Westmoreland category, Page 554
Registration open for 1st of 3 hazardous waste collection events in Westmoreland
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection was so popular in 2020 the agency has scheduled three this year, with the first slated April 17. Ellen Keefe, executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization, said the first collection will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the recycling center...
Unity man charged with sexually assaulting girl
A Unity man was ordered held in the county prison on $10,000 bond after a girl told state troopers she was sexually assaulted by the man multiple times over two years, according to court records. Tracy Higdon, 47, is charged with aggravated indecent assault on a person less than 13...
Fewer students expected to return to Hempfield’s cyber program next year, survey shows
Fewer students expressed interest in attending Hempfield’s cyber program next school year compared to those currently enrolled. Initial results from a survey sent to parents last month show 130 students across the district are interested in attending the Hempfield Area Cyber Academy or Edgenuity, which allows students to complete courses...
Free cancer screening planned at AHN’s Hempfield hospital
Editor’s note: This story was amended March 19, 2021 to change the minimum age at which someone could be screened for lung cancer. Free cancer screenings are set for April 24 at AHN Cancer Institute - Hempfield after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted non-emergency health care needs. The neighborhood hospital on...
Hempfield man arrested after police said he brought gun into Westmoreland courthouse annex
A Hempfield man who visited the Westmoreland County courthouse annex building Monday to get a concealed carry permit instead was arrested after police said they found a gun in his backpack, according to court papers. Shawn William Vanhorn, 23, is charged with a weapons violation and possession of a firearm...
Irwin sponsors Easter Egg hunt
Irwin will hold an Easter Egg hunt from March 22 to 26 that will give children ages two to 12 from Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin the opportunity to win prizes. Borough office employees will hide the plastic eggs along Main, Third, Fourth and Fifth streets and Irwin Park...
New contract for Jeannette police could help city attract job candidates
A new four-year contract with Jeannette police officers calls for 2.5% annual pay increases for current employees and additional yearly hikes for new hires, said solicitor Tim Witt. City officials hope the adjustment for new officers will be an incentive after the department struggled in recent months to get enough...
Allegheny County’s covid hospitalization number drops to October level
Allegheny County has its fewest number of covid-19 patients hospitalized since October, according to the latest state Department of Health data. On Tuesday, there were 135 covid patients hospitalized, down from 153 on Monday. That number has decreased since 172 were hospitalized on Thursday. Tuesday’s number was the lowest since...
Hempfield Area to get more Chromebooks for next school year
Hempfield Area School District will buy 500 new Chromebook laptops for use by next year’s high school students. During Monday’s school board meeting, board members unanimously voted to authorize the business office to advertise and seek proposals for the purchase of the Chromebooks. Board member Sonya Brajdic was absent from...
Norwin students criticize return to full-time in-school instructionVideo
Norwin’s plan to have students return to school five days a week beginning Friday was panned by eight high school students Monday, who claimed they are being made to choose between their health and their education. The students say social distancing is not possible in the high school, and not...
Hempfield Area outlines phased reopening for high school students returning full time
Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District have laid out a schedule for when high school students will return to in-person classes five days a week. Starting March 26, senior students will be the first to fully return as part of the phased reopening. They will be followed by the...
Former Wesley United Methodist Church, antique mall in Mt. Pleasant being razedVideo
A fixture on West Main Street in Mt. Pleasant for more than 130 years is coming down. The former Wesley United Methodist Church, which became known as the Antique Mall on the 700 block of West Main Street, is being razed, according to its owner, Gene Saloom, a former state...
Westmoreland DA candidate Ziccarelli a no-show for jury duty
Nicole Ziccarelli, a candidate for Westmoreland County District Attorney, was a no-show Monday morning for jury duty at the courthouse. Court officials confirmed Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal trial term. Ziccarelli, a Republican,...
Derry man charged with having heroin, fentanyl at Westmoreland County Prison
A Derry man was arraigned Monday after Westmoreland County detectives said he brought drugs into the county jail, according to court papers. Jason Michael Thomas, 31, of Derry is charged with drug possession and contraband. Detectives said Thomas was being processed at 1:20 a.m. Sept 15 at the Hempfield jail...
Ruffs Dale man jailed after troopers accuse him of firing shotgun at girlfriend, threatening his mother
A Ruffs Dale man was ordered to the Westmoreland County prison without bond on attempted homicide and assault charges because state police allege he fired a shotgun toward his girlfriend early Sunday and later threatened his mother, according to state police. David M. Hoffman, 21, was arraigned Monday on multiple...
Familiar face from Fort Ligonier moving to The Westmoreland
A familiar face at Fort Ligonier will soon be a familiar face at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Erica Nuckles, the fort’s director of history and collections, will join the Greensburg museum’s staff in April as director of learning, engagement and partnerships. “I am thrilled and honored to join...
Pennsylvania surpasses 11% fully vaccinated for covid
More than 1.4 million Pennsylvanians have now been fully vaccinated against covid-19, according to the latest data released Monday. That means more than 11.2% of every resident — including the 20.6% that are under 18 and not eligible for the vaccine — have received either both doses of the Pfizer...
New Jersey man arrested after attempted break-in at Hempfield home
A New Jersey man is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison after state police said he tried to break into a Hempfield home Friday, according to court papers. Colin Daniel O’Connor, 19, of Clarksboro, is charged with attempted burglary, harassment, resisting arrest, false identification and flight to avoid apprehension....
New banners honor Greensburg vets
The faces of local veterans and other Greensburg heroes are popping up all over the city, adorning dozens of banners that decorate city lampposts. The Greensburg Community Development Corporation replaces the city’s decorative banners with new designs every two years. In this round, Executive Director Ashley Kertes said, the corporation...
Lamp Theatre pavilion completion delayed
The delay in finishing the outdoor pavilion at The Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin can be blamed on a familiar problem: a supply chain disruption caused by the covid pandemic. “Covid has held us back. We’re waiting for a lot of materials,” said John Gdula, president of The Lamp Theatre...
No matter how you slice it, today is Pi(e) DayVideo
To mathematicians, today is Pi Day — 3.14 is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. Get it … March 14 … 3.14. But to bakers, it’s apple, cherry, cream or even a whiskey-infused Pie Day. “Every day is pie day here,” said...
Westmoreland County hospitality grant program opens Monday
Westmoreland County will begin accepting applications for hospitality grants Monday. Commissioners have said they expect to award up to 200 grants, which will be capped at $20,000 each, to local restaurants, taverns and hotels as part of a state program to assist businesses among the hardest hit by the ongoing...
‘Absolutely beautiful’: West Penn Hospital staff gave Harrison man 2nd goodbye with dying mother
It was time. The soulful tones of Diana Ross’ version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing from a nurse’s cellphone cut through the surreal moment. Motown music, her favorite, was the soundtrack to 74-year-old Josephine Ferguson’s final breaths, after covid-19 devastated her previously healthy body. Gregory Del Duca, her...
‘Reverberation of grief’: Covid losses take toll on Western Pennsylvania residents, communities
It has been nearly a year since the world of Ludmil Velev changed forever. For a few months in early 2020, his mother was visiting Pittsburgh from Bulgaria, thrilled to be with her granddaughter. “I’m happy I spent time with her,” said Velev, 44, of Greenfield. “She was extremely happy...
Pre-St. Patrick’s Fest held in Irwin
A Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Food and Family Fun Fest was held in Downtown Irwin on Saturday. Thirteen restaurants and businesses participated in the event selling Irish food, drinks and other items. Children’s games, karaoke and photos with Saint Patrick were offered inside the Shidle Lodge, and a balloon artist was...
