From Amazon to Independence, these were Westmoreland County's stories of 2023

The year 2023 marked Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday — its semiquincentennial for those who want to twist their tongues.

It was a year filled with celebrations of the county’s heritage and the evolution of some of the county’s institutions and traditions.

Amazon confirmed it was the tenant of a massive warehouse in New Stanton. Excela Health became Independence Health System after a merger with Butler Health System. Reenactors of the Battle of Bushy Run kept the right to relive that chapter of our region’s history, and three woman with roots in Westmoreland County made their mark beyond its borders.

Here are the top stories of the past year:

Independence Health System

The merger of the Excela and Butler health systems was made official Jan. 1, and in May the system’s new name — Independence Health — was announced.

The system includes Butler, Clarion, Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland hospitals, with 7,300 employees and more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers.

Financial struggles that were present before the merger continued throughout the year. There were layoffs and job cuts, but the health system’s leaders remained optimistic about the future.

Related:

• Merger of Excela, Butler health systems finalized

• Excela, Butler change name to Independence Health System

• Merged Excela, Butler health system is struggling financially, CEO says

• Excela-Butler combined health system lays off 13 managers

• Independence Health hospital presidents focus on future plans

• Independence Health sees about $23 million in losses over 3-month period

Amazon settles into New Stanton

A $120 million, 1-million-square-foot facility built in New Stanton will be used by Amazon, the company confirmed in August.

It ended months of speculation about the warehouse, located in what has become an industrial hub for the county near the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 70.

About 600 jobs are expected to be generated, and about 180 trucks a day are expected to move products from the warehouse every day.

It remains unclear when operations will begin.

Related:

• After months of speculation, Amazon says it will use New Stanton warehouse

• Westmoreland officials hopeful Amazon warehouse portends future growth

• Amazon challenge: Finding workers to fill hundreds of jobs

Battle for Bushy Run

The Bushy Run reenactment, traditionally held during the first weekend in August, portrays a 1763 clash between the British and Native Americans during Pontiac’s War.

It was canceled in January when the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission created a “no force-on-force” policy, adopted from the National Park Service. The commission reversed course on the decision in March but required all reenactors portraying Native Americans to consult with members of the relevant tribes to ensure historical accuracy in dress, gear, lodging and practice.

The commission, which governs Bushy Run and all other state-owned historic sites, approved a final version of its living history policy that allows “historic weapons demonstrations, tactical exercises and ‘force-on-force’ reenactments depicting combat between opposing forces.”

Related:

• Bushy Run battle reenactment draws crowds for living history education

• 'We're back': Bushy Run's 2023 battle reenactment will be held

• Local lawmakers join ‘battle’ to bring back Bushy Run reenactments

Year of the Westmoreland women

Hempfield’s Kim Ward, already the president pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate, had a brief stint as lieutenant governor after John Fetterman resigned the post to become the state’s junior senator in Washington, D.C.

Lt. Gov. Ward served 13 days, from Jan. 4 through 17, before Austin Davis was sworn in.

Greensburg native Michelle Henry, a lawyer who interned at the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office, replaced Josh Shapiro as Pennsylvania attorney general.

“We’re not surprised,” said retired county district attorney and county judge John Driscoll. “She’s the real McCoy — a forthright prosecutor. Justice in Pennsylvania is in good hands with her.”

North Huntingdon native Colleen Shogun became the Archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C.

A love of history was sparked in her home, grew in high school classes through her American history and government teachers, and flourished in her career, the 1993 Norwin High graduate said.

Related:

• https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/ward-begins-brief-lieutenant-governor-term/

• Greensburg native, Pa. attorney general's career in public service 'incredibly gratifying'

• New national archivist's love of history nurtured at home, Norwin

Greensburg chief charged

Greensburg Police Chief Shawn Denning was arrested in January, charged by federal officials who claim he was the go-between for interstate drug deals.

Denning was arrested Jan. 24, a development that shocked residents and colleagues.

His Pittsburgh attorney, Steven Townsend, has said the charges aren’t “reflective of Mr. Denning’s character or his history as a law enforcement officer.”

Throughout 2023, federal prosecutors have been granted extensions for a possible indictment of Denning.

He also is awaiting resolution of a case filed by Westmoreland County detectives that accuses Denning of taking a backpack containing drugs from an evidence room.

Related:

• Community in shock as Greensburg police chief's apparent double life is exposed

• Ex-Greensburg police chief resigned upon arrest on federal drug charges

• Federal prosecutors get 6th extension for possible indictment

Machete-wielding man shot by police

Robbie Thomas Saunders, 59, was armed with a machete when officers arrived during a domestic dispute in July at a Ligonier Township home.

He was shot and killed by police in a move that Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said was justified.

But Saunders’ son, Jonathan Faidley of Centerville, Crawford County, said the encounter between police and his father could have been deescalated. He claims that the fatal outcome demonstrated “a failure of the system and a failure of police training.”

Use-of-force experts also said the incident could have been handled differently.

Related:

• Ligonier Township man wielded machete before being fatally shot by police

• Ligonier Valley police justified in fatal shooting of man with machete, DA says

• Use-of-force expert: Ligonier Valley police shooting 'probably should have been handled differently'

Jeannette woman’s hoax had hefty price tag

Many people feared the worst after a 23-year-old Jeannette woman was reported missing and her car found along a desolate stretch of Radebaugh Road in Hempfield.

But Chloe Stein was arrested May 2 after troopers said she hid for about 20 hours in her family’s detached garage while her loved ones and police searched for her. Stein showed up at a neighbor’s house around 7:30 p.m. that evening and claimed to have been abducted. Troopers said Stein later admitted to faking her disappearance.

“It was a very difficult and tumultuous situation,” said her attorney, Phil DiLucente.

She ultimately was accepted into and completed a diversionary program for first-time offenders. She paid more than $13,000 in restitution and nearly $2,000 in fees and court costs, according to court records.

Related:

• Police: 'Missing' Jeannette woman arrested after incident they're calling a hoax

• Search for Jeannette woman accused of abduction hoax cost thousands, police say

• Jeannette woman accused of faking abduction may owe $11,500 for emergency response

Hempfield Area school project

The Hempfield high school renovation project is on pause after a yearlong process revealed that, as designed, it would cost more than the district would like to pay.

Initially expected to cost about $100 million, the project’s costs skyrocketed to $130 million. That’s when school board members paused the project.

Construction had been planned to start in the summer, but the board rejected bids for construction in August, hired an owner’s rep and is awaiting its findings before moving forward with the project.

Related:

• Owner's rep will evaluate stalled Hempfield Area high school project

• Hempfield high school project cost rises to $132 million

• Hempfield school board votes to consolidate 3 middle schools into 2

Westmoreland 250th

The county’s semiquincentennial was marked by events throughout the year, and TribLive spotlighted 10 features of 25 of the county’s municipalities.

Westmoreland County’s origins began when settlers wanted their own courthouse instead of having to trek to Bedford to settle legal disputes. The county has evolved to become a key part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, a bellwether of presidential politics and the site of many of the region’s historical touchstones.

Related:

• WESTMORELAND 250

• Westmoreland at 250: Founding figure played large role in nation's birth

• Celebrations marking county's milestone anniversary

Year ends with 32.5% tax hike

County commissioners painted a bleak financial picture when they floated a 2024 spending plan in November, but the 32.5% property tax hike they approved before Christmas came as a surprise to many.

“I can’t believe it. There are people who have retired and can’t afford to stay in their homes as it is” with rising consumer prices, said Janice Smarto, a real estate agent for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Unity.

The tax increase is the first since a 2.4% hike in 2019 and only the second time since 2005 that the county raised property taxes.

Commissioners cited spiraling costs to pay off existing debt, increases in the cost of health benefits for employees and added contributions to workers’ pension accounts as core challenges in building the $456.7 million spending plan.

Related:

• Tax hike could stunt growth, hurt pocketbooks

• Commissioners blame past fiscal neglect in approving 32.5% tax hike

• Commissioners paint bleak financial picture in proposed 2024 budget