Westmoreland category, Page 97
‘It’s really cold’: Westmoreland County residents polar plunge into 2025
For Craig Shevchik, polar plunging into Keystone Lake at the beginning of January is tantamount to spending time in the freezer. “I’m cold,” was his first reaction after emerging from the lake on Saturday morning. Shevchik, 52, of Greensburg, led the charge into the freezing cold water for the fourth...
Pa. environmental board to review Penn Twp. fracking gas well permit renewals
Nearly a year-and-a-half after an environmental nonprofit appealed the Department of Environmental Protection’s renewal of permits for two Penn Township gas wells, the case will be reviewed by the state Environmental Hearing Board. Environmental advocacy organization Protect PT, based along Route 130 in Penn Township, appealed permit renewals for unconventional...
North Belle Vernon man accused of withholding dog’s medical care pleads guilty
A North Belle Vernon man will serve six years on probation after he pleaded guilty Friday to animal cruelty charges. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Dan Karbowsky, 55, intentionally withheld medical care for his aging and cancer-ridden dog. According to prosecutors, humane officers went to Karbowsky’s home in March 2022 and...
4 homicides logged in Westmoreland County in 2024, but more cases pending
There were four confirmed homicide deaths in Westmoreland County in 2024, but that figure could rise as officials are awaiting rulings in a few more cases. Coroner Tim Carson said the four cases involve: • Diana Rebold, 73, of New Kensington. Her son Brian Rebold, 38, has been deemed competent...
‘Lockerbie’ TV series draws criticism from families of plane crash victims
Families of those killed when a bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, are pushing back against a television drama series about the terrorist attack. That includes Glenn Johnson of Hempfield whose daughter, Beth Ann, a senior at Seton Hill University, was on her way home from a...
Hempfield man uses gaming platform to support local charitable causes
Jacob Hixson is due to get a nose ring and a tattoo. The Hempfield man agreed to undergo those body modifications if followers and subscribers of his online gaming livestreams helped him raise $10,000 during his recent 24-hour holiday charity campaign. “We surpassed that goal within the first hour,” Hixson...
Latrobe’s settlement with retiring former police dog handler includes $100K in payments
Latrobe will pay newly retired police Sgt. Robert Derk roughly $100,000 to cover unused benefits and to settle labor-related claims he’s filed against the city, including disputed overtime pay for his role as the city’s police dog handler. The settlement also resolves a grievance he filed over his loss of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Jan. 3-5
The holidays are over, and it’s time to head back to work and play. Take that New Year’s resolution to do more things for yourself seriously and head out to one of these events this weekend. Resolution Run 5K Speaking of resolutions, plenty of folks will be aiming to get...
Teen charged with assaulting Adelphoi staffer in Unity
A teen housed in one of Adelphoi’s intensive supervision homes in Unity was charged with assaulting an Adelphoi employee on New Year’s Day, police said. State police were called to the Adelphoi Sweeney Home on Mission Road on Wednesday for a report of an assault on a staff member. The...
Westmoreland DA says no charges will be filed in June shooting of Daniel Chicka in Export
No criminal charges will be filed in connection with a June fatal shooting in Export after investigators ruled it self defense, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement. Video evidence provided to investigators showed Daniel Chicka, 65, and Matthew Allen Miller, 32, were involved in an argument...
Jay Leno laughs off rumors mob involved in his fall down Greensburg hill
One of Jay Leno’s staples when he hosted “The Tonight Show” involved a segment featuring ridiculous headlines. The veteran comedian has found himself in a real-life version of that after a November mishap in Westmoreland County. Before a Nov. 15 show at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, Leno said he...
Westmoreland happenings: AARP tax services, meeting, more
Fundraisers • The Blessings Mission store at Olive Branch Baptist Church, 296 Route 981, Rostraver, will have a clothing sale from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 4. • Jeannette American Legion will host bingo at 1 p.m. Jan. 5 at the post, 109 S. Fifth St. Doors open at 11:30...
Crash near Pitt-Greensburg campus disrupts power
Electrical power was expected to be restored about 7 p.m. Wednesday to about 480 West Penn Power customers living near the Pitt-Greensburg campus, according to FirstEnergy Corp.’s power outage map. The cause of the outage was a two-vehicle crash near the campus at about 1:30 p.m., a Westmoreland County Public...
Meet Allegheny and Westmoreland county’s firstborn of 2025: William, Genesis, Shiloh, Luka and Mila
William Sido Scott was born 10 seconds after midnight Wednesday to become the first birth of 2025 in the Pittsburgh area. William, the son of Frank and Evan (Telban) Scott of South Strabane, Washington County, was born at St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon, seconds after his New Year’s Eve...
Greensburg’s Abie & Bimbo’s Pizza closes after 57 years
New Year’s came with a wave of sadness for Doug Mirolli, as he announced the closure of the pizza restaurant he has owned for nearly two decades. Mirolli, 47, of Greensburg has owned Abie & Bimbo’s Pizza along Greensburg’s Highland Avenue since 2007. Known for its Pizzaroni subs and giant...
AHN Cancer Institute Hempfield moves radiation services to Monroeville
Cancer patients of Allegheny Health Network undergoing radiation therapy will no longer be served at AHN Cancer Institute Hempfield. The move, effective Tuesday, means patients will be directed to the cancer center at AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, according to a statement from the health care system. The Hempfield location,...
Greensburg, Hempfield areas see changes in fast food, retail business scene
As fast food chains and other popular retail locations close in the Greensburg-Hempfield area, the region’s business scene will see some changes in the new year. Dick’s Sporting Goods While Westmoreland Mall prepares to welcome a Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport, one of the chain’s stores along Route 30...
Solar power battle brewing in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon could be the site of the next battle over whether a utility-scale solar power farm can be built to comply with municipal zoning ordinances. Bear Park North Huntingdon LLC of Denver is appealing a decision by Thomas McGuire, township zoning officer, denying the solar power company’s request to...
Big Brothers Big Sisters honors strong bonds formed by mentors, youths
Luke Finlay and Jaxon Smartnick may have been born about a quarter of a century apart, but they’re brothers nonetheless. “He’s like the little brother I always wished I had,” Finlay, 32, of Hempfield said of the 8-year-old Greensburg boy he’s mentoring through Greensburg-based Big Brothers Big Sisters of the...
Ligonier area native’s illustrious career complemented by service to community
Ligonier Township native Ralph Kinney Bennett’s work in journalism took him from Greensburg to major newspapers around the nation and a national magazine in a four-decade career — but he never forgot his roots in the Ligonier area. “I just know he loved being a reporter and a writer, and...
Former Greensburg police chief set to be sentenced 1 year after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy
A former Greensburg police chief is set to be sentenced in April after a December hearing was rescheduled. The attorney for Shawn Denning, 43, of Delmont requested more time to prepare for the hearing while in the midst of handling other, unrelated cases, according to court filings this month. The...
Dredging plan to be developed for North Huntingdon lake
North Huntingdon’s Indian Lake Park is in need of cleaning — removing the silt building up in the lake along Clay Pike in the southern end of the township. The North Huntingdon commissioners recently awarded an $18,500 contract to KU Resources Inc. to conduct a survey of the underwater depth...
Resident asks North Huntingdon commissioners to create police oversight committee
A North Huntingdon woman’s proposal for the township commissioners to create a police oversight committee of residents was met with a lukewarm response by township officials. After praising North Huntingdon police officers and North Huntingdon EMS for their response to an emergency involving her son on Christmas Day 2023, Dawn...
Thousands remain without power in Western Pa.
Thousands of people across Western Pennsylvania remained without power Monday afternoon, a day after high winds caused power outages in multiple counties. Late Monday afternoon, Duquesne Light was reporting 6,000 customers without power, according to company spokesman Nick Ruffolo. He said the company sought help from 50 contractors to assist...
Westmoreland happenings: Bingo at civic association
Fundraiser news • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 2 at the center, 42 Millersdale Road, Hempfield. There will be 20 regular games and five quickies. Payout is 50/50. Free coffee. Cost: 25 cents for a three-card board; $1 for quickies. Submissions from...
