Joe Napsha stories, Page 85
AHN, Highmark Health outfit first responders with more personal protective gearVideo
For about a dozen ambulance services that received free boxes of personal protective equipment Tuesday during a distribution of masks, gowns and face shields at AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital, the initiative was a lifesaver — literally and financially, recipients said. “This will really help out. (PPE is) in really short...
Norwin official vows not to raise school taxes
Property owners in the Norwin School District will not have to pay more in school taxes in the 2021-2022 school year for the first time since 2011, Norwin’s top official promised. In promoting a commitment of doing more with less, Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the school board Monday there will...
Norwin outlines plans for 5 days of in-person classes per week
For the first time this school year, all Norwin students will have the option of returning to class five days a week, beginning March 19, officials said. Bringing students back to class for five days of instruction “is something that’s been very important to our students and our community members,”...
North Huntingdon-Irwin area covid cases continue decline for the week of March 1, 2021
The number of new coronavirus cases in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area continued to decline during the first full week of March, with only 41 new confirmed cases from March 1 to 8, according to data the state Department of Health released on Monday. The four ZIP codes covering North...
Norwin officials to discuss in-school options for instruction
Norwin school officials are planning to discuss options for more in-person instruction during a school board meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Monday. Superintendent Jeff Taylor is expected to address plans for students in grades five through 11 to have the option of returning to school for four days of in-person...
Westmoreland County gets $12.9 million for emergency rental aid for needy
Westmoreland County residents who are behind on their rent and facing possible eviction or unable to pay huge heating bills and fearing a utility shutoff can seek help through a $12.9 million federally funded program for emergency rental aid. “We’re seeing an increase in demand for rental assistance across the...
Penn Township man jailed after 19-hour standoff
A Penn Township man peacefully surrendered to police Thursday after a state police special response team took action to end a standoff that began a night earlier, authorities said. James Kassimatis, 51, came out of his Center Street house in Harrison City around 2 p.m., township police Chief John Otto...
Irwin cans longtime engineering firm; council at odds over whether move saves money
Irwin switched engineering firms, dumping its longtime engineer in favor of a Latrobe firm. With no public debate on the issue or explanation for its decision, borough council voted 5-2 this week to immediately terminate Bove Engineering Co. of Hempfield and hire Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co. Council members Rick Burdelski, Leslie...
Budding North Huntingdon artist takes talent to tattooing
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
She’s lovin’ it: 100-year-old McDonald’s worker has no plans to retireVideo
Ruth N. Shuster was crowned “Queen for a Day” at McDonald’s Big Mac Museum in North Huntingdon, a well-deserved honor for a loyal employee who has greeted customers at the eatery the past 27 years. What made this honor — a throwback to Jack Bailey’s 1950s-era television show of the...
Bataan Memorial March slated for April 17 at Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Trafford
An event next month will honor those 76,000 American and Filipino soldiers who endured a 65-mile forced march in the Philippines as prisoners of the Japanese during World War II. The Norwin Air Force Junior ROTC cadets are sponsoring a 14-mile walk or run along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail between...
Covid cases continue to decline in North Huntingdon-Irwin area from Feb. 22 to March 1, 2021
The spread of coronavirus in the North Huntingdon-Irwin-North Irwin area continued to lessen during the last week in February, with only 43 new confirmed cases from Feb. 22 to March 1, according to data the state Department of Health on Monday. The four ZIP codes covering North Huntingdon, Irwin, North...
Fundraising efforts aim to help fix leaky Greensburg YMCA poolVideo
A group of local triathletes who have been training at the Greensburg YMCA to prepare for upcoming competitions have taken on a new challenge: raising money to help repair the leaky pool that is so critical to their success. A Greensburg YMCA Pool GoFundMe page, created by 35-year-old Jeremy Eshleman...
Norwin-area events, Feb. 25, 2021 and beyond
Having debated for months on how to regulate people raising chickens in a residential neighborhood, North Huntingdon commissioners unanimously approved a zoning ordinance amendment that requires a permit. Under the revision, the owners of properties zoned R-2, R-3 and R-4, which range in size from 10 acres to 20 acres,...
Norwin-area charges filed, Feb. 25, 2021
Charges recently filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Christian Lowe, 29, of Pittsburgh, by North Huntingdon police with...
Part owner of Donora convenience store fatally shot
A Donora man was fatally shot Wednesday while working at the Donora convenience store where he was part owner, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said. The victim, Nicholas Tarpley, 28, was shot at Lee’s Convenience Store, at 501 Allen Ave., where he was pronounced dead, Deputy Coroner Matthew Yarosek stated...
Wendel Post Office closes; residents told to get mail 5 miles away in Manor
The U.S. Post Office in the Hempfield village of Wendel closed 10 days ago, forcing 100 customers who got their mail at that site to travel 5 miles to the post office in Manor. The Postal Service closed the office on Feb. 13 because it lost its lease on the...
Temps fall, but Western Pa. power plants, gas lines built to operate during big chills
As some Western Pennsylvanians awoke Sunday morning with temperatures close to zero, they got the heat and power they needed from their natural gas service and electric power plants to keep warm. Meanwhile, millions of Texans were freezing in flooded homes. That catastrophe did not happen in the Northeast and...
Penn Township woman’s novel weaves personal story into adult fictionVideo
A Harrison City woman has written a book that weaves elements of her life’s experiences into a novel about a woman dealing with trauma from an assault who eventually plots a way to exact revenge on the perpetrator. In “Other People’s Words,” Leslie Savisky has written a 300-page story that...
Cub Scouts ID vets’ markers at Scottdale cemeteries
Three Cub Scouts have identified 152 veterans’ grave markers that need to be replaced at two Scottdale cemeteries. It’s a community service project designed to honor those who served their country, as well as the Confederate States of America. Nathaniel King and Alex Schwenger, both of Scottdale, and Gavin Rummel...
Westmoreland suppliers scramble to get de-icers for home use
Dave Andrako of North Huntingdon was filling seven buckets with rock salt this week at Norwin Landscape Supply for the spreader he uses to keep his driveway and sidewalks clear after a snowstorm. “It’s easier to use the loose salt” rather than the bags, said Andrako, who was joined by...
Pagan Motorcycle Club members hit with more indictments
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has handed down more charges against two dozen suspected members and associates of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pagans Motorcycle Club who are accused of dealing cocaine and heroin, the U.S. Attorney General in Pittsburgh said Friday. The superceding indictments added the names of...
Norwin area charges filed, Feb. 18, 2021
Charges recently filed with North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Isaiah Mohammed, 19, of Irwin, by borough police with possession...
North Huntingdon OKs new backyard chicken rules
Having debated for months on how to regulate people raising chickens in a residential neighborhood, North Huntingdon commissioners this week approved a zoning ordinance amendment that requires a permit. The seven commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved the zoning amendment. Under the revision, the owners of properties zoned R-2, R-3 and...
Westmoreland water authority to meet with contractors, gas well operators
Representatives from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County plan to talk with companies that work around two of its fresh water sources — the Beaver Run Reservoir in Westmoreland County and the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville and McKeesport — about maintaining the integrity of its drinking water. The authority plans...
