From triumph to tragedy: What a year it was in Westmoreland County

The happenings of the last 12 months in Westmoreland County will be relegated to history and some of them are touchstones that will be long remembered.

About 60 miles northwest of Greensburg in Butler County, soon-to-be President Donald J. Trump was grazed by a bullet at the start of a July 13 campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show complex.

It was a moment that played a part in galvanizing the support he received in the November election, and Westmoreland County was among the 59 counties that supported Trump as Pennsylvania lived up to its Keystone State moniker. Trump’s win here played an outsize role as he prepares to return to the White House next month.

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Rep. Mike Kelly's task force releases final report on Trump assassination attempt

The assassination attempt tops the events of 2024, but in Westmoreland County there were other happenings — along with a few lighter moments — that made this a year to remember. Here’s a look at the top stories TribLive journalists covered.

5 die in Jeannette fire

Tyler J. King, 27, and his children, Kyson, 7, Kinzleigh, 6, Keagan, 3, and Korbyn, 1 month, were killed in a March 20 fire on Guy Street.

Two other children, ages 10 and 1, were able to escape with Miranda John, King’s fiancee and the children’s mother.

In the aftermath, community members rallied around the family, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for them.

The cause of the blaze remains undisclosed.

Related:

• Coroner identifies father, 4 children killed in Jeannette blaze
• Prayer vigil offers comfort to family of Jeannette fire victims
• Fire that killed 5 members of Jeannette family remains under investigation

That’s it, Fort Pitt

The former Fort Pitt Brewery was razed in a multimillion project led by the county.

The West Jeannette site previously was home to Victor Brewing Co., which organized in 1907. Fort Pitt Brewing bought the property in 1941, according to news accounts. In the mid-1950s, Papercraft Corp. expanded its gift wrap manufacturing operations there before the plant went dormant in the mid-1970s.

The complex was acquired by the Westmoreland County Land Bank for $1,876 in a judicial sale two years ago. The buildings had been a headache for city officials for many years prior, previously being targets for vandals and other troublemakers.

Jeannette City Manager Ethan Keedy said he hopes the project will help restore pride in the neighborhood and the city as a whole.

“It is going to be a spur that this city needs,” he said. “The city of Jeannette, the residents should be happy that the city and the county recognized that as an issue and did whatever they could to rectify it.”

Related:

• Former Fort Pitt Brewery complex, a headache for years in Jeannette
• Brick by brick, old brewery begins to fall
• 'Part of history going down'

Restoring order

The office that processes estate records, marriage licenses and adoptions, is rarely in the news. Except this year in Westmoreland County, as Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton came under fire in January for backlogs in her office.

In May, Hamilton was found in contempt of court following a process that included court intervention that sought to reverse what officials said had become issues of missed deadlines and other failures such as untimely processing of adoption records and late filings of appeals. Staff levels fell through attrition from resignations and retirements.

County officials claimed Hamilton rarely came to work and failed to replace staff, which left the office severely understaffed and unable to perform its required functions. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. in June stripped Hamilton of her oversight of the office and appointed Greensburg attorney Jim Antoniono as its conservator.

Hamilton continued to draw her nearly $90,000 annual salary and was required to report to the courthouse for work without having authority over office functions.

As part of an agreement with the court to avoid a potential jail sentence for contempt of court, Hamilton agreed to resign at the end of the year and pay a $10,000 fine. She accelerated her resignation and left office in September. She paid her fine to the county treasury in November.

Related:

• Westmoreland register of wills faces more questions about office's handling of filings
• A look at Westmoreland's register of wills battle
• Register of Wills Office rebounds from year of disarray

Unity sinkhole tragedy

Elizabeth Pollard was searching for her cat Dec. 2 behind Monday’s Union Restaurant in Unity when the ground gave way beneath her, and she fell down about 30 feet into a sinkhole that opened into the abandoned Marguerite Mine.

Pollard’s body was recovered Dec. 6 about 12 feet southwest of the sinkhole where she fell, authorities said.

The mine, operated by the H.C. Frick Coke Co., last operated in 1952 and spans 48 acres underground.

The state Department of Environmental Protection worked to stabilize and fill the sinkhole and mine subsidence site.

Related:

• Unity woman died of head, torso injuries after fall
• Reporter recounts search and recovery efforts
• Coal, once king in Pennsylvania leaves behind abandoned mines that pose concerns

The odd side of news

There were floods, droughts and tornados at various points and places in Westmoreland County.

Several municipalities banned burning during dry spells, Bushy Run battlefield’s reenactment was canceled because of tornado damage and a bridge that was a remnant of the region’s pioneer days emerged from receded waters in 2024.

Related:

• Widespread flooding in Westmoreland: homes flooded
• Cleanup of Bushy Run Battlefield tornado damage could take months
• People flock to Great Crossings Bridge

On the lighter side of the news, a farm near Smithton hosted nearly 20,000 country music fans on Sept. 28.

With three entrances in and out of the property, the farm was easier to navigate to than the Pavilion at Star Lake in terms of moving concertgoers in and out.

The show went on without a hitch and received rave reviews.

Related:

• Meet the family behind Luke Bryan's 'Farm Tour' concert
• Luke Bryan 'kicks the dust up'
• Westmoreland farm turns into a country music party

Before Jay Leno performed a November show at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, he got hungry. Leno didn’t use the sidewalk as he walked from his hotel to a restaurant and took a tumble.

The 74-year-old comedic icon was injured, but still performed that night in Greensburg and the story was a hit on social media.

Related:

• Leno injured after fall down hillside
• Leno visited Hempfield restaurant after fall