Joe Napsha stories, Page 82
Swimming pool demand deepens in Western Pa. during pandemic
With so many homeowners opting for a “staycation” last year because of the coronavirus pandemic and pools being closed for the same reason, pool installers and suppliers in the region say they are swimming in business — with hardly any easing up in demand from last year. “We’re getting leads...
Norwin grad takes on challenge as Pittsburgh fire bureau’s lone female lieutenantVideo
If Lt. Kari Burnham wanted to meet with other female firefighters in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, they could sit around her kitchen table — with room to spare. Burnham, a 35-year-old North Huntingdon native, is one of four women among the bureau’s 474 firefighters. One recently retired and another...
Greensburg man convicted of Indiana County fire bombing
A Greensburg man accused of trying to burn down an Indiana County home last May by throwing “Molotov cocktails” at it was convicted this week in a non-jury trial, according to court records. Derrick John Weber, 21, was found guilty by Indiana County Judge William J. Martin of attempted arson...
2 Westmoreland farms protected by state conservation program
Two Westmoreland County farms were among the 26 protected by the state in recent purchases of permanent conservation easements in return for owners selling the “development value” of their property. The farms involved in raising crops and livestock were protected under the state’s Farmland Preservation Program from future residential, commercial...
Duquesne Light seeks to raise rates by 7.7%
Duquesne Light Co. wants to raise the electric bills for residential customers by 7.7%, an increase that would cost users another $7.73 a month on average, or about $92 a year, the Pittsburgh-based company said. The request was filed Friday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. If approved, which is...
North Huntingdon: Details needed on township’s $3M share of pandemic relief money
North Huntingdon should get about $3 million from the latest $1.9 trillion covid relief bill that Congress approved last month, though specifics on how the township can spend the money have yet to be outlined. “There’s a lot of bullet points” saying what the American Rescue Plan money can be...
Jeannette-based cemetery company sold to Pittsburgh investment firm
A Pittsburgh private equity firm purchased a Jeannette-based company that is one of the largest privately owned gravesite operators in the nation, with 26 memorial parks, including four in Westmoreland County and another in Washington County. Stonewood Capital Management said this week an unnamed affiliate purchased CMS East Inc. on...
Norwin area happenings, April 15, 2021, and beyond
Drive-thru chicken barbecue sale The Stewartsville Lions Club will hold a drive-thru chicken barbecue sale beginning at 11 a.m. April 25 at the Holiday Travel parking lot, Route 30, across from Norwin Town Square in North Huntingdon. Due to social distancing guidelines, meal orders will be taken from the customers,...
Harrison City native is 2020 Airman of the Year
Air Force Staff Sgt. Valerie Graw, 27, of Harrison City, was named the 2020 Airman of the Year for 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. Graw, a member of the 88th Communications Squadron, is serving as a supervisor of client systems from a deployed...
Penn-Trafford area events, April 25, 2021, and beyond
Trafford library to hold book sale The Trafford Community Public Library will hold a book sale fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 14 and 15 in the parking lot next to the library, 416 Brinton Ave. Hardback books are $1 and paperbacks and children’s books are 50 cents,...
Trib Total Media to host free digital marketing program for businesses, entrepreneurs
Business owners and entrepreneurs seeking efficient and effective solutions to help reinvigorate their businesses as covid restrictions loosen can learn digital marketing tactics, trends and strategies during a virtual program Friday that will help them reach their marketing goals. “We want to help our advertising partners as the region and...
Norwin closes high school, 1 elementary school because of covid spread
Norwin’s high school and Stewartsville Elementary will be closed Wednesday and Thursday and all athletics and activities have been canceled because of covid cases, the district said Tuesday. The high school will be closed because of a seventh positive case, and Stewartsville Elementary will close because there was a third...
Norwin considers starting next school year after Labor Day
Norwin students are likely to get a longer summer vacation under a proposed school calendar that would have classes begin after Labor Day. Superintendent Jeff Taylor recommended to the school board Monday that it would be better to start school on Sept. 8 than in mid-August for several reasons related...
North Huntingdon-Irwin area covid cases up slightly as of April 12
There was a 2.1% increase in the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in the four ZIP codes covering most of the Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin areas from April 5 to 12, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Health. It was the second consecutive...
Former Scottdale district judge dedicated to God, family, community
Former Scottdale police officer and longtime District Judge J. Bruce King was a man dedicated to the important things in life, his friends said. “He was first dedicated to God. Second, dedicated to his family and, third, dedicated to his community,” said Roger Eckels, a former Mt. Pleasant Township district...
Countryside Plaza sold in East Huntingdon
An East Huntingdon shopping plaza near the intersection of routes 119 and 819 has been sold to an Oakmont-based development firm for $8.5 million, according to filings with the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds. PDQ Israel Family Countryside L.P. of Pittsburgh last month sold the 16.9-acre Countryside Plaza property to...
Peyton Manning checks up on namesake dog who escaped a bear’s jaws
Peyton Manning — the soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback — called Thursday to check on the condition of his namesake dog, which escaped certain death from the mouth of a black bear Monday night near Armbrust. Manning called the Rev. Tim Stradling on Thursday morning, much to the surprise of...
Peyton Manning checks up on namesake dog who escaped a bear’s jaws
Peyton Manning — the soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback — called Thursday to check on the condition of a namesake dog, one that escaped certain death from the clutches of a black bear Monday near Armbrust. The NFL great called the Rev. Tim Stradling of Mt. Pleasant Township...
Irwin car cruise returns as borough hires police, workers
Car cruise planned in Irwin The traditional spring car cruise will be held from noon to 5 p.m. April 24 in downtown Irwin. About 85 vehicles have preregistered for event, according to organizer Gary Ed. The car cruise typically attracts around 450 vehicles, which are parked along Main Street and...
Level Green cleanup, Bushy Run Lions barbecue planned
Cleanup event planned for Level Green Volunteers are being sought to help with a cleanup effort in Level Green on May 1, in conjunction with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. The event beginning at 9 a.m. is a collaboration among numerous organizations including the Level Green Lions, the Community Womens Club of...
Norwin area charges filed, April 8, 2021
Charges filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Ashley L. Converso, 34, of Westmoreland City, by North Huntingdon police with possession of...
Pet Friends of Irwin to benefit from book sales about rescue dog
Sales of a children’s book about dog adoption will benefit an Irwin nonprofit animal rescue organization. Pet Friends Inc. partnered with Marianne Spampinato of Johnstown, who wrote “Betsy the Rescue Dog.” The sale is timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of her adoption of Krissy, a border collie-terrier mix,...
Bill moves forward to rename section of Route 981 in honor of late Rep. Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township
The state House transportation committee approved a bill to name a 3½-mile section of Route 981 from the intersection of Route 819 to Route 2021 south of Norvelt after the late state Rep. Mike Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township. Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Connellsville, the prime sponsor of the bill, said...
North Huntingdon-Irwin area covid cases up slightly, as of April 5, 2021
There was a 2.8% increase in the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases from March 29 to April 5 in the four ZIP codes covering most of the Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin area, based on data released Monday by the state Department of Health. The 81 new confirmed...
Holocaust remembered in Yom HaShoah program in Greensburg
Although the Holocaust ended 76 years ago with the Allied liberation of Nazi Germany concentration camps where around 6 million Jews were killed, the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Memorial program on Wednesday at Congregation Emanu-El Israel in Greensburg is another opportunity to remind people anti-Semitism did not die in the ruins...
