PA REP CHALLENGES "USE IT OR LOSE IT" PAID TIME OFF
A Pennsylvania representative wants to limit how employers offer "use it or lose it" paid time off. Democrat Mary Jo Daley of Montgomery County says she plans to introduce a bill that would make unused paid time off be considered wages. She says once they're earned, that time or pay couldn't be taken away fro...
8h ago
ARMSTRONG COUNTY NURSING HOME SUED IN CONNECTION WITH FORMER NURSE
A nursing home in Armstrong County is the latest to be sued in connection with a former nurse from Westmoreland County. The Trib reports that the wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility in Kittanning, and its parent company Armstrong SNF Operator LLC, and was filed on beh...
8h ago
LICENSE PLATE READERS TO BE INSTALLED IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY
License plate readers will be installed in several municipalities in Westmoreland County. The Trib reports that the readers will be part of a multi-county surveillance network. North Huntingdon is scheduled to be the first to get the devices installed at intersections. In all, the county will install 20 readers at h...
8h ago
LYONS RUN ESTATES HOA REQUEST SEDIMENT BE REMOVED FROM THEIR PROPERTIES
Members of the Lyons Run Estates Homeowners Association are requesting that several tons of dredged sediment be removed from their properties. The Trib reports that the sediment came from a cleanout of a retention pond that is surrounded by Homeowners Association properties, but it was not removed from the property as...
8h ago
FRANKLKIN REGIONAL APPROVES PROPOSED SUMMER AI PROGRAM
The Franklin Regional School Board approved a proposed summer program that will focus on Artificial Intelligence. The Trib reports that Inspirit AI students will learn fundamental concepts for AI and gain a deeper understanding on how AI is used to build programs like ChatGPT and how it can be used for other purposes....
8h ago
LATROBE OFFICIALS CONDEMN TWO BUILDINGS ON LIGONIER STREET
Officials in Latrobe have officially condemned two rental properties on Ligonier Street. The Trib reports that both properties, one an apartment building in the 1200 block Ligonier Street and the other a three-story home in the 1500 block, must be vacated by May 3rd under the eviction guidelines. The properties are o...
8h ago
LOCAL POLL RESULTS
Voters went to the polls yesterday with more than the presidential nominees on the ballot for the primary. In the 12th Congressional District, incumbent Summer Lee earned the Democratic nomination in Westmoreland County, and will run against James Hayes in the general election in November. In the 14th District race, ...
8h ago
RICK SEBAK TO PRESENT "KENNYWOOD MEMORIES" AT GREATER LATROBE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Rick Sebak, longtime producer of documentaries for WQED and PBS, will revive thoughts of those carefree times May 5 when he presents one of his most popular programs, "Kennywood Memories," in the Greater Latrobe Senior High Auditorium. The program will begin at 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer sessio...
Apr 23, 2024
PA MILLIONAIRE POPULATION INCREASES
Pennsylvania is reported to be among the top ten states whose population of millionaires has increased. Data from the Internal Revenue service says the Keystone State ranks ninth in the country for having the most residents whose adjusted gross income totals more than a million-dollars. Over 27-thousand residents achie...
Apr 23, 2024
UNSECURED RITE AID CREDITORS CRYING FOUL
The unsecured creditors involved in Rite Aid Corporation's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings are crying "foul." They're concerned about the retail pharmacy chain's plan to award its new CEO a 20-million-dollar "success fee" when the company emerges from bankruptcy protection. The Philadelphia Busine...
Apr 23, 2024
FIRE AT LATROBE 30 PLAZA THIS MORNING
First responders are busy this morning with a fire at a shopping center in Latrobe. Firefighters were called out at 3:00 AM at the Latrobe 30 Plaza. No word if anyone was hurt, but the fire seems to be spreading from store to store. No word yet on the cause of the fire.
Apr 23, 2024
NEW ARCHITECHTURE COMPANY APPROVED FOR HEMPFIELD HIGH SCHOOL RENOVATION
A new architecture company is now coming on board to work on the Hempfield Area High School renovation. Yesterday, the school board approved an agreement to work with Mechanicsburg-based Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates on the project. Construction has been delayed since last August when final bids from the former ...
Apr 23, 2024
PA GAME COMMISSION TO SPRAY INSECTICIDE ON GAME LANDS
The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to spray insecticide on game lands in the southwestern part of the state in an effort to control invasive spongy moth. The Trib reports that over 120,000 acres of state game land will be targeted by the spraying later this month and early next month. Spongy moths, non-native pests...
Apr 23, 2024
GREENSBURG POLICE SEARCH FOR OWNER OF ABANDONED DOG
Police in Greensburg are looking for the owner of a stray dog that they found Sunday night chained to a fence or railing at Rohrer Street and Westminster Avenue. The Trib reports that the dog was found just after 9 PM on Sunday It did not have a microchip or any other owner information. The animal has been turned over ...
Apr 23, 2024
TEXAS TRUCK DRIVER PAROLED AFTER SERVING TIME FOR HEMPFIELD HIT AND RUN
A truck driver from Texas was scheduled to return to his home in Dallas after serving nearly 16 months for a hit-and-run crash in a Hempfield auto parts store parking lot. The Trib reports that 26-year-old Quantae Beavers entered guilty pleas to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and o...
Apr 23, 2024
PA PRIMARY ELECTION TODAY
Today is the Pennsylvania Primary Election, and while the Presidential primary is all but official for former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden, there are still offices up for election, including the US Senator seat, seats in the US House of Representatives, state attorney general and auditor gener...
Apr 23, 2024
IMPROVEMENT IN PA JOB MARKET NUMBERS
Things are looking up for Pennsylvania's job numbers. State number crunchers say more than 15-thousand non-farm jobs were added to the Commonwealth last month, maintaining a three-point-four-percent state unemployment rate, compared to the national unemployment rate of three-point-eight-percent. The state labor force g...
Apr 22, 2024
16 WESTMORELAND COUNTY POLLING PLACES NOT ADA COMPLIANT
Some voting precincts in Westmoreland County remain at locations that are not ADA-compliant. Local elections officials say there are still 16 polling places that are not accessible to voters who are in wheelchairs. Federal rules require all voting centers to meet ADA guidelines, but the Pennsylvania Department of State...
Apr 22, 2024
LATROBE MAN PLEADS GUILTY
A Latrobe man pleaded guilty to beating three people in August of 2020. KDKA-TV reports that 30-year-old Nicholas McIntyre pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted homicide, burglary, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment in connection with an incident in August of 2020, wh...
Apr 22, 2024
NEW RULES COMING FOR NORTH HUNTINGDON CHICKENS
North Huntingdon officials will start the process to create new rules for keeping chickens in the backyard. The Trib reports that Township commissioners voted last week to repeal an ordinance that allowed chickens to be kept in residential neighborhoods. Harry Faulk and his staff were directed to draft an ordinance for...
Apr 22, 2024
ROAD PROJECTS UNDERWAY TODAY
Some road projects are scheduled to get underway today. The Trib reports that Boyer Road is set to close today became Hecla Road and Mt. Pleasant-Calumet Road as crews overlay existing asphalt on the road. A detour, using Hecla Road and Route 981, is expected to be in place through mid-May.The work is part of the $55.2...
Apr 22, 2024
HEMPFIELD MAN FACES MURDER FOR HIRE CHARGES
A Hempfield man is facing charges of trying to hire someone to kill his sister. The Trib reports that Westmoreland County sheriff's deputies arrested 63-year-old Peter Cute on Friday after meeting with someone that he offered to pay to have his sister murdered over a proposed change to the family estate. That person wa...
Apr 22, 2024
STUDENTS TOUR GENERAL CARBIDE PLANTS
Earlier this week, 11 students from Jeannette City and Hempfield Area schools and Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center got a firsthand look at operations in General Carbide's three plants as part of the company's Learning 2 Earning program. It's a partnership with the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforc...
Apr 19, 2024
FATAL CRASH ON I-70 THIS MORNING
A fatal crash along Interstate 70 this morning in Rostraver is under investigation, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. The crash happened around 7:45 a.m. on the eastbound side of the highway, not far from the Route 51 interchange. No other information was immediately available.
Apr 19, 2024
THIS SUNDAY ON WESTMORELAND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: THE CENTER FOR ORGAN RECOVERY AND EDUCATION
April is donate life awareness month. More than 100,000 people are on the waiting list for a donor. Organ donation is the topic on this week's Westmoreland Community Connections. Join host Jennifer Miele, Chief Communications Officer for the Diocese of Greensburg as she welcomes Katelynn Metz, Communications Coordinato...
Apr 19, 2024
SCOTTDALE CONTRACTOR SENTENCED FOR BILKING WESTMORELAND COUNTY HOMEOWNERS
Scottdale contractor Jason Pirl was sentenced Thursday to serve an additional five to 10 years in prison for bilking 16 Westmoreland County homeowners from 2017 to 2022. Prosecutors said 43 year old Pirl collected more than $165,000 in that time period for work he never performed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge...
Apr 19, 2024
OUTCRY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS
There has been an outcry for affordable housing for middle class workers in Westmoreland County, Brian Lawrence, executive director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment and Land Bank, said It is a huge issue for a county with Westmoreland's demographics. According to Alec Italiano, the director of Greensburg planni...
Apr 19, 2024
LATROBE MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING STUDENTS AT BUS STOP
A Latrobe man is accused by city police of threatening seven students who were waiting for a school bus outside his apartment earlier this month. The Trib reports that 51 year old Stanley Brosnick was arrested this week on several counts of terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment. Officers said they reviewed...
Apr 19, 2024
HALF MILLION PEOPLE DROPPED FROM STATE MEDICAID ROLLS
About half a million people have now been dropped from the state's Medicaid rolls. State officials say the change has come about because so many people lost eligibility after their COVID coverage expired when the pandemic ended. State data shows Pennsylvania's Medicaid program went from a record high of three-point-sev...
Apr 18, 2024
STATE HOUSE PASSES LEGISLATION TO OFFER TAX BREAKS TO "ZOMBIE MALLS"
The state House has passed legislation that offers tax breaks to redevelop so-called zombie malls. The legislation would allow local governments to exempt malls for ten years from any property-tax increases when they redevelop underused malls as mixed-use properties. The tax breaks could be extended if developers add a...
Apr 18, 2024
PRESIDENT BIDEN MAKES PROMISE TO LOCAL STEELWORKERS
President Joe Biden visited Pittsburgh yesterday with a promise for local steelworkers. In remarks delivered at the United Steelworkers headquarters downtown, the president said that U.S. Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century and that it should remain a totally American company. Biden says h...
Apr 18, 2024
UPTICK IN WOUND INJURIES DUE TO XYLAZINE ABUSE
County agencies that are seeing an uptick in wound injuries due to the effects of xylazine abuse could see some kits come their way to help them combat those wounds. The Trib reports that non-profit groups Sage's Army and Lost Dreams Awakening have requested the kits from the State Department of Health through county T...
Apr 18, 2024
MAWC AWARDS SEWER LINE CONTRACT
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has awarded the contract to install over 7000 feet of sewer lines to extend service near Baltzer Meyer Road and Fort Allen Elementary in Hempfield. The Trib reports that the contract with W.A. Petrakis out of Penn Township is worth at least $479,000, and will take six mon...
Apr 18, 2024
GREENSBURG MAN KILLED IN WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP CAR CRASH
A Greensburg man was killed in a crash in Washington Township on Wednesday. The Trib reports that the crash happened on Greensburg Road also known as Route 366. 37-year-old Andrew Malarkey was driving a car east when he crossed the center line and collided head-on with a tractor trailer truck around 10 AM. Malarkey ...
Apr 18, 2024
SEVERE WEATHER RIPS THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN PA
Severe weather once again ripped through Southwestern PA yesterday, with the national weather service issuing a tornado watch for most of the area for last night. West Penn power reports that over 1200 customers are still without power at this time, but most power will be restored by 9:00 this morning. That estimate ...
Apr 18, 2024
PROPOSED LAW TO INCREASE FINE FOR KILLING BALD EAGLES
It's up to Pennsylvania's governor to sign a proposed law that would increase the penalties for killing bald eagles in the state. Lawmakers last week approved a plan to hike the fine for killing an eagle from 200 to two thousand-dollars. The move comes after a Washington County man admitted to killing an eagle for no r...
Apr 17, 2024
VOLUNTEERS CAN SIGN UP FOR 2025 US OPEN
Volunteers can now sign up to work at the 125th U.S. Open Championship next summer. The United States Golf Association is holding the tournament at Oakmont Country Club in Plum June ninth through 15th, 2025. A variety of positions are available and they will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Those who are ...
Apr 17, 2024
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN COMING TO PITTSBURGH TODAY
President Joe Biden is coming to the Steel City today. The White House has not released complete details of the president's trip. Reports say that as part of his visit to the city, Biden will meet with folks at the United Steelworkers headquarters downtown.
Apr 17, 2024
COMPUTER GLITCH CAUSES SOME SPIRIT FLIGHTS TO BE CANCELED
A computer glitch caused some Spirit flights between Latrobe and Myrtle Beach to be canceled. WTAE-TV reports that officials with Arnold Palmer Regional Airport said the scheduling system has had some glitches, and was down all weekend, but the issues are now fixed and all flights on that route are available. The glitc...
Apr 17, 2024
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT WORKING ON BUDGET
Norwin School District officials are working on the 2024-25 budget, and they are projecting a nearly $8 million deficit. The Trib reports that the budget will account for several hires including an autistic support teacher, reading specialists, and others. The district also has about $9.4 million in reserves. The distr...
Apr 17, 2024
JUDGE DECLARES MISTRIAL IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE
Westmoreland County Prosecutors say they will no longer pursue sexual assault charges against a former aide at a North Huntingdon nursing home. The Trib reports that in March, 36-year-old Daniel Odu of New Kensington was found not guilty of attempted rape of a 19-year-old co-worker at the Grove in Irwin in 2022, but th...
Apr 17, 2024
FORMER GREENSBURG POLICE CHIEF ENTERS GUILTY PLEAS
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning entered guilty pleas in federal court yesterday to charges related to drug distribution. The Trib reports that Denning pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, with prosecutors dropping six other charges...
Apr 17, 2024
STATE LAW MAKERS ATTEMPTING TO CRACK DOWN ON UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a new way to crack down on unemployment fraud in the state. A proposed bill in Harrisburg would penalize anyone who's receiving unemployment benefits but fails to show up for a job interview. The state's Senate Department of Labor and Industry Committee recently voted unanimously ...
Apr 16, 2024
PA ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST MONROEVILLE INSURANCE AGENT
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has announced charges against a Monroeville insurance agent accused of swindling customers out of thousands of dollars. The state says that Chad Skena sold clients insurance products that didn't exist and sometimes would double-charge client's credit cards, promising them th...
Apr 16, 2024
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT MOVES FORWARD WITH HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM PROJECT
The Norwin School District is likely moving forward with a plan to demolish and rebuild the home section seating at their high school stadium. Board members are expected to vote in favor of the project at their meeting next week. School officials say the current grandstands have problems with the concrete and other iss...
Apr 16, 2024
JEANNETTE NUISANCE HOME TO BE TORN DOWN AND REPLACED WITH NEW FIRE STATION
A nuisance home in Jeannette is being torn down to make way for a new fire station. Last week, the city council voted to accept the donation of a property on South Second Street. Local officials have until the end of the year to spend a one-point-two-million-dollar grant that has been provided for the fire station proj...
Apr 16, 2024
MONESSEN TEEN ENTERS GUILTY PLEAS
A Monessen teenager entered guilty pleas in connection with the death of a 16-year-old classmate. The Trib reports that 17-year-old Terry Newton pleaded guilty yesterday in court to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the case of Amari Altomore in November of 2022. He was scheduled to go on trial May 6th for the shoo...
Apr 16, 2024
GREENSBURG MAN ORDERED TO SERVE UP TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to ten years in prison for raping a child in 2007. The Trib reports that Jared Painter had entered a guilty plea in January to two counts of rape and charges of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and sexual assault for incidents when the victim was six to eight years ...
Apr 16, 2024
YOUGH COMMUNITIES CARE ORGANIZATION HOSTING PANEL ABOUT FRACKING
The Yough Communities CARE organization is hosting a panel discussion on the dangers of fracking waste this week. The event is planned for 7:00 p.m. Wednesday at the West Newton Gymnasium on South Fifth Street. The talk will focus on the impact that fracking byproducts can have when they are disposed of in area landfil...
Apr 15, 2024
SCHOOLS CRACKING DOWN ON VAPING
Some school officials in Western Pennsylvania are turning to technology to help crack down on student vaping. Tim Skoog with Franklin Regional School District says vaping declined by about 30 percent at their high school after they installed a dozen devices that can detect vape aerosol in the bathrooms at the property....
Apr 15, 2024