Westmoreland category, Page 630
Greensburg’s Backyard Games give kids needed exercise, interactionVideo
Ten-year-old Benjamin Brown didn’t like being picked for the same team as his 6-year-old brother, Drew. But there were more than a dozen other area kids for the Greensburg boy to play with in a game of Capture The Flag on Friday evening at Greensburg’s Lynch Field. The city’s recreation...
Norwin superintendent to explain how district will transition to fully in-school or all online
Norwin officials plan to reveal at Monday’s school board meeting the district’s plans for evaluating how to transition from its hybrid model of two days in school and three days of online learning to either fully in class five days a week or to a completely remote online learning model....
Last four members of Iannelli gambling operation sentenced
The final four people charged last year for their alleged roles in the Iannelli gambling ring that operated throughout western Pennsylvania were sentenced Friday to serve one year probation terms as part of a deal with prosecutors in which their criminal records could ultimately be expunged. Each of the four,...
Coronavirus impacts High Holy Days in Jewish community
In a typical year, members of the Jewish community would’ve dressed up and assembled Friday night at the local temple for two days of services with friends, family and fellow congregants to mark the start of the High Holy Days. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in 2020 are different. Congregations...
Cops: Man sleeping in car in Greensburg found with 47 bricks of heroin, cocaine, anxiety pills and nearly $12K
Greensburg Police doing a routine check of a man asleep in the driver’s seat of his car in a store parking lot Thursday wound up arresting him for illegal possession of 47 bricks of heroin, a plastic bag of cocaine, several hundred Xanax pills and multiple strips of Suboxone. Patrolman...
Greater Latrobe eyes HVAC ionization devices to combat covid-19 virus
Greater Latrobe School District is considering investing in a technology that would use building ventilation systems to curb the coronavirus. Proposed installation of Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization devices would cost about $450,000, according to Kurt Thomas, the district’s director of facilities, operations and planning. He said about 150 devices would be...
State police make another large marijuana bust on turnpike in Westmoreland County
For the third time since April, state troopers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County stopped a driver for traffic violations and ended up seizing more than 100 pounds of marijuana. Chui Jiang of Oklahoma City and Guangzhang Ye of San Antonio, both 41, were charged with manufacture, delivery and...
Westmoreland Transit hopes to boost rebound with extended hours, trips
Two hours of local bus service on Westmoreland County Transit Authority routes will be added in early October as the struggling agency seeks to rebound from massive losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said final details on the expanded service will be released as early...
Westmoreland County adds 11 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 11 new coronavirus cases Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The county has had a total of 2,032 cases, with 1,952 of those confirmed and 80 reported as probable. All of Friday’s new cases were confirmed. There have been 40,423 people who had negative PCR tests....
Murrysville woman, 20, appointed to national Crohn’s advocacy board
For Rachel Stackiewicz, enjoying most meals is a temporary pleasure at best. Stackiewicz, 20, of Murrysville, has been living since age 11 with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Along with ulcerative colitis, it is one of two illnesses classified as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. “Every...
Salem man accused of ethnic intimidation in phone calls
A Salem man was charged Thursday with ethnic intimidation after police said he used racial slurs during multiple phone calls to a South Greensburg man, according to court papers. In addition to the felony count, Adam Joseph Amendola, 27, is charged with misdemeanors counts of making terroristic threats and harassment...
Speakers at Greensburg rally urge action to achieve unityVideo
Marguerite Babcock of Cook Township sat on a bench at St. Clair Park in Greensburg on Thursday as speakers stressed the need for unity in a country deeply divided less than two months before the presidential election. “I’m extremely concerned about the high level of divisiveness and nastiness that has...
Unity Township Municipal Authority to begin office security upgrade
Work is set to begin next week on security improvements at the Unity Township Municipal Authority office near Pleasant Unity. Marmat Inc. was awarded the project contract, at a cost of $96,545, and is expected to start by adding an emergency exit at the rear of the building. According to...
Greensburg man accused of struggling with deputies, exposing himself
A 40-year-old Greensburg man being evicted from his residence under a protection from abuse order Wednesday was arrested on multiple charges after scuffling with three sheriff’s deputies and then exposing himself, according to court records. Eric W. Cummings was arrested on charges of obstruction of government functions, open lewdness and...
Group home for former mental health patients approved in Greensburg
Plans to convert a Greensburg mansion into a group home for former mental health patients at Torrance State Hospital was approved this week over objections from neighbors who claimed the project could lower nearby property values. The city’s zoning hearing board voted to grant a special exception that clears the...
Jurors find Scottdale man guilty of raping girl
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday rejected a Scottdale man’s claims that his physical limitations prevented him from having sexual activity and rendered him unable to have repeatedly raped a young girl. Dylan Chiaramonte, 27, was convicted of rape of a child, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated...
Westmoreland Manor staff to be tested for coronavirus
All staff at Westmoreland Manor will again be tested for coronavirus. Commissioners on Thursday cut a deal with Excela Health to test the staff of the county owned nursing home in Hempfield as part of a federal mandate put in place this week. The county will pay Excela $105 per...
Western Pa. nonprofit turns to public for diaper donations during pandemicVideo
Anna Joyner is hoping to collect 5,000 diapers by next week, and she got at least halfway to her goal on Thursday. The Greensburg resident is the outreach coordinator in Westmoreland and Fayette counties for the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank, an organization started eight years ago to help get diapers...
Slot machine arrival marks milestone in Hempfield casino constructionVideo
The former Bon-Ton department store at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield is starting to look a lot like a casino. Live! Casino Pittsburgh, a $150 million venue owned by The Cordish Companies of Maryland, is slated to open before Thanksgiving with 750 slot machines and 30 table games. By Thursday, about...
Pry bar in crashed car led Rostraver police to make arrest in attempted break-in at gun store
A pry bar and screwdriver left behind in a car that crashed near the scene of an attempted burglary at a gun store led Rostraver police to connect an Elizabeth man to the crime, according to court papers filed this month. Authorities said they identified Kristopher Cerniga, 33, as the...
Westmoreland County reaches 50 covid-19 deaths after a month with no reported deaths
Westmoreland County has 18 new coronavirus cases Thursday, per the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, nine are confirmed and nine are probable. One new covid-19 related death was also reported, which resulted in the county reaching 50 total deaths. Prior to Thursday, there had not been a...
Growing older: Number of centenarians on the rise in U.S.
Sounds of honking horns, cheering crowds and bouts of “happy birthday” wafted through normally quiet neighborhoods this year as friends and family, not letting the coronavirus pandemic stop them, celebrated loved ones turning 100. The number of centenarians around the world is on the rise, data show, a generation of...
Jeannette native helping students of military personnel killed or disabled
A Jeannette native is spearheading efforts to raise money for educational scholarships for families of military service people who have died or have been disabled while on active duty. Michael Popella of Grove City founded the Folds of Honor of Western PA Chapter after meeting the national organization’s founder, Lt....
North Huntingdon officials cry foul on backyard chicken ordinanceVideo
The months-long debate over keeping chickens in North Huntingdon residential areas will continue after the commissioners rejected a proposed change to the rules on Wednesday. Commissioners cried foul on adopting an ordinance that would allow residents to obtain a permit to have four hens in a residential district if they...
Greensburg resident gets surprise parade to celebrate 103rd birthday
With horns honking and balloons waving from their windows, dozens of cars drove down Greensburg’s Alwine Avenue to wish Catherine Campolongo a happy 103rd birthday. Campolongo was a baby during the flu pandemic of 1918, and on Wednesday celebrated a socially distant birthday during another historic pandemic. Her secret to...
