Quincey Reese stories, Page 16
2 longtime Westmoreland food businesses change hands
Hempfield high school sweethearts Halie Altman and Cole Rendulic have always wanted to open a business together. When the owner of Angelo’s Cucina and Catering in Hempfield stepped down, the couple of nearly a decade knew their opportunity had come. Like Altman and Rendulic, Irwin resident Shakib Ahmady also is...
New Stanton resident collects winter clothing, essential items for community members in need
Three years after launching a winter clothing drive for New Stanton area residents, Linda Hauger’s goal remains the same — keep at least one family warm through the chilly months. Hauger’s first drive collected about 50 gently used and new coats and an assortment of hats, mittens, gloves and sweatshirts....
Immigration, AI: Seton Hill professor uses digital technology to craft exhibit featuring immigrant characters
At first glance, observers would have no idea the cartoon-like figures hanging in Seton Hill’s Jodee Harris Gallery are tied to discussions of immigration and the use of digital technology in art. To artist Josias Figueirido, that is precisely the point. Figueirido, a new assistant art professor at the university,...
Greensburg priests, bishop pair food, fundraising in annual charity dinner
Five clergymen in the Diocese of Greensburg traded their vestments for aprons and chefs hats this month, cooking dishes for a fundraising dinner next week. Prayer and Perfect Pairings will gather hundreds of parishioners across the three-county diocese to enjoy a five-course dinner, each paired with wine, at the Christ...
Greensburg names Baltzer Meyer the city’s official historical society
Greensburg named Hempfield-based Baltzer Meyer the city’s official historical society Monday. The Baltzer Meyer Historical Society has collected records and artifacts from communities across Westmoreland County for more than three decades, said Vice President Franny Petras — including Greensburg. “We have military records. We have family trees. We have research...
Hempfield reviews visions for high school renovation project after construction stalled last year
More than a year after halting a high school renovation that came in over budget, Hempfield Area School District is getting back on track with the project. Architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project during a school board meeting this week, touching on improvement priorities and...
Hempfield considers redoing auxiliary gym roof, following auditorium roof replacement in August
After replacing its auditorium roof this summer, Hempfield Area High School may see a new roof covering its auxiliary gym. The 7,500-square-foot section of roof is beyond its useful life and leaks into the gym, said Damion Spahr, project executive of the district’s construction manager, SitelogIQ. The gym will require...
Greensburg Salem employees slated for salary, health insurance increases in new contract
Greensburg Salem employees will receive an average annual salary increase of more than 3% across the next five years through a contract approved by the school board. The contract grants an average annual salary increase of 3.19% each year to nearly 200 teachers, nurses and psychologists in the district, Superintendent...
Penn Township church aims to raise $10K to fight food insecurity
Daniel Stones has participated in Penn Township’s annual fundraiser to fight food insecurity since before he could walk. The CROP Walk, hosted by First United Church of Christ in Harrison City, used to draw 75 walkers raising money to fight hunger locally and worldwide. Since the pandemic, attendance has dropped...
Westmoreland, Allegheny community colleges aim to increase graduation rates with national program
Andrew Barnette wants to spend more time reading names while standing on the stage at Westmoreland County Community College’s graduation ceremony. “I am privileged to be asked every year to read names at graduation,” said Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Service. “It’s the...
Revenue drop averted at Bushy Run thanks to community support
Bushy Run lost dozens of trees in a tornado that whipped through Penn Township this summer, but a community donation may help restore that loss across the 213-acre park. Friends of PTARC — the nonprofit fundraising group associated with the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission — donated $1,000 to support the...
Greensburg Central Catholic to host open house for prospective students
Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School will host an open house on Nov. 3 for prospective students. The open house will start at 1 p.m. Students and their parents will be able to tour the campus and classrooms, connect with members of student clubs and sports teams, meet the faculty...
Penn-Trafford area: Trunk or Treat, Bad Art Night and more
Manor Trunk or Treat The Manor Borough recreation board and police department will host a trunk or treat and pet parade on Oct. 19. The event will run 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Norwin Elks Building, located at 135 Elks Lane. Participants and their...
Westmoreland approves tax break for developers restoring blighted property in Trafford
Developers seeking to set roots in Trafford will receive a tax break following approval by the county last week. Trafford Borough Council approved in June an ordinance establishing a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance — or LERTA — zone that will give a real estate tax break to developers who...
‘This isn’t the worst thing’: Western Pa. students, teachers adapt to cellphone restrictions
When Plum Senior High School announced in August it would require students to turn in their cellphones at the start of each class, Dhruv Thakkar could not have been more opposed to the change. “Me and my friends immediately jumped to the fact that our senior year was going to...
2 Westmoreland schools recognized by Special Olympics for inclusive programming
Two Westmoreland County schools were recognized by the Special Olympics for offering inclusive programming for students of all abilities. Mt. Pleasant and Hempfield Area high schools are two of 11 schools in the state to receive national recognition for their Unified Champion Schools programs — where students in special and...
Westmoreland job fair series to launch at Hempfield casino
Job seekers in Westmoreland County will have a new avenue to search for employment starting this month. Pennsylvania CareerLink and the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce will host monthly regional job fairs at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield, with the first slated for Oct. 15. Employers from a variety of...
Hempfield to reevaluate high school library following resignation of librarian
Hempfield Area High School is reevaluating how to use its library space, district officials said. The high school’s librarian submitted a letter of resignation a few weeks ago, working her last shift Friday. But the district is holding off on hiring a new full-time employee for the position. With sights...
Hempfield, Greensburg fire prevention event aims to combine education, entertainment, recruitment
The Hempfield and Greensburg volunteer fire departments will display fire apparatus, talk to area residents about fire safety and recruit new members next week at the 28th annual Fire Prevention Night. The nearly 30-year tradition, held outside of the Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield, is meant to inform the community about...
Penn-Trafford area: Mad Science Spooktacular, crocheting and more
Mad Science Spooktacular The Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission will host a Mad Science Spooktacular program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4. The event, open to children ages 5 to 12, will apply science to a Halloween-themed story about Count Eggbert — a vampire who struggles to fit into his...
Man arrested in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Center after hostage incident involving his children
SWAT units arrested a man in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Center neighborhood Tuesday afternoon following a hostage incident involving the man’s children, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Pittsburgh police were dispatched to the 200 block of East Ohio Street around 3:20 p.m. for a domestic call inside the Allegheny Commons apartment complex,...
Missing Vandergrift woman found
A Vandergrift woman who had been missing since Saturday was found safe, according to Vandergrift police. Victoria “Tori” Tamuschy, 36, was found in Tarentum. She had been reported missing by family members after last being seen on security camera video footage around 5 p.m. Saturday. She was last seen in...
‘It wasn’t as trashy as I’ve seen it’: Luke Bryan clean-up crews leave little sign of Farm Tour stop in South Huntingdon
Passersby Sunday morning would have no idea the Cunningham family farm in South Huntingdon swelled to crowds of 18,000 people to see country music artist Luke Bryan the night before. Luke Bryan’s annual Farm Tour turned the once quiet 90-acre farm into a sea of RVs, school buses, cornhole boards...
Ianni’s Pizzeria in Delmont suffers ‘significant damage’ from fire
The Ianni’s Pizzeria location in Delmont suffered extensive damage in a fire early Sunday morning. Crews from Delmont, White Valley, Murrysville, Slickville, Claridge and Forbes volunteer fire departments were dispatched to the restaurant shortly before 4 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The fire departments worked to put...
Man arrested, stolen gun retrieved from Pitcairn shooting
One man was arrested following a shooting in Pitcairn that struck two vehicles Saturday afternoon, Allegheny County police said. Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Brinton Avenue for reports of two groups shooting at each other just before 2:50 p.m. No injuries were reported. Police found a stolen...
