early Wednesday. Police reported the crash occurred about 12:20 a.m. at the corner of South Fairfield and Loyalhanna streets in the borough. A porch was...
Mt. Pleasant Area, Yough schools to host covid vaccine clinics following similar events in Greensburg, Hempfield
Hayden’s Pharmacy will conduct covid-19 vaccine clinics at additional Westmoreland County schools after administering doses of the Pfizer vaccine to several hundred recipients Tuesday at Greensburg Salem Senior High. A voluntary clinic on Thursday at Mt. Pleasant Area School District will be available only to students age 16 and older....
Allegheny County reports 2nd-lowest covid case total in past month
The Allegheny County Health Department on Wednesday reported its second-lowest covid-19 case total in the past month. The county added 158 new cases Wednesday. Only the 94 cases reported April 26 was lower. It’s also the second-lowest total dating back to March 15, when 124 were reported. The county’s coronavirus...
Export officials vote to keep $8 sewage surcharge in place
Two Export council members want the borough to keep its word and remove an $8 surcharge on sewage customers that was originally intended to expire after a year. But ongoing expenses related to its long-term flood control plan and its participation in a state environmental consent order kept that from...
Westmoreland news includes bus trip, UFO conference and chicken dinner
Arts • Diamond Theatre of Ligonier will conduct auditions for the play, “A Hiro’s Tale,” from 7 to 9 p.m. May 7 and 8 at the theater, 210 W. Main St. Performances will be July 23 to 25. Actors of all ages are needed, no experience necessary. Rehearsals will be...
Greensburg Salem presents ‘Charlie Brown’ as livestream musical
Beloved cartoon characters come to life for Greensburg Salem High School’s spring musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The production, streaming Friday through Sunday, follows a day in the life of the neighborhood gang from Charles Schulz’s long-running “Peanuts” comic strip. “‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ is a...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials have money left over for another 750 feet in Export
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials may not have determined precisely how they’re going to finish the section connecting Export and Delmont, but leftover funding from the trail’s fourth phase will extend it another 750 feet eastward. Construction of the trail’s fourth phase, connecting Murrysville and Export, wrapped up with some money...
Kecksburg UFO Festival remains grounded in 2021, despite plan to lift pandemic restrictions
The Kecksburg UFO Festival, usually held annually in July, has been canceled this year, even though most of Pennsylvania’s covid-19 mitigation restrictions will be lifted May 31. “We had to cancel. We needed more time to line up vendors. … There were just too many questions,” said Ron Struble, a...
Black state trooper alleges racism at Greensburg barracks in federal lawsuit
A Black Pennsylvania State Police trooper said in a federal lawsuit Monday that the department’s Greensburg barracks is rife with racism — toward its employees and the public it serves — and that its leaders have done nothing to stop it. Among his experiences, Trooper Tavin Davis said a garden...
Former boyfriend pleads guilty to assault of Derry Township child
A Greene County man who police say beat and gave a date-rape drug to a toddler pleaded guilty Tuesday to assault and child endangerment charges. Cory Andrew Kuntz, 27, of Waynesburg was charged in 2016 after the mother of a Derry Township child reported her 2-year-old son was injured while...
Trial for Youngwood stabbing suspect set for September
After years of delays, the trial of a Youngwood man charged with criminal homicide and robbery of a drug dealer will start in September. Michael Covington Jr., 24, has been in jail without bond since his arrest in 2017 following the stabbing death of 50-year-old Matthew Genard in his Youngwood...
West Newton police, county detectives probe shooting
An area man was seriously injured when he was shot in the face during a confrontation early Tuesday at a home in West Newton, according to borough police and Westmoreland County detectives. The shooting occurred at a residence off of North 2nd Street just after midnight, according to police Chief...
Report of ‘suspicious’ person outside Hempfield casino leads to stolen car, firearm charges, troopers say
A report of a suspicious person sitting in a vehicle just outside of Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield early Tuesday resulted in the arrest of a Jeannette man for illegal possession of a loaded firearm and the recovery of a stolen vehicle, state police said. Jamar Abdu McIntosh, 43, was...
Former Jeannette superintendent ordered to pay district $1K reimbursement in ethics report
Jeannette City School District’s former superintendent was ordered by the State Ethics Commission to pay $1,000 to the district in reimbursement for the personal use of public funds. Matthew Hutcheson used a district procurement card to charge his wife’s registration fee to a technology in education conference in Colorado and...
