Quincey Reese stories, Page 12
Greensburg Salem High School students use art, manufacturing skills to honor school board
As Lola Slavnik put the finishing touches on her landscape painting during art class at Greensburg Salem High School, she had no idea her work would be shared with the community. Prints of Slavnik’s painting were among the handmade gifts given to the district’s nine school board members in January...
Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts warm, rainy spring for Western Pa.
Punxsutawney Phil will weigh in Sunday on Pennsylvania’s weather for the next six weeks, but the Old Farmer’s Almanac is one step ahead. The 1792 long-range weather publication predicts a warm, rainy season for the Keystone State. Though temperatures are predicted to align with typical patterns in part of the...
Shaler Area High School student suspended amid allegations a weapon was brought on school bus
A Shaler Area High School student has been suspended as local police investigate a report that they brought a weapon onto a school bus, according to district officials. The district’s school resource officers were notified of the rumor Thursday, according to a statement released by Superintendent Bryan O’Black and Assistant...
Greensburg craft, gift store invites young artists to sell work
Hannah Smith has created art for as long as she can remember. But until last week, Smith, a homeschooled sophomore who lives in Hempfield, never envisioned her artistic talent could turn into a career. Smith is one of five young artists who stocked the shelves of downtown Greensburg’s Artisans of...
Driver rescued after crashing vehicle through Bellevue parking deck
A vehicle crashed through a parking deck in Bellevue early Thursday morning, according to Emsworth Volunteer Fire Company. Crews from Emsworth, Avalon and Bellevue volunteer fire departments were dispatched to the parking deck shortly after 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a social media post by Emsworth. The crash occurred just...
Jeannette man sentenced to up to 9 years for narcotics offenses
Nearly four years after police seized drugs and almost $10,000 from a Jeannette man, he was sentenced to serve up to nine years in prison, according to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s office. Larry Frederick, 35, was arrested in February 2021 after investigators seized from his home nearly 3...
Bethel Park Police officer serving arrest warrant shoots man holding firearm
A Bethel Park man shot by a police officer serving an arrest warrant Wednesday night is charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers went to an apartment complex along Dorchester Drive at 10 p.m. Wednesday to serve William Adam, 45, an arrest warrant related...
Washington County inmates detained by ICE
Up to six Washington County inmates could be detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jose Turcios Salmeron, a native of El Salvador, was being held at Washington County Jail on charges of aggravated and simple assault. He was released to ICE Thursday, according to a statement from the county...
2 more Pittsburgh restaurants to close their doors
Two more Pittsburgh restaurants are set to close their doors soon. Oak Hill Post, based in the city’s Brookline neighborhood, announced its closure via social media Friday after more than seven years in business. “After seven great years we have decided that the time to hang up our aprons is...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle takes out utility pole in Shaler
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025: Vehicle takes out utility pole in Shaler A vehicle crashed into a utility pole along Mt. Royal Boulevard early Wednesday morning, Shaler Township Police said. No injuries were reported in the crash, which occurred at...
Butler County woman struck and killed by vehicle
Butler County resident June M. Ruff died Tuesday afternoon of injuries she sustained after being hit by a vehicle Monday evening, according to a report from the Allegheny Medical Examiner’s office. Ruff, 62, of Slippery Rock was struck in the 400 block of Main Street in Evans City, Butler County...
Vehicle travels off turnpike, strikes tree and overturns in Penn Township; driver hospitalized
A man driving through Penn Township on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital after striking a tree Tuesday morning. Penn Township Ambulance, Harrison City Volunteer Fire Department, and turnpike officials were dispatched to the area of mile marker 60 on the toll road around 8:20 a.m., according...
Morning Roundup: Fire crews called twice to Carrick home; latest police arrest numbers
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 28: Fire crews called twice to Carrick home After extinguishing flames at a home in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood early Tuesday morning, fire crews were called back to the scene hours later. Firefighters were first dispatched to the...
Donora, Murrysville, Greensburg dive teams help pull Fayette County crash victim, vehicle from West Virginia lake
With an 8-inch sheet of ice atop the frigid water beneath their feet, dive teams from Murrysville Medic One and the Donora and Greensburg volunteer fire departments helped pull a vehicle and remains of a Fayette County resident from West Virginia’s Cheat Lake Sunday. Kevin Laitalle, 59, of Smithfield, and...
Crews fight flames at Kiski Township home
Fire departments arrived early Monday morning to fight flames that engulfed a Kiski Township home. Crews were dispatched to the 400 block of Glorietta Hill Road just after 4 a.m., according to an Armstrong County 911 dispatcher. The home was fully engulfed by around 4:30 a.m. Kiski Township, North Apollo,...
Westmoreland veterans organization seeks descendants of Civil War soldier for Memorial Day ceremony
Penn Township resident Bill Bray has made it his mission to ensure the Civil War veterans buried in Westmoreland County are not forgotten. An Army veteran who served from 1984 to 1993, Bray has worked to restore abandoned cemeteries for more than two years — cleaning and replacing headstones of...
Wilkinsburg man accused of shooting at police in Penn Hills arrested in Florida
A Wilkinsburg man who Allegheny County Police said shot at two officers in October in Penn Hills was arrested Thursday in Fort Pierce, Florida. Pittsburgh detectives — who had a court order to conduct surveillance on Darrell Barham’s vehicle — were investigating early Oct. 17 when police said Barham, 40,...
Hempfield Area renews contracts for assistant superintendents
Hempfield Area’s assistant superintendents will remain in their roles for another three years following a contract extension approved by the school board Tuesday night. Assistant superintendent of elementary education Kimberlie Rieffannnacht has been in the role since 2020. Her predecessor, Matthew Conner, has served as assistant superintendent of secondary education...
‘A piece of tattoo history’: Greensburg shop owner earns patent for machine design
Greensburg tattoo shop owner Nick Christofano has inked himself into the industry history books. After 28 years in the business, Christofano received a patent late last year for a tattoo machine he designed. “Tattooing has been such a huge part of my life. I’ve been doing it nearly 30 years,”...
Westmoreland offers special education certificate program aimed at bolstering teacher workforce
Schools in Westmoreland County are struggling to fill special education teaching positions. They’re not alone. More than 2,000 teaching positions were vacant in Pennsylvania as of October, according to data released by the state. Though schools in and around Philadelphia bear the brunt of the shortages, Westmoreland County needs 30...
Hempfield high school boys basketball coach resigns amid investigation
Less than a week after Hempfield Area announced an investigation into boys high school basketball coach Bill Swan, he has resigned from his coaching duties. Swan was placed on paid administrative leave from his coaching and guidance counselor positions Jan. 14 as the district investigated an allegation that school officials...
‘This is a big deal for Greensburg Salem’: District launches mental health program for its educators
Doug Sweitzer believes he can help transform the personal and professional lives of Greensburg Salem School District staff. A former employee of the Red Lion Area School District in York County, Sweitzer will train about six Greensburg Salem teachers in a mental health program after approval by the school board...
Extreme cold prompts opening of warming shelters in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Armstrong counties
As single-digit temperatures loom in Southwestern Pennsylvania’s forecast for early next week, warming shelters in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Armstrong counties will be available for those seeking a break from the cold. Temperatures in the Pittsburgh area are forecast to dip from 6 degrees on Monday to as low as minus-10...
Forensic pathologist: Ligonier woman found buried in Cook died by homicide
Exactly four months after the remains of a Ligonier woman were found buried on a property in Cook, a forensic pathologist has ruled her death a homicide. Amy Shipley, 45, was reported missing Sept. 13, five days after she was last seen. Ligonier Valley police and FBI Pittsburgh’s evidence response...
Workout class, spaghetti dinner slated to support Penn Township mom diagnosed with breast cancer
When Justine Holmes has a tough day raising her 8-month-old daughter, Bella Jo, she looks to the example of her cousin-in-law, Stefanie Cortazzo. Cortazzo of Penn Township is a stay-at-home mom to five boys, ranging from ages 3 to 16. She’s never missed one of their sporting events, Holmes said...
