Renatta Signorini stories, Page 37
Westmoreland juvenile detention center set to reopen Wednesday
With nearly $1 million in renovations still to come and learn-as-you-go training planned for some staff, Westmoreland County will reopen its juvenile detention center Wednesday. The center will have four beds available initially while staff members get their footing, director Rich Gordon said. “Some of our staff have never worked...
Prayer vigil offers comfort to family of Jeannette fire victims
Delena Lewis ached as she listened to prayers swirl around in the wind outside Jeannette City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. The devastation was fresh — her son Tyler J. King, 27, and four grandchildren, Kyson, 7, Kinzleigh, 6, Keagan, 3, and Korbyn, 1 month, were killed hours earlier in a...
Coroner identifies father, 4 children killed in Jeannette blaze
Twin brothers Tyler and Kenneth King did everything together. Their families would go on vacations together and, until a few months ago, they worked at the same place. “Even growing up, we’d sleep together on the floor,” Kenneth King said. “We had beds. We’d just sleep downstairs on the floor...
Ligonier Township man charged in stabbing at his home
A Ligonier Township man is behind bars in connection with a stabbing at his home Sunday. Michael G. Glass, 46, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and possession of an instrument of crime. Ligonier Valley police reported they were called to Green Valley Drive at 5:30 p.m....
Hempfield plans virtual auction of items at former state prison property
Tools, equipment and furniture inside buildings at the former SCI Greensburg property will be up for grabs as a virtual auction is being planned. Officials are looking to liquidate the contents of buildings at the Hempfield complex before demolishing it, said Jason Rigone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Industrial...
Jeannette extends garbage rate hikes through 2027
Businesses in Jeannette will see their garbage rates increase starting next year. And an ongoing plan to increase residential rates through 2026 has been extended. The increases, which will be incremental through 2027, were necessary because of rising costs associated with disposing trash at a landfill, said city manager Ethan...
Former Fort Pitt Brewery complex, a headache for years in Jeannette, to be torn down
Demolition of the old Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette could start this summer. Officials are planning a public meeting in May before opening bids for the demolition work. Brian Lawrence, director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank, expects the work to take about six months. “Our...
State trooper charged in connection with domestic violence allegation
Criminal charges were filed Monday against a suspended state trooper in connection with a domestic violence allegation. Troopers from the state police internal affairs division filed a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and a summary count of harassment against Nicholas E. Hood, 31, of Derry Township. Hood had been based...
Hempfield man jailed, accused of ramming vehicle at school bus stop
A Hempfield man was denied bail Friday after state police said he intentionally rammed a vehicle waiting at a school bus stop. Casey D. Anthony, 32, is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and related offenses. Troopers said Anthony intentionally drove a pickup truck with an attached trailer into...
‘We received thank-you’s’: Greensburg diocese has armed police officer in every school
Police officers who work at schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg are serving as mentors to students just as much as protectors. Members of the diocese force, in its first school year of existence as a private police department, make daily rounds at the 12 schools in four...
‘Sad, dreadful feelings’: Couple’s death in house explosion rekindles memories, unanswered questions
When Rick Napoleon heard about a fatal home explosion in Crescent last week, he was overcome by sadness and empathy. The thoughts of destruction and death that he and his neighbors endured seven months ago in Plum’s Rustic Ridge community came flooding back. His home was destroyed when his neighbor’s...
Maryland men suspected of Unity vehicle break-ins
An off-duty Westmoreland County detective who noticed suspicious activity in his Unity neighborhood this week helped state police identify two men they believe stole a handgun, a Louis Vuitton wallet and $340 from four vehicles, according to court documents. Arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects: Dominyck S. Sims,...
Westmoreland formally adopts jail policy on undocumented immigrants to shed sanctuary label
Westmoreland County’s Republican delegation used a news conference Thursday to assure residents the county is no place for undocumented immigrants in trouble with the law. The county prison board unanimously approved a new policy that formalized standard operating procedure related to undocumented immigrants held at the jail. Officials at the...
Irwin man sentenced to federal prison for viewing sexually explicit content
An Irwin man was sentenced Monday to 15 months in a federal prison for looking at computer-generated and anime-type images of infants involved in sexually explicit conduct. Thomas W. Crosby IV, 30, was on supervised release in two child pornography possession cases when he viewed the explicit content, according to...
Crescent police caution of bogus fundraising in light of house explosion
Crescent police are warning of illegitimate fundraising efforts for the family affected by Tuesday’s house explosion that killed two people. In a social media post, police said those who created the fake fundraisers are taking advantage of the situation. “I must emphasize that the family has not endorsed any such...
5 arrested in connection with 2023 raid at Murrysville vape shop
Two owners of a Murrysville vape shop and three employees are facing charges after authorities said they were selling illegal substances out of the business. In court papers filed Tuesday, police listed six occasions between January and March 2023 when undercover officers bought items from PA Vapor & Glassroom that...
State police find 273 pounds of marijuana in minivan after traffic stop near New Stanton
A state police canine helped troopers find 273 pounds of marijuana Monday in a minivan that was traveling in Hempfield, according to court papers. Troopers said they also confiscated two guns. They filed charges Tuesday against two men — Qingxue Guo, 42, of Texas, and Tingting Huang, 33, who did...
Water use restrictions lifted as Beaver Run Reservoir levels return to normal
About 56,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers are free to use water as they choose as levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir have bounced back. The authority on Tuesday ended its voluntary conservation order, days after the state lifted its drought watch for the county. The reservoir stood at...
Scottdale driver charged in fatal wrong-way crash on I-70 in South Huntingdon
Marcia Fuller was relieved Thursday to learn an arrest had been made in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon that killed her son. For nearly two years, she’s kept a close eye on the investigation into David Ott’s June 19, 2022 death. “It’s just been so hard,”...
Derry man accused of breaking trucker’s cell phone in Toll Route 66 incident
A Derry Borough man is accused of stopping his SUV in the left lane of Toll Route 66 and arguing with a truck driver, breaking the trucker’s cell phone, according to court papers. State troopers said the encounter with Marshall C. Dolfi, 30, was captured on cameras in the tractor-trailer....
‘Burning’ millions of dollars, Mutual Aid ambulance looks to communities it serves to boost revenue
Mutual Aid ambulance is hoping to match the success of other emergency medical services in the region as it turns to the communities it serves to boost revenue. Ken Bacha, director of community outreach, hasn’t seen any checkbooks open yet, but he hopes that providing the municipalities that Mutual Aid...
East Huntingdon man accused of shooting at troopers now charged with attempted homicide
A number of new charges, including attempted homicide, were filed Wednesday against an East Huntingdon man who was wounded in an encounter with state troopers. James R. Miller Jr., 61, sat in a wheelchair during his arraignment on the new complaint in district court. State police withdrew the original, less...
Police accuse Penn Township nurse practitioner of illegally ‘prescribing pills by the thousands’
The arrest of a nurse practitioner accused of writing fake prescriptions culminated from months of police work, including examining trash put out at the suspect’s Penn Township home, executing search warrants at 19 locations and surveillance, court filings show. Penn Township police Chief John Otto said his department received a...
Man’s body recovered from Yough in Ohiopyle State Park
A man’s body was recovered from the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park on Sunday afternoon, according to park manager Ken Bisbee. The body was spotted by hikers on the Great Allegheny Passage between Confluence and Ohiopyle around 3:45 p.m. He appeared to be a fisherman, Bisbee said. In a...
Jeannette officials seek answers for restoring dilapidated properties
It sounded like William Gaines had a pretty good plan. He wanted to buy a property on North Fourth Street in Jeannette from the Westmoreland County repository. But first, he had to get approval from city council. Gaines told council members in December that he intended to rehabilitate the home...
