Renatta Signorini stories, Page 18
Hempfield supervisors approve plan for 118 new homes near Fort Allen
The master plan for a new housing development near Fort Allen has been approved by Hempfield supervisors. Silvis Fields will have 118 single-family homes on about 60 acres, said Matthew Pernelli, planning manager. The development will be constructed in three phases, and each phase will have to get the supervisors’...
Jeannette, police dog handlers agree on $70K compensation settlement
Jeannette will pay $70,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by police dog handlers who claimed the city violated labor laws by not paying them an overtime rate for time spent caring for their canines. The settlement agreement, obtained by the Trib, also outlines that Sgt. Jim Phillips will work a...
Staffing agency owner who served Charleroi area accused of harboring illegal aliens
A Belle Vernon man pleaded guilty this week to two counts related to accusations that he ran a temporary staffing agency that provided workers who were illegally in the United States. Federal prosecutors said Andy Ha, 28, also failed to pay taxes related to those employees. Ha pleaded guilty to...
Boy, 17, charged with making threats against Greater Latrobe Junior High, 2 students
A 17-year-old boy was charged as a juvenile after state police said he made threats on social media. The threats were posted in a Snapchat group chat. They were directed toward two female students, ages 16 and 15, and Greater Latrobe Junior High School, troopers said in a news release....
Hempfield supervisors spend $222K on vehicles after debate
Hempfield supervisors Monday approved spending $222,000 to buy four vehicles in a move that sparked opposition from one board member. Supervisor George Reese questioned the quotes township officials got for the vehicles, all of which are being purchased from Smail Ford. “That perception out there is that all this (spending)...
Youngwood gun shop owner faces additional theft charges
More theft charges were filed Tuesday against a Hempfield woman who owned a Youngwood gun shop. Westmoreland County detectives said Tracey G. McMahan, 67, took $3,600 from two customers who made down payments for gun purchases and kept two guns that were to be sold on consignment at Hi-Grade Shooters...
Solar power project on course at Hempfield municipal complex
Hempfield is moving forward with a solar power project at its municipal complex. Township supervisors on Monday approved an agreement with Envinity, Inc. of State College for the construction of a solar array on the roof of a multipurpose building that has been erected at the site under development at...
Greensburg man found dead after going through ice at Deep Creek Lake
A Greensburg man died over the weekend after the side-by-side vehicle he was riding on went through the ice at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. Maryland Natural Resources Police public information officer Vincent Dortenzo said David T. Linsenbigler, 58, of Greensburg, was found submerged Saturday with the side-by-side vehicle. Linsenbigler...
College professors researching Black history in Westmoreland
Researching the experiences of Black people in Westmoreland County has been eye-opening for Margaret Power. A Greensburg native, Power said she grew up not knowing much about Black history in the county. She’s changing that now, joining forces with a Saint Vincent College history professor to pore through historical records...
Sheetz seeks Hempfield approval to build new Route 30 location at former Rite Aid
If Hempfield supervisors approve the site plan Monday, an old Rite Aid building on Route 30 will be demolished and a Sheetz convenience store and gas station constructed on the property. The proposed development would replace the vacant building at West Hills Drive across the highway from Greengate Centre. Route...
Dirt bike crash in South Huntingdon kills 1
An 18-year-old man was killed Sunday when the dirt bike he was driving went off a South Huntingdon road and crashed, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Donald Leasure, of Perry Township, Fayette County, became separated from the dirt bike and landed in Jacobs Creek, which runs along the...
Hempfield supervisors set to approve significant change for Midway-St. Clair fire department
The Hempfield supervisors are expected to vote Monday on an acquisition agreement with Midway-St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department. If it is approved, Midway- St. Clair would join North Hempfield as the only “nonchartered” fire stations in the township. The move means the township would manage the station and pay all its...
Bartender at the Aliquippa VFW wanted on charges tied to brutal, prolonged attack
An arrest warrant has been issued for a third person in connection with a brutal beating at a Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge in Aliquippa. City police said Ireland Brown, 21, of Ambridge was bartending at the time of the Jan. 5 attack, according to a post on the department’s...
Traffic-monitoring cameras planned for area near Ebara Elliott Energy in Jeannette
Jeannette police will soon have a 24-hour view of roads near Ebara Elliott Energy as the company is buying security cameras and license plate readers. Council approved the installation of four cameras and three license plate readers in the area of the company’s U.S. headquarters in Jeannette. Police chief Derek...
Route 136 bridge in Rostraver closed early for reconstruction
Safety concerns on a small bridge in Rostraver resulted in it being closed earlier than anticipated for reconstruction. PennDOT District 12 press officer Laina Aquiline said the agency’s bridge safety team noticed structural changes on the bridge that carries Route 136 over a stream known as Pollock Run. “Originally set...
Maryland man accused of credit card fraud at Springhill Suites in Unity
The father of a Massachusetts man arrested last month for impersonating a police officer in Hempfield is behind bars after state police said he used a housing authority’s credit card to book hotel rooms in Unity, according to court papers. Patrick Rooney, 47, of Maryland, is accused of using a...
Point State Park tops the list of most-visited in the region in 2024
It’s probably no surprise that Point State Park was the most visited state park in the region in 2024, according to statistics released by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. With sweeping city, river and bridge views, the park provides 36 acres of green space while preserving its place...
Angels among us: Duo creates keepsakes, 1 bead at a time
Daniel Krueger and Lucille Knopsnyder always have a handmade treasure stashed away in a pocket. It might be a colorful beaded bracelet that Krueger, of Derry Township, crafted, complete with little angel wings. Or it might be a beaded angel figurine, something Knopsnyder, of Unity, has been making for decades....
Rural property owners concerned that housing developments will alter Hempfield lifestyle
John Keenan bought his Hempfield property more than 30 years ago because of the peace and quiet it offered. His son grew up in the rural area on the eastern edge of the township and now uses the property to run an organic farm that supplies produce to local tables...
Lack of manpower forces Greensburg Fire Department to sell truck that requires 2 drivers
The end of an era is approaching for the Greensburg Fire Department. The days are numbered for the department’s tractor-drawn ladder truck, which has become a casualty of fewer volunteers. “It takes two drivers for this truck, and we just don’t have the manpower anymore,” said fire Chief Tom Bell....
Police say Latrobe man provided fatal drug dose
Latrobe police used video surveillance evidence from more than 10 locations to track the movements of a city man shortly before he died from an accidental drug overdose, according to court papers. They compared that information with messages retrieved from Jonathan S. Campbell’s Facebook account to file charges Friday against...
Jeannette council OKs panic buttons for City Hall
Panic security buttons will be installed inside Jeannette City Hall after council approved the measure Thursday in a 3-2 vote. Council authorized spending no more than $8,000 for Morgantown Security and Fire to install the buttons, as well as smoke detectors. “I’m excited that it passed,” said Mayor Curtis Antoniak....
Mon View Heights owner from New York, charged in $580K theft, surrenders in West Mifflin
One of three men from New York accused of stealing $580,000 related to the Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin surrendered to authorities on Thursday. Jonathan Liani, 39,was arraigned and is free on $250,000 unsecured bail, according to court records. Allegheny County detectives said in court papers filed...
Fire causes extensive damage to home in Jeannette
No injuries were reported in a fire in Jeannette on Wednesday afternoon that left a home with extensive damage, according to fire Chief Bill Frye. When firefighters got to the home at the intersection of Chestnut and Lavelle streets around 12:30 p.m., there was fire in the back two rooms...
Judge delays decision on plea deal in July crash in North Huntingdon
A Westmoreland County judge wants more information before considering a plea deal in connection with a North Huntingdon two-vehicle crash that seriously injured a driver. Judge Scott Mears requested the criminal and driving history for Nolan Patrick Mullen, 22, of North Huntingdon, who is accused of driving 90 mph just...
